Democrats are betting that Catholic women feel more affinity with each other than they do to the church. That’s where the dividing line is being drawn.
You can be sure Axelrod focus tested the heck out of this before they embarked on this strategy and learned that it was worth a bet - at least 50/50.
What Axelrod can’t predict is whether women’s minds and hearts might be changed since the initial focus groups were conducted. If they learn this is the case, they will quietly drop this issue with its mandate, and move on to some other wedge issue.
If they still think this is a winning issue for them, they will ramp up the hysteria. If they don’t, it will quietly go away.
In either case, it’s clear they picked a fight with people who are not backing down.