Obviously We’re Talking About Roe

With the breaking news this week of the leaked draft of the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v Wade, obviously we couldn’t talk about anything else on today’s pod. Hosts Amanda Weinstein, Jasmine Clark, and Rachel Vindman got together for an emergency recording session to process their thoughts and feelings. 

If this news fills you with as much rage, sadness, fear, and frustration as it does for us, we urge you to get involved. Vote in every election. Talk to your neighbors and friends. Sign up for a Troublemaker Training, download our Parent Playbook, and start organizing in your community. Now is the time to stand up for what we believe in. You can find ways to get involved at our website: www.redwine.blue.

For a transcript of this episode, please email theswppod@redwine.blue.

For a transcript of this episode, please email theswppod@redwine.blue.

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Transcript

The Suburban Women Problem - Season 2, Episode 16

Amanda Weinstein: Hi, welcome to The Suburban Women Problem. I'm Amanda Weinstein.

Jasmine Clark: I'm Jasmine Clark.

Rachel Vindman: And I'm Rachel Vindman.

Amanda Weinstein: So, today, we are doing an emergency recording of our reaction to the latest news. And the latest news, which I think you all have heard, is that the draft majority opinion written by Justice Alito was leaked to the public yesterday, reported by Politico. In it, Alito stated that Roe was egregiously wrong from the start and must be overturned. So today, we're going to have our raw reactions to this breaking news, and it's going to be raw, guys. So buckle up.

Jasmine Clark: I have so many emotions right now. Like so many.

Amanda Weinstein: All of them.

Rachel Vindman: Same.

Jasmine Clark: I can't figure out which one is winning right now. It's just I have, like, fear. I have sadness. I have anger. I have frustration. And you know, what I don't have is surprise, which I'm a little annoyed by because it's like been pending or impending, but it doesn't make it hurt any less to have it happen. We've been talking about this on the podcast for a while, just about how our democracy and our institutions in our country are just crumbling. And here we are, yet again, seeing another right be chipped away at - or honestly -  just be stripped away.

Amanda Weinstein: Obliterated.

Jasmine Clark: Yeah. And it's hard to not feel helpless, but we are not helpless. So, I want to say that out loud because I'm sure there are people out there who feel helpless, and I want to go ahead and put it out there. It's okay to feel that way, but know that that is not the case, and we do have options. And I'm just, I got to find my words, and when I do, I will use them. But right now, I'm just full of emotion.

Rachel Vindman: My feelings, I have to say, are it's really difficult for me to get beyond my personal experience on a couple of different levels to think about what this means, like more broadly. Fifteen years ago today, I was in the hospital for emergency surgery because of an ectopic pregnancy. I already knew that my pregnancy wasn't going well. And I went to the doctor, in Germany, for what I thought was just an appointment to make sure the miscarriage was my body taking care of it naturally. And I was very uncomfortable, but I wouldn't say like in a lot of pain. But my doctor just was like, “nope, something's not right.” And within 30 minutes of arriving, I was in the emergency. I was on an operating table. 

On the other side, I've known the joy of seeing a heartbeat six weeks after fertility treatment, something I desperately wanted to see. So, let's not talk about the sanctity of life or feelings about abortion because this is really about rights. It's about everyone's right to choose. Actually, fifteen years ago, it would have been about whether I lived or died. I had the surgery to remove an ectopic pregnancy, it was stuck in my fallopian tube, and my fallopian tube had to be sectioned. So, I don't have a tube there. If that hadn't happened, I would have died. If I could not have had that surgery because I lived in a state that didn't allow it or I had to travel to another state, the most likely outcome would be death. Here's where I get my really, really convicted feelings, and I'm just going to put it all out there and be really honest. I have family that lives in a state, it's not in Oklahoma it hasn't gone into effect yet, the most restrictive abortion bill in the country. I have close family who support the politicians who are passing these bills. And I guarantee you they think that this would never happen to them for a couple of reasons. They mostly think it wouldn't happen to them because if they really needed something, they could leave the state, and they and their loved ones could get access to an abortion. But on that day, fifteen years ago, I did not have that choice. It was getting surgery now, or my life was at risk. My life was already at risk. I just didn't know it. And that is my problem because there are so many people out there that think it doesn't affect them. I told my husband last night, that this affects us. We have an 11-year-old. This affects every single person in the United States.

Amanda Weinstein: I think a lot of us women, I'll say, have the same reaction as we think of our own experiences. And so, some of us have had experiences that were great with the pregnancy. So, my pregnancies were pretty easy. However, I had precipitous labor, which meant it went very, very fast. And I have been told by a doctor that if and when you get pregnant next, you will need to pack a bag and prepare to deliver your own baby, likely in a car on the side of a road. So make sure wherever you go you have that bag with you and are prepared to deliver your own baby. Like that is scary, right? That is really scary. To think about what that means if it happens, to think of the procedures I needed after I had my babies because I was bleeding quite a bit, what if that's not around?

I didn't choose that either, right? Having precipitous labor is something my body just likes to do, right? And that is super dangerous. Or it could be super dangerous when I'm on the side of some road somewhere. Right? So I think it goes really well with what you're saying, that you don't know when you will need that. You don't know when that could be an issue for you. You don't know what issues you will or won't have with pregnancy. And guess what? Not all women choose to be pregnant either.

Rachel Vindman: Yes. I mean, like, what if my daughter gets raped? I mean, God forbid! But what if she does? Look, I never thought I would have fertility problems. I never thought I would have multiple miscarriages. I never thought of any of this. I never thought my mom would have brain cancer like I never thought. But things happen. So stop acting like you can stop things from happening. You cannot. It's so stupid and arrogant, so incredibly arrogant. To think that bad things won't happen to you.

Jasmine Clark: That's the problem, right? When we talk about this, people just zoom into why they think people should not have abortions. And the truth is, you don't know everyone's story. You don't know the reason why someone might be seeking that procedure.

Rachel Vindman: Yes.

Jasmine Clark: And it's not for you to know. It's not your freaking business why someone might be seeking this procedure. But putting a blanket ban or taking away this right to what is effectively a medical decision is extremely dangerous. People will go anecdote after anecdote of why they're against this. And they'll use hyperbole and call people who are pro-choice, baby killers and all this stuff to try to make people feel bad because they don't want people to have access to make medical decisions for their own bodies. The people who make these laws, very few of them, can have a baby. They've never even had a cycle.

Rachel Vindman: No, it's true. I mean, it needs to be said. It needs to be said.

Jasmine Clark: They can't. So they're not going to feel this. I just can't understand why is what I do with my body so important to these politicians? Like, why do they feel this?

Amanda Weinstein: I know that's my first visceral reaction. I was just angry, and it's about like my life. I understand the pro-life side and the idea of life. What about my life? Right? This is my life we're talking about. This is your life we're talking about. These are women's lives, my daughter's lives. What about those lives? And I feel like those lives just aren't even part of their conversation or their thought process, which makes me just, on the face of it, so angry. Like so angry. And that was my first reaction. I am just freaking pissed, right? So I started off pissed. I don't even know what I tweeted in the last 12 hours, like just a bunch of tweets.

Rachel Vindman: What could go wrong?

Amanda Weinstein: And I was just like look,

Rachel Vindman: That's brilliant.

Amanda Weinstein: It's too much. It's too much. And then, like, eventually, I get this is what my anger process is like. I'm going to be angry, right? And then I want to get data on this because once I get a little bit past it, my anger says I want data. And if you look at the data, the data backs all of this up. So if you look at the states who have more restrictions on abortion, they have higher maternal mortality, and more women die. The other thing is they have higher infant mortality. More babies die. This is totally. . .

Jasmine Clark: Wrong.

Rachel Vindman: So here's the thing, Amanda. We got to take that, and we got to tell those stories.

Amanda Weinstein: Absolutely

Rachel Vindman: That is how we do this, guys. That is how we do this. So, if you know people who are affected by this, we got to find them.

Amanda Weinstein: Yes. Go to SWEEP and put those stories out there.

Rachel Vindman: Yeah, put those stories in SWEEP. Send them to us on Twitter. My DMS are open. We need to tell those stories and let people know. I posted a link to a legislator in Oklahoma who said something just completely stupid and asinine. And I think he's a moron, but I just got a text from a friend who was raised in the same kind of background I am. She said someone once told me that after having a DNC, after my miscarriage meant, I took away God's opportunity to perform a miracle. Even though the baby had stopped growing four weeks previously, we all three understand what that means. But the reality is many, many people do not understand this. When I heard that Senator, that state senator Oklahoma, by the way, was educated by West Point, kind of want a refund on that deal because he didn't take the science classes, but he's like we are taking away that child's early life.

Rachel Vindman: I mean, it was bizarre, guys. It doesn't make any sense.

Amanda Weinstein: That's bizarre! Also, what if God gave us the doctors for a reason? What if God gave us science for a reason? What if God gave us epidemiologists for a reason? They discount all of that.

Rachel Vindman: I mean all of this. All of this. So, I know Jasmine's a state legislator and Casey, your husband, is a state legislator. I know them both to be extremely bright and intelligent people. I'm sure Jasmine can share stories with us of some of her colleagues who perhaps are not as well educated. I mean, the reality is these are the people that are going to be making the bills.

Jasmine Clark: Right.

Rachel Vindman: But this plays with supermajority Republicans, and they're not bringing in experts to educate people and talk to people. I mean, we've heard Jasmine gives a speech, and she educates. She says they can't vote. They can't say they didn't know. I hope there are Jasmine's everywhere who will stand up before these bills are passed.

Amanda Weinstein: Yes.

Rachel Vindman: Maybe there are, and maybe there aren't. But you guys, this is really critical because we have people who don't understand any of these things who say you're taking away God's ability to perform a miracle.

Jasmine Clark: Yeah. And, you know, to that point, in Georgia, my very first bill that I spoke out in the well against, or one of the first bills I spoke out in the well against, was actually HB 481, which basically effectively banned abortions in Georgia by banning them after six weeks. And, you know, it was a very heated debate. I called some Republicans out on their lies in that process. But I'll never forget the side conversations that I had with Republicans that were like, honestly, I think this is really bad, but the courts are going to strike it down anyway. So I have to vote with my party.

Amanda Weinstein: Yes, I hear that all the time

Jasmine Clark: Because of elections and now you're in a situation where you made a stupid decision. And I am standing by that. It was a stupid decision to think that your vote did not have consequences. And I'm talking to my legislative colleagues. They can sit there and look me in the face and say, you know, I agree 100% with what you're saying, but I have to vote with my party because X, Y, and Z. What you have just done is you have done a disservice to your constituents. You have done a disservice to your daughters, granddaughters, and any people in your family that could be affected. Heck, your sons! Don't think that men won't be affected by this stuff as well. It will. And when they are, honestly, that's when everyone will be like, okay, we need to do something about this, because now the men are being affected by it. And that just enrages me so much.

Amanda Weinstein: But what you said there that really pisses me off is it's about political strategy, and I know some people who are insiders in the Republican Party, and they will tell you some of the most fervent, like pro-life people on this stage don't actually give a shit about abortion, but they know it's a vote-getter. It's about political strategy. That pisses me off. I am sick of being the person who has a political strategy to play off whether or not I can choose to have an abortion or not when it involves even my life. I am sick of this strategy. And let's be clear, it is a political strategy. Look at the history of Roe v Wade.

When Roe v Wade was passed, there was no giant Republican outrage. Simply did not happen. It didn't happen until years later, basically on a conference call. Why? Why did they have this on a conference call? Because they were mad about other things, like segregated schools or what they wanted. And they said, you know what, I think segregated schools are maybe a little unpalatable for people. So how can we get to it and basically make it more palatable? How do we get people to vote with us so we can resegregate these schools by finding this issue? And what they decided was abortion was going to be that issue. And that is exactly what happened. They didn't care about abortion. It was a political strategy.

Rachel Vindman: They co-opted the religious right.

Amanda Weinstein: Exactly! Like when you know that history, it's not about women's lives. It's not about babies' lives. It's about racism and segregating schools. And it was from the very beginning.

Rachel Vindman: So a very interesting fact of this history is that Jerry Falwell and Billy Graham were both pro-choice for a very long time until they weren't. And I think that tells you all you need to know about both of them and about … about

Amanda Weinstein: about the political strategy

Rachel Vindman: Yes. About the strategy of it.

Amanda Weinstein: You know what the truth is? I think all Americans are sick of this, not just related to abortion, we're sick of politicians playing political games. We want you to vote for a bill because it's good or because it's not good. Right?

Jasmine Clark: Right.

Amanda Weinstein: Period. I think we're sick of that. Well, if I vote for this, then you'll vote for that. Now, I understand, politically, and Jasmine could proudly explain it better, why this sometimes has to happen, and you make these deals so that you can pass your own bill. But the truth is, Americans are sick of it. If it's a good bill, vote for it. If it's bad, don't. That seems pretty easy.

Jasmine Clark: I think another thing that's really frustrating me is these people that are voting to take away this right will also vote to literally take away health insurance from people, to not expand Medicaid in certain states, to not ensure access to health care across the country. These people will vote against access to child care. These people will vote against a livable wage. They just don't actually care.

Amanda Weinstein: So, if you look at the data, why have abortion rates been going down? 

Jasmine Clark: Obama,

Amanda Weinstein: You can look at the data on this. What's the biggest reason women aren't getting pregnant. And that is the biggest stick that nobody wants to stick to them: Obama reduce the abortion rate far more than any Republican on earth today.

Jasmine Clark: Yes,

Amanda Weinstein: Period. It's not debatable. Right. Why? Because we gave women access to contraceptives, right? So if you really care about abortion, if you really want to limit it, if you really care about those lives, then you should be handing out contraceptives like Halloween candy to kids. But they are not. And that tells me what they care and don't care about. And it isn't lives, and it isn't kids, and it isn't women.

Jasmine Clark: Yeah. Like, hey, let's give everyone a gun and make sure they have it with them at Walmart so if they get mad at someone jumping them in line, they can shoot them. Oh, but yes, let's make sure to also ban abortion. Let's like make sure that when kids take sex education, the only thing they learn about is abstinence and how God will hate them if they have sex but also, let's ban abortions. Like none of this makes sense. It is not about life. It has never been about life. It is about control. And I am just like, I just don't understand how people can see this going on and either want to still sit on the sidelines or still say, yeah, you know, I actually don't really like that. But, you know, I feel really weird about that one trans kid in our state getting to play with the gender they identify with. So I'm still going to vote Republican. I'm sorry. I'm at the point now where I just do not understand

Rachel Vindman: it doesn't make sense

Jasmine Clark: Why people are okay with certain people having their rights taken away just for the culture wars.

Amanda Weinstein: So you talked about abstinence education. We also have the data that absence education doesn't work, and here's why. We often think that we are given these choice sets by the government: your choice is to be abstinent or get pregnant. Right? And so we're going to choose abstinence, so you don't get pregnant. However, the choice that's given to us by Republican politicians is often not the true choice that people have. And when it comes to abortion, that is true. They think either abortion is legal or you have an abortion, or abortion is illegal, and you don't have an abortion. That is hands down not the true choice set. And how do we know this? Because if you look back to when abortion was illegal, women still had them.

Jasmine Clark: They were just dying.

Amanda Weinstein: They were just unsafe, and they died for them. So if you look at Margaret Sanger, who invented the pill, why did she invent the pill? Because in 1912, she was sick of seeing women die from back-alley abortions and self-induced abortions when abortions were illegal. The true choice is not abortion legal and have it, or abortion illegal and don't. The true choice set is abortion is safe and legal, or abortion is unsafe and illegal. Women will still have them. That's the true choice set. You just get more women who die, more death if you make it illegal.

Jasmine Clark: And there are people alive today that were alive back when abortion was illegal, and they have the horror stories. When I talk to my constituents, even the ones who, for the most part, would identify as Republican, that is an issue that I think that politicians might be getting wrong. There are a lot more women out there who might consider themselves more right-leaning, but on this issue, they say, I cannot - this I cannot stand for.

Amanda Weinstein: The majority of the public does not agree with making it illegal.

Rachel Vindman: No, but I agree with everything you're saying. I mean, I think you're completely right. This argument doesn't mean anything if we don't fight.

Jasmine Clark: Amen.

Rachel Vindman: Because they might think that Jasmine, but if you're not giving them an option and we're not talking about it all the time, it's not going to matter. That is really to me, that’s it.  I'm done with the excuses. I'm done. So, I don't really care about Manchin and Sinema. I am over it. Let's figure out a plan and go on. They're going to try to control this. They're going to try. I think they're underestimating a lot of the effect this is going to have, but this doesn't help us if we can't turn this into something else.

Again, I personally believe a really strong first step is to just tell these stories so people can see them on a personal level.  See how men and women, boys and girls, are all affected by this issue.

Amanda Weinstein: I mean, that's a good point. But here's the other thing. There are stories that will be untold because those people are dead. This means that it is on husbands, sons, and brothers to tell the stories of a mother who is dead because of this. We need everyone to stand up and especially the stories of the people who can't tell themselves because there are untold stories of women who are dead, and truthfully, even babies, there are babies who are dead because of these abortion restrictions. There are people who miscarried that didn't have to.

Jasmine Clark: So most people who listen to the pod know I am a woman. I’m also a black woman. I am seeing so many of my rights being stripped away like in the last year. I'm like, what the f*@k is next? What is next? Like, I can't even imagine. It's like, okay, first I got to fight for our voting rights and representation. Now I got to fight for the right to make medical decisions. I have a daughter. I have a son. Like, I have people I am raising children in this country, in this world, at this time where I just don't understand why they are taking away my rights. Honestly, I feel like my dog, Stella, has more rights than I do. I just don't know. I'm so frustrated, and I'm having a really hard time verbalizing this.

Amanda Weinstein: No, that's a good point. Let's talk about that why. We actually have a lot of research on the impact of abortion and not just on women's lives or babies, but when you have access to contraceptives, to abortion, it allows women to make choices like going to college, to become a doctor, to become a lawyer, to become a senator. That's the real issue here. Because if you take away access to all those things, you take away access to jobs, you take away access to political representation. You take away access to women's power in this country. And there's probably nothing more that pisses Republicans off than women's power in the political arena.

Jasmine Clark: This is like backlash for that.

Rachel Vindman: To me, I just think I can't imagine caring so much about taking away people's rights. They just want to take away women's rights. It sounds trite. It sounds like an oversimplification, but really it is. They want to take away voting rights. They want to take away our reproductive rights. They want to eliminate access to so many things and control it themselves. And I guess I have to say, like the only people who really do this, first off, are people who are really afraid that if you find out the truth, you won't be part of their cult anymore. I mean, that's a common thing in really restrictive religions, interpretations of various religions. I guess it's just easier to control people than to have to see your influence in your control and power diminished.  So better to take it away from someone else as if it's all just a giant zero-sum game. And if I don't have power over my body, and they do have power, then they hold far more power.

Jasmine Clark: We are in a situation right now where just a few weeks ago we were talking about dudes tanning their balls. Like, you want to have so much control over your penis, yet you want to take away the control over my uterus, and I am sick of it. Like a lot of times when these bills come out, someone will come up with a bill that basically does the opposite and does something that controls men, and everyone gets all in an uproar. I'm like, oh, this person wants to do this to man. Like, oh, the horror. I'm starting to get on that bandwagon of like, you know, maybe if you understood what it felt like for someone to sit there and write a law that literally takes your rights away. And everyone stands around as it gets signed and applauds them stripping your rights away. It's, like, too much.

Amanda Weinstein: I mean, it's ridiculous. And so here's the other thing that's interesting for me. So I mean, this is a weird space for me because I still consider myself pro-life. Do I want Roe v Wade overturned? Absolutely not. And I don't want it overturned because I am pro-life. I know the data. I knew the real choice set. I support Roe v Wade for all of those reasons. But I also know that there are people who are pro-life, and I understand where they're coming from but I also know they're being fed lies. They are being fed a ton of medical lies and medically inaccurate things. What abortion is, what it's like, who gets it, why it is.  And they believe this story that is all lies. Flighty women who are like, I want a kid—oh, just kidding. I'm supposed to deliver my baby tomorrow, and I changed my mind. I don't want a kid. Let me tell you, there are zero cases of that happening. Zero.

Jasmine Clark: Exactly

Amanda Weinstein: And so I have a hard time, like with this cult idea, like how do you counter this outright lie? And some of it's like like a lot of them are women, right? Does any woman you know been like, I want a kid? Oops, I'm due tomorrow, and I changed my mind. I'm going to get an abortion has never happened. 

Jasmine Clark: It's not a thing. 

Amanda Weinstein: Never. 

Jasmine Clark: It's not a thing. The truth is, if you look at the data, a majority of the people who seek abortions actually do identify as Christian and are usually married. Usually, this is kind of a decision that happens between a family unit that is deciding do we want to do this or do we not want to do this? Or a lot of times, again, it comes back to this is a life or death decision either for me as the woman or for the baby. And we've got to make this choice. And this goes back to what I said before. You just don't know everyone's story.

Rachel Vindman: No, that's it.

Jasmine Clark: You don't know everyone’s story. We can tell a bunch of different stories, but you don't know everyone's story. And making these laws, there might be something that you find acceptable, but you're going to slip them up in there, too. Or there might be one reason why you would consider having an abortion. No other reason except for this one. And now you're taking that away from yourself as well because you just think it won't happen to you. It's like all the people who thought they wouldn't die from COVID because they're healthy. And guess what? You just found out? Like, things happen, and honestly,  quote to good people and bad people.

Rachel Vindman: Yeah.

Jasmine Clark: It's like I'm a good person, so this bad thing won't happen to me. I'll never need to seek this treatment. You don't know that. And supporting crap like this is stealing from yourself as well. It's stealing from our society, it's stealing from our future, and it's stealing from yourself. And I wish more people would think things through the past, like their indignation, and think about true real-life consequences to the things that you support and the things that we pass in this country because it is beyond just about what that other person might be doing because it could affect you or someone in your family.

Amanda Weinstein: I think that why and understanding why someone would choose that is really important. And the people who believe all these cult-like lies about why people choose abortion, don't get the why.

Rachel Vindman: But they don't want to.

Amanda Weinstein: Why would a mother who is married, who already has a child, why would she choose an abortion?  So here is where econ comes in, and I really love it. She's rational. Great. Why is this her rational decision? How is she weighing these benefits and costs right now? She's thinking, oh my God, kids are expensive. Like we're all mothers. We understand this, and especially mothers understand kids are expensive. So now you're thinking, all right, why is this kid so expensive? She can't have this kid right now? We don't have universal child care. We don't have universal pre-K. We don't have paid leave. We don't have universal health care. We don't have universal access to housing or food or a bunch of stuff. So now you put all of that in there, and you're like, oh, that might be the rational reason why she's choosing abortion. So if you really care, you should be talking about child care and paid leave and access to food and access to affordable housing. But they're not talking about any of that.

Jasmine Clark: In fact, they're literally actively against all of those things. They're not even not just talking about it. They are against it, like, they are against it. Oh, man, y'all, I know today is tough. And, you know, just hearing this, and I just want to point out that I'm glad that it leaked I know that there are a lot of people that are like, this is horrible, that it leaked. And, you know, whatever I am past this is horrible. Sorry, I don't like this Supreme Court blog basically posted this is a most unforgivable sin that this got leaked.

Rachel Vindman: Oh, my God, seriously, yes!

Jasmine Clark: And I'm just like, y'all are really missing the mark here. Like, really missing it.

Rachel Vindman: That tweet, that tweet is the norms tweet, the institution, and norms. That is why people are still very intelligent but incredibly misguided people in D.C. That's all they think about. That's what they always think about first. They never think about real people. And because it's so ingrained in them to think about the standards and norms, none of it matters if we don't have democracy. There are no institutions if we don't have democracy, and without our rights, we will no longer have democracy. And if last night's news didn't tell you that, nothing will. So, we've got to focus on the now, on the fight we have now. But know, there will be more fights to come.

Jasmine Clark: Yes. Oh, trust me. This is laying the groundwork for them to take away other rights. So again . . . 

Rachel Vindman: Absolutely.

Jasmine Clark: You might be like, oh, I'm not planning on having an abortion. Well, you just wait because the way this is going down, there are a lot of other decisions that are now in jeopardy. And so, Amanda, you said something that I think is really important, and I think it's a good way to kind of wrap up this episode. People have to get involved. Rachel, you said the same thing. We've got to do something. This is not a time to sit on the sidelines. And so, if people are looking for a way to take action or if they are just wondering, what can I do, please go to our website theswppod.com and start there. But do something. Please don't let this just be the news of the day.

Amanda Weinstein: Reach out to your elected representatives. We also need Democrats in elected office to stand up and do something.

Jasmine Clark: Absolutely.

Amanda Weinstein: Filling potholes ain't going to do it anymore, guys.

Rachel Vindman: We're not going to be able to build bridges, like literal bridges, or fill potholes or do real Wi-Fi and get ourselves out of this situation. This is play offense; go for the jugular, every election every time, make it count type stuff. That is the only way! You want to get back to your norms. If you want to go back to building bridges, you want to get back to infrastructure, you want to go back to all that stuff, then we need to actually control things with more than like six people. In my state, in Virginia, where I live right now, we are one state Senate seat away: Virginia, like Northern Virginia, is so friggin liberal. You wouldn't believe we are one state Senate seat away from having restrictions on abortion in the state of Virginia. Everything matters. And that means your local elections are critical. The laws will be decided on a state-by-state basis. So you need to get used to voting in every election. I'll say it again, we have the numbers. Starting now... 

Jasmine Clark: Starting now, midterms matter! Start today. If you haven't done it before, today is the day that not only do you vote, but you asked three other people, did you vote, and you asked them to ask three other people, did you vote? Midterms matter just as much as presidentials, and if we are going to save our rights right now, we need everyone to show up. We do!

Rachel Vindman: We do!

Amanda Weinstein: Yep! As far as I'm concerned, every Republican better be worried right now because I'm going after every single one.

Rachel Vindman: Me too.

Amanda Weinstein: I don't care.

Jasmine Clark: Same.

Amanda Weinstein: You're all done.

Rachel Vindman:  And they've given me a real reason to fight. 

Amanda Weinstein: All right, on that note, thank you for joining us on this episode of The Suburban Women Problem that we never wanted to record, but we'll see you again on another episode of The Suburban Women Problem. Take care. Get involved. The time is right now.