It’s been a hellish week for Republicans. First it was revealed that Rep. Kevin Yoder (KS) had skinny-dipped during a drunken frat-like frolic with about 20 other representatives, staff and families in Israel’s sacred Sea of Galilee last year just two weeks after nearly paralyzing the nation’s economy over the debt ceiling crisis.
Then Ohio GOP election official Doug Priesse told the Columbus Dispatch: “I guess I really actually feel we shouldn’t contort the voting process to accommodate the urban -- read African-American -- voter-turnout machine.” He was referring to the state’s early voting procedures. He also voted against the weekend voting rules that made it easier for thousands of low-income and minority voters to get to the booths in the 2008 election.
And then there’s the mother of all gaffes from Missouri Congressman and Tea Party loon Todd Akin, who’s running against Claire McCaskill for Senate: “If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.” Akin was explaining his strict views on abortion to a local television news reporter. Akin does not support abortion even in cases of rape and incest.
Where is the outrage among Republicans? Since when is rape a political wedge issue? How would Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, John Boehner, Eric Cantor, Mitch McConnell and Akin himself feel if it was their mother, wife, sister, daughter or granddaughter who was sexually brutalized? And just what the hell is a “legitimate” rape? Maybe it’s akin (pun intended) to “forcible” rape, another favorite Republican term. Apparently these imbeciles never looked at a dictionary, which defines rape as “forcing another person to have sexual intercourse.”
While Priesse’s and Yoder’s offenses are despicable, it is Akin's utterly ignorant, misogynistic, insensitive, empathy-deficient remark that’s beyond the pale. These radical ultra-conservatives like Akin have nothing but contempt for women. Their philosophies are Neanderthal and their behavior unconscionable.
And get this: Ryan has co-sponsored not one but two bills with Akin: The Sanctity of Life Act, informally known as the “Personhood” bill, and another which would allow for abortion exception in cases of "forcible rape" only. Is this the guy we want just a heartbeat away from the Oval Office? Someone who sanctions terms such as "legitimate rape" and "forcible rape?" Someone whose views on women's rights and issues mirrors that of a radical extremist like Akin. But the bazillion dollar question really is, What woman in her right mind would vote for Romney and Ryan?
2 comments:
No sane person would vote for Ryan - or Todd Akin, for that matter. That's why I'm actually glad he's decided to stay in the race: That way, Claire McCaskill can kick his backside.
Anon 820, actually Akin said it. That's the whole point. You can dismiss what he said, parse what he said, make believe he didn't even say it...but that doesn't change what he actually said. Read he quote in its full context. He even said if God "blesses" the rape victim with a child she should not kill it. This guy is a f'ing sicko and anyone who defends him has something wrong with them as well.
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