Posted on 08/20/2012 1:48:44 PM PDT by Evil Slayer
Missouri Republican Todd Akin has begun moving toward ending his candidacy after his remarks on rape and abortion provoked a firestorm, a top Republican said.
"Akin is taking concrete steps to withdraw by tomorrow at 5:00 p.m.," a senior Republican told BuzzFeed, adding that Akin could still change his mind.
But a Republican close to Akin said his position hasn't changed: He's still in the race.
Tomorrow afternoon is an important deadline: If he files papers to end his candidacy in Jefferson City tomorrow he can end his candidacy unilaterally; after that, he would have to file an application in court.
Possible Republican replacements, the Republican source said, include three former senators: John Ashcroft, Jim Talent, and Kit Bond. Other names being mentioned include former Ambassador Ann Wagner, who is running for Akin's now-vacant seat; and Auditor Tom Schweich.
UPDATE: Former Missouri Sen. Jim Talent tells BuzzFeed that he is not running for Senate to replace Akin. He also declined to explicitly call for Akin to step aside, but backed NRSC Chair John Cornyn's cool statement that Akin make his decision quickly.
“He’s got a decision to make and he’s got to make it quickly,” Talent added. “He’s got to know the situation and he needs to sit down and make a personal decision.”
(Excerpt) Read more at buzzfeed.com ...
After this fiasco, it's probably best if a woman ran anyway.
Besides, if she's good enough for Palin, she's good enough for me.
Opposition to abortion in all cases and forms is the litmus test in my voting. The rest can go to hell.
You are right, Fishtalk - but I am still so angry about this.
Any women with the level of malnutrition and poor health as those in Nazi camps would have a difficult time conceiving if they even wanted to! Women stop having periods when they are that thin and malnourished.
‘Legitimate’ rape? This makes my blood boil. I do not support abortion at all - but this is the kind of thing said by people who are completely devoid of any shred of humanity or empathy for the suffering of others.
When I told my dear, 77 year old, conservative, mother what this jack@$$ said - it took her fifteen minutes to pick her jaw up from the floor. She doesn’t support abortion either and she was equally horrified.
Sounds like someone snatched up this idiot today though and taught him the facts of life. A shame the focus of the election was highjacked in this manner but frankly, I think that he deserves to lose for living to be the age he has and maintaining such a high level of ignorance and for being a jack@$$. If he is this ignorant about women’s anatomy and the facts of life, God only knows what other completely ignorant things this man believes or what decisions he might potentially make based on them.
I was thinking Sarah S
It won’t be Steelman. She came in 3rd. I pray Akins stays IN and runs on his conservative record which has a 96% rating from the ACU
1. Akin has to go. Now. Better still, yesterday, were that possible. It's too late for him to jump back into the race for his House seat, of course. The Republican National Senate Committee, or the Missouri GOP could scramble around and promise him some political post, I suppose, but he's 65 years old. Here's a good option: retire.
2. The obvious choice to step in is Brunner. I say this with no knowledge whatever about his qualifications -- other than that I gather that he was largely self-financed, and that he ran as an economic and social conservative, as did, more or less, Akin and Steelman, but he finished second in the primary. If Akin withdraws, and assuming Brunner wants the nomination, it should be his.
Who ultimately would call the shot in the event of Akin's withdrawal? The Missouri GOP?
Exactly! Something stinks. The establishment seems to be moving to totally ignore the other two conservatives that were in the dang primary!! They risk really pissing the base off if they go ‘rogue’ with someone who wasn’t even in the primary or that is conservative.
nuff said
If he decides to stay in his support will return. The Republicans need the seat to take the Senate.
Anything by Buzzfeed, Ben Smith and Politico should be take with a Grain of Salt.
Thanks for your thoughtful reply, Fishtalk. BTW, those studies were done by by the Allied forces who rescued the victims.
And it just really pisses me off that every time the word ABORTION is uttered by a man, he’s immediately mowed down by hysterical feminists! And conservatives run for the exits.
(And before anyone takes offense, I AM female. :)
He said something dumb. That’s his crime.
He should stay. Republicans need to quit hanging their own.
Is Rush eligible?
CBS Evening News spent a FULL EIGHT MINUTES to nite on Akin, then segwayed in a couple of Obama bites from today’s surprise presser.
MSNBC referred to him tonite as “That Psyco Akin”.
Facts simply do not matter when the media bash begins. The meme is set. Ask Sarah Palin about this.
It’s OK for Democrats to be pedophiles, or a Dem VP to make racist jokes, or lie about Indian Heritage, but let a Repub make a SINGLE GAFFE, and it’s lights out.
We forget the power of the Biased mainstream media, at our own peril
“He’s being pilloried, for telling the truth and someone needs to come to his defense!”
TRUTH no longer matters in our media-centric society.
Didn’t you get the the MSM/Hollywood memo about this?
Who would select the replacement? none of the names you mentioned were even on the ballot. Brunner came in 2nd to Akin. The entire thing is a damn shame because Akin is more conservative than Romney, Scott Brown, Reince Priebus, Anne Coulter and the gop establishment. His record attests to that but guess words speak louder than ACTIONS. Kit Bond is a moderate...Ashcroft is not in good health and Jim Talent lost the last election
No, Steelman came in 3rd. Brunner came in 2nd.
Seems to me that the Republicans could still whip out a victory over this by putting in Ann Wagner (who is pro-life) and turn the debate into LIFE vs. PLANNED PARENTHOOD McKaskill....
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