Political Ruminations

Morning Quote: Claire McCaskill

On Morning Joe today, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo) discussed how far to the right her challenger, Todd Akin (R), actually is by noting that in contrast, Michele Bachmann, with her odd assortment of completely crazy-ass views, looks like a “hippie”:

“I mean, this is somebody who kind of makes Michele Bachmann look like a hippie.”

If you’re unfamiliar with Todd Akin, he’s the guy who differentiates between “rape” and “legitimate rape”. Akin is a certified member of the He-Man Woman Haters Club, so ladies, if you have a few bucks to spare, help Sen. McCaskill beat this guy by donating to her re-election fund!

Adding…yesterday, Akin accused Sen. McCaskill of not being as “ladylike” as she was in 2006. Republicans, after insisting that Akin drop out of the race at the time he made his controversial comments about women and their ladyparts, they are back on board with supporting this woman hating Neanderthal. Yet another reason why we can not allow McCaskill to lose.

Sen. Roy Blunt Flip-Flops on Akin

On Tuesday, Missouri’s Republican Senator Roy Blunt released a statement in support of Todd Akin, aka the “legitimate rape” guy, contradicting his stance on Akin last August:

“Congressman Akin and I don’t agree on everything, but he and I agree the Senate majority must change. From Governor Romney to the county courthouse, I’ll be working for the Republican ticket in Missouri, and that includes Todd Akin.”

But, geez, back in August, Sen. Blunt was just so eager to get Akin out of government:

“Todd needs to get out of this race…it’s not helpful.”

Today, it seems, Republicans are more concerned about their determination to win a majority in the Senate. According to Nate Silver, that likelihood is pretty slim.

RELATED POSTS:

+ Todd Akin and Paul Ryan in the He-Man Woman Haters Club
+ Republican War on Women

+ Paul Ryan + Todd Akin Sympatico on Women's Reproductive Rights

+ Quote of the Day: Steve King
+ Morning Quote: Todd Akin

Paul Ryan Co-sponsored 8 Anti-Woman Bills With Todd Akin

They say a picture is worth a thousand words......that is certainly true in this case!

If Akin should leave the race, so should Paul Ryan.

See also…….. Todd Akin and Paul Ryan in the He-Man Woman Haters Club

(h/t Ashby)

Morning Quote: Barack Obama

At a fundraiser in New York City, President Obama told the crowd that Republican congressman, Todd Akin, who made some seriously ignorant comments on rape and abortion, “somehow missed science class”:

“The interesting thing here is that this is an individual [Todd Akin] who sits on the House Committee on Science and Technology but somehow missed science class.”

The point of view espoused by Todd Akin is by no means an outlier. Indeed, Paul Ryan and Todd Akin are pretty much in agreement on rape and abortion:

Ryan and Akin largely agree when it comes to abortion rights. Both believe abortion should be illegal even in the case of rape and incest. Both were co-sponsors of H.R. 3, the 2011 bill that would have limited the federal abortion coverage exemption only to victims of “forcible rape” and women whose physical health was in danger from her pregnancy, closing a supposed loophole in health-of-the-mother exemptions conservatives have been crowing about for years.

Quote of the Day: Steve King

Nut Job Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) addressed the portion of the now famous Todd Akin quote in which Akin said that the female body has the ability to prevent pregnancy in cases of incest or statutory rape. In fact, "King told an Iowa reporter he’s never heard of a child getting pregnant from statutory rape or incest." Seriously.

“ Well I just haven’t heard of that being a circumstance that’s been brought to me in any personal way, and I’d be open to discussion about that subject matter. ”

Every time you think it can't get worse....

Todd Akin and Paul Ryan in the He-Man Woman Haters Club

Politicususa’ RMuse, in his column entitled “Legitimate Rape is the Tip of the Republican War on Women Iceberg” makes some excellent points about Paul Ryan, Todd Akin, and the Republican War on Women, emphasis mine:

Todd Akin deserves every bit of criticism he is getting, but he represents Willard Romney, Paul Ryan, and the entire Republican Party who have voted consistently to eliminate a woman’s right to choose. It is hypocritical of Romney and Ryan to distance themselves from Akin because his stance on women’s rights is their stance. Ryan has stood shoulder to shoulder with Akin in the House attempts at redefining rape, defunding Planned Parenthood, and giving a zygote the same rights as every living breathing American citizen, accept [sic] women. Akin IS the Republican Party, and the Republican Party IS Todd Akin and they represent the dire circumstances every woman in America will face if they are victorious in November. It is impossible to isolate Akin from the rest of Republicans in Congress and GOP-controlled states because their voting records, plans for the future, and lowlife opinion of a woman’s right to choose all stem from the same source; the Christian bible. Maybe Willard Romney adheres to an extra phony religious book, but his beliefs, upbringing, and campaign promises spell the same dire results as bible-thumping Republicans that relegate women to the same place every other religious fanatic believes they belong; at home, giving birth, and desperately attempting to prevent Republicans from taking away their rights.

UPDATE: see also Paul Ryan Co-sponsored 8 Anti-Woman Bills With Todd Akin

Morning Quote: Barack Obama

President Obama’s response to Rep. Todd Akin’s  “legitimate rape” comments:

“Rape is rape, and the idea that we should be parsing and qualifying and slicing what types of rape we are talking about doesn’t make sense to the American people and certainly doesn’t make sense to me.”

Paul Ryan + Todd Akin Sympatico on Women's Reproductive Rights

In a press release last November, Paul Ryan talked up Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo), now known as the “legitimate rape” guy:

“Todd Akin has been a great asset to the House Budget Committee. His principled approach to fiscal responsibility is exactly the kind of leadership America needs and I appreciate his hard work.”

TPM on the Ryan-Akin abortion positions, which are pretty much the same:

Ryan and Akin largely agree when it comes to abortion rights. Both believe abortion should be illegal even in the case of rape and incest. Both were co-sponsors of H.R. 3, the 2011 bill that would have limited the federal abortion coverage exemption only to victims of “forcible rape” and women whose physical health was in danger from her pregnancy, closing a supposed loophole in health-of-the-mother exemptions conservatives have been crowing about for years.

In 2011, Paul Ryan also co-sponsored a personhood amendment along with Todd Akin and other Republicans. If enacted, this bill would “provide that human life shall be deemed to begin with fertilization”, which would likely make birth control illegal.

Morning Quote: Todd Akin

Over the weekend, the right wing nut job Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo) talked up his position re abortion, which is he wouldn’t condone abortion even for cases of rape or incest:

“First of all, from what I understand from doctors [pregnancy from rape] is really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.”

“Legitimate rape”…..wah????

There you have it. Another crazy trying to get elected to the Senate (as if we didn't already have way too many of them in the House), in his case, attempting to unseat Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo), and ahead in the polls.

Oh, and by the way, on the non-rarity of pregnancies occurring as a result of rape,  TPM notes that “a 1996 study by the American Journal of Obstetricians and Gynecologists found “rape-related pregnancy occurs with significant frequency” and is “a cause of many unwanted pregnancies” — an estimated “32,101 pregnancies result from rape each year.””.

UPDATE: Outraged as I was by Akin’s reference to “legitimate”  rape,  I obviously didn’t touch on the other part of Akin’s statement, you know, the one where he claims that women have magical powers or something that can prevent them from becoming pregnant if it’s a “legitimate rape”. 

There are times lately when I have to wonder if I’m living in an alternate universe. Really.