At the top of today’s political news are two stories that are potentially damaging to Republicans. But the thing you might miss from the glaring headlines and breathless commentary (especially that coming from the left) is that one of the stories is a real problem and the other isn’t. The one that is the real problem is, as John and Alana have already written, Missouri Rep. Todd Akin’s bone-headed comment that rape victims can’t get pregnant. Akin, who recently won a tough Republican primary for the right to face embattled Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill, was the foe the incumbent wanted and he has delivered for her turning a seat that was a sure GOP pick-up into a toss-up and perhaps allow ObamaCare to survive even in the event of a Romney victory in November.
The story that isn’t much of a real scandal is the one leading Politico’s morning playbook about the fact that members of a Republican Congressional delegation that visited Israel last summer went for a swim in the Sea of Galilee. One congressman, Kevin Yoder of Kansas, did so without a swimsuit while others in the group dove in fully clothed. Alcohol may have been consumed. We are supposed to be scandalized about this, but I’m not buying it.
There are those who will be outraged about the fact that those members of Congress who go on foreign junkets attend parties and sometimes have a drink or two or three at said festivities. Don’t take this as an endorsement of Congressional misbehavior or abuse of travel privileges but so long as this was an after-hours affair and no laws were broken, what exactly are we complaining about? If the members of the delegation had a party after their official schedule was completed, this is nothing to get too upset about.
According to Politico, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor read the legislators the riot act. That’s his job since Congress’s reputation is bad enough without stories about members of the GOP caucus being branded as acting like frat boys while abroad. But the real juice to the story is the setting that makes it appear as if it wasn’t just high spirits, lubricated by alcohol but a sacrilege.
However, those ready to make Yoder and the rest of the partiers walk the plank need to remember something. The Galilee may be the setting for Bible stories but it is a lake, not a church chalice. There are places on its shores where people pray but most of it is a vacation spot for Israelis and tourists. People boat there, fish its waters and swim in it everyday and I daresay the Kansan isn’t the first in the last 2,000 years to do so without a Speedo. This is not a big deal. That is especially true when compared to Akin’s latest blunder.
Akin is threatening to be this year’s Christine O’Donnell or Sharon Angle. Both were Tea Partiers who upset establishment Republicans in Senate primaries in 2010. But unlike other Tea Party stalwarts such as Marco Rubio or Ron Johnson, who waltzed to victory in November, both were disasters who turned certain GOP pickups into Democratic victory. In particular Republicans have reason to rue Angle’s primary win since it prolonged the political life of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
Akin’s statement is the sort of thing that many voters, even those who are Republicans, will say disqualifies him for high office. It’s not just that it’s highly offensive, it’s that it’s incredibly stupid. It’s hard to believe he actually thought it was true but to say it aloud shows a complete lack of judgment. Nobody wants an idiot representing them in the Senate even if they like their politics. Moreover, this isn’t the first time Akin has said something dumb or inflammatory, nor, as Democrats are telling themselves this morning, will it be the last. That is why McCaskill ran ads during the GOP primary seeking to help him.
While Akin’s backers may be arguing that since this happened in August before most people pay attention to elections, this also gives Missouri Republicans time to pressure him to drop out of the race and replace him with someone who isn’t an embarrassment. National party leaders ought to step in here too and insist on his quick exit. The alternative is to simply sit back and watch while McCaskill pulls victory from the jaws of defeat with Akin’s assistance.
Any Republicans inclined to sympathy for Akin need to remember that there is more riding on the outcome in November than his ego. If Republicans don’t capture the Senate this fall, ObamaCare will survive even if the GOP holds the House and Mitt Romney is elected president. Giving up a certain pickup will dramatically increase Reid’s chances of remaining Majority Leader next January. For the sake of ObamaCare and common sense, Akin has to go.
Aiken is a perfect example of how we conservatives have our nuts as well as the liberals do. What is different is that the media will follow, harass and highlight every gaffe made by us. We are simply held to a different standard and the recent Biden statements illustrate this too well. So, if not perfect, our candidates better be very good, or else we will lose electoral opportunities. This guy Aiken has to go, therefore, or we will lose what just a short time ago looked like a Senate pickup opportunity. And who knows—this could hurt, as well, Romney chances in what also looked like a red state in November.
This will have zero impact on Romney, who correctly threw Akin under the bus today. But Akin needs to be forced out of the race, because he now has no chance to defeat a person who until yesterday was the most vulnerable incumbent in the Senate. Akin IS a moron, and an embarrassment.
"Missouri Rep. Todd Akin’s bone-headed comment that rape victims can’t get pregnant." n nWomen rarely do get pregnant after a rape. That's a scientific fact. Jonathan Tobin's rhetoric is way over the top. He needs to take a deep breath. We are being stampeded by the crazed feminists. This nonsense has to stop. It's time to tell these immature people to go to hell. We are supposed to be adults.
This isn't a question of feminism run amok. Akin's comment will makes it way into every ad McCaskill runs. She, one of the most vulnerable Democrat senators, will demagogue this issue all the way to the election, and likely win. n nIt isn't a question of "immaturity." For the good of the party, and more importantly the country, Akin should step aside.
We need to put a stop of allowing ideologues to intimidate us. Radical women and Afro-Americans have been granted the peculiar right to overreact and make frivolous complaints. Why put up with it? This man’s words needed to be more fully clarified. Nothing more. How can anyone with a straight say this the dumbest thing they have heard in ages?
Why do we allow radical Afro-Americans and feminists dominate our national discussions. what did this man say that is so awful? Think about it for a minute. He needed to clarify his words. Nothing more. Some people obviously need to drop the proverbial chill pill.
The media is what it is, a Democratic lever. Is is a fact, unjust as it is, and we have to work around it, with it, and through it. n nAkin is an idiot as a politician, regardless of whether you think he can 'clarify' or 'explain' his remarks, or whether there is a glimmer of veracity in them obtained though some tortured application of statistics. n nHe needs to go. Period. End. n nHis electoral chances cannot escape the consequences; who does Akin think he is, Joe Biden?
I have listened to the actual audio. Todd Akin did not say anything particularly outrageous. His only mistake was to claim women never get pregnant after a rape. He merely had to say such pregnancies are rare. We are observing the sad fact that many people attended college and were indoctrinated into capitulating to the demands of the politically correct crazies. They can't think and follow a logical argument in these circumstances.
Akin should immediately withdraw from the Senate race. Anyone so tone deaf should not be in politics. Politics is about more than just him. nAs an other Washingtonian, I can only shake my head that Patty-Osama bin Laden is popular because he builds day care centers in the third world- Murray is not only not toast but liberals have elevated her to important leadership positions.
Face reality, it is nitwits like Akin who are destroying the GOP. The Republican Party needs to be, as it always was, a partner with the Democrats in giving voters a rational choice, idiot teabaggers like Akin frighten independent voters, and the leaders of the party must escape their clutches if they want the votes of independents.
I don't support Obama's foreign policy on Iran and Israel. He should clearly state that the U.S . would use military force if Iran develops a nuclear bomb. n nBut I also don't like Republican moralists like Aikin. He is not just an exceptionally stupid Republican. He just says in public what the others think in private. n nScientific facts or compassion for everyone are just not high Republican agendas. n nEveryone should have the right to decide when and if to have a child, especially after being raped. n nEveryone should be free from discrimination in employment. n nEveryone should have access to heath care. n nRyan's conversion of Social Security and Medicare would mean higher medical costs for everyone. For profit health care costs much more than Medicare type systems.
When Al Sharpton, Joe Biden, Jesse Jackson or any other Democrat make outrageous or obviously ridiculous statements we would like to see their fellow Democrats repudiate and remove them from the microphone. When a sitting President sexually harrasses women and takes advantage of a young female intern we would like to see him, at the very least, permanently lose the support of those who voted him into office. That Democrats consistently continue to support their buffoons, and worse still, their criminals is an indication of their collective lack of integrity. Republicans should maintain a higher standard. n n