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Akin campaign alleges threats to staff (GOP threats: "their careers might be ruined")
St. Louis Beacon ^ | 8/28/2012 | Jo Mannies

Posted on 08/31/2012 10:03:41 AM PDT by darrellmaurina

Akin's spokesman Ryan Hite confirmed that some members of Akin's campaign staff, and some volunteers, have received threatening emails, some of which assert their careers might be ruined if they stay with Akin.

A source close to Akin provided the Beacon a copy of one such email that allegedly came from a GOP committeeperson in central Missouri. The sender’s name had been blacked out.

“Many within the Republican Party have noticed your energetic and passionate work with Todd Akin’s Senate campaign,” the note read. “You are young, well spoken, and likeable. I have spoken with many other state committeemen and women and there is a consensus among those who know of you that you may very well be a rising star within the Missouri GOP. But not if you stay on Todd Akin’s failing campaign.”

The note continued, “I do not want to see your future in Missouri politics tarnished, and if you continue to support Mr. Akin’s bid for Senate by working on his campaign, the MRP will have no choice but to refuse support for any future political endeavors you may have."

A spokesman for the Missouri Republican Party condemned such a note, and said party leaders did not condone such activities.

“None of the more than 2,800 Republican committee members across the state has the authority to speak on behalf of the Missouri Republican Party,” said state party spokesman Jonathon Prouty. “We cannot verify the authenticity of this unsourced email, but we do know that it was absolutely not authorized or sent by the MRP. The content of this email does not in any way reflect the views of the Missouri Republican Party, and we strongly condemn this type of politics.”

Akin spokesman Hite said the campaign would not comment on its reaction to the emails or that of staff who have received them. But he added, “We’re all still here.”


TOPICS: Front Page News; Politics/Elections; US: Missouri
KEYWORDS: akin; senate
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This is one of several briefs on the Akin-McCaskill election embedded in a single report. Mods, please advise if using the subheader rather than the main header is not okay.
1 posted on 08/31/2012 10:03:42 AM PDT by darrellmaurina
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To: darrellmaurina

When people find out that Akin wins the senate seat, a lot of Republicans are going to be very sad. FREEPERS included.


2 posted on 08/31/2012 10:06:53 AM PDT by napscoordinator (Paul Ryan/Rick Santorum 2012....That would be the best scenario ever.)
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To: napscoordinator

I hope you are correct about his win. I surely would not be sad to see another dem lib hit the road.

Of course, when he gets to dc, he will be shuned by the establishment just like they did to all tea party people who arrived in 2010.


3 posted on 08/31/2012 10:19:00 AM PDT by Mouton (Voting is an opiate of the electorate. Nothing changes no matter who wins..)
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To: darrellmaurina
A spokesman for the Missouri Republican Party condemned such a note, and said party leaders did not condone such activities.

“None of the more than 2,800 Republican committee members across the state has the authority to speak on behalf of the Missouri Republican Party,” said state party spokesman Jonathon Prouty.

Well Jonathon, it shouldn't be too hard for you to find out if this is true or not and who it is and then demand his resignation.

Now hop to it.

4 posted on 08/31/2012 10:24:21 AM PDT by Uncle Chip
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To: napscoordinator
a lot of Republicans are going to be very sad. FREEPERS included.

Even though I strongly believe he should drop out, I won't be one of those. If I were in his district, assuming he stays in, I would vote for him.

5 posted on 08/31/2012 10:26:09 AM PDT by Balding_Eagle (Liberals, at their core, are aggressive & dangerous to everyone around them,)
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To: darrellmaurina

I thought Akin should have left, and still not convinced he can win, but the conduct of the RNC goons is starting to really piss me off.


6 posted on 08/31/2012 10:27:32 AM PDT by ilgipper
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To: darrellmaurina

Sounds like the Rove and Romney crew are hard at work in MO.


7 posted on 08/31/2012 10:28:54 AM PDT by risen_feenix
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To: so_real; P-Marlowe; Uncle Chip; BradyLS; TomasUSMC; katiedidit1; Jonah Vark; Diamond; ...
This is serious.

I want the name of this Missouri State Republican Committee member who is threatening Akin’s staff. This should concern not just social conservatives but more secular Tea Party people, and also GOP-e people who value grassroots activism.

Many of us who were Reagan supporters back in the 1970s or who volunteered in Reagan's 1980 campaign remember being “advised” to stay away from conservative extremists like Ronald Reagan. Many in Congress in the mid-1980s remember the attacks on Newt Gingrich and efforts made to marginalize him, and with him, the entire conservative movement.

If it happened — and I'm prepared to believe it may not have happened, or may have been an exaggeration — somebody needs to give a very, very good explanation.

The only one I can see would be a well-meaning older party leader speaking to a young idealistic volunteer and cautioning the volunteer on the potential consequences to his future if the Akin campaign implodes. Intent counts, and I can think of several well-meaning professors and Republican leaders who gave me advice that I chose not to take, but whose good intentions I would not question. Likewise, mistakes happen, and if this State Republican Committee member apologizes, I'm willing to take the apology at face value if it appears to be sincere.

Barring that sort of thing, however, this kind of tactic only gives credence to the “union goons” comments being voiced by Mike Huckabee.

We all know the Republican Party is divided into social conservatives, economic conservatives, and national defense conservatives. I respect that, and have zero problem with working alongside a good solid patriotic American who doesn't share my faith but shares a hatred for the enemies of America, whether they were Communists a generation ago or Islamofascists now, because the enemies of America in recent history have almost always also been the self-declared enemies of God. Same goes for the economic policy wonks and businesspeople who place more emphasis on money than I do; private property is a biblical mandate and government theft happens when the state goes beyond its Romans 13 mandate.

Conservatives need to learn to work together, not to do dumb things like threatening the future careers of other conservatives.

If the GOP-e are going to continue to do things like this, they need to understand clearly that neither social conservatives nor Tea Partiers are going to go away quietly.

Akin isn't the issue for me. I personally would be comfortable with Akin withdrawing if I could be assured that the same type of social conservative who the primary voters nominated would replace him. The problem with that is the Republican State Committee members who would select Akin’s replacement if he withdraws would include the committee member making these threats.

Threats sometimes succeed in intimidating people and bullying them into submission, but they most emphatically do not build trust. The way the Republican Party is treating Akin supporters could easily become an issue, and it's not one we need in the middle of an election campaign.

8 posted on 08/31/2012 10:29:27 AM PDT by darrellmaurina
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To: Balding_Eagle

Good to hear. He made an error and it should be taken that way. I never saw another person so vilified in my life for NOTHING.


9 posted on 08/31/2012 10:30:28 AM PDT by napscoordinator (Paul Ryan/Rick Santorum 2012....That would be the best scenario ever.)
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To: darrellmaurina

Akin should name names if he wants this accusation to be taken seriously.


10 posted on 08/31/2012 10:34:33 AM PDT by Eric Pode of Croydon
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To: darrellmaurina; All

The background to this little dust-up doesn’t go back to a local TV interview but further than that as this article back in March indicates:

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/political-fix/leading-republicans-urge-schweich-s-late-entry-in-senate-race/article_5de4b3fa-68d2-11e1-a215-001a4bcf6878.html


11 posted on 08/31/2012 10:42:27 AM PDT by Uncle Chip
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To: Balding_Eagle

Dittos on this. Akin should have dropped out so we’d have a certain win instead of an almost certain loss, but hope if he stays in that he does win; were I from MO, I’d be voting for him and support him. This is about winning so we can repeal Obamacare.


12 posted on 08/31/2012 10:42:35 AM PDT by WOSG (REPEAL AND REPLACE OBAMA. He stole AmericaÂ’s promise!)
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To: Eric Pode of Croydon
Akin should name names if he wants this accusation to be taken seriously.

I'm sure that the MRP knows just exactly who it is by now.

13 posted on 08/31/2012 10:48:03 AM PDT by Uncle Chip
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To: darrellmaurina

I am running for a MO House Seat as a Republican in a predominately Dem. District. I PROUDLY Support Todd as Candidate for Senator up till Todd makes a decision to withdraw (unlikely). Until then we need to focus on getting Claire out of office not eating each other.
It does no one any good withholding funds for that purpose.
DEFEAT CLAIRE!!!!


14 posted on 08/31/2012 11:01:43 AM PDT by YOMO
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To: napscoordinator
I never saw another person so vilified in my life for NOTHING.

Well, there was this Hannity guy who got a lot of attention on FR a few years ago.............

15 posted on 08/31/2012 11:11:14 AM PDT by Balding_Eagle (Liberals, at their core, are aggressive & dangerous to everyone around them,)
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To: Balding_Eagle

Well, there was this Hannity guy who got a lot of attention on FR a few years ago.............

I thought you were going to say Sarah and I would agree she was as vilified as Akin. Both conservatives...wonder why FREEPERS like to vilify the conservatives?


16 posted on 08/31/2012 11:13:01 AM PDT by napscoordinator (Paul Ryan/Rick Santorum 2012....That would be the best scenario ever.)
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To: Yashcheritsiy

Self-ping


17 posted on 08/31/2012 11:15:02 AM PDT by Yashcheritsiy (Science puts you on the moon, atheism puts you in the gulag)
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To: napscoordinator

I think what Akin said was stupid, wrongheaded, and based on a spurious understanding of medical science, and I thought he should have resigned initially just on the general principles that our representatives ought to have enough sense to think before they speak - we have far too many politicians, and not enough statesmen in DC. He could have done so within the original window that would have allowed a decent replacement to be installed.

However, since Todd Akin has turned into the target of a nasty jihad by the GOP-E types, I have to admit, stupid comment or no, he has my sympathy. Frankly, I hope the GOP-E comes out of this with egg all over the pasty, triple-chinned faces.


18 posted on 08/31/2012 11:21:00 AM PDT by Yashcheritsiy (Science puts you on the moon, atheism puts you in the gulag)
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To: Uncle Chip

I think they should be looking in the Clare McCaskill direction for who sent this e-mail.


19 posted on 08/31/2012 11:48:08 AM PDT by Maryhere ("HE comes to rule the earth")
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To: YOMO

Great statement.


20 posted on 08/31/2012 11:50:20 AM PDT by Maryhere ("HE comes to rule the earth")
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