Guess what! He more or less did. Hype, in this case, seems to rule.
Todd Akin, GOP Senate candidate: ‘Legitimate rape’ rarely causes pregnancy
“But let’s assume that maybe that didn’t work or something. I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be on the rapist and not attacking the child.”
How something is written matters. Partial write ups, or "Twitter" write ups, tend to leave important things out and that's usually on purpose.
A "media firestorm", indeed.
Dance, children, dance.
Burn, baby, burn.
Which is why at news conferences, the smartest pols say what needs to be said, and nothing more. Don't give an opening.
How dense can someone possibly be?
He’s NOT in trouble because he opposes legal abortion in cases of rape, or because he made an argument that the rapist should be punished.
Now, given that about only 20% of the public wants to ban abortion in cases of rape or incest, had he made that position the centerpiece of his campaign, he likely would have lost the campaign, but it wouldn’t instantly be over like it is now.
He’s in TROUBLE because he believes that if a woman is raped her body will somehow keep her from getting pregnant. THAT’s the statement that matters.
Nobody that would be horrified by that comment is going to suddenly change their mind when the statement is placed in context. The context doesn’t affect the meaning of what he said.