Posted on 09/21/2012 2:10:33 AM PDT by Evil Slayer
Yes, but apparently cautiously. I can't blame him for caution in light of the massive attack by most other Republicans, including some solid evangelicals from Missouri such as John Ashcroft.
I'm pinging this to a number of Santorum backers who will know if Santorum has made more recent comments since his CBS News interview that touched tangentially on the topic.
Here's Santorum’s comment to CBS News:
Essentially, Santorum said Akin was a “good man” who made a “ridiculous statement,” then “didn't do a very good job in dealing with the problems that came from that statement, and he's suffering the consequences for it.”
That sounds pretty much like what I would say if I were on the national level of politics and didn't live in Missouri. I have a problem because I actually **DO** live in this state and what I say and do will have a direct effect on people who actually vote. I made a decision not to join the chorus of Akin attackers. I did not make that decision lightly, but I don't have the option of staying quiet.
Here's an interesting response from the Kansas City Star: “U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill on Republican opponent Todd Akin: “He makes Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum look like hippies.”
http://www.kansascity.com/2012/09/08/3803945/the-buzz-sandra-fluke-weighs-in.html#storylink=cpy
On that point, unfortunately, I tend to agree. For people like Scott Brown to win states like Massachusetts, the national Republican party probably **DID** have to distance themselves from Akin. Okay, they've done it, they can now go quiet, and backing Akin is now our problem as social conservatives.
But as Gingrich's decision shows, it's not just our battle now.
There are a lot of Santorum backers who decided to back Gingrich once Santorum pulled out of the race. I, for one, am glad to see Gingrich coming to the support of a prominent Christian conservative.
Why is Gingrich doing this? I'm not sure. Akin has not been personally popular with the GOP establishment, and that's something he shares with Gingrich. Maybe there's a common bond in being attacked by the GOP-e, or maybe there is something else of a personal nature between the two men. I don't know.
In any case, let's not demonize people who disagree with Akin. Even here on Free Republic, people like Eric in the Ozarks, newzjunkey, and others remind us (correctly so) that Akin is not universally popular among conservatives who don't like the GOP-e. I can respect that. Honest conservatives can and will disagree on who is the best candidate.
As the OP, EvilSlayer, posted in his article from the Washington Post: “Akin, as we’ve written before, is not a party establishment guy or even really a tea party guy. He’s a social and religious conservative who is largely unencumbered by the things that bind many other big-time candidates to their party leaders. Thus, it has been hard for the party to find anything in the way of leverage.”
That is why Newt Gingrich's decision to back Akin is so important. I do not know what level of coattails Gingrich will have, and I don't know his motivations, but what **IS** certain is that he will bring a group of people to Akin’s support who are mad at the GOP establishment for different reasons than the Christian conservatives who, so far, have been Akin’s primary backers.
How much support Gingrich will bring isn't yet clear. We'll find out soon.
Akin will win. Don’t let the mofo RINOS in the US Senate stop him..
I believe that Sarah is enjoying her time in AZ and being out of the spotlight. Notice how tan she looks and rested.
You know, you are right. She needs to lighten the hair and cut it into a contemporary shape. I briefly watched Hannity and thought how old Sarah looked in the space of a couple years. She needs a beautician to show her how best to sell a wholesome sparkle look.
The bottom line is that one dumb-assed statement is, or at least should be, far less damaging than six years worth of Obama rubber stamping.
circular fireing squad, The Missouri senate race is most likely lost. As is the presidential campaign. Akin’s and the lighting rod he graously granted the left is a large part of the cause.
Blame the GOPe all you like but while that works in Missouri the public image Akin’s help create will be used in leftist propaganda for years to come to label us all just the way they want to label us.
I suppose the worse part is The Federal Constitutional Republic is also basically lost this year. This was our last stand. Blame who ever you like, it doesn’t really matter anymore we are all little more than slaves to the lawless Federal Government either way.
Maybe in several hundred years its own internal corruption and our demographic collapse will render an opportunity for liberty to be reborn among the ashes of this tyranny.
A lot of thing when honestly examined are out of ballance. The men who present the news and control much of the information commutation in our civilization have as little interest in balance as they do in voting for Mitt Romney(80% democrat).
We are not and never will with these people get a fair shake. You have to remember theses are the same people who let democrats who commit rape off the hook, but if a republican like Tod even mentions the potability it is might not be justified to commit murder simply to make yourself more comfortable for 9 months. That is the worse thing you could say.
The Sad truth is as long as they control information distribution to much if not most of the population politics will ever be played on their field, and their friends will have an almost overwhelming advantage.
We could really say that about any candidate who loses. There's always a reason, and one of them will always be "maybe he/she shouldn't have run in the first place."
So, what is Scott Brown's excuse if he loses? Josh Mandel's?, etc., etc.
To me, Akin is an inspiration. People should not back down in the face of adversity even though fighting on against the odds seems hopeless at times. Akin is one of the few fighters in the D.C. apparatus that I can point to. Jesse Helms was another.
Akin did a credible job in first debate.
His comment was stupid and he apologized for it, and now its just another gaffe in a campaign, just like many other campaigns have gaffes.
The NRSC needs to restore funding and get behind Akin, as we see other races being tough and we cant afford to throw it away.
You once had serious concerns about Akin’s ability to recover.
I haven’t been following this closely, so I’ll rely on your positive barometrics.
Yes, I felt Akin’s gaffe enough to make him another Sharron Angle. he’s not out of the woods, but its gone from sure loss to ‘he has a chance’. Obviously, I hope he pulls it off, but this is a race that aug 1 was rated an almost sure gain, and we NEED this to overturn Obamacare.
It’s quite disappointing to see our opptys to repeal obamacare slip away, as we see senate races not go our way - MO, FL, VA, OH - we need to win it all.
MA race is a dogfight. Even IN race is at risk.
Yea, but, I just don’t think the GOP grand-poobahs would ever take the time to listen to a “mere” telephone operator. People like John Cornyn et al think they know it all; after all he has won many elections now. What these operators might say would be called “anecdotal evidence.”
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