Despite prodding from the highest levels of the Republican Party, including presumptive presidential nominee Mitt Romney, embattled Kansas Rep. Todd Akin thumbed his nose at the GOP yesterday and refused to drop out of the U.S. Senate race.
Instead, Akin thinks everyone is “overreacting” to his mistaken choice of words, and says the only voice he would listen to regarding his candidacy would be the voice of God. Or in other words, Republicans: GET LOST!
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| Reince Priebus |
Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus threatened Akin that if he did not drop out, he would lose all financial and political support from the GOP. But even that did not deter Akin, who is almost assured to lose the senate race after his disparaging comments on what he called “legitimate abortion.”
Akin has since issued a video apology, hoping to gain back some semblance of support. But even the most stalwart Republicans say Akin’s chances of winning are slim to none. They were hoping he would drop out and allow a replacement candidate to come in at the 11th hour to challenge Sen. Claire McCaskill for her seat. But Akin, who is angry the GOP never supported him anyway, has said “nothin’ doin’.”
Akin’s words are just part of a series of negative news regarding the GOP. His words join the controversy of freshman congressman Kevin Yoder, who rudely swam naked in the Sea of Galilee in Israel, as well as the impending hurricane that could completely shut down next week’s Republican National Convention in Tampa. It also comes just as the GOP is adopting its party platform, which does not allow for abortion exceptions in the case of rape or incest. Hmmm…
This is about to get very interesting!
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…a couple of interesting reads…..A. Sullivan: "Akin Is The Christianist Mainstream"Wonder why FRC is still backing him? Or that he sees no reason to quit? The answer is that his view of female reproduction is based on the work of one Dr. Jack C. Willke. Willke is not, as one might expect, some obscure quack, far, far away from the center of Republican and Christianist politics. He is, the LA Times notes, the founder and president of the International Right to Life Federation, president of the Life Issues Institute, and a former president of National Right to Life, the oldest and largest pro-life group in the country. He was president from 1980 to 1983 and then from 1984 to 1990. In 2007, Willke was described as "an important surrogate for Governor Romney's pro-life and pro-family agenda" in the words of the Romney campaign. "I am proud to have the support of a man who has meant so much to the pro-life movement in our country," Romney said at the time. Willke, of course, has defended Akin forcefully since the uproar. Here he is, pioneering this wingnut version of female sexuality back in 1999: "First, let's define the term "rape." When pro-lifers speak of rape pregnancies, we should commonly use the phrase "forcible rape" or "assault rape," for that specifies what we're talking about. Rape can also be statutory. Depending upon your state law, statutory rape can be consensual, but we're not addressing that here."Yes, you read that right: "statutory rape can be consensual". There's more: [….]Full read: http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2012/08/a…
M. McKinnon: "Todd Akin’s ‘Legitimate Rape’ Timing Couldn’t Be Worse for Republicans"The Akin fiasco could not have been more poorly timed for Republicans.At exactly the time voters are looking seriously at the Republican ticket, and the ticket wants to send a message of tolerance, diversity, and inclusion, Akin says: “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.”Boom. Akin's <span>stunning ignorance</span> is the political equivalent of the GOP riding over an IED. And the shrapnel is shredding everyone.So now we can expect days of discussion about Republicans and abortion, and a heightened focus on the platform language that was drafted Monday: “Faithful to the ‘self-evident’ truths enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, we assert the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed. We support a human life amendment to the Constitution and endorse legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment’s protections apply to unborn children.” That means no exceptions. Not rape. Not incest. Not the life of the mother.It won’t matter much that Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are saying now they would not oppose a rape exception. Unlike John McCain, who had a history of pushing for an explicit exemption in the language, Romney and Ryan have records that will send a chill up the spine of most women. Romney said in 2007 he would be “delighted” to sign a bill banning all abortions, and Ryan supported legislation restricting abortions to victims of “forcible rape.”So thank you, Todd Akin. Just as Republicans were opening their show and hoping to widen the tent, you’ve managed to attract attention to yourself and your caveman views. Hear that sound? That's women running for the exits __and the big tent collapsing. […]Read: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/08/22/…
..a Quote for the Day…"But what's striking to me is the enduring reality that alleged fiscal conservatives in today's GOP almost uniformly have social views that one normally associates with soft-Islamists. It should be possible to be a total fiscal tightwad and still adopt a live-and-let-live philosophy in government – and yet that is emphatically not the GOP we have today. Akin is a classic Islamist-Republican, seeing women entirely as temptations for men who somehow have responsibility for their fate even when being raped. Women are entirely objects – their lives and crises simply requiring an air-brush to keep the whole neurotic ideology intact. " ~ A. Sullivan
"Paul Ryan Responds To Todd Akin, Clarifies Abortion Position: 'Rape Is Rape' " Rep. Paul Ryan addressed his stance on abortion Wednesday for the first time since Rep. Todd Akin's controversial comments about "legitimate rape," seeking to distance himself from the embattled congressman with whom he co-sponsored a bill to redefine rape with respect to abortions.The Republican vice presidential nominee told local CBS affiliate KDKA he is "proud" of his anti-abortion record when asked if abortion should be available to women in instances of rape."I'm proud of my pro-life record," Ryan said. "And I stand by my pro-life record in Congress.""But Mitt Romney is the top of the ticket and Mitt Romney will be president and he will set the policy of the Romney administration," Ryan continued. […]Read: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/22/paul-rya…Translation: There's absolutely NO difference between Ryan and Akin when it comes to abortion under ANY circumstance. Rape? NO. Incest? NOPE. The life of the mother? Absolutely NOT.Romney has climbed into bed with vipers.
…..Quote for the Day #2 ……Why blame Todd Akin for this? The GOP is now reaping what it has been sowing for the last three decades. Long before anyone had even heard of Todd Akin. So thank Republicans for their outdated views on women. Akin was basically just towing the party line so no wonder he's confused by all the calls to drop out. Not to mention it was Romney, not Akin who had Dr. Wilke, the father of this crazy talk, as one of his main surrogates in 2008. How is any of that Todd Akin's fault? So feel free to be mad at Akin for shining a light on the Republican party platform. THEY are the ones who chose this platform hoping that Americans wouldn't notice. According to this article we're now supposed to be mad at Akin for not allowing the GOP to slip this right under our noses. To that I say, thank you Todd Akin. […] ~ Commenter @ The Daily BeastRe: "Todd Akin’s ‘Legitimate Rape’ Timing Couldn’t Be Worse for Republicans"http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/08/22/…
NYTimes: "Just Think No"There’s something trying about an unforgiving man suddenly in need of forgiveness.Yet Todd Akin is right. He shouldn’t have to get out of the United States Senate race in Missouri simply for saying what he believes. He reflects a severe stance on abortion that many in his party embrace, including the new vice presidential candidate.“I talk about one word, one sentence, one day out of place, and, all of a sudden, the entire establishment turns on you,” Representative Akin complained to the conservative radio talk-show host Dana Loesch on Tuesday as he spurned pleas from Mitt Romney and other G.O.P. big shots to abort his bid. He continued: “They just ran for cover at the first sign of any gunfire, and I think we need to rush to the gunfire.”He’s right again. Other Republicans are trying to cover up their true identity to get elected. Even as party leaders attempted to lock the crazy uncle in the attic in Missouri, they were doing their own crazy thing down in Tampa, Fla., by reiterating language in their platform calling for a no-exceptions Constitutional amendment outlawing abortion, even in cases of rape, incest and threat to the life of the mother.Paul Ryan, who teamed up with Akin in the House to sponsor harsh anti-abortion bills, may look young and hip and new generation, with his iPod full of heavy metal jams and his cute kids. But he’s just a fresh face on a Taliban creed — the evermore antediluvian, anti-women, anti-immigrant, anti-gay conservative core. […]Read: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/22/opinion/dowd-ju…
Good last post Truth. Akin was only saying what he believes in. The Repubs just don't want him letting everybody know most of them believe in it too. LOL I know this might be wrong but I would laugh so hard if a hurricaine blows all them out of their convention and shuts it down.
"I would laugh so hard if a hurricaine blows all them out of their convention and shuts it down."Lol. Hey BD I have friends living in Fl_just a few blocks from where the GOP convention is going to be held_and they said pretty much the same thing.
Charles Johnson psoted this as his "Throwback of the Day""National Review Goes Full Caveman: ‘Men Select Mates for Fertility, Women Select for Status’ "You’re going to have to search a long time to find a right wing article as mind-bogglingly ridiculous as this crazy caveman piece by Kevin D. Williamson at National Review today: "Like A Boss"If this were at The Onion, there’d be no doubt that it was a parody. But this testosterone-drenched article lavishing praise on the manly manliness of Mitt Romney is totally serious.They’re beyond parody.If you can stand it, read the whole thing. You’ll never see a clearer depiction of right wing values, and it’s not a pretty picture. […]Read: http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/40796_Nat…Read: "Like A Boss"https://www.nationalreview.com/nrd/articles/31350…
LOL yep they had a hurricaine in 2008 too. I remember their convention being empty on the opening day. Bad karma