Abortion rights and Covid are driving a new kind of political rule

Those that clamor for "states rights" sure don't like Home Rule

Welcome to a premium Friday evening edition of Progress Report.

You’ve likely already seen the video clip of Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley hauling ass away from the bloodthirsty mob that broke into the Capitol on January 6th, and the fact that it’s gone viral is more than just a fun little twist in an otherwise sordid saga. The cowardly sprint is a permanent rebuttal to the image of defiant tough guy that Hawley has carefully cultivated for himself, which up until Thursday’s revelation was embodied by the infamous photo of the pseudo-populist striding across Capitol grounds with his fist raised, cheering on the unhinged mob trying to overthrow the government.

That retreat clip should follow Hawley for the rest of his career, just as all the gleefully brutal memes and social media dunks delivered by the John Fetterman campaign should loom over the head of Garden State resident Dr. Mehmet Oz. Trolling is an essential key to humiliating and delegitimizing a corrupt politician or cruel business executive. Memes and message-driven publicity stunts are far more likely to stick in voters’ memories and define the opposition than any policy-based criticism, and just as critically, they’re fun.

One of the twisted appeals of Donald Trump is that he luxuriated in his victories and created the sense that his supporters were part of those wins. Democrats tend to focus on the threat presented by their political enemies, which is essential, but constructing inside jokes and creating a sense of membership is just as important.

This is why I want to raise the money to take out ads that mock Ron DeSantis in the giant newspaper that serves The Villages settlement in Florida. Hopefully we’ll get there someday.

On a more serious note, tonight’s newsletter looks at the latest permutation of our war over basic human rights. In the weeks since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, blue cities in red states have fought back against state laws criminalizing abortion. Their moves underscore the significance of the country’s urban-rural ideological fault lines and raise the stakes in both local and state elections.

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by Natalie Meltzer

For decades, political commentators have characterized the country’s partisan landscape using the framework of red states, blue states, and swing states. But today’s red-blue divide plays out not just between states, but between metropolitan and rural areas within states. 

The polarization between cities and rural areas has increased tensions between state and local governments, as lawmakers in liberal metro areas evade laws passed down by Republican state legislatures.