If Joseph Heller were around to write a sequel to Catch-22, he'd almost surely structure the plot on the diabolical predicament of Republican presidential candidates. Capt. Scott Walker would star in the film version.
What a magnificent plight now befalls him.
"A 2012 Huffington Post/YouGov poll indicated that 70 percent of Americans favor legal abortions in cases of rape, incest, or a pregnancy that jeopardizes the mother's life." More recently, reports Politico, Gallup says that "For the first time in seven years, Americans who are 'pro-choice' hold a statistically significant lead over Americans who are 'pro-life.'" To win the White House, any sane politician would therefore discover his inner conscience and true convictions in support of choice.
But wait! As Jeb Bush once observed, along with millions of others who are entertained by such inescapable inanities, Republican pols must blow up their general-election chances by first securing the primary votes of the hopelessly alienating. It's in the book, and there's no way around it; it's as damnable as Capt. Yossarian's discovery that only a remarkably sane person would seek escape from war on the grounds of insanity.
Thus does Capt. Walker plan to sign Republican state legislation "banning abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy," which "doesn’t include an exception allowing abortions for victims of rape or incest." Walker is in one helluva catch — and for him, unlike Yossarian ultimately, there is no escape.