Todd Akin is an Asshole

Rape is a very serious issue.  It is not one to take lightly, nor one to discuss in any public or private setting without fully comprehending basic facts about it.  It is a word that, just said alone, evokes painful and horrible imagery- for good reason.

But Rep. Todd Akin, the Republican nominee for Senate in Missouri, doesn’t understand that.  He doesn’t even pretend to understand that.  Instead, that idiot opened his mouth, and just vomited a series of words that make sense in absolutely no context. Now let me be clear– Akin will unquestionably attempt to walk back these remarks, likely after he speaks with any human being that possesses the ability of cognitive thought.  But there’s really no walking this one back.

Just so there is no ambiguity, Todd Akin has a history of this sort of behavior.  Sadly, to me, this sort of pattern not only demonstrates that Akin meant what he said today, but furthermore that he has some serious impairment to understand basic facts about rape and other sexual activity.  It’s degrading, it’s disgusting, and this man isn’t qualified to be a United States Senator, much less a dog catcher.  Hell, to me, this isn’t even about his political affiliation, it’s about his utter stupidity.  This is beyond ignorance, dammit.

We have all had rape touch our lives.  In college, I spent a Sunday morning in the ER with a friend of mine who was raped.  This isn’t some sort of joke to me, just as it is not to the vast majority of the human population.  But to Todd Akin, it’s either a joke, or just something that he doesn’t want to understand, but is perfectly content legislating.

Sad.

==Update==

As I predicted, Akin’s campaign quickly attempted to backtrack.  In the spirit of good faith, I will reprint the statement below with only minimal editorial comment, so that together, we can see the amount of bullshit that can be spewn in three short paragraphs.

“As a member of Congress, I believe that working to protect the most vulnerable in our society is one of my most important responsibilities, and that includes protecting both the unborn and victims of sexual assault [because, frankly, those are things you should say in the same breath]. In reviewing my off-the-cuff remarks [because everyone knows that improvised remarks never contain truth in them, they’re all just impromptu lies not based on any deeply-held beliefs], it’s clear that I misspoke in this interview [are you sure, because I’ve read crap you’ve said before] and it does not reflect the deep empathy I hold for the thousands of women who are raped and abused every year [note: I do not question the fact that he has the most basic human emotion of empathy, just that he has any damn idea what “rape” is]. Those who perpetrate these crimes are the lowest of the low in our society and their victims will have no stronger advocate in the Senate to help ensure they have the justice they deserve. [see also: your attempt to re-define rape vis-a-vis Claire McCaskill, a woman]

“I recognize that abortion, and particularly in the case of rape, is a very emotionally charged issue. But I believe deeply in the protection of all life and I do not believe that harming another innocent victim is the right course of action. I also recognize that there are those who, like my opponent, support abortion [God, yes, all of us pro-choice folk just LOVE abortions] and I understand I may not have their support in this election. [you can say that again]

“But I also believe that this election is about a wide range of very important issues, starting with the economy and the type of country we will be leaving our children and grandchildren. We’ve had 42 straight months of unacceptably high unemployment, trillion-dollar deficits, and Democratic leaders in Washington who are focused on growing government, instead of jobs. That is my primary focus in this campaign and while there are those who want to distract from that, knowing they cannot defend the Democrats’ failed economic record of the last four years, that will continue to be my focus in the months ahead.” [this entire paragraph brought to you by the word “DEFLECTION”]


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19 responses to “Todd Akin is an Asshole”

  1. Juliana Avatar
    Juliana

    I love the end of that video~

  2. JMPrince Avatar
    JMPrince

    Building & developing as they say: The Raging Grannies here:
    http://youtu.be/Anc_gP2_QeI

    & another cute ditty here:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mg_4O6XmKAQ

    There’s something else about the lovely pre-enlightment ‘blame the victim’ thinking here too that’s just so, well quaint about it all. JMP

  3. Julianal Avatar
    Julianal

    The fall out is already starting for Mitt’s campaign.

    “As the controversy over Republican Senate candidate Todd Akin’s “legitimate rape” comment continues, Mitt Romney’s lead in Missouri has vanished. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Missouri Voters finds President Obama with 47% support to Romney’s 46%. Three percent (3%) favor some other candidate in the race, and three percent (3%) more are undecided”.

  4. nickwolf Avatar
    nickwolf

    Paul Ryan the V.P. pick co-sponsered two bills that coined the term “forced rape”! Paul Ryan went into detail why this word was put in, to “stop any loopholes for any abortions”!!!
    They are in lock-step with this disqusting false idea! They created it!!! So if Aiken is “unacceptable” then their V.P. and the Presidential Candidate and the Republican Platform, and the Republican Party are all, equally disgusting and unacceptable!!

  5. nickwolf Avatar
    nickwolf

    Mitt Romney’s problem is that his V.P. pick co-sponsered two bills that coined the term “forced rape”! Paul Ryan went into detail why this word was put in, to “stop any loopholes for any abortions”!!!
    They are in lock-step with this disqusting false idea! They created it!!! So if Aiken is “unacceptable” then their V.P. and the Presidential Candidate and the Republican Platform, and the Republican Party are all, equally disgusting and unacceptable!!

  6. Juliana Avatar
    Juliana

    Of course he wasn’t going to drop out.. he’s sticking with his hideous comments just like sticking with that horrible comb over.

    Anyone who can be in that much denial about loosing his hair can surely blow off a parade of party elite telling you to bow out. T

    hat’s nothing compared to his commitment to his pate.

  7. JMPrince Avatar
    JMPrince

    Reply outsourced to the Borowitz twitter feed: Enjoy!

    http://twitter.com/BorowitzReport

    Republicans are furious at the extremist running for Senate in Missouri but thrilled with the one running for Vice President.

    Was still trying to wrap my brain around Todd Akin being elected to the House 6 times & now I learn he’s a member of the Science Committee.

    Since Romney doesn’t care about poor people, he needed to balance the ticket with someone who doesn’t care about old people.

    Paul Ryan made all his interns read Ayn Rand. So I guess we know where he stands on torture.

    As a general rule, it’s a bad idea to talk about austerity if you just had a horse in the Olympics. [And written off $77K for it’s upkeep on your magical taxes last year].

    Romney’s Bumper-sticker: My other car is a dancing horse.

    Sarah Palin didn’t read. Paul Ryan reads Ayn Rand. This round goes to Palin.

    Republican politicians fear that if same-sex marriage is legal their boyfriends will give them ultimatums.

    Let’s not let a bunch of cheap jokes about Paul Ryan looking like Eddie Munster distract us from the fact that he is a sociopath.

    Republicans are as excited about Ryan as they were 4 years ago about a woman they are now banning from the convention.

  8. former democrat/now have a brain Avatar
    former democrat/now have a brain

    Yes, Akin is an asshole, but the GOP is trying to get rid of him. Obama is an idiot who has failed as president and Democrats are trying to get him a second term.
    So, who are the real assholes?

  9. Jen B. Avatar
    Jen B.

    Gross. So, a 10 year old, who gets raped by her mother’s boyfriend, enjoyed it since she got pregnant?* What f-ckers.

    * This happens so often in Fulton that it is truly disheartening.

  10. Gem Avatar
    Gem

    Akin is an asshole….yep, the article’s title says it all! It would be interesting to throw him into a snake-pit prison and see if he could avoid being “legitimately raped”!….

  11. JMPrince Avatar
    JMPrince

    Yep, read it & weep, it’s already been proposed legislation by the GOP Congress:
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/09/abortion-forcible-rape-language-hr-3_n_820846.html

    JMP

  12. Sara Avatar
    Sara

    Apparently he buys into a concept that has long been popular among religious fanatics–if a woman is raped and doesn’t enjoy it at all, then she can’t get pregnant. But if she does get pregnant, then a little part of her must have enjoyed it. I wish I was kidding. They also believe that since extreme emotional and physical trauma can result in miscarriage, if a woman does not miscarry then she must not have been that badly traumatized.

  13. JMPrince Avatar
    JMPrince

    That’s the magical thinking portion of the entire GOP program:

    http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/08/rape-abortion-and-the-privilege-of-magical-thinking/261313/

    Key: “I have the right to objectively define pregnancy from rape as rare. I have the right to determine separate legitimate rape from all those instances when you were in need of encouragement, wearing a red dress or otherwise asking for it. I have the right to manufacture scientific theories about your body — theories which reinforce my power. If the body doesn’t “shut that whole thing down” then clearly you weren’t raped, and there’s no need to talk about an abortion. And even if I am wrong on every count, I still have the right to dictate the terms of your body and the remaining days of your life.

    All of my rationales range from the totally subjective to the outright mythical. But I am the sovereign of the female body. On my word rumor becomes science, and the destruction of your life is repackaged as the defense of someone else’s”.

    Yep that about covers it. Vote for the A-hole with this sort of incomprehensible yet very real power. JMP

  14. Carole Avatar
    Carole

    This part has been overlooked:

    Akin said that even in the worst-case scenario — when the supposed natural protections against unwanted pregnancy fail — abortion should still not be a legal option for the rape victim.

    “Let’s assume that maybe that didn’t work, or something,” Akin said. “I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be on the rapist and not attacking the child.” [emphasis mine!]

    Some punishment? This brain-dead candidate was talking about what he perceives as a “legitimate rape” and he wants to give the rapist some punishment, he thinks. OMG.

  15. Jen B. Avatar
    Jen B.

    He never addressed how “the female body has ways to try to shut the whole thing down.” If he “misspoke,” I’d like to know his original understanding of that sentence. It’s not like a woman’s reproductive system goes on Stage 4 alert and locks the doors to the fallopian tubes.

  16. JMPrince Avatar
    JMPrince

    Sheet, missed the definitive take down here: via The Atlantic: http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/08/a-canard-that-will-not-die-legitimate-rape-doesnt-cause-pregnancy/261303/

    And the correct answer is ‘better than 32,000 women’ say that Todd Akin is wrong.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8765248
    JMP

  17. JMPrince Avatar
    JMPrince

    Just this:
    http://restrictedtumblr.tumblr.com/post/17542076214

    And know that’s not the 1st time a GOP candidate or representative has said more or less the same thing. It’s like a perennial event. Google it, and it goes back quite away. Bottom line? It’s a result of their view of women that’s fundamentally at odds with seeing them as fully moral agents or citizens wholly capable of their own thoughts or actions. The State always needs to step in and decide what’s best for the dears. Especially with regards to anything to do with sex & babies.
    JMP

  18. Steve Avatar
    Steve

    I generally try to (publicly) reserve such language, as I have a career to think of. But I would ask any future employer to disagree with this characterization. I think it fits.

  19. jf Avatar
    jf

    Your title says it all. Just wish FoxNews had the balls to put the story on their home page like the real news outlets have done (ABC, CBS, CNN, etc.). As I type it’s buried a few levels deep on the Fox site.

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