Mitt Romney has spent the last two days attempting to distance himself from Todd Akin, but his own party keeps catching up with him.
Just as Romney said he supports exceptions to a ban on abortion in cases of rape or incest, the Republican platform committee approved language that says the exact opposite.
When asked today about the discrepancy, Republican National Committee Chair Reince Preibus said, "This is the platform of the Republican party, it's not the platform of Mitt Romney." Why have an official party platform that diverges from the stance of the soon-to-be-official party nominee?
Rachel Maddow asked senior Demos fellow and former New York Times columnist Bob Herbert about the contradiction Tuesday night. The Romney campaign is "running away from the record as well as running away from the platform," Maddow said, referring to vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan's past work with Akin. "Is this a double flip?"
It's not the first time that the GOP platform has adopted such strict language on abortion, without exceptions. The same language was used in the 2008, 2004 and even 1976 platforms, as noted by Washington Post's Wonkblog. In 2008, John McCain's position diverged from his party's, just as Romney's now does.
Nonetheless, Herbert told Maddow that "it still gives us a pretty good indication [of] the approach that a Romney administration would have to women's issues."
Though many conservatives (including Romney himself) called on Akin to drop out of the Senate race, he vowed to fight on and missed Tuesday's deadline for removing his name from the ballot. About two hours later, the candidate asked supporters on Facebook and Twitter to stand with him against the "liberal elitist media" calling for his withdrawal—a liberal elitist group that apparently includes his own party's presidential candidate.



Romney does a double flip. Is anyone really surprised?
I oppose abortion as a form of birth control and all late term abortion. Something needs to be done such as a one strike law, if you are having a second early term abortion your tubes must be tied because you should not be reproducing.
It's a complex moral argument is it's not easy to think about -- yet a Physician's office is better than a self induced abortion and PREVENTION (publicly funded birth control) IS the best option. It will save taxpayers billions and prevent the abortion of fertilized eggs. It's the only solution to the problem -- but MANY are too sanctimonious to entertain or debate the thought.
I oppose abortion as a form of birth control and all late term abortion. Something needs to be done such as a one strike law, if you are having a second early term abortion your tubes must be tied because you should not be reproducing.
It's a complex moral argument is it's not easy to think about -- yet a Physician's office is better than a self induced abortion and PREVENTION (publicly funded birth control) IS the best option. It will save taxpayers billions and prevent the abortion of fertilized eggs. It's the only solution to the problem -- but MANY are too sanctimonious to entertain or debate the thought.
Insofar as Mitt is concerned, you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas. There is no place in the Republican party anymore except for the extreme right wing true believers who have lost their ability to think critically.
REPUBLICAN CHEER Flippity ,Flop, Flippity Mitt Floppity Rape , Flippity Lick Punch em in the Balls and cut off their RICHARDS There once was a man from Bain ,who's head was missing a brain He wanted to lead the land with power , and mighty hand. He had many axes and chopped up his taxes while keeping his attitude crass .The only trouble with this that as time went on the people who trusted eventually found out he had his head buried deep in his ass