Republicans. Will they ever support rape enough?
“The NRSC’s actions reflected its incompetent leadership,” Tyler told TPM Friday. “It’s hard to say if Akin could have won given how poorly the Republicans performed nationally. But there can be no question that their actions and comments kept the campaign from recovering after a misstep.”
Right. It’s not that your candidate was a total dog anus. It’s that Republicans performed poorly nationally, so how could poor saintly Todd Akin possibly have won?
Tyler, honey, Republicans could have won every other district and Senate seat ever and you still would have come up short because YOUR CANDIDATE WAS THE RAPE GUY. The first of many rape guys, but still, the RAPE GUY.
Democrats said the proof of the ad buys shows the NRSC was “underhanded and dishonest” in Missouri. Tyler says it would have been more helpful if GOP leaders hadn’t lined up to publicly dismiss Akin’s chances.
Well, yes. It would have been more helpful to your candidate. Not so much to the NRSC, which was still at that point thinking about winning any elections at all, and thus trying not to be so loudly pro-rape (while still, of course, supporting whatever bag of hammers with an R after its name was on the ballot anyway).
I actually wish they’d been open about it, too. I would have more respect for them if they’d just flat-out owned it, monetarily and otherwise. Less respect than I have for the fine upstanding Americans who rob liquor stores for a living, but more respect than I have for the NRSC right now.
A.
How come the repubs are now engaging in a circular firing squad, blaming anyone and everyone but themselves for loosing. Not just Akin, but from Romney down to the race for the dog catcher they are all bawling their eyes out and screaming, “Its not my fault.”
So much for personal resonsibility.
In defence of Akin, it wasn’t just the legitimate rape comment.
*) It was his following the repub playbook of standing by his comment, followed by saying he was taken out of context, and after a couple of weeks of defending his comment, finally making a youtube video apology. Makes it look like the apology was “I’m sorry that I got caught.”
*) It was a statement made to an open forum in Columbia, MO that he was against mandating pay equity between women and men. Surprisingly I didn’t hear a peep that his rationale (against mandating what employers should pay) also readily leads to being against minimum wage, mandatory retirment (even Social Security), etc.)
*) Didn’t hear a whole lot about the earlier comment he made that doctors were performing abortions on women who weren’t pregnant. (Best I can figure out on this one is he heard about all the D & Cs). But the fact that he said this combined with his earlier co-sponsoring of a defense of life bill indicate to me that his “legitimate rape” wasn’t a slip of the tongue under pressure. He either had to own up to a long history of vehement rhetoric and legislation despite not thinking about it -or- he really had thought out and believed what he said.
*) Didn’t hear a whole lot about how Akin was on the Science committee. If he made statements like he did, what is he doing legislating science?
*) It **WAS** that what he said has a snug fit with what other repubs are saying and working towards.l
*) It **WAS** that there was a flurry of support from folks (and I’m thinking particularly about facebook posts) that he was still their man. And when asked about it, their argument came down to “He made a dumb statement and I’ve made dumb statements, so he’s just like me”
Admittedly, I’m in Missouri and it is a hot button topic for me.
MapleStreet:
“Personal responsibility” has long been a euphemism for blaming the victim.
I guess their problem with Akin’s comments comes down to the one of “tone”. Saying stupid, bigoted, hateful things should not be screamed but instead said politely. So many a lady or gentleman (often from the south?) have learned the proper inclusion of the phrase, “bless her heart”.
The smile just makes it work…
@Archy, you just reminded me of Akin coming out and saying McCaskill wasn’t being lady like (I think he used some more perjorative terms for it). By coincidence, it was just before he unleashed a load of hateful commercials at her. What you said plus attack the dems for not being polite and statesman-like while making ready for massive hate campaign.
@Jay, quite agreed.
“Tyler says it would have been more helpful if GOP leaders hadn’t lined up to publicly dismiss Akin’s chances.”
It would’ve been even more helpful if his candidate didn’t have shit for brains.