The dynamic emerging this morning is Republicans becoming more full-throated in their condemnation of Rep. Todd Akin’s “legitimate rape” remarks while Democrats hold some of their fire for fear of driving Akin from the race.
In the former category, you have Mitt Romney getting his bearings and taking a new stronger swipe at Akin: “insulting, inexcusable, and, frankly, wrong.” Sen. Scott Brown is calling for Akin to drop out of the Missouri Senate race. In the latter category, Akin’s opponent, Claire McCaskill (D-MO) would really rather Akin not go anywhere. Read More
TPM Reader PP on how Akin’s remarks were a double whammy of misogyny:
The Akin comment is obviously offensive, but I’m a bit surprised that what seems to be generating the most offense is the cartoonishly ignorant belief that a woman’s body can somehow differentiate between a rapist and a loving companion and choose to let itself get pregnant or not. It’s certainly bizarre and easy to report on, but personally the greater outrage should be at the casual, and seemingly commonly held belief that there are categories of rape.
RNC spokesperson: It’s up to Todd Akin to decide whether to withdraw from the Missouri Senate race.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) calls for Rep. Todd Akin to “step aside today”:
Todd Akin’s statements are reprehensible and inexcusable. He should step aside today for the good of the nation.
— Ron Johnson (@Ron4Senate) August 20, 2012
I believe that’s the first sitting U.S. senator not running this year to call for Akin to step aside.
Pro-Life groups offering encouragement and defense for Todd Akin.
Akin is also scheduled to appear on Mike Huckabee’s show at the top of the hour, presumably the key part of a push to lock down his evangelical and pro-life base.
As a pivotal battleground state, Ohio this year is ground zero — or near to it — of voter suppression efforts. Republican election officials are pulling out all the stops limiting opportunities to vote on every front possible. These efforts have been concentrated on urban precincts with large concentrations of African-Americans and more permissive standards in suburban areas with fewer of them. We’ll be bringing you a lot more information on this in the coming days.
But over the weekend, we finally had the GOP chair of one of the key counties come out and say he didn’t see why they should go out of their way to make it easy for African-Americans to vote.
Shorter Cornyn: Carefully consider your future, Todd, and then decide to resign.
Family Research Council: We “enthusiastically” back Todd Akin.
Never heard of Todd Akin before now? Oh, the things you’ve missed.
Even as Rep. Todd Akin’s political career appears to be swirling down the toilet, pro-life groups are fiercely defending him and his “legitimate rape” comments.
Whether Todd Akin stays or goes comes down to how much money the grassroots of the conservative wing of the Republican Party throws his way in the next 12-24 hours. Establishment Republicans and the national party committees have yanked their support, and for a time earlier this afternoon that looked like it would be enough to shove Akin out of the Senate race. But Akin says he’s in it to win it — and, oh, send me money. The only thing propping up Akin, even in his own mind, is the notion that the grassroots can supply enough cash to sustain a campaign. But he needs more than a notion. He needs to see real results and fast. I wouldn’t rule it out. Rogue Republicans were a hallmark of the 2010 campaign. The main difference between Akin and Sharron Angle or Christine O’Donnell is that he’s a sitting member of Congress. Less rogue, perhaps, but also less easy to dismiss. How much money can he raise in the next 24 hours — and how much of it will come from self-interested Dems trying to keep him in the race?