Strategic Failure

I thought I should share an email I wrote earlier today to the Speaker of Michigan’s House of Representatives regarding a package of bills currently under consideration in the Legislature. Normally I don’t discuss politics in this space, because as I’ve mentioned, I don’t consider it within my expertise; none of my degrees are in Political Science, History or Law, and the Internet is already overflowing with would-be pundits holding forth on every conceivable political position. But in this particular instance, it struck me that the strategy being employed by the Republican leadership in Michigan is inherently flawed, and that a case could be made for abandoning the legislation in question regardless of what your political orientation happens to be. So I decided to see if I could make it in the letter that follows…

Sent via email:

TO: The Honorable James “Jase” Bolger, Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives

Dear Mr. Speaker:

I am writing to urge you and your colleagues to abandon the current drive to place additional limits on abortion rights in the State of Michigan. While I understand the importance of reaching out to your support base during an election year, this sort of political grandstanding has no place and no purpose in the current climate. No one who isn't already a firm supporter of the Pro-Life movement is going to extend any additional support to any politician supporting these measures, whereas moderates and those who support limited government will very likely take offense at such measures and may withdraw their support. Meanwhile, the very existence of such legislation is galvanizing voters on the left, energizing the campaigns of any political candidate who opposes such measures and increasing voter turnout among their supporters.

Even worse, in my opinion, is that expending effort on this legislation is taking your time, and that of your colleagues, away from the substantive issues of the day. Limiting access to abortion or other medical services will not decrease unemployment, will not lower taxes or decrease the deficit, will not improve education, will not alleviate poverty, will not lower the crime rate, will not create new jobs, will not improve homeland security or our national defense, and will not provide for any additional infrastructure improvement or healthcare reform. All it will do, in fact, is increase the popularity of conservative politicians with a modest segment of the electorate that would never have supported liberal candidates in the first place. Or, if you prefer, there is absolutely no benefit to pursuing this legislation, for its supporters or for the people of Michigan, but there is the potential for wasted effort, wasted opportunity, political gridlock, and additional partisan animosity and distrust.

As a businessman and a business teacher, as well as a taxpayer and registered voter, I would like to suggest that there are better uses for your time and our money, and urge you to abandon this initiative as soon as possible.

Thank you for listening; I appreciate your time.

Sincerely,

Max P. Belin, MS, MBA

It’s probably worth noting that the legislation in the package will not survive the inevitable court challenges, even if passes in the first place; it goes against the Roe v. Wade precedent so blatantly that even bloggers who have never been to law school can recognize the principles involved. Nor will the attempt to frame the legislation as “protection of women” be of much use; the proposed laws would make abortion after 20 weeks a felony, regardless of the health of the mother, and with no exceptions for rape or incest. They would also raise the costs of reproductive healthcare for all women in Michigan (even those who are merely seeking prenatal vitamins and parenting classes), and throw up huge rafts of red tape – very good for discouraging women from seeking an abortion, but not very palatable to a political party that claims to want smaller and less intrusive government…

The more I looked at the situation, the more this appeared to be blatant political grandstanding; acts intended to please the “Base” audience, but one which even moderate Republicans – and those who actually believe in small government and limited government interference – would find distasteful, if not actually insulting. Bismarck called politics “The art of the possible,” but enacting these laws isn’t possible, and even if it was, it would accomplish nothing that Michigan needs right now – and might result in any number of outcomes that would make things even worse. And while I imagine that the Speaker already knows all of this, I expect that a lot of the emails and letters he is getting that oppose this legislation are from various Liberals all demanding that he and his colleagues cease and desist, if not actually admit the error of their ways. I thought there should be at least one from a middle-aged business teacher, with two Master’s degrees in business and no agenda at all, to point out that even if these measures are politically adroit, they’re strategically unsound…

I’ll let you know if I get a reply…