A new abortion poll for NBC/WSJ shows unprecedented support for abortion rights. (You can view the abortion poll results here.) With such large, and growing, support, why does Congress always seem to choose inaction, at best, and pro-life policies, at worst?

From MSNBC:

As the 40th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision takes place on Tuesday, a majority of Americans – for the first time – believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. What’s more, seven in 10 respondents oppose Roe v. Wade being overturned, which is the highest percentage on this question since 1989. “These are profound changes,” says Republican pollster Bill McInturff, who conducted this survey with Democratic pollster Peter D. Hart and his colleagues.

And that last comment is from a GOP pollster.

The pollsters also note that, historically, support for Roe – pro-choice positions – has risen over the past 24 years.

So while the GOP rape boys running for House and Senate in November didn’t help anti-abortion activists, clearly society, at least according to the polls, has been trending towards the pro-choice side for decades.

Another fascinating point from the poll:

Much of this change, the NBC/WSJ pollsters say, is coming from African Americans, Latinos and women without college degrees — all of whom increasingly oppose the Supreme Court decision being overturned.

Oops. Seems that rainbow coalition of gays, women, blacks, Latinos, Jews and many others is a gift that just keeps on giving.

Keep in mind that just because you have a whopping 70% in the polls doesn’t mean Congress or the President will do anything. We had 70% for the public option. And 70% for significant gun control.

The poll, mostly taken before Obama released his recommendations, found 74 percent of Americans favor a ban on assault weapons, with 26 percent opposed. A ban on high-capacity ammunition clips was backed by 74 percent, and 26 percent were opposed. The poll also found 86 percent favor expanded background checks of all gun buyers, including sales at gun shows and between private parties, with 14 percent opposed.

And ask pro-choice advocates how they’ve been doing since 1989.

There seems to be a disconnect between good progressive poll numbers and Democratic political will. Then again, I think back to right after the Bush v. Gore Supreme Court battle. I want to think it was Cheney, but someone on the Republican side, right after the Supreme Court handed the election to Bush, in a sharply divided country, had the following advice for the GOP team: Rule as if you have a mandate.

And isn’t that what the Republicans always do, even when they don’t.