Host good morning. Thursday, august 10. Welcome to the washington journal. This morning, we will begin with the abortion debate and how it will impact your vote in the 2024 election. Republicans dial in at 202 7488001. Democrats, 202 7488000. Independents, 202 7488002. You can also send a text message and include your first name, city, and state to 202 7488003 or post on facebook. Com cspan or on x cpsanwj. Ohio is a roadmap for 2024 after ohio voted in an off year election in summertime to reject a Ballot Initiative that would have restricted abortion or abortion efforts. Now, democrats nationally are looking at this as a roadmap. The power of reproductive rights in recent elections is prompting democrats to rethink their 2024 strategy. From the Washington Post, they begin with, even in redleaning states, support for abortion rights is proving to be a potent electoral force. In ohio, voters rejected a ballot measure that would have made it harder to add abortion rights to the states constitution. The victory for abortion Rights Groups is likely to encourage abortion rights advocates to put the issue on ballots in more states next year and beyond. Such moves could boost democratic turnout as many Party Leaders are worried about low enthusiasm for reelecting President Biden because of his age and week job approval ratings. Back to the Washington Post. Democrats are also thinking this helps them with the senate. They hope the push for abortion rights helps them minimize losses in the senate where they hold a narrow 51 49 majority. Among them is a sharon from ohio, jacky rosen in ohio. They can step up their focus on abortion rights. Major abortion Rights Groups have most of ballot measure campaigns in several swings dates across the country, hoping their success can help sweep the road candidates into office. Productive Rights Groups in arizona launched a bid to sign protections into the state constitution, setting off a high stakes battle. They are also pursuing ballot measures in florida and missouri, while advocates for other states are exploring whether to do so for 2024 and beyond. In maryland and new york, the states democratic controlled legislatures referred abortion rights amendments to state voters can help the credit house candidates in those states, especially new york. The Washington Post also notes that the white house, from President Bidens perspective, have sent out Kamala Harris on this issue more times than the president himself, dispatching her to 16 states over the past year to discuss reproductive rights. She recently traveled to iowa with gop president ial candidates also gathered, to slam the states new law banning abortion after roughly six weeks of pregnancy that has been blocked by the courts sense. Here is the Vice President delivering speaking on the oneyear anniversary of the Supreme Court jobs Dobbs Decision. [video clip] over this past 365 days, doctors and nurses have also experienced this chaos and confusion and fear. They are not only afraid to lose their medical license, which they might, these medical professionals have dedicated themselves to the care of perfect strangers. They told me they fear being prosecuted and going to jail. In texas and alabama, doctors and nurses could go to prison for life. Can you imagine someone passing a law saying life in prison for a health care provider, doing what in their medical judgment is the right thing . In this past 365 days, extreme laws creating chaos, confusion, and fear. Laws that have impaired access to other a sick Womens Health care two other basic Womens Health care issues. Productive care clinics have been forced to close, those that offer routine checkups for so many people in the community, trusted by the community. They offer referrals for mammograms and other cancer screenings. The impact to Womens Health issues broadly is very real. One year after the Dobbs Decision, we have also seen many women questioned whether they can even move to any states passing these extreme laws. They are asking their friends and family, should i consider going to that state when deciding where to go to school . Where to take a job . Host Vice PresidentKamala Harris talking about abortion on the oneyear anniversary of the Supreme CourtDobbs Decision, overturning roe v. Wade. How important is the abortion issue in your 2024 vote . Where does it rank for you in the top five issues . That is the question for this first hour. The former president delivered a speech at the Freedom Conference policy conference in d. C. And shares his prolife record as president in his role in the Dobbs Decision that overturned roe v. Wade. [video clip] exactly one year ago today, the Supreme Court was pivotable in ending the controversy known as roe v. Wade. [applause] thank you. Conservatives had been trying for exactly 50 years. Amazing that today is the day. Did you set this up on purpose . Today is the birthday of that decision. Did you do that . It was not just a fluke, right . Whether you did or did not, this is the birthday. It is very good. Something crazy was going on here. They will say it is Donald Trumps fault. But i got it done and no one thought it was a possibility. Good people, strong people, smart people had been fighting for 50 years and never came close to getting it done. I dont believe they have ever even taken a vote. I got it done. I got a kick out of these candidates and the other side saying, i dont know, i think i am more prolife. It woman stood up and stashed a woman stood up and said this guy is prolife. I am proud to be the most prolife president in american history. Host former president , the leading president ial candidate for 2024, touting his record this morning. How important is the abortion issue on either side of it to your 2024 vote . According to a recent reuters poll done at the end of july, President Biden holds a slight lead over former President Donald Trump on the issue of the economy and abortion. From this poll, President Biden led trump 37 to 35 in a hypothetical matchup with the remaining 28 saying they were not sure who to pick or would vote for someone else or not at all. The poll last year showed Avery Doherty of voters showed a majority of voters do not like president s who have a harsh view on abortion. Many said they are less likely to support a president ial candidate who backs laws banning or severely restricting abortion access. 27 said they were more likely. If you are one of those voters, join us. A solid 72 of suburban white women, seen as an important demographic, said they were less likely to support an antiabortion candidate. Abortion has already taken a prominent role in ads in battleground states in the Democratic National congressionacoittee. It is your time to tell how important is the abortion issue in your 2024 vote . Republican, good morning. Tell us. Caller good morning. Host we are listening. Caller i agree that abortion is one of the top five issues in the 2024 election. But i really view the election over all like this. Are you going to keep your promises . One senator lost his primary because he failed to deliver on his promises. I will not vote for joe biden next year because of promises made and promises not kept. And if he cannot promise to codify abortion for election day 2024, i will simply not vote for him. Host ok. Bill adams on facebook says, the issue of abortion is not important to his 2024 vote and should not be a federal election issue. Chris, what do you say . As an independent, where do you fall . Caller if donald trump says he is the most prolife president in america, i heard he was a registered democrat until obama. I also heard in an interview where a woman who works for him says he was all for abortion. Some lady got pregnant or something and he wanted her to have an abortion. That is bs. Host where are you on abortion . Caller it should be a personal issue and politics should have nothing to do with it. It is a womans body. Let her do what she wants to do and make decisions with her family and her spirituality. Host as an independent, who did you vote for in 2016 and 2020 . Caller i dont vote for president. I figured i did not want to be with possible for what goes on. I voted to raise the minimum wage to 15 and it was a scam and goes of one dollar a year. It will be 12 in september which is like 10 an hour after taxes. You cannot live on that. Everything tripled here. Host larry, detroit, democrat. How important is abortion in your 2024 vote . Caller it is very important. Women should have the rights to their own bodies. No man should have the rights to tell a woman what to do. The Republican Party is out of whack. They are trying to control the government and turn it into a fascist country. You need to run a program to show who has done more for this country in 70 years. Just google on your phones, america. It is democrats. The democrats have always put any issue that has affected america and any programs that have affected america, and republicans get credit. They have never done anything in the country except for the rich. Host we are sticking to the abortion question. The Washington Post writes abortion rights measures have often performed far better than President Biden and democrats did in the same state. In ohio, former President Donald Trump defeated President Biden but abortion rights forces prevailed tuesday by 57 to 43 . In kansas where donald trump one against biden 56 to 42 , voters rejected an abortion ban by 60 to 40 . In washington journal, donald trump 18 co. , one of the states most populous by seven points in delaware. Voters rejected issue one which was the abortion question by 16 points. Voters were split evenly on the measure in fairfield county, an excerpt of columbus and butler county. Donald trump had won both by more than 20 points in 2020. Bruce, independent. Where doesion rank for your 2024 vote . Caller anyone talking tively about banning abortion, no. Io not believe they stand a chance. I certainly will not be voting for anyone that is going to get in the way of women having abortions. It is their body. They have to decide within their framework as to what they want to do with that fetus. Thats it. Host before you go, how did you vote in 2016 and 2020 . Caller 2020, i did trump. Then i did joe biden last time. I am not doing joe biden this time. If donald trump is the only chance, unfortunately, i think he is the lesser of two evils. This is one of those situations where we are not voting for the best person but some other person so we will not get stomped into the situation we are in now. Host you just heard the former president in june taking credit for overturning roe v. Wade, and you said you would not vote for any candidate who wants to restrict abortion. Caller yes. Unfortunately, joe biden said a lot. But i am not seeing anything he has actually done that women have already had or had before. All the noise they make our talking points. They are not going to do anything. Negatively, i think women should have the right to do whatever they want with their bodies. Host katie on facebook. I live in ohio and i voted no because currently in my state, you cannot get a dmc if you have a miscarriage. And a 10yearold had to go to indiana to get an abortion. Politicians are putting womens lives at risk. Ray, republican. Good morning to you. We are listening. Caller i have never heard this before but abortion is the best thing that ever happened to men because they do not have to pay Child Support to these women they pick up in bars and other places. That is why i like abortion because it is helping men to keep from paying Child Support. Host . Caller good morning. Before you ask who i voted for, in georgia, we have a split ticket. You stay out of the primary and then when the election happens, you can vote either side. I said i would vote for the one who tells me the least number of lives. On the abortion thing, i called in to mrs. Kelly bateman a month ago and said, what is going to happen is, we have seen in multiple states that the independents will speak up and bring reality back by asking the question of, who causes abortions . That is where it stops. We are not respecting the fact that the women my god, i had to say what is wrong . You want to protect women . We are turning our backs on the women. I have enough spine to say, who causes abortions in a crowd of men that is screaming for donald trump to be even the presidency. Host who do you vote for . Caller like i said, when it comes time for the election, i can vote split ticket. Host if the election was today and it was President Biden versus former President Trump, how do you vote and why . Caller i would vote for joe biden. We have a transportation bill. With my representative in this district, transportation is a big name. Now we got the bill passed even though he voted against it. Georgia is running around saying georgia did this for you on the money that democrats worked hard. Lets make sure you understand. Host david, i am trying to get caller this is what you have to deal with. Independents are getting fed up. We want to get to vote while we are trying to make a living. Host hold on. Transportation is why you would vote for President Biden. What are the other issues . Caller yes, maam. Here is his general way of thinking. Host where does abortion rank . Caller was something for women. It would have given 6000 single mothers a job and would have added 2 billion to our budget to get the women working, the republicans decided they wanted it out because that is all they do. Host all right. Lawrence on facebook. For this election, abortion will not be. I will let the courts handle that. I vote republican and always will. I am more worried about my paycheck and how i can spread it out given the fact food and housing is so high. Chuck, West Virginia, the craft. Caller good morning. Thank you for taking my call. My name is chuck and it has been 34 days since my last call. Abortion is pretty high up for me. I would say second or third from the top. Basically, i consider it essential to a womans right to selfdetermination. I think a lot of republicans are starting to get nervous about what happened in ohio tuesday. They turned down issue one. Who could have seen this coming . The polling indicated the issue would be rejected and it was. The Dobbs Decision there were Donald Trumps three sworn in Court Appointees who swore up and down roe v. Wade was law. But as soon as they have the decision, they overturned it. And we knew it was coming because it was leaked. Now you have women in red states who are losing their rights to determination in ways that men do not have a frame of reference for. The women are paying attention to this, even among women who would never consider having an abortion themselves. I think the Dobbs Decision makes them nervous. I think what was that was what was reflected in the midterm elections because the big red wave they were expecting turned out to be not much more than a trickle. Host in ohio, in an off year special summer election, you have 3 Million People that turned out. They had a higher turnout than their midyear election. Caller yes, a much higher turnout than they expected especially for an election in the middle of the summer. You look at what happened in kansas and michigan with the issue was pushed to a popular vote. The same will happen in ohio, november. When you play the clip of donald trump taking so much credit for overturning roe v. Wade, he does not care about abortion. He is just using this to pander for votes. Abortion has never been that big of an issue for him until except as a political opportunity and to pander to evangelists. When he was in the oval office, he would invite evangelicals into the oval office and they would surround him and pray on him. He would close his eyes and bow his head for the camera because it played well to the base, but anyone who thinks donald trump is some kind of godfearing man is hopelessly naive. Host tracy hale on facebook. I believe a womans rights and reproductive choices should be private, and strictly between a woman, her doctor, and god. I will vote for the candidate who believes that as well. The New York Times has news on the abortion issue. Their headline is ohio voters are moved not just by abortion but by sticky tactics. For many ohioans, the barely concealed tactic is what made them come out against the measure. They came out in a turnout that nearly doubled last years primary Election Congress and the governors office. It is likely most of the votes against referendum sought issue one as a threat against abortion rights. This brought people out to vote even in republican strongholds like Warren County in the cincinnati suburbs. Still, more than three dozen interviews with voters on monday and tuesday revealed a sizable segment of the electorate and a decisive one that was defended by the that was affected by the effort. People grumbled that the campaign for issue one was sneaky. This sentiment was bipartisan, perhaps explaining wh