"There is no question that for Missourians who believe we need to stop the reckless Washington spending, rein in the role of government in people's lives and finally focus on growing jobs in this country, that Todd Akin is a far more preferable candidate than liberal Sen. Claire McCaskill."
—Rob Jesmer, executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, in a Sept. 26 statement regarding Akin's challenge of U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill.
Why it stinks, 1.0: Akin's statement regarding "legitimate" rape—that a woman can't get pregnant if the rape is legitimate—set off a firestorm of controversy. Many GOPers urged Akin to withdraw from the race, including Mitt Romney and National Republican Committee Chairman Reince Priebus. Akin backed off his original statement, saying he meant to say "forcible," which didn't make it any better. The implications are: 1) If a woman gets pregnant from a rape, she's lying; and 2) If a woman isn't physically forced then it isn't rape. Either way, his beliefs would make it 1) more difficult for women to prosecute their rapist and, 2) impossible to legally terminate a pregnancy that results from a rape.
Why it stinks, 2.0: Republicans are playing the public for fools, hoping no one remembers the GOP rush to denounce Akin, an outspoken right-wing extremist. Among other "Akinisms," he believes business should be able to pay women less as a matter of "freedom," that "student loans are a cancer" and that Medicare (the program that supports senior health care) is unconstitutional. Women, students, elderly—Akin is an equal-opportunity stinker.
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