Republicans on Rape

[snowcat]

Todd Akin's some 65 year old guy. How many terms could he serve in the Senate -- 2?

He's putting his own ambitions in front of the interests of his party and his country (depending on your political persuasion) by staying in the race. The party and all the GOP Super PACs have abandoned him and he still won't get out.

Even if he were to somehow win, he'll be blacklisted by both the GOP and the Democrats.

Just listened to Hannity interview Akin. The guy is tone deaf.

[snowcat]

Just listened to Hannity interview Akin. The guy is tone deaf.

Crap, now he is telling the world about his engineering background.

[DU Ute]

Crap, now he is telling the world about his engineering background.

I don't think he's making engineers look bad. If he’s a legitimate engineer he never would have said that, the engineer mind has ways to try to shut that mouth down.

[Omaha 680]

Just listened to Hannity interview Akin. The guy is tone deaf.

So, just to check the score:

1. Every major Republican leader has denounced Akin's comments, asked for him to resign from the race, and promised no party support in his elecion bid.

2. Hannity and Limbaugh, seen as leaders of the far right of the Republican Party, have denounced Akin and told him to resign from the race. I believe I read Limbaugh called him stupid today.

3. This is a thread about how Akin's views on rape and abortion are mainstream Republican thought.

Did I get it right?

[snowcat]

So, just to check the score:

1. Every major Republican leader has denounced Akin's comments, asked for him to resign from the race, and promised no party support in his elecion bid.

2. Hannity and Limbaugh, seen as leaders of the far right of the Republican Party, have denounced Akin and told him to resign from the race. I believe I read Limbaugh called him stupid today.

3. This is a thread about how Akin's views on rape and abortion are mainstream Republican thought.

Did I get it right?

That sums it up.

[SoonerCoug]

So, just to check the score:

1. Every major Republican leader has denounced Akin's comments, asked for him to resign from the race, and promised no party support in his elecion bid.

2. Hannity and Limbaugh, seen as leaders of the far right of the Republican Party, have denounced Akin and told him to resign from the race. I believe I read Limbaugh called him stupid today.

3. This is a thread about how Akin's views on rape and abortion are mainstream Republican thought.

Did I get it right?

This is not surprising. They are good at speaking in unison.

[Color Me Badd Fan]

The deadline came and went for this asshole to step down.

He didn't step down.

I heard they offered to swap out the candidate for his congressional seat presumably so he could run for it again this cycle -- to allow the guy to at least keep his current job.

Nope, not good enough.

So the guy is hanging onto his candidacy for the Senate in a race that he, in all likelihood, will lose. The GOP potentially can't overtake the Senate now and the Democrats get to absolutely hammer the GOP on this while the guy is still the Senate candidate (they'd hammer the GOP no matter what the guy did, I suppose). On top of that, I now wonder if Missouri goes from Lean Romney to Toss Up. This guy's a moron.

[Omaha 680]

So the guy is hanging onto his candidacy for the Senate in a race that he, in all likelihood, will lose. The GOP potentially can't overtake the Senate now and the Democrats get to absolutely hammer the GOP on this while the guy is still the Senate candidate (they'd hammer the GOP no matter what the guy did, I suppose). On top of that, I now wonder if Missouri goes from Lean Romney to Toss Up. This guy's a moron.

Nearly all politicians are narcissists. Every member of Congress sees a futurue President when they look in the mirror regardless of the reality that surrounds them.

I'm convinced somewhere John Edwards is plotting his political comeback.

[DU Ute]

So, just to check the score:

1. Every major Republican leader has denounced Akin's comments, asked for him to resign from the race, and promised no party support in his elecion bid.

2. Hannity and Limbaugh, seen as leaders of the far right of the Republican Party, have denounced Akin and told him to resign from the race. I believe I read Limbaugh called him stupid today.

3. This is a thread about how Akin's views on rape and abortion are mainstream Republican thought.

Did I get it right?

It sure doesn't help that a whole lot of the people you mentioned feel that a woman should have no choice but to bear an enormous, life altering responsibility tied to what is one the most heinous and awful things that could possibly happen to them. They may not subscribe to Akin's biologically backwards views (or at least have the sense not to say them out loud), but the "tough shit, deal with it" policies they want to enact show the same level of disdain and heartlessness towards women.

[Indy Coug]

... but the "tough shit, deal with it" policies they want to enact show the same level of disdain and heartlessness towards women.

Who is "they" and what exactly are their policies?

[DU Ute]

Who is "they" and what exactly are their policies?

Anyone who wants to enact legislation that limits or restricts a woman's access to an abortion in the case of rape and incest.

[Indy Coug]

Anyone who wants to enact legislation that limits or restricts a woman's access to an abortion in the case of rape and incest.

I'm not aware of any major person in a position to enact such a policy that actually believes in that policy. Romney and Ryan sure don't.

[Color Me Badd Fan]

It sure doesn't help that a whole lot of the people you mentioned feel that a woman should have no choice but to bear an enormous, life altering responsibility tied to what is one the most heinous and awful things that could possibly happen to them. They may not subscribe to Akin's biologically backwards views (or at least have the sense not to say them out loud), but the "tough shit, deal with it" policies they want to enact show the same level of disdain and heartlessness towards women.

You don't have any evidence of this. 20% of the public thinks that abortion should be outlawed in instances of rape. 20% of the public also thinks 9/11 was an inside job. 20% of the public are loony toons on nearly every issue (it's not always the same 20%).

IIRC, a slim majority of the public is pro-life. If that number is, say, 55% then that's a pretty steep drop to 20%. That 20% represents just over 1/3 of people who are pro-life.

If someone is within this 20%, they have to tread lightly (but they're also loony toons so I wonder how many can do this -- this Akin moron obviously doesn't know how to). On one hand, we're still talking about a life and an innocent one at that. On the other hand we're also talking about ruining (or potentially ruining) the life of the woman who's carrying that life because she was the victim of a vicious crime. Just over 1/3 of the pro-life crowd rules in favor of the fetus, the remainder thinks it's cruel to inflict a 9 month constant reminder of the crime on the victim.

[Jeff Lebowski]

You don't have any evidence of this. 20% of the public thinks that abortion should be outlawed in instances of rape. 20% of the public also thinks 9/11 was an inside job. 20% of the public are loony toons on nearly every issue (it's not always the same 20%).

IIRC, a slim majority of the public is pro-life. If that number is, say, 55% then that's a pretty steep drop to 20%. That 20% represents just over 1/3 of people who are pro-life.

If someone is within this 20%, they have to tread lightly (but they're also loony toons so I wonder how many can do this -- this Akin moron obviously doesn't know how to). On one hand, we're still talking about a life and an innocent one at that. On the other hand we're also talking about ruining (or potentially ruining) the life of the woman who's carrying that life because she was the victim of a vicious crime. Just over 1/3 of the pro-life crowd rules in favor of the fetus, the remainder thinks it's cruel to inflict a 9 month constant reminder of the crime on the victim.

If that is the case, then why would the republican party be changing the platform to disallow abortions for rape victims? Or is the platform change a myth?

[Jeff Lebowski]

If that is the case, then why would the republican party be changing the platform to disallow abortions for rape victims? Or is the platform change a myth?

Nope.

Even as the Republican establishment continued to call for Representative Todd Akin of Missouri to drop out of his Senate race because of his comments on rape and abortion, Republicans approved platform language on Tuesday calling for a constitutional amendment outlawing abortion with no explicit exceptions for cases of rape or incest.

thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/21/g-o-p-approves-strict-anti-abortion-language-in-party-platform/

Absolutely horrible timing.