Here’s my take on the pattern of conservatives’ reaction to the unfolding events.
1. Surprise over what Akin said, whether they agreed or not.
2. Confusion as to whether it was true.
3. Concern that what he said could give the seat to the Democrats.
4. Consideration that if this was enough to torpedo his election, maybe we need to put up an electable candidate before the deadline.
5. Further reflection on the ramifications of all of this. A last minute scramble for a new candidate might be worse than backing Akin.
6. Anger at the disloyalty of the RNC.
7. Closer scrutiny of Akin in totality, not just the single remark that got so much attention in the media.
8. Decision to vote for Akin, either because they fully support his views, because they trust him to be truthful and not a slick machine politician, and/or because they do not want McCaskill to win.
I think most of us are susceptible to a shakeup of our opinions for a variety of reasons. This is why the “October surprise” is so effective. Hopefully, events like this will help us to learn to think fast and react properly.
This event has shown that there are far too many who are simply incapable of doing that.
Expecting such a rapid mental transformation in such a short time frame is asking for the impossible and is also, IMO, wishful thinking, as has been evidenced if you've been following the issue for the last week.
the only reason claire is there to run against, in the first place, is the voter fraud in ‘06.