Rep. Todd Akin confirmed Tuesday afternoon that he’s staying in the race for the Senate from Missouri, and appeared to tailor his pitch to conservative abortion foes.
"We are going to continue with this race for the United States Senate," the embattled lawmaker told Mike Huckabee in a radio interview just hours before the 5pm deadline for Republicans to be able to easily replace him on the ballot.
Since Akin said on Sunday that it’s rare for women to get pregnant via “legitimate rape,” igniting a firestorm of criticism, the Republican Party has tried to force him from the race, saying it would cut off money and support. Though he had told Sean Hannity Monday he planned on staying in, many political observers expected him to think again.
“I believe, as I took a look at this race, that what we’re doing here is standing on a principle about what America is,” Akin said. “We’re missing the heart of what makes America. And a deep respect for life—that’s underlying everything.”
He added: “It’s deeply ingrained that a respect for human beings and a respect for life is just part of our culture.”
Though he apologized again for his comments Sunday, Akin also appeared to downplay them. “I misspoke one word in one sentence on one day,” he said. “It does seem like a little bit of an over-reaction.”
Akin noted a new poll showing him maintaining a narrow lead over his Democratic opponent, Sen. Claire McCaskill. And he shrugged off the loss of support from the GOP, saying he’s getting backing from ordinary Americans receptive to his pro-life message.
“What we’re seeing right now is a tremendous outpouring of support from a whole lot of regular small people,” Akin said. “There is an active and engaged and committed grassroots movement to stand up for what America is about. We believe that by taking this stand, this is going to strengthen this country.”
In a separate interview afterwards with Tea Party activist Dana Loesch, Akin said his misstep was one of word choice. "Misplacing the word legitimate ... that was the problem," he said, adding that he meant to refer to what he called "false rapes."
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As a Democrat I think Akin should quit. If Akin quits it will be a distinct repudiation of the Evangelical base of the GOP. It will be a smack in the face to every Evangelical who agrees with Akin, and whom the GOP needs to triumph in November. So Akin should quit, it will be read as the GOP leadership elites running Akin out of the race which will help to disenfranchise and alienate Evangelicals nationwide ... from the GOP. Gobama 2012!
I don't think so; their repudiation, so-called, is purely strategic; they want McCaskill's seat and now they think they blew it with this guy.
But don't forget: 1) the GOP platform committee in Tampa, Fla., adopted a platform provision that calls for a “human life amendment” to the Constitution: a ban on abortion with no exceptions for rape or incest, to be put to a vote by the whole
2) Paul Ryan IS Todd Akin. Peas in a Pod. Ryan co-sponsored Akin's proposed personhood amendment and also co-sponsored Akin's effort to redefine 'forcible rape' clearly based on Akin's sentiments as expressed a couple of day ago.
Whether or not Akin quits, it's good for Dems. If he stays, he'll become a national symbol of throwback Republicans, further alienating women from the GOP and helping to draw clear contrasts between the GOP and Democrats. In a sense, Akin is a symbol of the elderly white male GOP base.
Note: It has been reported that today is not actually the last possible day for Akin to resign from the race.
No, we want him to stay in! This will be great for democrats because a lot of women hate him right now! Btw, notice that he did not mention that his first word choice was forcible! As opposed to what, regular, routine rape? Also anyone who thinks that our bodies have the ability to shut down the reproductive process is living on another planet!
Hopefully, with our national epidemic of ADD, we will not forget this latest episode of republican insanity!!!
He should stay in so that folks in the show-me state can show us what they really are.
Sometimes old folks can regress. it's as if a whole generation of old white fellows is regressing, and Akin is an now a living and iconic symbol of the old white male Evangelical base of the GOP. Folks who are akin to Akin, :] , and support Akin's awareness and conservatism and see him as one of their flock will feel repudiated if Akin is seen as having been forced to resign from his Senate race.
I thought that SE Cupps closing comments today were off the mark completely. She tried to debunk the compatibility of Ryan's co-sponsoring of HR 3 with Akin's poorly worded sentiments by throwing out for viewers the FBI's definition of "forcible rape" as though there was some comparison. She said that if it was good enough for the FBI to specifically define, then lawmakers should also be able to use that definition. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Law enforcement may use various definitions for crimes such as rape e.g. "statutory rape" and "forcible rape" because they have different standards of proof and different remedies for CRIMES. Both Akin and Ryan made this distinction because they clearly think that women otherwise generally fake rapes, enough so that a distinction should be made as to when abortion should be allowed or disallowed. Very different from the point that SE was trying to disengeniously make.
Get over it folks. Women in this country have a constitutional right to choose, rape or no rape, and they don't have to provide anyone with a reason. Even women, who choose to be pro life, would hardly appreciate being told by a politician or their "small" government if or when they can make that choice, particularly if a rape or a danger to their lives is involved. They are perfectly capable to making their own choices, one way or the other.