[Cicero]

I’ve also been very discouraged by the large number of Freepers (although a few of them appear to be trolls) who have jumped aboard the left-wing propaganda train and savagely bashed Akin.

Akin is a good man with a solid conservative record, who misspoke, mainly with the use of one unfortunate word (”legitimate rape”). And immediately every Republican in sight, including many supposed conservatives, seem to think that that is MUCH WORSE than killing every baby in sight, as Akin’s attackers advocate.

Akin is a solid conservative who supports our freedoms. Romney is a gay-activist baby killer who put through a program to provide cheap—and subsequently free—abortions at taxpayer expense. Which is worse, a small verbal stumble, or a complete lack of moral principles?

[Gene Eric]

He was crucified for a valueless adjective and a dubious theory.

I’m deeply disappointed in the unwillingness to consider his position on the matter of abortion.

There’s been no shortage of verbal foolery on the Right over the last 4 years, not sure why the sudden outrage is necessary now.

[rwilson99]

Akin hurts the pro life movement.

His ill informed epically stupid comment would disqualify him to serve on a jury, much less the Senate.

All he had to say was I’m against abortion in all cases, because in every case the child is innocent.

Instead he decided to elaborate in a manner that hurts the pro-life movement today by giving planned parenthood propaganda that demonstrates our side can’t empathize with women... all while denying that thousands of women have heroically given birth to children conceived in rapes.

He’s stupid... If he cared about the pro life movement more than himself he would drop out.

[paudio]

I'm surprised to see how many so-called conservatives behave like true liberals by engaging in attribution games, and consider anyone who disagree with them a sheep who couldn't think with their own brain. Calls for withdrawal come from every corner of the Republican Party, from liberal corner like Brown and Romney, to conservative figures like Palin, West, and Walker. It is not liberal media who calls for his withdrawal, rather, the conservative media: Limbaugh, Hannity, etc. If anything, it is liberal media (and Akin's early supporter, McCaskill) who want him to stay until Sep 25. Whenever someone points this out, the reaction they got from Akin supporters usually a litany of things those people did (Brown did this, Palin did that, etc, so they're not to be trusted).

Akin shifted the election discourse from the economy into the definition of rape. I understand that some Akin supporters are more than happy to see the election is about abortion, rape, etc., rather than the economy, but that's not what the voters' most immediate priority now.

[Darnright]

>Akin is a good man with a solid conservative record, who misspoke, mainly with the use of one unfortunate word (”legitimate rape”). And immediately every Republican in sight, including many supposed conservatives, seem to think that that is MUCH WORSE than killing every baby in sight, as Akin’s attackers advocate.<

No, Mr Akin said (paraphrasing) that in a legitimate rape a woman’s reproductive system shuts down, keeping a pregnancy from occurring.

It’s no wonder people from both parties are upset and the Democrats are attacking right and left.

It’s one thing to be solidly pro-life, but it’s quite another to shoot your mouth off and give your opponent a platform with which to ride to victory because of an appallingly ignorant statement about such a hot-button issue.