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As the right-wing continues flailing over the "Red Wave" that wasn't, Republican former White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany took things to a whole new level with comments about abortion many are finding absurd at best.
McEnany, who is now a pundit for Fox News, attempted to downplay the role the reversal of Roe v. Wade played in the midterm elections, despite the fact ballot measures seeking to abolish abortion rights were decisively defeated even in reliably red states like Kentucky and Montana.
McEnany essentially claimed the impact of abortion on voters was a temporary blip and the Republican Party should continue to focus on its priorities—like anti-abortion extremism.
See her comments below.
\u201cKayleigh: The final factor I think was abortion.. The victory over the summer is the victory for the rule of law. It's more enormous than a slight margin in the house. We have to look at the long game. Abortion will go away.\u201d— Acyn (@Acyn) 1668102069
In her comments, McEnany did acknowledge the massive impact the Roe overturn had on the midterms, telling her fellow Fox News hosts it “certainly did motivate the left” this election cycle.
Given states like Kentucky and Montana voted overwhelmingly for Republicans on both the national and state level but also voted to protect abortion rights, it is manifestly untrue the issue motivated only the left.
And several states, the results point to a high level of ticket-splitting—voters pulling the lever for Democrats in certain offices that directly affect abortion rights as well as other issues like the administration of elections, and voting for Republicans in others.
McEnany's assertion Republicans don't care about abortion rights is unsupported by polls, but that didn't stop her from basing her entire message on the future of her party in her false claims.
She said:
“Roe v. Wade, and overturning it, was profoundly more important than any short-term politics."
"The victory that happened over the summer was a victory for the rule of law, and it is far more enormous than any slight margin in the House could have been."
"So we’ve got to look at the long game: Abortion’s going to go away.”
On Twitter, McEnany's take on Tuesday's elections inspired no shortage of mockery.
\u201cYes by all means double down on the wildly unpopular policy that literally lost your party an election that should have been easy to win! We love this for you Kayleigh!\u201d— Katy Stoll (@Katy Stoll) 1668104523
\u201cIf your long game is "Abortion's going to go away," you're doomed to be a minority party nationally. \n\nPre-Dobbs, Republicans could be firmly anti-abortion and still win, because they had no chance to translate their views into law. After Dobbs, that's no longer possible.\u201d— James Surowiecki (@James Surowiecki) 1668102335
\u201c@JamesSurowiecki @djrothkopf https://t.co/YLjafwF5xx\u201d— James Surowiecki (@James Surowiecki) 1668102335
\u201cNarrator: Abortion would not go away https://t.co/sgH6NatkPi\u201d— Laura Bassett (@Laura Bassett) 1668102918
\u201cAs long as people continue to reproduce, abortion will never go away. It's existed for thousands of years. It will continue to exist. Making it illegal does not change that.\u201d— John Haltiwanger (@John Haltiwanger) 1668103412
\u201cYes, the fundamental privacy and human rights and women's rights and arguably economic issue of our time will definitely "go away" in a few months. This is a smart take by you and I hope you maintain it for years to come.\u201d— Ken Tremendous (@Ken Tremendous) 1668102217
\u201cI actually really and truly hope that conservatives believe this \nhttps://t.co/YfqH4tlk0r\u201d— Jessica Valenti (@Jessica Valenti) 1668114335
\u201cLOL. Nope. Abortion will not "go away." We will tie the abortion ban to the GOP for infinity.\u201d— HawaiiDelilah\u2122 (@HawaiiDelilah\u2122) 1668103718
\u201cTake this .... And run it in ads the next two years.\n\nPeriod.\u201d— NewDemocrat4Life (@NewDemocrat4Life) 1668110990
\u201cAbortion will NOT go away, but please keep thinking it will.\u201d— Charles Johnson (@Charles Johnson) 1668102492
\u201c*abortion will go away*\n\nThis is, and I mean it sincerely, one of the dumbest things I've ever heard from her.\u201d— Dawn Johnson \ud83c\uddf3\ud83c\uddf4\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7\ud83c\udde9\ud83c\uddf0\u2741 (@Dawn Johnson \ud83c\uddf3\ud83c\uddf4\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7\ud83c\udde9\ud83c\uddf0\u2741) 1668114707
Kayleigh, if you're reading this: This is a very astute observation and a very good strategy for Republicans going forward. Please make attacking abortion the GOP game plan for 2024. You are very smart and good at your job!