The ERA has ironically become a marker of how far we've backslid on women's rights. It passed Congress nearly 50 years ago, but there's basically no chance it would pass today.
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That's because it is largely obsolete. Equal Protection jurisprudence and various instances of legislation have put us at about the same point. So people are suspicious of the new signaling or the new policy implications.
The ERA is phrased as about "equality of rights under the law." It does not purport to define these rights. I don't see the argument that it would affect the existence of abortion rights, i.e., affect the Dobbs decision (not that I agree with it).
and the rest: "Nothing in Article V makes the Constitution’s binding contents depend on any further official action by any branch of the federal government, whether Congress or the Judiciary or indeed the Executive."
I think LAURENCE TRIBE AND KATHLEEN SULLIVAN know more than either of us.
"President Biden made official a reality that many Americans failed to recognize at the time: that Article V of the Constitution expressly makes any proposed Amendment to that document “Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States.”
It absolutely would still pass today under the same conditions.
Between 1933-1995, Republicans could win Presidential elections but not majorities in Congress. They were forced to play ball in order to get things done for their party’s Presidents, but GOP ideology hasn’t changed much since 1964.
Agreed. It's amazing that our political center has been dragged so far to the right by the obscene radicalization of the majority of conservatives that the merits of the ERA are argued in public at all.
Think of any piece of progressive legislation- the Social Security Act, Wagner Act, Medicare, Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act. None would pass today.
Today's announcement also reignited the anger I felt when a certain public scholar blamed the election on Democrats declaring themselves "the women's party" and "doubling down on women's rights." If that was really true, we'd have seen this announcement months (or years!) ago.
I had some knee jerk reactions from him. But incels, & toxic masculinity, lost men in general — none of these problems go away by pointing at the topics and saying tough shit. We could at least lie and make them feel heard. Libs can barely do politics it feels like.
And for THAT, we can 'thank' (blame) Reagan, Newt Gingrich, George W. Bush, Tea Party followed by 'Freedom Caucus', Trump/MAGA, all with the help / support of billionaire funded Libertarian Think Tanks, and re-ascendance of the Neo-Confederate/NAZI movements. It's awful.
Once its out of Congress, it needs to be ratified by 38 state legislatures. The Congressional act proposing the amendment said this needed to be done within 7 years. In 1979, 7 years after the act, they only had 35 states ratify it.
The kicker is that since 1979 5 states actually voted to RESCIND their approval, so it could be argued 30 states have actually ratified it. but there is an unanswered question as to whether or not that is even allowed constitutionally.
This is one reason I still believe, even after everything that's come since, Ronald Reagan remains the most disastrous President we've ever had. The national about-face in every aspect of civil rights during his first term happened more abruptly than anyone could have dreamed.
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https://bsky.app/profile/cwolbrecht.bsky.social/post/3lfx77pkh3k2a
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/17/joe-biden-equal-rights-amendment
I think LAURENCE TRIBE AND KATHLEEN SULLIVAN know more than either of us.
Between 1933-1995, Republicans could win Presidential elections but not majorities in Congress. They were forced to play ball in order to get things done for their party’s Presidents, but GOP ideology hasn’t changed much since 1964.
That guy is what’s wrong. These baby men act like monsters then whine about being told to their faces that they suck.
Coddling these fuckwits will not help.
Mockery is the only way.
Look where that has got us.
I agree mockery is the answer when dealing directly with fascists obsessed with strength.
But broadly our party was only addressing 1 gender. Cis women who care about their reproductive rights.
It was a void on the left that the right ring media machine has filled
Weird choice, lady.
Missed the memo on Bluesky purity ethics.