The above shows the results of Tuesday's vote in red-state Ohio. Ohio is one of the most Republican states in the country, and yet the Republican establishment lost big on the ballot issues.
The voters gave a constitutional right to abortion for women, even though Republican officials tried hard to defeat it. They tried to change the rules for approval (wanting to require 60% for passage) and voters denied that. Then they changed the wording on the ballot -- hoping their lies would fool the voters. It didn't. The abortion proposal won by about a 14 point margin.
And that wasn't all. Even though Republican officials opposed legalizing marijuana, the voters approved it -- by a similar 14 point margin.
This should be a warning for the national Republican Party -- a warning that they are on the wrong side of issues important to voters.
Since Roe vs. Wade was overturned, the anti-abortion forces have lost at the ballot box in every election involving the issue -- even in red states. And the issue will not go away. It will very likely play an important part in the 2024 election.
So will the marijuana issue. A recent Gallup poll shows that a record 70% of the population now supports legalizing marijuana use by those over 21 years old. Continuing to oppose legalization is not going to win Republicans any new votes -- especially among young voters (who turned out in record numbers for the 2020 election).
But it doesn't stop there. The Republican leaders have made it very clear that they want to cut Social Security and Medicare -- two of the most popular government programs (because they keep millions of senior Americans from abject poverty). Seniors are the most reliable voters the Republicans have, but trying to cut these programs could change that.
The Republicans also oppose raising the national minimum wage (currently only $7.25 an hour). No one working a full-time job should have to live in poverty, but the current minimum wage is a poverty wage. A huge majority of voters want the minimum wage raised, but Republicans continue to block that from happening.
Republicans complain about the national debt, even though the biggest boost to that debt occurred when Republicans passed huge tax cuts for the rich and corporations. And that want to cut taxes even more for the rich and corporations. But voters think those entities don't pay their fair share of taxes, and want taxes raised on them.
The one issue the Republicans thinks they have going for them is inflation, but they have no solution for reducing it. They claim inflation is caused by the national debt, but that is simply false. Inflation goes up and down regardless of the national debt. The real solutions to inflation are putting more money in the hands of workers, making the rich pay their fair share of taxes, and breaking up corporate monopolies (which allow them to raise prices unnecessarily).
The Republicans are on the wrong side of all these issues, and until they change they will continue to lose national elections.
