Mo. GOP chair says Akin hurting party’s chances

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The chairman of the Missouri Republican Party says Congressman Todd Akin is threatening the party’s chances of winning in November by remaining in the U.S. Senate race.

Chairman David Cole said in a memo to members of the Republican State Committee that Akin’s comments about pregnancy and rape are “not just a distraction” but “pose a threat to our party’s chances of retaking control of the U.S. Senate” and could affect other Missouri races.

Akin has refused the calls of top Republicans to drop his challenge to Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill after making comments that women’s bodies have ways of avoiding pregnancy in cases of “legitimate rape.” Akin has apologized and said he misspoke.

Akin sent new fundraising emails Wednesday seeking to restock his campaign.

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eileen10 9 months ago

Oh boy. Here we go again.

Paroquet 9 months ago

What'd you expect? The party has fractured. The base has drifted, and the offshoots aren't connected to the bulk of the mass.

They should be reading Sun Tzu instead of Karl Rove.

JCLifer 9 months ago

The GOP's goofy platform against women having reporductive rights, as well as their evil attitudes toward persons with alternative sexual orientation are the TWO BIGGEST THREATS to GOP candidates winning any election.

If the GOP could moderate their stance on these two issues, they would easily win races everywhere. As long as they hold on to these positions, they are becoming more and more irrelevent and silly-looking every day.

Paroquet 9 months ago

It's not "them". They got where they are by voters.

Scary, eh? Most people don't vote for who they like the most. They vote for who they hate the least. Forget voting your conscience. Your ideology is neatly rolled in with things you might despise but are willing to give-up, and give-up for your neighbor, in favor of those that you like and they despise.

Both sides need to back away from issues already decided insofar as moral law is concerned. Those are not what pushed us over the financial and ideological edge, save for greed, hubris, and chutzpah (lit. killing both of your parents then pleading for leniency from the court on account you're an orphan)

Don't touch on guns rights, but screw-up the environment to where there's nothing safe to eat that you can hunt with a gun. I mean, they've already got the fish. Call the health dept. and ask how much fish is safe for me to eat, my children, my pregnant or nursing wife?

Conflicting logic is what got them where they are. 44mil dead due to abortion as of 2010. How many prisons would that require? How much in social programs? What would the unemployment figures then look like? How much more would be goods and services? How much more infrastructure improvements would it take? What would that do to the price of non-renewable resources?

That's a little over 10% of the current population, and you can't just add 10% across the board of existing figures. Oil prices should show you that--where a 3% dip in production translates to a 20% increase at the pump.

But yeah, their platform has gone all goofy. Follow the money. Wherever you look you find equal parts bible and big business holding them up to shout their message from on high.

If money and power are your primary concerns, that's a pretty good platform.

JCLifer 9 months ago

Thanks for scaring me more.

Paroquet 9 months ago

Hey, my pleasure! Want some more?

--Polls show Akin didn't even take a dip after his gaffe and subsequent uninformed understanding of medical facts. Now he's pointing the finger at party leaders and high muckamucks for suggesting he step down. Playing as Missouri's underdog who's gonna shake-up big bad Washington and bring your voice to their doorstep. Watch. It'll work too, if there isn't a repeat performance.

Karl Rove, eat your heart-out, baby.

eileen10 9 months ago

:=)

RobHunterJohnson 9 months ago

Follow the Money? Just ask Carl Rove he is the dude who made Both George Bushs President. He is the man who doles out the money for all the commercials across this country. He is the guy who has the purse strings for all the close races, is every one in Missouri willing to let one guy influence the way you VOTE, I hope not, this AKIN problem has brought this very issue to light, by the quick reaction of Romeny /Ryan, and many others to the Akin sitiuation. Claire may be rich, but I would say Akin is not poor by no means, he has been in Congress for 6 terms?, He is part of the problem, no action, I call that nothing, FIRE him as well as HARTZLER, hopefully Ryans constitiuents will fire him as well leaving only Romeny and Rove to count their money on Nov 7th. Rob

Paroquet 9 months ago

Rove's playbook is simple; attack the strengths of your opponent. Keep them on the defensive. Once you've rocked them with one blow, hit them somewhere else where they're strong. Sow doubt. Smear. Slandarize. Say as little about yourself as possible leaving them with little ammunition.

The Obama campaign is using it too.

newone 9 months ago

All Romney has to do it prove to us he is an honest person and that would make Obama look like a total jerk but he refuses to do that.

muleman 9 months ago

"Honest" and "politician" do not belong on the same page

katydid 9 months ago

Todd Akin apologized. Can we get past this. He chose the wrong words. What really frightens me is not that he said what he said. What frightens me is the comments other places that spew hatred and name calling. He apologized others have not. Vote for who you want but be respectful.

Paroquet 9 months ago

I've apologized for faux pas and published corrections where I was misinformed too. But, ask any officer of the law; an answer off the cuff on the spot is likely the most truthful. Also, I'm not running for a D.C. seat at the table in the House of Lords to represent a significant bloc of my constituents who don't share my morals or spiritual belief.

Oh, and I don't think anyone has said anything improper. One opinion was that the platform of Akin's party was "evil". That's about it.

John 9 months ago

Actually, if you ask psychologists if the initial answer of someone who is stressed and hurried is likely the most truthful, they will tell you, "no."

tonto_goldberg 9 months ago

So do you believe the "really hateful" people are the ones who will not accept comments like that from a United States Congressman?

Pretty soon some other politician will make an outlandish or offensive remark, and maybe then Todd Akin can duck out of the spotlight. For now, it still belongs to him. I agree that his 15 minutes of fame are stretching out way too long.

Meanwhile, the GOP is pressing its no-exceptions ban on abortion. Discounting or discrediting rape victims is part of the argument toward banning abortion. If they could be minimalized or marginalized, or better yet be dehumanized there would be no need to consider their needs.

John 9 months ago

Oh baloney. NOBODY wants to discount or discredit a rape victim or any other victim of violence. You write things like that to reinforce the liberal mantra. You just have to find a way to demonize conservatives.

tonto_goldberg 9 months ago

John, let's stick to the facts. Most conservatives are pretty decent people, and you can't read my mind.

The candidate has a documented history on this issue, and it's not a good one. His effort to separate "legitimate" rape victims from all the others is just more crude than previous statements. Why else would someone grasp at the idea of a magical automatic birth control method?

John 9 months ago

I am pro-Life, it is that simple.

tonto_goldberg 9 months ago

Sure, you can try to minimize the situation all you want but it happened in real time, on the air. A tape delay might have saved him. I've already stated that some other candidate is bound to say or do something stupid or repulsive, and Akin will be out of the spotlight. Can't happen soon enough to suit me.

jcguy25 9 months ago

What he said is irrelevant? It speaks to what his beliefs are and what kind of laws he has already tried to enact and will try again. Tell the women that have been raped what he said is irrelevant. Tell the woman that gets pregnant from a rape and under any laws Akin would pass would have to carry that baby to term, reminding her daily of her ordeal. Nobody has the right to make a woman experience that. It is very relevant as it is also on the RNC to do list. His comments went Global, other countries published articles on the ignorance of his statements.

connor 9 months ago

It's just the same ol liberal media tricks. They were going to ask every question they could about abortion in as many different scenarios until they got an answer that would strike a cord and allow the feminist to raise a cry. Akin fell for it.

It maybe the lack of top GoP support and funding will do more harm to his campaign than his statement though.

Paroquet 9 months ago

If he pulls the underdog thing successfully, and doesn't flub any more, he's still in and the funding will come back.

Patients, young Jedi. Learn you will.

Oh, and most journalists identify themselves as centrist. If you're afraid of the media, you've got something to hide, especially when you throw yourself in the public light for a national seat determined locally. Either that, or you're not ready for the big time.

connor 9 months ago

LOL and most progressives around here call Claire-bear a moderate. I think I will stick with Liberal media thanks.

RobHunterJohnson 9 months ago

Katydid that is true, he did apologize, he is forgiven by myself. Todd should be able to chose his words to the media with the wisdom of a politician! He did not, I have watched his gaf over and over, I do not care for alot of his policies, Todd has done very little for my family. How about yours? He does not have my interest at heart, he has his ambition, as well as Carl Roves need for power. ( you can tell by how quickly they dumped on him) People are voting for the most believed LIE. It is high time people voted for the best canidate not what lies spread American Crossroads, swift boat, the new seal one, and can be placed on TV by the ultra rich with all their donations! All Mr Rove is attempting to do is make his rich folks agenda workable for the rich. Mr Akin is a pawn in this but he has played the game long enough to know, he still took their money, Vickie rode the tide of get rid of them, Ike did alot for us, but power should have shifted from him way before she got in. She is part of the problem Google Hartzler Sawyer, enough said. Rob

PatsyDecline 9 months ago

Mr. Akin's has selfishly chosen to follow his pride. Yeah....I tend to think it was a bit of a setup. The McCaskill folks surely knew what they were doing when they endorsed this idi0t. But his stupid words will be used like a baton over the head of every GOP candidate nationwide. That apparently doesn't bother the old coot a whit.

What is really embarrassing for MO is that this ignorant little man is now the face of the State GOP.

tonto_goldberg 9 months ago

One final question, and I'm done. Why are the GOP professionals so busy distancing themselves from Akin, while the amateurs are busy offering excuses and distractions? The real world is a hard place and you don't win every time.

John 9 months ago

That's true, you do not win all the time. However, the American people have had Obama, his minions, his kissy-face press (for the most part), and the liberal party for the last 4 years. Any other race and I would have always bet on the incumbent, however, not this time. I think Romney will carry the standard Republican vote, most of the 6% swing vote, and Republican candidates will largely win this next election, that includes Akin. Why? Because I think the American public has had it with ignorant approaches that continue to insist you can spend all you want regardless of what you take in. I think they see that giving money to presidential favorites and then watching them go belly-up and take the money with them is stupid. I think most Americans are capitalists at heart and have had it with the deepening chasm of socialist government coming from Obama and his minions. I will be the first to admit I may be all wrong in my "future cast" but, I think there are going to be a whole lot of liberals wake up the day after the election and realize they are going to have to find a crow to buy and get in the oven for their evening meal. Again, the only distractions are the strawmen that some of you on here have become to adept at building.

katydid 9 months ago

If you read my post carefully I said "other places" which I was referring to other places not News Tribune. There were several posts on Todd's social media sites as well as Posts by others. The rage and anger was ranked up there with Chick-Fil-A posts a few weeks ago. News Tribune keeps it clean. My thoughts on it is simple. You don't like him don't vote for him. You don't like CFA's comments don't eat there. But there is no reason to be mean spirited.

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