As the midterm Congressional elections enter the final stretch, Democratic strategist James Carville is warning his party it’s time for Plan B.  The former presidential campaign manager, who delivered Bill Clinton’s 1992 victory, tells the Associated Press, “A lot of these consultants think if all we do is run abortion spots that will win for us. I don’t think so.”  Carville insists, “If you just sit there, and they’re pummeling you on crime and pummeling you on the cost of living, you’ve got to be more aggressive than just yelling abortion every other word.”

Democrats had hoped that the Supreme Court’s landmark decision, this summer, to end federal protections for abortion would send an angry wave of Democratic female voters to the polling booth.  Female voters are angry but less about abortion than the cost of living. 

A New York Times poll, unveiled this week, finds that the Democrats’ traditional advantage among female voters has collapsed.  Among all demographic groups, the biggest shift in party preference comes from female voters who identify as “independent.”  Last month, these women favored Democrats by 14%.  In just a few short weeks of rising gas prices and astronomical grocery bills, their allegiance has swung an astonishing 32 points to the Republican camp, with the GOP now enjoying an 18 point lead.  Famously, Carville once observed, “It’s the economy, stupid.”  Many women agree that women think with their brains, not their ovaries.