A Gift of a Gaffe

[Jamie B]

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/gop-senate-candidate-says-misspoke-legitimate-rape-005818070.html

"First of all, from what I understand from doctors [pregnancy after rape] is really rare," Akin told KTVI-TV in defense of his stand that rape victims should not be allowed to access abortions. "If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down."

Akin said that even if a rape victim does somehow become pregnant, "I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be on the rapist and not attacking the child."

I saw this interview this morning on the news.
Akin can kiss this race goodbye.
What an idiot!

[Perd Hapley]

FWIW, I voted for someone else in the primary.

This should always be an easy answer. Something like, "I hope you're not suggesting that a small child should be lynched for his father's crime." Done. 

[MechAg94]

Is what you quoted what he is being criticized for?


Is it that 1) he has a hard abortion stance, or 2) that he said "legitamite" and thereby suggested that some women actually lie about rape?

[TommyGunn]

Is what you quoted what he is being criticized for?


Is it that 1) he has a hard abortion stance, or 2) that he said "legitamite" and thereby suggested that some women actually lie about rape?

Or 3.) that a woman can somehow, miracuously, "shut down" her body in a way that somehow, miracuously, prevents pregnancy due to being raped.  


Even Goerge Noory on Coast-to-CoastAM wouldn't touch this.....

[MicroBalrog]

Is what you quoted what he is being criticized for?


Is it that 1) he has a hard abortion stance, or 2) that he said "legitamite" and thereby suggested that some women actually lie about rape?

I think what he meant is that in forcible rape (that is, the kind where a woman is violently raped, rather than for example drugged and taken advantage of, which is also awful), the woman is less likely to become pregnant.

Whether or not this is true (There is some research to suggest it might be), the way he said it sounded downright awful.

[Perd Hapley]

And, naturally, his opponent is a woman.

Also, I think "gaffe" is the preferred spelling.

[Tallpine]

And, naturally, his opponent is a woman.

Also, I think "gaffe" is the preferred spelling.

Yeah ... was wondering what this had to do with sailboats 

[Jim147]

If he wanted to give Claire a gift, he should have went with a fruit basket or a gift card instead.

jim

[French G.]

OK, how many weeks will MSNBC run frothing at the mouth with this. If George Allen's racist remark a few years back is any indication that'd be a lot. Meanwhile ain't nobody here but us crickets on Uncle Joe "Put y'all back in chains" Biden.

This guy, he's an idiot and just lost. Good for him. Love to see everyone now try to tie it around Romney's neck.

[Jamie B]

And, naturally, his opponent is a woman.

Also, I think "gaffe" is the preferred spelling.

Cough, cough - Oh, look over there.

Sometimes the brain and fingers are separated by stupid........

[agricola]

but did he go swimming in the nip?

[RevDisk]

Ah...  Wow. That's really insulting on so many levels I'm not sure where to start.

Best part?

Republican perspective: This guy is insane.
Democrat perspective: Republicans are insane.

Pretty much how most posters on here react to gun control sponsored by a Democrat. It's not "Senator So and So is evil.", it's "Democrats are evil". When it's your side, the individual screwed up. When it's the other side, the entire other side is screwed up.

Right or wrong, comments like that do spread the perception that Republicans in general are not overly supportive of women. The MSM does its best to further that. But the Republicans do their best to help out the MSM in these kinds of occurrences.

Disclaimer: I'm not saying I support Dems or Republicans. Both are equally bad in different ways. I just always find the huge blind spot to be hysterical, in that humans very rarely are any good at noticing deficiencies in their own side but quite adapt at finding them in opposition.

[grampster]

N
B
C
had a bit this AM on the congresscritter who went skinny dippin' in the ME.  The lead in to the story was breathless and frantic as if radar had begun tracking Russian nukes on the way.

[Tallpine]

Republicans in general are not overly supportive of women.

Republicans do support women.

Sure don't want them out wearing pants and working for a living 

[MechAg94]

Even that comment, I am just not seeing the outrage or the insult.  I have heard much worse things about rape.  And instead of everyone jumping on the "I'm Insulted!" bandwagon, some frank discussion of the facts would be better.  He was trying to use that idea as an argument against abortion exceptions for victims of rape.  He was wrong and didn't have his facts right on that part apparently.  I am still not seeing the big insult.



To me it is just an indicator of the state of politics today.  You can't even begin to discuss any sensitive or emotionally charged subject without someone getting outraged or insulted whether you actually said anything or not.  And then we wonder why politicians never actually say anything substantive in their speeches and interviews.  

[Perd Hapley]

Todd Akin's been in Congress since 2001. It's not like he's new at this. You'd think he would be better in an interview by this time. 

[Jamie B]

Republicans do support women.

Sure don't want them out wearing pants and working for a living 

Actually, Republicans like their women to wear white, like the rest of their appliances. 

[MechAg94]

The sad thing is that the "Stupid Party" nickname appear to apply today to a lot of Republicans around the country who are calling for this guy to drop out of the race.  They don't even know yet what the voters there think about it, yet they are jumping on the stupid bandwagon.  This is a senate seat they really need and they want to give it up without a fight. 

[Jamie B]

The sad thing is that the "Stupid Party" nickname appear to apply today to a lot of Republicans around the country who are calling for this guy to drop out of the race.  They don't even know yet what the voters there think about it, yet they are jumping on the stupid bandwagon.  This is a senate seat they really need and they want to give it up without a fight. 

Hypersensitivity + paranoia + lack of common sense = lack of conviction.

Politicians all need to be on a spine donor list these days.....

[RevDisk]

The sad thing is that the "Stupid Party" nickname appear to apply today to a lot of Republicans around the country who are calling for this guy to drop out of the race.  They don't even know yet what the voters there think about it, yet they are jumping on the stupid bandwagon.

...

Really? If more than a handful of folks don't think the guy is an incompetent tool, our country is seriously in trouble.

[bedlamite]

our country is seriously in trouble.

FTFY.

[Perd Hapley]

...

Really? If more than a handful of folks don't think the guy is an incompetent tool, our country is seriously in trouble.

But compared to his opponent, he's Gandhi.

[LadySmith]

Even that comment, I am just not seeing the outrage or the insult.  

Well, let me try to break it on down for ya...

"Legitimate (not ok) rape" leads one to believe that there's a mysterious form of "illigitimate (it's ok) rape" going on out there.
And from what he said, even in the event of the not-ok kind of rape, a woman's body has the miraculous ability to override that little bit of rape-horror and make everything ok by not letting itself get pregnant.
No harm, no foul, right?
Ergo, if the woman gets raped and winds up pregnant, she must have wanted it/been asking for it because her body didn't take control and issue an "abort! abort!"

Therein lies the insult...to a substantial part of the population.

[agricola]

some balance:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-19323783

[Jamie B]

Well, let me try to break it on down for ya...

"Legitimate (not ok) rape" leads one to believe that there's a mysterious form of "illigitimate (it's ok) rape" going on out there.
And from what he said, even in the event of the not-ok kind of rape, a woman's body has the miraculous ability to override that little bit of rape-horror and make everything ok by not letting itself get pregnant.
No harm, no foul, right?
Ergo, if the woman gets raped and winds up pregnant, she must have wanted it/been asking for it because her body didn't take control and issue an "abort! abort!"

Therein lies the insult...to a substantial part of the population.

Ayup! Legitimate rape (whatever that is), forcible rape and rape are the same thing, unless you are just stoopid.