Posted on 08/26/2012 3:00:52 PM PDT by rhema
Support for Republican Todd Akin’s decision to stay in the Missouri Senate race has cratered and so has his favorability. Those findings come from two new polls conducted after Akin created a firestorm with his comment about “legitimate rape.”
Republicans, by a 47 percent to 37 percent margin, think he should drop out of the Senate contest against Democrat Claire McCaskill, and self-described Akin supporters believe the same by 50 percent to 34 percent, according to a Mason-Dixon survey. Only Democrats, sensing he’s likely to lose, want him to remain a candidate, 47 percent to 37 percent.
And in a poll for conservative groups, only 24 percent of Missouri voters looked favorably on Akin and 54 percent said they regard him unfavorably.
Before his rape comment two weeks ago, Akin had a solid lead over McCaskill. Republicans counted Missouri as a likely victory that would help them take control of the Senate. Now their chances look shaky.
While Romney did well in the poll for conservative organizations, leading President Obama in Missouri by 54 percent to 41 percent, Akin trailed McCaskill, 44 percent to 36 percent. A few weeks ago, he led by five percentage points. He was ahead by 11 percentage points among independents but now is 17 points behind. Independents, by 57 percent to 25 percent, want him to drop out.
Akin, however, has vowed to stay in the race. His freefall in the two polls will make that decision more difficult to defend.
Yes, that’s absolutely true.
The only thing that was enabling us to make Romney move right was that we had the pressure of intelligent, reasonable conservatives. Now that Akins has allowed us all to be depicted as harsh, narrow-minded, small-town, elderly white male Pharisees - or if not that, small-town politicians who are too dumb to breathe and should never have dreamed of running for Senate - we’ve lost a lot of our clout with Romney.
The other thing that is depressing is that it shows you how blurry is the image of “conservative.” Akin was neither the conservative nor Tea Party favorite, and basically won in an open primary with money and votes from the Dems, because they thought he would be easist to beat. Guess what...they were right.
re: So miniscule, in fact, that stepping aside amounts to a guaranteed loss, while remaining in position and moving the message back to the real issues at stake is a potential win. If the GOPe truly care about the seat, they will come back around to support the only possible Republican victor.
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A guaranteed loss? I know that you want that to be true, but it doesn’t make it true. I appreciate that you are thinking with your heart, but you are not thinking with your head. The only people in Missouri who truly believe he is the only possible Republican victor are Todd, his wife, and his son. Are you his son posting here?
It shows how offended women were of his statements. And if it were possible to replace him with a Congressmum on the ticket, that would be acceptable to a lot of people, but it is hard to see that happening at this late date. Those that are upset at him have 70 days to get over it -- and hopefully they will.
“Are you his son posting here?”
Hey, you may be on to something here. Explains a lot.
Its a good thing we dont have freepers that followed hitlers never withdraw policy at Stalingrad. Strategic withdrawal is tactics 101in rhe right setting
A) Akin = probably loss (ObamaCare, Harry Reid)
B)Any other conservative = possible victory (No Infanticide, conservative agenda moving forward)
Akin or Conservatism
Ummmm... the choice is pretty clear.
You Akinites, blind as bats...
“Those that are upset at him have 70 days to get over it — and hopefully they will.”
It could be 70 years, and these people are not going to get over it. They have seen Akin and they have found him wanting, extremely wanting.
Then name a replacement???
Oh gag... if Akin will just step aside now, even all this arguing would stop... Akin can burn in political hell as far as I’m concerned, he’s mentally inbred and it’s beginning to look like many other conservatives are to.
That would be a waste of time if Akin does not choose Conservatism over personal victory and step down.
He’s toast, flatlined, deceased, a former candidate. He’s joined the choir celestial. It’s over. The McGaskill people will harp on this all the way to victory and it’s all unnecessary. If Akin can’t think on his feet any better than that, he doesn’t belong in office.
One should realize that if you cant even win on a site like freeper, the chance of getting non conservatives is preety low.
Thanks for the kind words. Hopefully Todd will go out a winner and do the right thing. We can only hope.
No — its a waste of time because there aren’t any.
Actually most conservatives want Akin to step down for the good of the movement.
Unfortunately Akin puts his personal ambition ahead of conservatism.
In the end it will get us a permanent ObamaCare, Another 2 years of Majority Leader Harry Reid and at the very least a RINO in the White House who can push forward his liberal agenda (as log as that agenda’s liberal enough for Harry Reid).
re: Those elements of the GOP that are cutting off Akin because he doesn’t lockstep to the progressive republican movement are the real jerks.
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So is it your political assessment that two other completely capable pro-life conservatives, Brunner and Steelman, would be cut off for not getting in lockstep with the so-called progressive Republican movement? That amazes me. The party is cutting off Akin because he is not progressive? How is that the party supports conservatives in races all across the country? How is it that the party is behind the pro-life plank in the platform? And behind fiscal conservatism? My political assessment is that the party would support either one immediately and overwhelmingly, and conservatives from around the country would send lots of money to another completely capable pro-life conservative. The problem is not the party; it is Akin.
“Then name a replacement???”
Anne Hathaway, Ann Wagner, Joann Emmerson. Then you have former senators who may step up, Talent, Bond.
I do have a serious question for Akin supporters, though: how do you see him winning going forward?
Akin won 36% in the GOP primary, meaning the majority of Missouri Republicans did not vote for him. Since his interviews, reputable pollsters have found that 47% of Republicans and 57% of Independents want him to withdraw from the race in favor of another candidate. If Akin does as you wish and remains in the race, how can he possibly win?
A seond question: Do you feel it is better to support Akin because of his religious affiliations and values even though you know he is likely to lose to McCaskill? Are you ready to accept defeat in a "noble cause"?
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