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Afternoon Open Thread: Romney Calls on Akin to Withdraw from Missouri Senate Race

Posted: August 21, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Mitt Romney, open thread, U.S. Politics | Tags: , , , |50 Comments

Here’s a first.

Mitt Romney has finally screwed up his courage and taken a stand on something. With only about two hours to go until the deadline for Todd Akin to withdraw from the Missouri Senate race, Mitt Romney’s campaign has sent out a press release calling on Akin to quit. I guess the courage to appear in person and make the statement was beyond Romney’s ability. Here’s the statement:

“As I said yesterday, Todd Akin’s comments were offensive and wrong and he should very seriously consider what course would be in the best interest of our country. Today, his fellow Missourians urged him to step aside, and I think he should accept their counsel and exit the Senate race.”

Early this afternoon Akin said on the Mike Huckabee radio show that he is staying in the race.

“I said one word in one sentence on one day, and everything changed,” Akin said today. “I believe the defense of the unborn and a deep respect for life. … They are not things to run away from.”

The National Republican Senatorial Committee is threatening to withhold financial support from Akin.

NRSC Communications Director Brian Walsh said in a statement that the campaign committee will continue to withhold its “support and resources” if Akin presses on with a “misguided campaign.”

“The stakes in this election are far bigger than any one individual. By staying in this race, Congressman Akin is putting at great risk many of the issues that he and others in the Republican Party are fighting for, including the repeal of ObamaCare,” Walsh said.

But Akin isn’t listening.

Akin reiterated his vow to stay in the race in a separate interview with conservative radio host Dana Loesch. “Let me just make it clear … that we are not getting out of this race. We are in this race for the long haul and we are going to win it,” he said.

Asked why he would stay in the race when prominent members of the GOP want him out, Akin explained to Huckabee that he believes he can continue to be a powerful voice for the sanctity of human life. Among those calling for Akin to step aside today: Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt and several former senators, including John Ashcroft and Jim Talent.

The WaPo has a longer piece: Todd Akin should drop out of Senate race, Romney says. According to the article, Akin told Mike Huckabee:

“I’ve had a chance now to have run through a primary, and the party people said when you win the primary then we’ll be with you. Well, they were with us. Then I said one word and one sentence on one day, and everything changed,” Akin told Huckabee, an early supporter. “I haven’t done anything morally or ethically wrong. It does seem like a little bit of an overreaction.”

He then went on to liken his decision to a type of crusade. “We believe taking this stand is going to strengthen our country — going to strengthen, ultimately, the Republican Party,” he said. “What we’re doing here is standing on a principle of what America is.”

Akin said that his supporters and “good friends, closer than brothers,” had asked him to stick it out. He added that he has received “continuing calls from other congressmen” expressing their support. (He did not name any of these congressmen.)

A few more interesting reads to get the discussion started:

Greg Sargent: Get ready for Todd Akin Unbound.

Time will tell whether the GOP establishment will stick with its refusal to support him if he stays in. But either way, we’re now about to get Todd Akin Unbound. He no longer has to play nice, as the powers that be in the GOP define it; he’ s been cut loose by the GOP establishment, and he’s now on a crusade that seems to be taking on an element of religious fervor.

“We believe taking this stand is going to strengthen our country — going to strengthen, ultimately, the Republican Party,” he said today. “I believe there is a cause here.”

And if an unconstrained Akin does remain in the race, just imagine the implications for the presidential race. It was revealed today that the GOP platform ratifies a Constitutional ban on abortion that makes no exceptions for rape or incest. This might not have attracted much attention if it weren’t for Akin’s comments, which elevated the debate over abortion — and the rape exception — into a major national story. Now the GOP position on abortion is the Akin position. Indeed, Dem operatives are gleefully describing that platform provision as the “Akin plank.”

Meanwhile, national news organizations are highlighting Paul Ryan’s co-sponsorship, along with Akin, of various draconian anti-abortion measures, in the process tying Ryan — and the GOP’s stance on abortion — directly to Akin’s extremism.

Michael Tomasky: The Only Big Idea Coming Out of the Romney-Ryan Camp Is the Big Lie. Romney and Ryan are opening up new frontiers in propaganda–pushing big lies with not even a grain of truth in them.

These guys may not be able to count, but they can read polls, and so they know very well that if they gave the county the honest debate we were told we were going to have about Medicare, and for that matter about taxation, they’d wake up Nov. 7 with about 120 electoral votes in their pockets and conservatism in tatters.

They know this. They know that the truth would crush them electorally. And so it follows that they know they must lie. They must lie about their Medicare plans. They must lie about the effects of their tax plans on average people and rich people. And they must tell a number of lies about Obama, all the better if they involve race, as the welfare lie does.

So this will be the entire point of the Romney-Ryan campaign. Lie lie lie. Muddy the waters. Turn day to night, fire to water, champagne to piss. Peddle themselves as the precise opposite of what they actually are. That is clearly the m.o….

The Democrats’ job, of course, is to expose this charade for what it is and make Romney and Ryan defend their actual positions. The Obama campaign was a little slow to respond on Medicare, and even then the ad wasn’t as forceful as it might have been. It’s probably true that there’s a reservoir of good faith there—that is, most people simply aren’t going to believe that the Democrats want to harm Medicare. That should work to the Democrats’ advantage, but still, the Obama campaign and the Democrats generally have to nail these guys to the wall on what their actual positions are and what the impacts of their policies will be. Romney and Ryan are terrified of a real Big Debate. Obama and Biden need to drag them into one.

Boston Globe: Republican Party approves strict anti-abortion platform.

So why are they objecting to Akin’s position? Oh, right, because they hope the American people won’t find out they all agree with him.

Politico: Scott Brown objects to GOP platform language on abortion.

Brown says the GOP should be a “big tent” party. Hahahahahahahahahha! That ship has sailed!

50 Comments on “Afternoon Open Thread: Romney Calls on Akin to Withdraw from Missouri Senate Race”

  1. RalphB's avatar RalphB says:
    August 21, 2012 at 4:04 pm

    Hahahahahahahahahha! That ship has sailed!

    That ship has not only sailed it’s probably sunk. Rmoney isn’t courageous. He only called for Akin to step aside after their leader Limbaugh did it earlier today.

  2. bostonboomer's avatar bostonboomer says:
    August 21, 2012 at 4:12 pm

    Andrea Mitchell tried to get someone from the Romney campaign to discuss women’s issues today. The campaign responded that they didn’t have “an appropriate spokesperson, but we will keep trying.”

    What about Ann Romney?

  3. dakinikat's avatar dakinikat says:
    August 21, 2012 at 4:39 pm

    Todd Akin and the Right’s False Fact Machine

    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-21/todd-akin-and-the-right-s-false-fact-machine.html

    Todd Akin is in trouble for making a claim that is both false and offensive: that a biological mechanism causes it to be extremely unlikely for a woman to get pregnant if she is raped. The implication is that a pregnant woman seeking an abortion on the grounds that she was raped is likely lying.

    If Akin knew he was wrong on the biology, he probably could have predicted that his remarks would cause a firestorm. The reason Akin walked into this mess is that he lives inside a right-wing bubble, where people believe in false but politically convenient “facts” about science and history.

    • RalphB's avatar RalphB says:
      August 21, 2012 at 4:57 pm

      Unfortunately that article is too true.

    • ecocatwoman's avatar ecocatwoman says:
      August 21, 2012 at 5:00 pm

      YES! He may be walking back the “one word” but what about the immorality of lying – calling a falsehood a fact? To qualify any rape as legitimate vs what – not really rape? But to say women can secrete some kind of natural spermicide because Akin said he heard “doctors” say that is both morally and ethically wrong, at least IMHO.

    • northwestrain's avatar northwestrain says:
      August 21, 2012 at 6:57 pm

      DAK — I am so glad that you brought FACTS and SCIENCE into this discussion

      The Neanderthals in the Republican Party are completely ignorant about scientific research.

      Their spokesperson is making claims about what does and does not happen to a woman’s body — before, during and after a “legitimate” rape. And of course we have heard this BS line from males all our lives.

      http://www.thenation.com/blog/169474/how-body-reacts-sexual-assault?rel=emailNation#

      (The comments are worth reading — especially how the body will betray the rape victim. Just because the body responds . ”
      Akin’s ideology is part of a broader set of misconceptions about how the body reacts to sexual assault)

      This is part of a longer comment to the article — the whole article is worth reading as well as the comments.

      So, to get back to the shame of having a part of our bodies respond as if in pleasure during a rape should not be seen as actual personal pleasure but rather as a mechanical response which acts on its own, so to speak, or at least not in accord with the situation, which of course, has to make the event all the more horrifying to the victim. But if we understand the mechanics maybe it can help to explain, and therefore, alleviate feelings of shame at seeming self-betrayal.

      It is important to realize that any mechanical pleasure response from a small part of our sensory apparatus is not a decision by the person as a whole. Rape is still rape. It is an attack on the whole person by a whole person.

      In other words Atkins and Ryan are so full of sh*t that it is hard to understand how their pants aren’t dropping to the floor.

      First where is this “research” that the Neanderthal party claims proves that pregnancy can’t happen if the rape is “legitimate”?

      My Experimental Psychology Prof was one of the toughest research methodology out there — she was bond and determined to turn her students into scientists. We were taught to question and to look at all research with a critical eye. We spent hours reviewing science research — all fields of science. We learned to ask questions and critically evaluate research design etc. A lot of what is called Science out there isn’t science — most are merely theories — untested, unproved and un -testable .

      So how does one test the theory that rape does not result in pregnancy because blah blah blah? How are the test subjects selected — is the selection random — so that bias is eliminated? To even come up with such a theory means that the experiment suffers from E-bias.

      Since rape is so common in jails — is that where this research took place? Jailers in many states are shielded from prosecution from rape. Of course the victims can’t be informed — nope that won’t work.

      There are so many variables that cannot be controlled. How can researchers be detached and clinical — unless we have returned to the Nazi era???

      To even bring up the possibility that inhumane and barbaric research like this might exists is

      Now where would these “researchers” get their control group? (Use males — which some drug researchers seem is a valid group to test women’s drugs on.)

      There is no damned way that research like this is ethical. There is no science involved at all — just some theories by semi literate religious nut jobs.

  4. Woman Voter (@WomanVote)'s avatar Woman Voter (@WomanVote) says:
    August 21, 2012 at 4:40 pm

    I saw tweets that said Limbaugh was standing with Todd Akin, what happened?

    • RalphB's avatar RalphB says:
      August 21, 2012 at 4:48 pm

      you go to war with the ignorant sexist ideologues you have, not the Burkean moderates you wish you had.

    • bostonboomer's avatar bostonboomer says:
      August 21, 2012 at 4:56 pm

      Rush figured out that the Republicans will have no chance of winning the Senate if McCaskill wins.

    • northwestrain's avatar northwestrain says:
      August 21, 2012 at 7:30 pm

      Remember that Romney owns Limbaugh (or Limbaugh’s job).

  5. ecocatwoman's avatar ecocatwoman says:
    August 21, 2012 at 4:46 pm

    I misspoke one word in one sentence on one day.

    So my question is: which word & where should it have occurred in that sentence? Sounds to me like he is “misspeaking” again.

    Regarding the GOP abortion plank in their platform. I heard earlier today that the same plank was in both their 2008 & 2010 platform. True/False? Did it simply go unnoticed previously?

    This is for bb: http://www.npr.org/2012/08/21/159551828/boston-plans-for-near-term-risk-of-rising-tides

    “I’ve been more focused on what I can do … as a consumer, as an individual, as a business person … to have a positive impact in slowing climate change,” Saunders says. “But we do need to think about adaptation. Because climate change is coming, and it’s just going to get more dramatic.”

    What Saunders is describing here in Boston’s Back Bay is what’s being called “resilience thinking.” Boston is now giving the same priority to adaptation as it once did to climate change prevention.

    And according to a recent study by MIT, Boston is not alone. More than half of American cities are also thinking about ways to become more resilient in the face of anticipated changes.

    It sounds like some elected officials “believe” climate change is real. If only more did.

    • RalphB's avatar RalphB says:
      August 21, 2012 at 4:52 pm

      It’s always been remarked on by Democrats but they were always ignored by the media. The Republicans have been insane for a long time, they are only getting worse.

    • bostonboomer's avatar bostonboomer says:
      August 21, 2012 at 4:57 pm

      He means that he said “legitimate” rape instead of “forcible” rape. He doesn’t get it that either word is just as horrible.

    • bostonboomer's avatar bostonboomer says:
      August 21, 2012 at 4:58 pm

      That’s because it’s Boston. We’re mostly liberals here and we believe in science.

      • ecocatwoman's avatar ecocatwoman says:
        August 21, 2012 at 5:01 pm

        Good to know there is at least ONE American city where logic & reason prevail.

      • bostonboomer's avatar bostonboomer says:
        August 21, 2012 at 5:05 pm

        There are more such places. You just have a jaundiced view from where you live. I’ll bet Florida will be in danger too.

        • ecocatwoman's avatar ecocatwoman says:
          August 21, 2012 at 5:29 pm

          The article said half of American cities are planning for the coming changes.

          Actually, if one just goes by the national debate, climate change is a non-issue. And, yes, Florida WILL most definitely be affected – mostly submerged. If I’m lucky, I may end up with waterfront property since I’m in the absolute center of the state. Then again, I may be living on an island in what once was the center of the state.

  6. bostonboomer's avatar bostonboomer says:
    August 21, 2012 at 5:02 pm

    Get this. In the morning post I linked to a NYT story explaining where Akin probably got his ideas about rape and pregnancy. It was from a book by Dr. John Willke. It turns out that Willke endorsed Romney in 2007 and Romney was very grateful.

    According to a 2007 campaign press release:

    Today, Dr. John Willke, a founder of the Pro Life Movement, endorsed Governor Mitt Romney and his campaign for our nation’s highest office. Dr. Willke is a leading voice within the pro-life community and will be an important surrogate for Governor Romney’s pro-life and pro-family agenda.

    “Unlike other candidates who only speak to the importance of confronting the major social issues of the day, Governor Romney has a record of action in defending life. Every decision he made as Governor was on the side of life. I know he will be the strong pro-life President we need in the White House,” said Dr. Willke. “Governor Romney is the only candidate who can lead our pro-life and pro-family conservative movement to victory in 2008.”

    Welcoming Dr. Willke’s announcement, Governor Romney said, “I am proud to have the support of a man who has meant so much to the pro-life movement in our country. He knows how important it is to have someone in Washington who will actively promote pro-life policies. Policies that include more than appointing judges who will follow the law but also opposing taxpayer funded abortion and partial birth abortion. I look forward to working with Dr. Willke and welcome him to Romney for President.”

  7. bostonboomer's avatar bostonboomer says:
    August 21, 2012 at 5:11 pm

    OMG, this wingnut might be more dangerous than Todd Akin: Tea Partyer Calls For Obama To Get Out of “Our Country”

    http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/tea-partyer-calls-obama-get-out-our-country

  8. bostonboomer's avatar bostonboomer says:
    August 21, 2012 at 5:55 pm

    Akin Clarifies ‘Legitimate Rape’ Comments: Women Make ‘False Claims’ About Being Raped

    AKIN: You know, Dr. Willke has just released a statement and part of his letter, I think he just stated it very clearly. He said, of course Akin never used the word legitimate to refer to the rapist, but to false claims like those made in Roe v. Wade and I think that simplifies it….. There isn’t any legitimate rapist…. [I was] making the point that there were people who use false claims, like those that basically created Roe v. Wade.

    WTF?

    • ANonOMouse's avatar ANonOMouse says:
      August 21, 2012 at 6:19 pm

      Akin is the kind of guy who thinks if only he just repositions himself and/or explains himself ONE MORE TIME, no one will notice the absurdity of his words. I’m sure he also thinks no one has noticed that he’s parting his hair .01 of an inch above his left ear to cover his male-pattern-baldness. Really folks, if he’s the sort of guy who thinks no one notices his gigantic combover, he’s likely the kind of guy who thinks he can talk his way out of anything. He’s a piece of work loser-man!!!!

      • ANonOMouse's avatar ANonOMouse says:
        August 21, 2012 at 6:27 pm

        Maybe that isn’t a combover, maybe it’s just a cheap toupee!

      • RalphB's avatar RalphB says:
        August 21, 2012 at 6:30 pm

        Now he’s just trying to make it worse somehow.

      • RalphB's avatar RalphB says:
        August 21, 2012 at 6:31 pm

        If it’s a toupee, it’s still not as bad as the Trump squirrel.

      • bostonboomer's avatar bostonboomer says:
        August 21, 2012 at 6:32 pm

        He’s doing Obama’s work for him!

      • ANonOMouse's avatar ANonOMouse says:
        August 21, 2012 at 6:44 pm

        “If it’s a toupee, it’s still not as bad as the Trump squirrel”

        Trump is another one of those folks who doesn’t really see or hear himself as others do. That must be because he has so much money that everyone around him has kissed his ass his entire life, therefore he thinks he’s perfect. Still, I don’t understand why some men think the combover thing works. I think bald is much better than a combover and balding to my mind is no big deal.

  9. ANonOMouse's avatar ANonOMouse says:
    August 21, 2012 at 7:18 pm

    This is for JJ. A great Cartoon featuring Todd Akin and his hair loss issue

    http://www.truthdig.com/cartoon/item/todd_akin_20120820/

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