Posted on 08/20/2012 8:56:24 PM PDT by smoothsailing
August 20, 2012
Mike Flynn
........
At some point before 5pm CDT tomorrow, Akin will file papers to formally withdraw his name from the ballot. I realize today Akin was defiant and said he wasn't a "quitter." His supporters claim he will stay in the race because he views his candidacy as "providential", but this is just the bluster before the end. Everyone is entitled to 24 hours to try to right their ship, but Akin did nothing today to cauterize the wound. When Reince Priebus, Ann Coulter, NRSC and Tea Party Express are all united in saying you should quit, you've pretty much run out of options.
..............
After Akin withdraws the decision to name a replacement falls to the 15 members of the state GOP central committee. Speculation is currently focused on two candidates Akin defeated in the recent GOP primary; businessman Jim Brunner and former State Treasurer Sarah Steelman.
Brunner had the backing of many GOP insiders because of his ability to partially self-fund his race. Steelman had the backing of Sarah Palin. They both lost to Akin in large part because Sen. McCaskill ran a lot of ads "attacking" him for being too conservative. (Think of it as a Republican dog-whistle.) Among the two, Steelman probably has the edge as the GOP may want to put the Akin debacle to rest by nominating a woman. It is also expected that Palin would campaign aggressively for Steelman, which would be helpful as 2012 is turning out to be a base election....
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
and reacting adversely to what he said/how he said it, is totally IRRELEVANT to one’s position on abortion in the case of rape/incest; but there are those would have it that if you are against abortion in any instance, that you must somehow be supportive of that idiotic statement.
I'm a creationist. I don't hide that and in fact I have a track record of fighting ecclesiastical battles over theistic evolution. So do a fair number of Republican politicians.
My standard answer when challenged about my creationist views goes something like this:
“My Christian faith also teaches me to believe in the resurrection of Christ and Jonah being swallowed by a whale. If I were a Roman Catholic, I would believe in the miracle of transubstantiation. None of those beliefs can be proven by current scientific views. The same could be said of many other people's religious beliefs. I do not advocate taking taxpayer dollars to teach my religious doctrines or those of anyone else, because in public schools, taxpayer-funded teaching about religion cannot advocate for or against religion. If people want to be taught creationism, that's what private Christian schools are for. So why is this an issue?”
That sort of answer generally shuts down the controversy. An answer like Akin’s blows a controversy wide open.
I don't think anybody can argue that Akin’s statement about women's bodies preventing pregnancy in case of rape come even close to creationism in how the general public feels about allegedly stupid comments. Other than some atheistic scientists and educators, most liberals don't get emotionally involved on creationism issues. On the contrary, most people — men and women, liberal and conservative — have great sympathy for rape victims, ***AND THEY SHOULD.***
What Akin does is up to him. Akin is a solid Christian conservative and he's pro-military. But this statement was really dumb and I hope he thinks long and hard about what he's done by opening his mouth before his brain was engaged.
Yes I tuned in to watch Ed Shultz on MSNBC as he announced defeat for their side, was a good moment.
Also a highlight was listening to Judy Woodruff in 2004 election night CNN announcing this.....In deep despair with voice crackling Judy Woodruf says...I have just gotten off the phone with a very high ranking Kerry official, he tells me they believe they have lost Florida to GW Bush
OK enough out of me
He has an TV apology video posted on Youtube, uplodaed today. Doesn’t look like he is quite ready to withdraw. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R57E3S8RO7A&feature=player_embedded
Akin believes in not aborting babies and punishing rapists.
Seems to be worth fighting for. I guess not on Free Republic.
“So.. is this supposed to be an open-face sandwich?”
“No. She just quit halfway through.”
Jonah Goldberg had a hilarious tweet saying, if the GOP operated the way people believe it does, he’d already have had a horsehead in his bed or a check under the door.
laudable principles held by a person who self-immolated with a stupid statement, setting a conflagration that reasoned discourse can not squelch, and which threatens the greater good of a Republican led senate.
As for Breaking News vs. Opinion, I originally put it in Extended News because of the info on possible Akin replacements. Now I see it's been removed.
At this point it belongs in a category that doesn't yet exist: Old News. :)
That's probably the way it should be but apparently it's not that way in MO, the GOP Committee chooses and it looks like they can choose anyone.
Should have remained in breaking IMO.
I hope the Tea Party Express and Sarah Palin candidate Sarah Steelman gets the nod.
This one is still in breaking news:
Republican Source: Akin Moving To Withdraw
BuzzFeed Politics ^ | 8/20/12 | Ben Smith
Posted on Monday, August 20, 2012 1:48:44 PM by Evil Slayer
Missouri Republican Todd Akin has begun moving toward ending his candidacy after his remarks on rape and abortion provoked a firestorm, a top Republican said.
"Akin is taking concrete steps to withdraw by tomorrow at 5:00 p.m.," a senior Republican told BuzzFeed, adding that Akin could still change his mind.
But a Republican close to Akin said his position hasn't changed: He's still in the race.
Tomorrow afternoon is an important deadline: If he files papers to end his candidacy in Jefferson City tomorrow he can end his candidacy unilaterally; after that, he would have to file an application in court.
As do I. Beyond the fact that Steelman was always my first choice, it now should be overwhelmingly apparent that a good strong conservative woman is the best way to get this race back on track.
Oh god please. not Steelman.
Really?
Akin put his foot in his mouth, not with abortion, but with his biologically incorrect statements about women's bodies preventing pregnancy in cases of rape. If he wanted to argue that rape less commonly results in pregnancy than consensual sexual activity, he may have had a point, but even then it was a dumb conversation.
What Akin does next is his own decision and his alone. Nobody can force him off the Republican ticket if he doesn't want to get off. If he leaves, the Republican leadership is likely to try to appoint a “safe” candidate rather than the type of candidate who his supporters wanted, which may be why he's hesitant to get off.
The proposed deal to have Akin go back to running for his current House seat may be the best option for Akin and for the Republican Party. But if Akin wants to run for Senate nobody can stop him, and given current political dynamics he might just win in Missouri.
I guess the feminists and conservatives both know one thing for sure — if Akin somehow wins, he's going to be the best friend in the Senate of every proposal to increase penalties for rapists and protections for rape victims.
You are drinking the Kood-ade and Akin has been a MO Congresscritter for quite some time now.
Ha! Good call, PJ!
Akin’s appearance unfortunately reminds me of the small-town closeted alcoholic businessman who tells off-color jokes to his friends at the Civic Club and pointlessly shuffles papers at his desk all day before going home to his martinis. In other words, he reminds me of Joe Biden.
I am getting so sick of Karl Rove and the GOP establishment from not supporting who we want. We also seem to have severe cowardice within the GOP Establishment. Why does the GOP let the media select their Presidential candidates (IE – McCain & Romney)? The best thing about this upcoming elect is Paul Ryan for VP and Ted Cruz for the US Senate. Both of my kids have given up on the GOP and have switched to the Libertarian Party and if we ever get a viable Conservative Party, I will switch to it. Y’all have shifted too far to the LEFT!
My wife and I are seriously considering not voting. If I do I will never vote for that coward John Cornyn again.
“Alan Keyes 0.0%”
LOL!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.