Tag Archives: Todd Akin

Legitimate rape: The GOP won’t let it go

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You would think the past election showed voters don’t want to hear old guys in the GOP talk about rape. (From TPM)

A Republican congressman and medical doctor said at a breakfast Thursday that Akin was “partly right” when he said it.

Rep. Phil Gingrey, an ob-gyn and chairman of the GOP Doctors Caucus, explained to the audience at the Cobb Chamber of Commerce breakfast Thursday in Smyrna, Ga., that Akin wasn’t far off on the science when he said rape victims rarely get pregnant because their bodies have “ways of shutting that whole thing down.”

“I’ve delivered lots of babies, and I know about these things. It is true,” Gingrey said, according to the Marietta Daily Journal. “We tell infertile couples all the time that are having trouble conceiving because of the woman not ovulating, ‘Just relax. Drink a glass of wine. And don’t be so tense and uptight because all that adrenaline can cause you not to ovulate.’ So he was partially right wasn’t he?”

They really can’t control themselves.

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Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory: GOP style

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People in Missouri and Indiana came to their senses:

Democrats scored decisive Senate wins in Missouri and Indiana after candidates supported by the tea party and evangelical Christians made controversial remarks on rape, pregnancy and abortion that appeared to cost them the support of more-moderate voters in their party.

Rep. Todd Akin, who had been favored to win the Senate seat in this Republican-leaning state before his statements on “legitimate rape” triggered widespread national scorn, conceded victory to Sen. Claire McCaskill. In his concession speech, Akin thanked God, who, he said, “makes no mistakes.” …

The Missouri race was echoed in Indiana, where Democrats picked up a Senate seat with the victory of Rep. Joe Donnelly over Republican Richard Mourdock. Mourdock’s campaign stumbled badly after he said in October that pregnancy resulting from rape was “something God intended.”

I’ll state the obvious. The Republicans would have control of the Senate if their tea party base hadn’t picked a bunch of lunatics in the past two contests. Remember Sharon Angle in Nevada and Christine O’Donnell in Delaware in 2010. That’s four easy seats right there.

Time to get a new base. Keep up the bad choices guys.

 

Endorsements for Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock

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This isn’t funny, but when you carry out the logic of Todd Akin in Missouri and Richard Mourdock in Indiana to its logical conclusion, this is what you get.

Think that’s an exaggeration? (From Salon)

Akin, who is now trailing his opponent Claire McCaskill – though not by as much as one might expect for a hulking ignoramus – has now unleashed a new ad featuring voters like Kelly, a single mother who says she’s both had an abortion and “been raped in my past.” Kelly goes on to say she’s voting for Akin because he “defends the unborn.”I’ve got to say, I wouldn’t have imagined the Rape Survivors for Akin constituency would exist at all, so the ad is illuminating, to say the least.

Still not convinced?

And as for Mourdock:

Now, the One Nation Under God Foundation has released a nearly six-minute video of women conceived in rape who support the candidate. …

And in perhaps the segment’s most harrowing tale, a woman whose mother was abducted and raped at knife-point — and tried twice to obtain a then-illegal abortion — says, “I was legally protected. I owe my life to the law being there for me because of pro-life legislators who recognized that mine was a life worth saving even in the cases of rape.” Every single woman interviewed speaks of God, and God’s plan, which is just fine if you subscribe to the logic that your idea of God should control the bodies and choices of every woman who gets raped.

How far is Mourdock willing to go on this?

These are sad stories. But the bottom line is that Akin and Mourdock now are using raped women to justify their quests for power. These are dangerous men and should be nowhere near influencing the lives of the people of this country.

That’s why they have to lose on Tuesday.

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Since the GOP has lost its mind on rape

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Here’s a color-coded guide on what Republicans think about sexual assault.

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‘Lord of the Rings’ villain discusses rape

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Another Republican candidate for the Senate — this one being “The Lord of the Rings” villain in his spare time — is focusing on rape:

Indiana Treasurer Richard Mourdock became the latest Republican to wander into eyebrow-raising territory when it came to the discussion of rape and abortion during a Senate debate Tuesday night.

Defending his stance that abortion should be illegal even in the case of rape, Mourdock explained that pregnancy resulting from nonconsensual sex is the will of God.

Of course, he says he was quoted out of context. Here’s the context, direct from his mouth in New Albany, Ind., just across the border from Louisville:

Unlike the Todd Akin bit of medical mystery, the GOP is rallying around Mourdock:

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (KY), who stumped for Mourdock on Monday, also said politics were behind the outrage.

“We’re at the end of an election season here and I understand each side is looking to make hay out of every comment,” McConnell said, “but sharing the view of millions of Americans that life begins at conception is Richard’s deeply held personal belief that shouldn’t be misconstrued by partisans to imply something it does not.”

Perhaps bolstered by the strong support from Republicans, Mourdock was defiant in a press conference Wednesday, attacking his opponents for “twisting” his words.

How directly quoting a person is the same as “twisting” his words is beyond me. But apparently there is a different language for the extreme right. Newt, do you want to take it from here?

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Legitimate rape: an update

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Remember how the GOP establishment disavowed any knowledge of Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin after his “legitimate rape” logic? You know, it said it wouldn’t support him and wanted him out of the race because his abortion/rape stand was anathema to how the party was trying to present itself.

Well, this just in:

The National Republican Senatorial Committee has opened the door to getting back in the Missouri Senate race after weeks of insisting it was finished with Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.).

NRSC executive director Rob Jesmer on Wednesday said the committee would keep close tabs on the race, and hinted it might reverse its decision to abandon its nominee.

“There is no question that for Missourians who believe we need to stop the reckless Washington spending, rein-in the role of government in people’s lives, and finally focus on growing jobs in this country that Todd Akin is a far more preferable candidate than liberal Sen. Claire McCaskill,” he said in a statement. “As with every Republican Senate candidate, we hope Todd Akin wins in November and we will continue to monitor this race closely in the days ahead.”

And if that’s not enough:

Top conservatives announced their support for Missouri Republican Todd Akin’s embattled campaign for Senate, some reversing course after having earlier called for him to step down following his “legitimate rape” remarks.

Former presidential candidate Rick Santorum and South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint jointly gave their backing Wednesday after a final deadline passed for Akin to withdraw from the ballot. And Republican Sen. Roy Blunt, a party leader in the Senate, quietly dropped his previous opposition to Akin’s candidacy, and said he would support his fellow Missourian.

With Republicans struggling in their effort to pick up the four seats needed wrest control of the Senate this fall, some in the party have calculated that they must back Akin if they hope to win the majority. Missouri has represented perhaps their best opportunity to defeat an incumbent, Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill.

It’s still a close race, and Akin can win. And if he does, that opens the gates to eternal Tea Bagger crazy.
Meaning the chances of stopping “legitimate rape” from becoming the law of the land will dwindle in every subsequent election.

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Conservatives and rape

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Atrios makes a very interesting point:

I decided there are basically three issues. First, they can never really seem to grasp the concept of ‘consent.’ Second, they tend to lump rape together with having unapproved sex generally. Third, for reasons which escape me, a lot of them seem to really really fear having someone “falsely” accuse them of rape.

(Cartoon via Daily Kos)

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