If there wasn't a Rove, you guys would have to invent them. When bad candidates get destroyed, you need someone to blame other than the candidate, and an all-powerful bogeyman is just the ticket.
Most of the electorate hasn't heard of Karl Rove and doesn't care what he says. Yet, astonishingly, a collection of nitwits can delude themselves into believing that Rove, simply by saying unpleasant things about a candidate, is personally responsible for Akin losing by FIFTEEN points and Christine O'Donnell losing by SEVENTEEN points.
Do you really think there are millions of voters out there (be they Republicans, indpenedents, or swing Democrats) that sit around anxiously waiting for Karl Rove to tell them who to vote for?
Both candidates lost, of course, because they were terrible and incompentent (and in the case of O'Donnell, unelectable in her state), not because of Rove.
If the facts didn’t object to your characterization of Todd Akin, I would agree. But read the bio below. This is why Akin was NOT a fly-by-night candidate like O’Donnell. It is also why I think the media feeding frenzy is what injured Akin and not the content of his words.
Congressman Todd Akin was born in New York City on July 5, 1947. Akin served in the Missouri state legislature for 12 years before successfully running for the United States House of Representatives in 2000. Akin is a conservative Republican with uncompromising anti-abortion views. He received negative national recognition for controversial comments regarding rape made during his 2012 senate race, of which he ultimately lost to Democrat Claire McCaskill.
Early Life
William Todd Akin was born in New York City on July 5, 1947, to Nancy Perry and the Reverend Paul Bigelow Akin. The family relocated to St. Louis, Missouri when Todd was a child. Akin attended Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, earning a degree in management engineering. He eventually applied this training to a career in engineering at IBM and the Laclede Steel Company.
Akin was involved in the military and theology, as well as engineering. He served in the Missouri National Guard from 1972 to 1980, and completed a graduate degree in divinity at the Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis.
Political Career
In 1988, Todd Akin ran successfully for a seat in the Missouri House of Representatives. Akin was subsequently re-elected to this seat five times between 1990 and 1998. Over his 12 years in office, Akin voted for the legality of concealed weapons, and against increases in both taxation and funding for education. In 1995, he opposed Governor Mel Carnahan on the issue of state funding for abortions.
In 2000, Akin ran to replace outgoing Republican U.S. Representative Jim Talent, who resigned in order to run for governor. Akin was elected to the House, and was re-elected five times thereafter.
Akin’s record in the United States House of Representatives has been consistently conservative and is informed by his Christian beliefs. He is anti-abortion in all cases, including instances of rape and incest. He is also uniformly opposed to embryonic stem cell research. Additionally, he has spoken out against gun control, gambling and taxation. During his tenure in Congress, Akin has earned high marks from the American Conservative Union and the National Rifle Association. He has also found support from Tea Party organizations.
Akin’s leadership positions in the House have largely been related to the military. He has served on the House Armed Services Committee, including a position as chairman of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee.
http://www.biography.com/people/todd-akin-20943207
“Most of the electorate hasn’t heard of Karl Rove and doesn’t care what he says. Yet, astonishingly, a collection of nitwits can delude themselves into believing that Rove, simply by saying unpleasant things about a candidate, is personally responsible for Akin losing by FIFTEEN points and Christine O’Donnell losing by SEVENTEEN points.”
Do you seriously claim that these large margins of defeat would be eliminated by another republican candidate?
There’s no way such a large deficit could be made up.
What you are actually arguing is that candidates must be vetted by the media.