Talk radio probably had an even greater impact.
Posted on 08/24/2012 6:25:07 AM PDT by nathanbedford
This is an occasion in which the vituperation of the pontificators is exceeded only by their ignorance. The inescapable reality is that no one no knows whether Todd Akin could have survived his gaffe and gone on to win what should have been an easy victory in Missouri against a hapless opponent. Yet it is precisely that level of ignorance over what has blithely been assumed in this controversy that lent confidence to self-appointed pundits like Ann Coulter to venture onto national cable television and presume for all of America, not to mention all of Missouri, that Todd Akin was finished and must withdraw.
Suppose Coulter, who since her crush on Governor Christie which followed her unaccountable love affair with Governor Romney, has proclaimed the establishment side of every Republican issue, had instead gone before the cameras and used her undeniable charms and accomplishments to defend rather than bury Todd Akin? Suppose the whole of the Republican establishment had behaved the way we know the Democrat establishment behaves?
My point is there is no answer to these rhetoricals, because the behavior of the Republican establishment in the immediate wake of Akin's gaffe foreclosed all debate and every viable counterargument. Missouri is going Republican in this cycle and Akin would have won the election but for his gaffe-or but for the firestorm ignited in the wake of his gaffe by Republicans themselves. We will never know which is true.
It is obvious that there is really no viable option for Akin now but to withdraw. But that does not mean that we conservatives should condone what transpired here. Who gave these people veto over the choice of the voters in the primaries in Missouri? By what moral right does the Republican Senatorial Election Committee or Republican National Committee presume to renege on its promise of campaign funds as punishment for speech it regards, not as contrary to Republican platform being fashioned before the convention as we speak, but as an offense against political correctness?
Who decides whether Todd Atkins gaffe was so egregious that it was indefensible? Was there not a better than even chance that he could have survived in Missouri? How much of the certitude expressed by Republican pundits was the foundation of a self-fulfilling prophecy? Would not Todd Akin with the protection of a righteous Republican wall of support have been able to finesse this gaffe and recover in the next 75 days?
Does candor demand that we acknowledge that the Republican establishment threw Todd Akin under the bus not out of concern primarily for the outcome of the Senatorial race in Missouri but for concern for the candidacy of Mitt Romney? How can we know?
We have seen this phenomenon before. We have seen it applied to Republicans of all stripes but mainly against conservative Republicans. We have seen the way, Peggy Noonan and others abandoned Sarah Palin. We watch the Majority Leader the United States Senate destroyed over a birthday toast to a fellow Senator. We watched the Senatorial campaign of George Allen systematically destroyed by the Washington Post for uttering the indefinable term, "Macaca." The list is endless and it would include Republican after Republican who too often was abandoned in the crunch by his party. This pattern reflects a level of moral cowardice which must be remedied. It is one which I cited in my about page.
Talk jockeys are making much of the fact that the keynote speaker at the Democratic convention will be the rapist, Bill Clinton, the disgraced former president who was impeached and disbarred for resorting to perjury to fix a court case. How can the Democrats surmount the indisputable fact that Bill Clinton is a perjurer-we know this to be the fact not because the Bible tells us so but because the DNA tells us so-but we Republicans must fall on our swords if we utter an ill considered gaffe?
The obvious explanation for all of this is that every Republican faces a tsunami shit storm blown at him by the media which intimidates every other Republican away from the field of strife.
We have seen how the Romney/Republican establishment dealt with the foreknowledge that their vice presidential pick would be assaulted by the Democrat lie machine and echoed in the establishment media. They picked a candidate, Paul Ryan, who could take the Democrats and the media head on and substantively address the issues. But what were the issues over which Republicans were willing to make battle? They were willing to fight over fiscal issues. They are seldom willing to fight over social issues.
Too many of them run and hide, for example, on abortion. This kerfuffle is really about abortion and it is a fight for which the Republican establishment really has no stomach. If the Republican Party will not fight for the life of unborn innocents, what is the point of fighting to protect upper-class tax brackets?
This dilemma which, make no mistake, is a moral dilemma, is therefore one which the Republican Party must address and solve. But let us also recognize that we are in this moral dilemma precisely because we strive to be a moral party. The Democrats are free of this dilemma because they are not. They are a ruthlessly disciplined cult which, typical of a cult, brooks no "unauthorized" thinking much less dissent. Because Soros has taken the reins of communication and finance so completely in his hands, the Democrat party has become a Soviet with all the implications that contains.
Every Democrat officeholder knows his fate if he departs from the party line. Every Democrat knows that he is likely to be rewarded in his political life or in his post officeholding life by the Democrat machine if he stays in line. Every Democrat officeholder knows it is better for his career to be defeated at the polls them to depart from party orthodoxy. The Democrat party can command this "loyalty" because it controls finances and it controls the media. But it controls one thing more, as a cult it controls the thinking processes of its members.
We as conservatives abhor everything we see the Democrat party doing to itself and then, by extension, to our beloved nation and precious liberties. The solution which we conservatives find to the dilemma the Todd Akin affair has highlighted must be one which is congruent with our notions of personal liberty and individual sovereignty.
So far, our behavior does not inspire confidence that we are feeling our way to such a solution.
The GOPe's aren't handling this very well.
Yep. Too many people running around in a panic on this. That’s what the liberal press wants.
Could some doctor somewhere hold that opinion. Sure, doctors believe all sorts of stupid things. Lots of doctors tell you Statins are good for you. But that’s not he point. He repeated it as if he believed it. He was basing his position on abortion for rape victims on it.
You’re spinning when you say “in some cases, yes.” That could mean 1 in ten, one in a thousand, 1 in a billion. That is not what he said. He said pregnancy due to rape is rare, because a woman’s body somehow shuts down. That must mean that in the vast majority of cases, it is true. Do you believe that?
Liberals want Akin in the race, and the pubbies backing him to the hilt. As it is, a significant part of their convention will be devoted to equating the Republican party with Akin.
The msm achieves it’s effect by total saturation. Much like advertising. The first time you hear that Right Guard is 65% more effective in fighting odor, you’re skeptical. By the time you have hear it 65,000 times, it becomes common wisdom. Similarly, people believe Obama is a genius because they have been told that 7 times a day, 365 days a year for four years. Conservative pundits don’t have that power. How many Missouri voters read Ann Coulter, let alone have their attention swayed by her?
Talk radio probably had an even greater impact.
The GOPe’s aren’t handling this very well.
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It’s a shame that the dumb ass, Akin dude put them in this position to have to handle it. I’m still hoping for a write-in candidate to reclaim the 11 point lead the GOP had over McCaskill which is now a 3 or 4 point lead for her. Missouri Senate race has been moved into the “Leans Democrat” column.
And, I still don't get the hysteria. What a tragedy that Republicans are doing so much damage to the conservative cause!
Say maybe you are getting Republicans and Conservatives mixed up. Republicans are concerned with money matters not social issues. This was a shot across the bow to any that want to run on social issues.
From where I sit it looks like Conservatives (by which you mean anti-abortion conservatives) doing damage to both their cause and the anti-abortion cause. Pubbies are doing their best at damage control.
Once you take “the body shuts down making pregnancy from rape extremely rare” position, an inescapable conclusion is that a woman who claims to be pregnant due to rape is probably lying. Therefore, her rights in the matter are no more significant then someone who wants a third trimester abortion for sex selection. That is pretty offensive to the women and families who make, what I consider a courageous decision, to bare a child conceived by rape. Don’t you think that alienates people who are conflicted about abortion?
Leaving out one little word changes a meaning completely. Re-read the actual Akin quote.
“How many gaffes will Romney make between now and the election? Will we defend him? Of course!”
Mitt Romney being defended on Free Republic? Since when?
Please point out the word that completely changes the meaning.
Now that's getting a bit hysterical. The statistic is that less than one percent of all abortions in the US are attributed, by women seeking abortions, to rape. Akin made a poor argument for which he apologized. The better argument against exceptions is that all human life is sacred. There are some very well written testimonies by people conceived in rape, who are talented, successful, valuable members of our society. These extreme attacks on a good Congressman who has fought the good fight a long, long time for conservative values is a disgrace!
RE: “Pubbies are doing their best at damage control.”
Republicans have enlarged the damage to the point that Claire McCaskill, one of the worst senators in Missouri history, has gone from far behind in the polls to way ahead.
No, that is logical. Do you agree with him that women’s bodies can “shut things down”? I’ve asked that to a number of Akin’s defenders, and not one has answered in the affirmative. It seems like a simple question to me.
I don't know, but I do know that a lot of pro-life people believe it and I do not think it is crazy to believe it. But I do believe pregnancy from violent rape is rare.
That is very sad, if true. Crazy, probably not. Stupid, definitely. It also plays into the media's stereotype that pro-lifers hate women. Not good for the cause. Since no one on this forum seems willing to own the belief, I can hope your statement isn't true.
There is a body of evidence that suggest trauma and stress inhibit pregnancy. Violent none consent sexual intercourse is traumatic and stressful. So I’d says it is not stupid to believe pregnancy resulting from violent rape is rare.
OK, so you do agree with Akin (or at least what Akin believe last week. He seems to have changed his mind). Now, do you agree with the following statement - Since pregnancy due to rape is rare, and lying about anything is common, a woman who claims to be pregnant due to rape is probably lying.
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