Posted on 08/26/2012 4:55:54 AM PDT by Kaslin
Liberal pundits are declaring they have no idea what Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO) meant when he referred to “legitimate rape” in an interview this past week. Akin stated, "In cases of legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down." It was an awkward, inarticulate statement, but the substance of it was correct. Explaining what he meant since then would be a bit crude, so he has not been able to adequately defend himself. His attackers have used the awkwardness to pounce on him and pretend they don't know what he meant, or make up even worse explanations.
Does anyone actually believe his critics? It may have been a poor choice of words, but everyone knows Akin was referring to the distinction between what we traditionally consider rape - forcible rape - versus statutory rape and what some claim is also rape, having sex while drunk. Some women will have a one night stand while drunk, admit it to their friends afterwards, then change their mind and declare that it was rape. The FBI updated its definition of rape this year to include the inability to give consent due to intoxication. Any woman who has been drinking can now claim afterwards that she was raped. This may have opened a Pandora's Box considering how many people drink alcohol before sex. The cliché “rape is rape” no longer means what it says. The definition has now been broadened to include any woman alleging rape after she has been drinking.
As for women's bodies shutting down, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that Akin meant that a woman is not going to get aroused if she is forcibly raped, making it difficult to become pregnant. Akin brought this up in order to explain why abortion in case of rape is not necessary. It is very rare that a forcible rape results in a pregnancy, so the issue of whether to permit abortion in the case of rape is mostly a red herring, used for fear mongering. Last week, GOP officials drafting the abortion ban for the party platform, declined to put in an exception for rape or incest. Tellingly, Akin's critics haven't bothered disputing Akin's real message, which is that less than one percent of rapes result in a pregnancy.
Akin immediately apologized for his remarks, clarifying later that he meant “forcible rape.” He has been running 30-second TV ads around the state apologizing. David Roney of Pro-Life Arizona notes that Akin's point was unborn babies shouldn't be sacrificed to punish rapists. Aborting children because they were a product of a rape would have taken the lives of gospel singers Mahalia Jackson and Ethel Waters. Ryan Bomberger, also born of a rape, wrote about Akin for Life News, “ I’m glad such a pro-family, pro-life stalwart, despite a few bumps and lots of scrapes, is not quitting under pressure from hypocritical pro-abortion radicals and spineless Republicans.“ Bomberger listed several crude jokes that liberal celebrities have made about rape, and asks, “Where was the condemnation of Whoopi Goldberg who, on The View, defended film director Roman Polanski’s 1977 drugging and rape of a 13 year old as not “rape rape”?”
It is troubling to see Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, the chairman of the RNC, Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) and conservative stalwarts like Rush Limbaugh demand the resignation of Akin. Limbaugh himself has been accused of comments that have made him vulnerable to intense criticism. It is reported that high-level GOP officials have told Akin they will no longer help him with fundraising. Many in the GOP have developed a herd mentality and are piling on Akin, asserting that no one can win without establishment support. Sadly, they are shooting their wounded to react so quickly and demand that Akin jump out of the race.
Fortunately, not all conservatives have deserted Akin. Because of the injustice of what has happened to him, Mike Huckabee has come to his defense, assisting with fundraising. It's notable that Akin exceeded his goal of raising $125,000 within a few days. Susan B. Anthony List, a pro-life group, has put out a statement defending Akin.
Prior to Akin's misworded comment, he was leading in the polls over the Democrat incumbent, Sen. Claire McCaskill, who is considered to be the most vulnerable Democrat in the Senate. If his chances are now so dismal, why is Moveon.org calling for Akin to resign? Or why is the liberal super PAC American Bridge 21st Century demanding that Romney drop Huckabee from the GOP convention for supporting Akin? The left is well aware that to put in a substitute candidate now would risk losing the seat, due to the lack of time left to set up a ground game and garner name recognition.
Akin is a solid conservative who voted against No Child Left Behind, despite being pressured in a phone call by President Bush. He has a 97% lifetime rating from the American Conservative Union. A favorite of social conservatives, he obtained a Master of Divinity degree from seminary and has co-chaired the House Prayer Breakfast. No doubt his background is why many are targeting him so viciously.
Most voters will forget about this in a week. Three days after the story broke, McCaskill pulled ahead of Akin in the polls but could not break 50%, according to a Rasmussen poll. Akin can still win, unless Republicans continue to turn on him. “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” The Republican Party could still try to force Akin out up until September 25, by challenging his candidacy in the courts.
When people can't freely express their opinions it is a serious matter. Why isn't an apology sufficient? Why make this into a career-ruining incident? Akin didn't say “rape is ok,” and everyone knows exactly what he meant. Akin told Huckabee that he "misspoke one word, in one sentence, in one day." Wait until it happens to you.
The argument about when and what conditions occur during intercourse for conception is at best questionable speculation. While I support his withdrawal.
He might be able to pull this off he he compares his error in judgment to those Progs who support man made global warming and admit his error.
We have 57 States and no one gets excited, Akin make a slip of the tongue or an outright gaff and we crucify him. Now tell me again there is no double standard. The issues may be different but it’s still a slip or a mistake, if you overlook one you have to over look the other, depending ,of course, what is politically at stake.
That is true (regarding Limbaugh) although his reasoning is that the country is in so much trouble that we cannot risk losing that seat.
Akin comes across to me as a doofus. With all the heat he is getting, I am not sure it is a win to keep him in there. I mean, look at Scott Brown, after all.
We wouldn’t be having this quagmire argument if we just had sensible rape-condom laws. If all rapists were required to use condoms, problem solved.
We need to outlaw all naked-member-raping. Rapists who use condoms get a pass. Then we’d be okay.
They both came from Hope and they are both dopes!
A little history for those who might have forgotten it:
The problem is if we're talking about "stress infertility" instead of "USA fiscal infertility", we've lost. As long as Akin is around, the press will distract all campaigns with this crap. This is not the issue for our Country in 2012!
Just imagine the questions for Romney at a future POTUS debate, tell us about "legitimate rape". If Akin withdraws, so do the questions.
If anything is worse than Akin's original idiocy, it's this.
I do not want to post links to rebut the above, so I won't, but they exist and there are lots of them.
Sexual response has voluntary and involuntary aspects - let's leave it at that.
“The Left and it’s facilitators; Feminist, Abortionist and idiot Republicans have made this into a real dog pile of hate and crap....this is what the SOP of the cowardly/unprincipled Romney Repub Party is going to be....a lick spittle load of PC leftism!”
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I think there are ways we can all be productive and help advance the conservative agenda.
We have an abundance of DESERVING conservative Republican Senatorial candidates who need and would very much welcome our support. The ones that my family and I have chosen to support with our limited time and funds are:
Josh Mandel in Ohio,
Ted Cruz in Texas,
Rick Berg in North Dakota,
Jeff Flake in Arizona
Deb Fischer in Nebraska,
Richard Mourdock in Indiana
Denny Rehberg in Montana
Pete Hoekstra in Michigan
and, possibly:
George Allen in Virginia and others can be added to the list.
I think that all believers in our conservative principles will agree that this is a list of conservative Republicans very deserving of our support and well-wishes for victory in November.
We have significant political battles across the nation and need to remember those. Support these folks to the extent you can.
That's a lie. We've been over this. He did no such thing. That's sufficient to make you a prefabricator. Same with others.
“he might be able to pull this off if he compares his error in judgement to the progs who support man made global warming”
I forgot to add while bashing Romney on his position of abortion because of rape...
If Akin weren’t around, the press would come up with something else. For the press to allow an accurate discussion of the economy is impossible.
There’s only one way to fight against the lies, distortions and political correctness of the left. The way to do it is to call them out on their BS and then we take the ball and move it downfield.
Next time a candidate’s words are distorted like this, our response should be to circle the wagons and ratchet up funding and support for the candidate across the board.
Give me a break. It shouldn’t be baffling why someone would support a good, conservative public servant who made one innocent mistake that did no actual harm to anyone. That’s why truly principled guys who aren’t coldhearted political consultants who would throw any person or any principle under the bus in order to WIN WIN WIN are supporting him. This includes people like Huckabee, Mike Gallagher, Steve Deace and Steve King who have all spoken out in support of Akin’s staying in the race.
This was an open primary as well. THEY chose Akin. There's a reason for that, and it wasn't because they intended to vote for him in November.
Huckabee is a tool.
It is reasonable and true to say that the fraction of abortions that result from a rape compared to all other reasons for abortions are vanishingly tiny.
It is illegitimate to try to explain this with a crack pot theory that implies that women who are forcible raped, and get pregnant, probably enjoyed it.
It has all to do about stupid comments by a politician.
Wrong. That she wanted to run against Akin is true but to say that he played footsie with her is a lie. She ran campaign adds attacking all three candidates, including Akin, and criticizing him as "too conservative for Missouri". That commment encouraged conservatives undecided regarding the three running to vote for Akin -- but to go beyond that is a prefabrication unbecoming conservatives on this forum.
That is absurd. Snuffaluppagus didn't need a Republican to do anything before he asked the Repubs if they supported banning birth control back in January. The idea that the libs will not try to smear the Repubs because Akin withdrawals or for any other reason is just ludicrous. The notion of being more afraid of Akin than of the liberal press is absurd.
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