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August 22, 2012 04:37 PM UTC

Reason #846 Why Romney Can't Escape Akin

  • 23 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

Los Angeles Times:

After saying he “can’t defend” Rep. Todd Akin’s suggestion that women don’t get pregnant from rape, Mitt Romney stepped up his rebuke on Tuesday when he called on Akin to drop out of the Missouri Senate race. But archives from Romney’s previous presidential bid show that the Massachusetts Republican has historically supported the person who is the source of Akin’s theory, Dr. Jack C. Willke, the father of the antiabortion movement.

A physician and former president of the National Right to Life Committee, Willke was an “important surrogate” for Romney’s 2008 presidential bid. Willke is the oft-cited source of the theory that rape-related pregnancies are “rare.” The theory is sometimes used by antiabortion advocates to argue that abortion laws should not contain exceptions for pregnancies that result from rape or incest.

Willke believes that trauma caused by violent rape causes a woman’s reproductive system to shut down. He presents this belief as fact in educational materials, including a book about abortion and a website called abortionfacts.com. Willke’s views – and his role in promoting a theory that has been widely rejected in modern medicine – appear not to have concerned Romney in 2007, when he touted Willke’s endorsement…

The intensity with which fellow Republicans have attacked Missouri U.S. Senate candidate Todd Akin is meant to inoculate the rest of the party from the stigma of Akin’s “indefensible” statements about rape and pregnancy. But it serves another purpose, too: obfuscating the fact that such views have been central to the anti-abortion movement’s philosophy for many years.

From presumptive vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan’s sponsorship of stridently anti-abortion legislation–eagerly supported by Republican members of Congress, including Colorado’s delegation–to Romney’s prior willing use of anti-abortion fringe luminaries who spout Akin’s views unapologetically, there is just no way to walk it all back. And the issue seems certain to take on a much greater importance this year than prior years–not just because Democrats are pushing it, but because Republicans have so spectacularly indicted themselves.

The biggest losers in all this are Republicans who aren’t obsessed with wedge issues like the extremists once again hogging the GOP spotlight. Not Republicans who flip-flopped on Colorado’s “Personhood” initiative now that it’s politically inconvenient (see: Joe Coors, Mike Coffman), Republicans who knew it was inviting disaster all along. Republicans who cringe every time a fellow Republican goes off the rails, as opposed to leaping to their ill-advised defense. We are aware that’s a substantial number of Republicans. Many of them are our friends.

From what we can see, they’re pretty much screwed.

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23 thoughts on “Reason #846 Why Romney Can’t Escape Akin”

  1. Poor Mittens and Voucherman.  Voters seem to think that their positions on key issues actually matter–that it is a CHOICE between candidates, not just a choice to dump the President.  Poor Mr. Ryan, all that work to now turn, tuck tail between legs and run away from his record.  And where to?  Who knows whichever way the wind blows Willard next I suppose…stay tuned.  


       Delano: “Should abortions to be available to women who are raped?”

       Ryan: “Well, look, I’m proud of my pro-life record. And I stand by my pro-life record in Congress. It’s something I’m proud of. But Mitt Romney is the top of the ticket and Mitt Romney will be president and he will set the policy of the Romney administration.” …

       Delano: “You sponsored legislation that has the language ‘forcible rape.’ What is forcible rape as opposed…”

       Ryan: “Rape is rape. Rape is rape, period. End of story.”

       Delano: “So that forcible rape language meant nothing to you at the time?”

       Ryan: “Rape is rape and there’s no splitting hairs over rape.”

    http://www.politico.com/blogs/…

  2. http://www.sfgate.com/business…

    Aug. 22 (Bloomberg) — As a U.S. House member from Wisconsin, Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan has co-sponsored 38 anti-abortion measures, including some that make no allowance for rape.

    Ryan’s level of support outdoes that of his House colleague Todd Akin, who is under pressure from party leaders to step down as the Republican Senate nominee in Missouri after saying that “legitimate rape” rarely leads to pregnancy.

     

  3. posting R-Ayn/R-Money critique of their indefensible positions four hours too early . . . at least three hours before ArapaGOP is issued his daily talking points and denials, and at least another hour before he finds someone that can help him the pronunciation . . .

  5. This is like finding out that a good friend is a racist. Someone tells a horrible joke and you look around expecting your friend to think it’s horrible, but they’re quiet. What’s the deal? “He’s not wrong.” It’s awkward.

    What reasonable person thinks this conversation still needs to be had? Assumptions were made and relatively small actions went unnoticed. Now people are nodding with the whole room looking. It’s not “extremists” in the traditional sense, though, these are major party candidates.

    1. Maybe. Maybe not.  It’s up to us to define them, to frame this debate.

      And the thing that bothers me most about this political moment is there is one group saying “Women are less important than men”” Or even unimportant.  ANd there is another group rolling their eyes saying – we’re past all this aren’t we.

      We are obviously not past all this.

      175 rapes today. Law of big numbers says 8 pregnancies.

      What should the  law be?

      Who should sit in judgement (SCOTUS)?

      It ain’t over.

      You know how I know? It’s never over.

    1. This is a specific person with a specific theory that’s been supported by Romney because of that specific theory. This isn’t a stretch.

      If this is really what the country wants and believes, why be afraid of it? Your fear tells me you know people don’t believe this bs. Why elect someone we don’t agree with? Why are you running from it?

    2. on your script and not intended to be stated as your prelude commentary to your post?  If I’m wrong, folks, circle today on the calendar.  Finally . . . the shill-bag spoke a tiny bit of truth!

      [exit stage right]

      1. stick with the narrative that this whole thing is ” blown out of proportion”. Vilify Akin in your comments whenever you can to create more distance.  Draw comparison to Rev. Wright if possible.

        Now, get out there !

        1. I know its a little awkward after last years’ office Christmas party (thank God they dropped the charges), but we’re going to bring “Vanessa” out this week to back you up. That should totally shore up our support with women voters.

        2. until he answers the question he’s been asked repeatedly.  What is his personal stance on the question of whether or not abortion should be allowed for victims of rape?  What’s the point of letting him get away with non-responses that are nothing more than reaching into a grab bag of names like “Edwards” and “Wright” as if we’re having a discussion about objectionable people in general? It’s as if he made some criticism of a Dem candidate’s stated economic policy and I responded by saying…Oh yeah? What about that jerk Hank Williams Jr?  

      1. Arap refuses to participate by actually engaging in discussions with relevant responses to other posters.  He really does deserve to be ignored.  It’s not as if we need him to find out what the latest talking points are. You couldn’t miss those if you tried. So if we ignore him and he goes away, what do we lose?

        It’s like if the Post stopped picking up Mike Rosen’s columns. It’s not as if you have to actually read the guy anymore to know exactly what he’ll have to say on any given subject.

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