Pro-family, Tea Party leaders coalesce around Todd Akin

LifeSiteNews.com ^ | Thu Aug 23, 2012 11:39 EST | Ben Johnson

[huldah1776]

ST. LOUIS, August 23, 2012, (LifeSiteNews.com) – Now that Todd Akin has said he will be staying in the race for Missouri’s U.S. Senate seat, senior pro-life and conservative leaders including Phyllis Schlafly, Gary Bauer, and others are telling the Republican Party establishment to back off its “over-the-top” campaign to have him step aside. Phyllis Schlafly, Eagle Forum founder, supports Todd Akin. Phyllis Schlafly, Eagle Forum founder, supports Todd Akin.

Phyllis Schlafly, who emerged on the conservative scene with her 1964 book A Choice Not an Echo, rapped party elites for disenfranchising their own voters. “I don’t think people like that should make the decision,” she said. “The people of Missouri should make that decision.”

Both national pro-family leaders and local grassroots conservative leadership are confused and offended by national party leaders such as Karl Rove, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, and Charles Krauthammer, who have vowed to cut funds from Akin’s candidacy or pushed him to withdraw from the race.

Columnist Ann Coulter has suggested Republicans stage a write-in candidacy for former Governor Kit Bond.

“The on-going parade of public denunciations by various GOP leaders is over-the-top and counterproductive,” said Gary Bauer, a former presidential candidate and leader of the Campaign for Working Families, in a statement e-mailed to LifeSiteNews.com, “Some of their public attacks on Akin have been more aggressive than anything some of these leaders have ever said about Barack Obama and his truly radical rejection of the sanctity of human life and his promotion of abortion-on-demand paid for by the taxpayer!”

(Click “like” if you want to end abortion! )

Ryan Bomberger of the Radiance Foundation had a personal stake in the issue. The child of rape, he said, “Quite frankly, I’m glad such a pro-family, pro-life stalwart, despite a few bumps and lots of scrapes, is not quitting under pressure from hypocritical pro-abortion radicals and spineless Republicans.”

Iowa Congressman Steve King, who faced his own media feeding frenzy over abortion remarks taken out of context this week, was as blunt, stating that George Soros-funded media are now “dictating the response of leading Republicans.”

The Show Me state’s conservative leaders have flocked to Akin’s side, as well.

John Putnam, Missouri state coordinator for the Tea Party Patriots, said the national party should be “circling the wagons” around their candidate, not condemning him.

Akin won his races with a family-fueled campaign that defied the state’s Republican establishment. That has led local media to conclude he owes them nothing.

If he loses the race, the Republican Party will not take back control of the U.S. Senate. But pro-family leaders say if the Republicans replace Akin, they will almost certainly lose the race.

“After allegations of sexual indiscretions in sealed divorce records, which were leaked to the media, Republican leaders pressured Jack Ryan to withdraw from the 2004 Illinois Senate race,” said Vision America Action President Dr. Rick Scarborough. “That’s how we ended up with Barack Obama in the White House—a steep price to pay for Republican squeamishness.”

“Missouri voters – who gave Akin the GOP Senate nomination – are wise enough to decide who they’d prefer to send to Washington, ultra-liberal Clair McCaskill or a decent man and an authentic conservative who misspoke,” he said.

Many see the tempest-in-a-tea-party as little more than an attempt to marginalize pro-life voices within the Republican Party. Judie Brown of the American Life League wrote, “This is really not about Akin at all; it is about the red herring that pro-abortion forces have used for years to define genuine pro-life apologists as zealots, fanatics and unrealistic Pollyannas.”

Despite Akin’s remarks, Public Policy Polling, a Democrat-leaning firm, found him polling one point ahead of Democratic incumbent Senator Claire McCaskill, 44-43. “GOP voters dislike McCaskill so much they’re not going to vote for her no matter what their nominee does,” the firm found. “Independent voters haven’t moved at all either.”

Putnam said from his perspective, the only way Akin can prevail is “if the pro-life community gets behind him and makes this a national campaign.”

[WILLIALAL]

“Akin didn’t make a GAFFE, he showed he’s fundamentally ignorant of basic biology!
How so? Your statement isn’t true simply because you make it instead of substantiating it.”

He used the word legitimate. That is not a gaffe. It has a very distinct meaning in the way he used it, and then he backed it up with his statement on “shutting it down”. The two statements go hand in hand and support each other.
It was not a gaffe. He said what he meant and he meant what he said.

[philman_36]

Sorry when you show you don’t understand the most basic reproductive functions of your own species, you are an idiot...
Who has done that and how have they done that?

...and no, the party shouldn’t be wasting money or time trying to help a lost cause win.
Thanks for sharing your opinion.

This guy has ZERO chance of winning now, he won’t see 40% of the vote if he continues...
Hurray! Yippee! Another person shows up with the ability to see the future.

THe more the RNC is tied to this fool, the worse it is for all Republicans.
Thanks for sharing your opinion.

He’s a dead man walking...

Police investigating reported threat against Akin

Not too bright, though.

[HamiltonJay]

A few weeks ago unless you lived in Missouri or were a political junkie you didn’t know this guys name. Now, there is a headline in the press DAILY about him...

The idea its just fox news? Sorry but go look at news.google.com and watch that, Akin is a distraction and a joke and the idea he’s not part of the political discussion and only fox news and free republic are talking about it is nonsense.

Wake up, a few weeks ago no one knew his name, now he is known WORLDWIDE as that rape candidate.

He’s a distraction, an embarrassment and hes being used to attack the entire republican party as anti women. This guys actions aren’t contained to his race or even his state, they are being used to nationally attack all republicans and the longer he sticks around the more damage he does, and he will cost republicans some close races.

This guys a fool, surrounded apparently by bigger fools

[wardaddy]

I agree. The TEA Party should stick to strictly financial issues. It gets harder and harder to defend the TEA Party when pro-life, anti-gay, and other causes attach themselves to the TEA Party. The TEA Party will die if this is allowed to continue. We need a third party, IMO. Sick of wackos on both sides of the aisle.

you know I thought folks who think like that had all gone to True Blue Liberty

I realize JR has been so far mute on this firestorm..smart move..but if you really believe what you just said maybe you ought to take it up with him because unless I am wrong you just contradicted basically everything he stands for ...that and liberty

which makes your moniker all the more ironic...and no I won't ping Jim to tell on you like so many do...I hate that but I mean really

just forget culture war...yep...that really advances conservatism

[gettinolder]

I side with you.

[philman_36]

So it's your contention that every report of rape is a case of an actual rape
occurring and there are no false reports of rape whatsoever?

[Elendur]

If Akin had gone after the tax-funded abortion funding, he would have been in the TEA party’s scope of concern.
///
1) he DID! he CO-SPONSORED a bill with RYAN, to do that.
His views, are virtually identical to Ryan’s.
and they BOTH got hammered, for trying to define rape.
RYAN’S Bill attempted to more narrowly define rape,
to limit abortion funding.
(and, if you let the media define this,
it will be blood in the water for Ryan next.)
-
even though the NY TIMES reported, that when abortion funds were given only for rape reported to Law Enforcement,
the numbers in PA dropped from 35, to 3 !!!
-
YOU Sir, need to do better research, before you make false accusations against others.
=
2) you accuse someone of skippin biology class, when it is you, who are ignoring facts, and medical studies, showing what everyone knows: stress can prevent conception.
stress can cause miscarriage.
=
how about standing up for the truth?
instead, we have FReepers, many of them Christians,
doing personal attacks and false accusations,
worthy of a liberal!
=
these 3 posts, nail it, and are worth repeating:
= = =
As often happens, I’m not taking the FR “party line” here.

I think Mr. Akin stumbled over his words, but from what I can tell, didn’t mean any harm. I agree with Huckabee on this one. Doesn’t necessarily look like a substantive issue. Looks like a feeding frenzy which adds up to railroading this guy for a politically expedient “solution.” If what I suspect here is true, then I’d say maybe WE’VE become part of the problem.

5 posted on Friday, August 24, 2012 8:04:32 AM by PapaNew
= = =
Unfortunately it seems that the majority of Free Republic posters have joined in the Soros inspired feeding frenzy.

I thought Freepers were smarter than that. Instead, too many Freepers are running scared and caving into political correctness out of a fear that conservatives who actually believe in social conservative issues cannot win elections.

That is the theory that gave us McCain and Romney.

I’m all in for Akin. He may not be the smartest or most articulate conservative in the country but he is a true believer in the social issues and fiscal issues that are the only hope we have of saving the Republic.

If we can’t back Akin, then we deserve to lose not only Missouri, but everywhere.

21 posted on Friday, August 24, 2012 8:26:51 AM by P-Marlowe
= = =
His only mistake was apologizing for a ‘mistake’ when he’d made none. It usually takes a few days to sort stories like this out when they hit. I haven’t seen anything Akin said that wasn’t scientifically accurate.

As far a hurting our chances goes, THAT has been the entire problem with the GOPe. They say they have ‘principles’, then cower whenever the libs screech about anything a pubbie has said.

People with principles don’t let the other team move the goalposts. They stand up and take whatever fallout comes their way because they intrinsically believe their principles are *worth* standing up for.

All truth passes through 3 stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.
- Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

25 posted on Friday, August 24, 2012 8:32:40 AM by MamaTexan

[duckln]

Pro life and anti gay is what makes us different from the Democrats. On fiscal issues, both parties like to spend more than they take in.

[Colonel_Flagg]

Pulling support for Akin is a vote for McCaskill.

To coin a phrase.

[HamiltonJay]

Akin has done that, are you really this incredibly ignorant? This is Akin’s quote:

“If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down”

Forget the legitimate rape thing, that’s a gaffe and could be pawned off as poor wording, its the rest of that sentence that is blindingly ignorant.

“the female body has ways to try to shut the whole thing down”... That this buffoon basically saying a womans body knows its been raped and can prevent itself from becoming pregnant. Or in simpler terms, if the sperm is introduced unwillingly, her body will prevent pregnancy.

Now, there is not now, nor ever been ANY proof of this claim. NONE. Rape has been used throughout human history as a tool for war, not only for the damage of the actual act, but for the long term effect of the children it produces. Bastards of your enemies!

The suggestion made by Akin is MORONIC, and on its face shows that the guy has no business being anywhere near the Senate where such foolish notions could be put into laws.

He’s shown completely ignorance on basic biology with this statement, its not a GAFFE its a full on ignorant statement of basic biology.

I really don’t care if he doesn’t believe in rape exemptions or abortion or what not, I care that this guy is ignorant of basic biology! Someone that completely ignorant has no business being involved in law making. If he believes women don’t get pregnant from rape or only RARELY get pregnant from rape due to some unknown process never before documented or studied, then he’s just as likely to believe the earth is flat, or the moon is made of green cheese. He’s got no business being near the Senate.

[wardaddy]

actually I just glanced at all network home pages and only CNN has a tiny header about Akin huddling with conservatives

..even Drudge has dumped it

NYT..nothing on front page

and so forth

maybe if Ann Coulter could shut her slattern* for Romney piehole we could move on

*yes...that felt good Hamilton

[Reagan69]

HamiltonJay is 1000% correct.

You are having difficulty with reality.

[JediJones]

Look, Rasmussen has him down by 10 in less than a week, at 38% and McCaskill hasn’t even started her negative campaign against him.

The campaign that's been waged against him this week is stronger than anything McCaskill can come up with on her own, thanks in large part to his own party.

Maybe McCaskill will make an even bigger gaffe and hand him the election. ;) We've got other Senate candidates in trouble in the polls. I'm not sure what your criteria is for drawing the line on which ones should be replaced and which ones shouldn't. Where is Romney going to make up his deficit to Obama in popularity, approval and in the polls? All the candidates have to figure that out.

I'm not interested in opening the door to replacing candidates on a whim like this or just because they say something that puts them down in the polls. The primary was held and that's that. The voters decided and they took a longer look at him than most of his detractors have based on one interview. I was told time and again by the likes of Dick Morris that if we didn't have a nominee until the convention, we would lose because that's not enough time to run a campaign. An 11th hour pick to replace Akin has no guaranteed chance of winning either.

[noinfringers2]

He is most probably just a politician who has been given his lumps for punishment. There are many unpunished politicians, democrats and republicans

[Reagan69]

If Akin had gone after the tax-funded abortion funding, he would have been in the TEA party’s scope of concern.
///
1) he DID! he CO-SPONSORED a bill with RYAN, to do that.
His views, are virtually identical to Ryan’s.
and they BOTH got hammered, for trying to define rape.
RYAN’S Bill attempted to more narrowly define rape,
to limit abortion funding.
(and, if you let the media define this,
it will be blood in the water for Ryan next.)
-
even though the NY TIMES reported, that when abortion funds were given only for rape reported to Law Enforcement,
the numbers in PA dropped from 35, to 3 !!!
-
YOU Sir, need to do better research, before you make false accusations against others.

-— -—
CHILL - I meant he should have stuck to the funding subject in his answer.

I know he’s pro-life, I don’t doubt it. I know he sponsored a pro-life bill. Man, some people need a stong dose of Xanax around here.

FYI, I’m not a sir.

[beandog]

McCaskill doesn’t have to doing any negative campaigning. She’s got Freepers doing her dirty work. I’m sure they’d be willing to appear on any commercials she might wish to make. It’s pathetic.

[Elendur]

liberals make straw man arguments.
and misquote. and put words in other’s mouths.
=
no one, including Akin, said that women never get pregnant from rape. so why, do you falsely claim they did ?
Akin had the word “try”. the liberals (and you) omit it.
=
stress can SOMETIMES prevent conception.
stress can SOMETIMES cause miscarriage.
..common knowledge.
=
certainly, you would agree, that forcible rape is stressful?
=
finally:
“”Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” - John Adams”
...that is from YOUR page.
abortion is not moral. false accusations are not moral.

[HamiltonJay]

“you accuse someone of skippin biology class, when it is you, who are ignoring facts, and medical studies, showing what everyone knows: stress can prevent conception.
stress can cause miscarriage.”

I do accuse Akin and anyone trying to defend his claim that rape victims don’t get pregnant because womens bodies shut it down as completely and utterly ignorant!

Alleging stress can cause miscarriage or prevent conception, equates to preventing pregnancy in rape cases is laughably ignorant. Yes, women under stress can have a harder time concieving, and yes excessive stress can contribute to problems during pregnancy including miscarriage, but to supposition from those facts that the stress of a sexual attack will prevent pregnancies is LAUGHABLE! That’s like saying, Romney caused me to lose my job 5 years ago, and because of that my wife died of cancer last month. Its the same idiotic non-logic.

Women get pregnant from rape ALL THE TIME! History is littered with examples of armies using rape to demoralize their enemies not only for the act itself but for the bastard offspring that are produced. You are completely ignorant to think the reproductive system of a woman, will shut down if sperm is introduced unwillingly, that’s just ignorant. Might as well say, what? you got pregnant from rape? Guess you weren’t stressed enough, you must have liked it! Its IDIOTIC and completely non linear logic to try to argue the stand Akin made regarding this.

Personally I don’t care about his stand on rape exceptions or even his gaffe about “legitimate rape” what I care about is the complete ignornace he showed about basic biology in the words following that gaffe.

I swear, I know the public schools are failing generations, but is it really that bad that folks don’t understand basic biology, or simple logic?

Anyone defending Akin’s claim that women don’t get pregnant when raped, or rarely get pregnant when raped, are just beyond help.

[JediJones]

Sorry when you show you don’t understand the most basic reproductive functions of your own species, you are an idiot, and no

The studies on whether a woman is less likely to get pregnant from rape are incomplete to be sure, but it does appear to be true for various reasons.

[JediJones]

Anyone defending Akin’s claim that women don’t get pregnant when raped, or rarely get pregnant when raped, are just beyond help.

He definitely didn't say they DON'T or never get pregnant from rape. But people like you nevertheless feel the need to make that false leap in order to bolster your arguments, which I guess you don't think would be strong enough without misleading people like that.