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You are here: Home / Politics / Politicans / David Brooks Giving A Seminar At The Aspen Institute / Five o’clock world

Five o’clock world

by DougJ|  August 20, 201211:41 pm| 99 Comments

This post is in: David Brooks Giving A Seminar At The Aspen Institute, Green Balloons

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Any chance Akin stays in til 5 pm tomorrow? And if he does, can’t they still find some crazy by-law that allows them to find someone else to run?

What I remember best about the George Allen macaca stuff was that within about an hour, everyone who read blogs knew that macaca was a Tunisian expression that Allen heard from his Tunisian mom. Yet, three days later in a WaPo reporter chat (go ahead and laugh at me) reporters were still saying they’d never heard this even after several questioners explained it to them.

And so it is with “legitimate rape”. No matter that Ron Paul already talked about “honest rape”, no matter that the whole concept is part of old time religion, no matter that other wingnuts have been saying the same thing for 25 years, it’s all just a big misunderstanding. He meant to say “Derek Jeter great” or something and it just came out wrong. No pattern here. Nothing to see folks, move along.

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Reader Interactions

99Comments

  1. 1.

    MoeLarryAndJesus

    August 20, 2012 at 11:43 pm

    Maybe he meant to say “literally raped.”

    Misuse of literally is literally trending or something.

  2. 2.

    Baud

    August 20, 2012 at 11:43 pm

    It’s one bad apple, integrated over all time and space.

  3. 3.

    FlyingToaster

    August 20, 2012 at 11:44 pm

    Over at GOS, they checked with an expert in MO law; in order not to incur “ballot reprinting” costs, Akin has to leave by 5 pm tomorrow.

    Otherwise, he has 5 weeks from tomorrow at 5 CDT.

    No word on how much the MO Secretary of State would be fining assessing the MO GOP if Akin pulls out later.

  4. 4.

    gelfling545

    August 20, 2012 at 11:46 pm

    I’ve been wondering what “the Base” who selected him in the primary will think if he does not run. I’m reasonable certain they don’t think he’s said anything wrong. Will they vote for whomever the GOP puts in his place or be offended and stay home?

  5. 5.

    JR

    August 20, 2012 at 11:47 pm

    My read of the law is that Akin has another 5 weeks, and the GOP can replace him until that point, so long as he’s willing to get a court order and pay for any necessary ballot reprinting.

  6. 6.

    MoeLarryAndJesus

    August 20, 2012 at 11:49 pm

    If Akin pulls out early, is it still rape?

    This is the question now being asked by serious Republicans.

  7. 7.

    Spaghetti Lee

    August 20, 2012 at 11:52 pm

    I think he’s staying. Who would you rather have angry at you, Ron Johnson and Scott Brown or a foaming-mad Tea Party base?

  8. 8.

    Brachiator

    August 20, 2012 at 11:53 pm

    Yet, three days later in a WaPo reporter chat (go ahead and laugh at me) reporters were still saying they’d never heard this even after several questioners explained it to them.

    OK, I will laugh at you.

    It’s noteworthy how many of these wise hands and knowledgeable folks you cite are either clueless little shits or willfully blind kiss asses.

    And yet we depend on them to bring us news from the Village.

    Not sure what will happen with Akin, or how the GOP will react when another nut is exposed spouting the same or similar BS.

    The press should ask every prominent GOP woman why they stay in a party that endorses such foolishness.

  9. 9.

    jheartney

    August 20, 2012 at 11:56 pm

    I think it’s your basic game of chicken. Rove and the big corporate money know that the base will pull the lever for the R no matter what, but Akin knows that Rove isn’t going to stand by and let the Senate stay Democratic if that’s going to be the upshot of not funding Akin. So Rove is trying to scare Akin into withdrawing (not likely to happen), while Akin just has to call Rove’s bluff.

    I suppose they might be able to browbeat Akin into withdrawing, but I’m not expecting it to work. And if Akin stays in, eventually Rove will have to reopen the money spigots.

  10. 10.

    Brachiator

    August 20, 2012 at 11:58 pm

    @JR:

    My read of the law is that Akin has another 5 weeks, and the GOP can replace him until that point, so long as he’s willing to get a court order and pay for any necessary ballot reprinting.

    Does the GOP party platform endorse Akin’s view? Even if he bails, his stench will remain and will give the Democrats some room to bash the Republicans.

  11. 11.

    mdblanche

    August 20, 2012 at 11:59 pm

    So, if Akin is dragged offstage kicking and screaming bows out gracefully, who takes his place? His primary challengers are the people now the people who couldn’t beat Mr. Legitimate Rape, so they’re probably damaged goods too now. Whoever it is needs to ideally be chosen by the end of business tomorrow, so it wouldn’t exactly be a transparent choice with input from the public or even the grassroots. Is this really any better?

  12. 12.

    Mark S.

    August 20, 2012 at 11:59 pm

    I’d feel a little better if Erik Son of Erick wasn’t one of the sources, but TPM is reporting that Akin’s going to withdraw.

  13. 13.

    gelfling545

    August 21, 2012 at 12:00 am

    @gelfling545: And why is auto correct changing all my adverbs to adjectives. Reasonably certain.

  14. 14.

    Waynski

    August 21, 2012 at 12:01 am

    Why drag Jeter into this? WTF Doug J?

  15. 15.

    Cacti

    August 21, 2012 at 12:02 am

    Paul Ryan was Todd Akin’s brother-in-arms in pushing anti-choice legislation in Congress.

    It was Ryan/Akin that wanted to fabricate a “forcible rape” distinction.

    This shit needs to be hung around Eddie Munster’s neck like a millstone.

  16. 16.

    JGabriel

    August 21, 2012 at 12:03 am

    __
    __
    DougJ @ Top:

    Any chance Akin stays in til 5 pm tomorrow?

    Are you kidding? I think by 5:00 pm tomorrow the Republican party will be promoting guns and self-defense classes for the unborn, with the slogan, “An armed fetus makes a polite mother.”

    .

  17. 17.

    Ron

    August 21, 2012 at 12:03 am

    I don’t see him getting out. PPP did a poll tonight and Akin was still up by 1.

  18. 18.

    danimal

    August 21, 2012 at 12:05 am

    @Waynski: FTFY.

    Never underestimate the ability of a wingnut to stonewall and stay in the race. See Vitter, David.

    But offer some of that good ol’ wingnut welfare and, well, I’m kind of torn. “If I go, there will be trouble; if I stay it will be double….”

  19. 19.

    kerFuFFler

    August 21, 2012 at 12:06 am

    I just read something about Missouri politics that I had not been aware of—–they just passed some referendum “protecting” students from participating in anything that “goes against their beliefs or religion”. Apparently this policy that will make teaching evolution very difficult passed with over 80% of the vote. Fundies were hyping this referendum and perhaps that is how Akin got nominated since the fundies turned out in droves.

    I guess it stands to reason that they don’t take science education very seriously there….

  20. 20.

    Soonergrunt

    August 21, 2012 at 12:06 am

    I’m betting he does stay in till the bitter end. He has nothing to lose at this point, and as others have pointed out, there’s at least one district in the state that already knows he’s a shit-head and they’ve returned him to Congress five times.
    Of course I could be wrong, and he’ll pick up the lead-in hour to Mike Huckabee’s radio show.

  21. 21.

    Ash Can

    August 21, 2012 at 12:07 am

    @Mark S.: Seems to me they were saying that this morning, and jackshit happened today. Sounds to me like Erickson’s just being his usual full-of-shit self.

  22. 22.

    Spaghetti Lee

    August 21, 2012 at 12:07 am

    @Ron:

    Uh, well, he was up by 11 before this story broke, so I’d say that’s kind of big news.

  23. 23.

    GregB

    August 21, 2012 at 12:08 am

    @Mark S.:

    That was pretty early in the day and it is internal party ratfucking to force him out.

    I think this cement head is going to stay in because God called him to run.

    I am more offended by his horrendous comb-over than his neanderthal opinions.

  24. 24.

    JGabriel

    August 21, 2012 at 12:08 am

    __
    __
    Brachiator:

    The press should ask every prominent GOP woman why they stay in a party that endorses such foolishness.

    I think they should start with Sarah Palin. Because you know Palin will defend Akin, if she gets the chance.

    .

  25. 25.

    cmorenc

    August 21, 2012 at 12:09 am

    @JR:

    My read of the law is that Akin has another 5 weeks, and the GOP can replace him until that point, so long as he’s willing to get a court order and pay for any necessary ballot reprinting.

    Even if Aiken refuses to drop out until sometime after tomorrow’s 5pm deadline, the GOP (or one of their billionaire donors) would likely be GLAD to pick up the required tab for reprinting ballots, if Aiken does later agree to drop out. They’d probably even quietly fund some right-wing organization to give Aiken a cushy job for a couple of years, though it would need to be some organization without any direct ties to the formal GOP itself.

  26. 26.

    beltane

    August 21, 2012 at 12:10 am

    @kerFuFFler: Doing any sort of homework went against my belief system when I was in high school. Too bad for me my high school wasn’t in Missouri.

  27. 27.

    Ron

    August 21, 2012 at 12:11 am

    @Spaghetti Lee: not in the PPP Poll. He was up by one in the last PPP poll as well

  28. 28.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    August 21, 2012 at 12:11 am

    @GregB: We can only hope.

  29. 29.

    Soprano2

    August 21, 2012 at 12:11 am

    I’m from MO, and I don’t want him to drop out, because I want McCaskill to beat him. She might not be the best Democrat, but she’s head and shoulders above any of the people who ran in the Republican primary.

    Yes, that stupid religious freedom thing probably helped him win the primary, although Claire was also running ads telling people he was the “most conservative” choice. They were all trying to “out-conservative” each other, it was disgusting.

  30. 30.

    Spaghetti Lee

    August 21, 2012 at 12:11 am

    http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/poll-missourians-say-akin-should-quit-senate-race

    Some interesting polling out of Missouri. The respondents think he should drop out by a 54-35 margin. There’s also an agree/disagree margin of 13-76, so this is too much even for most of the 27%ers.

  31. 31.

    Brachiator

    August 21, 2012 at 12:12 am

    @Soonergrunt:

    Of course I could be wrong, and he’ll pick up the lead-in hour to Mike Huckabee’s radio show

    Or go on tour with Hank Williams Jr.

    What’s been the reaction among voters in Akin’s district? It might be worth it to the GOP to have him tough it out.

  32. 32.

    Spaghetti Lee

    August 21, 2012 at 12:13 am

    @kerFuFFler:

    “Mr. Jones, I can’t take this calculus test. Against my religion.”

    Jesus Christ, it was a JOKE when Bill Watterson used it.

  33. 33.

    JGabriel

    August 21, 2012 at 12:13 am

    @Mark S.:

    I’d feel a little better if Erik Son of Erick wasn’t one of the sources, but TPM is reporting that Akin’s going to withdraw.

    TPM reported that Akin’s advisers were preparing for him to withdraw. Subsequent reports had Akin denying that and saying he was staying in.

    I think both stories are true: Akin intends to stay in, and his campaign is preparing for his withdrawal anyway — just in case.

    .

  34. 34.

    DanR2

    August 21, 2012 at 12:15 am

    Palin will not defend Akin. She campaigned for Steelman in MO. (and, trust me, you do not want to see any of those speeches *shudder…’hot momma”*) Steelman is a bigger nut than Akin.

    Look for Ashcroft or some other re-tread.

  35. 35.

    mechwarrior online

    August 21, 2012 at 12:17 am

    Warning, offensive.

    I think some are talking about degrees of rape just like say assault, murder or robbery. For example, let’s say I rob you. Now I can force you to give me your cash by threatening to release some information about you. I can threaten you with physical force to rob you. I can beat you to a pulp and then rob you. Or I could just shoot you, take what I want and run. None of these crimes are the same, and they aren’t treated as such.

    Rape on the other hand, is loaded enough that often the who, what, how, when and why, flies out the window and things take a turn for the dramatic quickly.

    It strikes me that there is something going on about what kind of rape it was, and then calling into question abortion based off this. I know this is offensive but work with me for a bit.

    What many Republicans are saying is “if you got pregnant, it wasn’t a rape so deal with it”, what others are saying is “there is a difference between rape via blackmail or peer pressure and rape by violent force”.

    I think this is worth keeping in mind because a lot of people define that sort of thing differently. In conservative circles often things aren’t criminal short of physical force. Libertarians are huge on this. Forcing someone to do something via economic threat is fine. Forcing someone to do something via contract threat is fine. It’s only once you cross the line into physical violence they consider it a problem. In the case of rape many would not consider “fuck me, it’s part of the job” rape if it was in a contract. Nor would they consider blackmailing someone for sex rape. However physically throwing someone to the ground and holding a gun to them would be.

    It’s a strictly male viewpoint but that’s often how it works. Prison is a rape factory, but you’re only raped if you’re pinned down and raped. If not, you just wussed out. It’s one of the reasons men do not come forward about being raped by women or men, unless you physically fought back many just consider it being pushed into something and not rape.

    I don’t agree with that, but it’s something I’ve heard more than once, especially in the military. This will crush the Republicans, but hopefully it can open up a bit more honest discussion about sexual predation on all levels.

    Just keep in mind that many on the right view forced actions by financial or phsychological threat fine, but draw the line at physical. It’s wrong and stupid, just keep it in mind.

  36. 36.

    Cacti

    August 21, 2012 at 12:20 am

    I guess what really chaps my ass about Akin’s statement is how “shocked” the Villagers are acting.

    Akin’s view is representative of the anti-choice movement, not a revelation of some sort. His brand of extremism has been hiding in plain sight for multiple years.

  37. 37.

    Spaghetti Lee

    August 21, 2012 at 12:22 am

    @DanR2:

    Ashcroft! Woo hoo! Any other Bush goons out there? Does Dick Cheney want to jump into the Wyoming senate race?

  38. 38.

    Quincy

    August 21, 2012 at 12:22 am

    I hope stays in til the end, but he needs to at least makes it through tomorrow. It would be terrific to do this all again after a similarly stupid comment in mid-September before the final deadline. If he bails then, at least his replacement will have a month less time to organize.

  39. 39.

    Sawgrass Stan

    August 21, 2012 at 12:25 am

    I notice from TPM that Achin’ is still polling ahead of McClaskill, though I doubt any new polls have been taken in the last 48 hrs.
    But there’s this: If wimmin can’t get pregnant from a “legitimate” rape, doesn’t that mean that any “rape” resulting in pregnancy is, prima facie, not a rape, and that the innocent victim (i.e., the rapist) must be freed, and maybe compensated for his unlawful imprisonment? Maybe the woman filing such a false charge and the prosecutor who brought the case should be brought up on criminal charges. Akin got his talking points from jerks like Tony Perkins and like-minded loons on the anti-abortion circuit, why not ask all of them if they’ll sign on to a class-action to free these poor victims of this leftist man-hating lesbian jihad?

  40. 40.

    Geoduck

    August 21, 2012 at 12:25 am

    Add me to those who think he’s not quitting under any circumstances. And he could still easily win. Won’t that be awkward..

  41. 41.

    mechwarrior online

    August 21, 2012 at 12:25 am

    @Cacti:

    All the villagers, liberal or conservative, are social liberals, economic conservatives, and military imperialists. The only difference is “am I a democrat that does the right thing and cuts social security and medicare” or “am I a republican that is willing to tolerate these bigots so we can cut social security and medicare”. There isn’t one bit of difference between the actual elite on on either side. It’s just which party they think can get them to our grand socially liberal (so rich fucks can get their party on and not go to jail) yet fiscally conservative (so they can afford that party) paradise the quickest.

    People are SHOCKED, SHOCKED, when it comes out that some in the Republican base actually want social conservatism, or some in the Democratic base actually want to expand medicare. Because these things are JUST NOT DONE. It doesn’t fit into the ideal of “ivy league education, trust fund, gay best friends, party all the time, legalized drugs, rewarded for being the child of a Bush/Clinton, where is my yatch” mindset they share.

  42. 42.

    Hunter Gathers

    August 21, 2012 at 12:27 am

    Akin’s not going anywhere. Do you really think a middle-aged man who’s spent his entire career in politics is going to willingly give up a shot at the most exclusive club in the entire world? The access that being a Senator gets you cannot be measured in dollars and cents. There’s no fucking way Akin gives up his only shot at getting into the Show. It doesn’t matter what any poll shows you, Akin’s still no worse than 50-50 to win in November. Only an idiot turns down those kinds of odds.

  43. 43.

    mechwarrior online

    August 21, 2012 at 12:29 am

    @Hunter Gathers:

    My Senator, Webb, just said “you all suck, fuck you, I’m going home” not that long ago to the Senate. People do give it up and hate it.

  44. 44.

    tofubo

    August 21, 2012 at 12:29 am

    OT, of course

    point:
    http://tooyoungforthelivingdead.tumblr.com/post/29343162238/alternate-text-bus-ad-reading-in-any-war-between

    counterpoint:
    http://drzank.tumblr.com/post/29831608695/purogallopinto

  45. 45.

    The Dangerman

    August 21, 2012 at 12:32 am

    He stays in…

    …and the money from Rove, et al, gets turned back on before the week’s out.

  46. 46.

    Jennifer

    August 21, 2012 at 12:35 am

    Not defending the asshat, but I’m not sure the term “legitimate rape” is the biggest issue there. Sure, it’s heinous, but that’s the one part of the stupid assed shit he said that actually COULD have been a misstatement, the word “legitimate” standing in for “forcible” or “violent” or several other descriptors.

    For me the biggest issue is the bullshit “doctors have told me that there’s this special substance the ladies produce that blocks them from getting pregnant if they actually weren’t asking for it.” Which doctors told him about this magical substance never before detected by medical science? None of them, that’s who.

    That twit Dana Louche was twatting about how Akin’s comment was a “flubbed sound bite” or something equally stupid…no, it wasn’t. He said what was in his mind, either because he’s so fucking stupid he actually believes it, in which case one can understand why he wasn’t bright enough to see that it would cause outrage, or because he was lying, in which case he is smart enough to know it’s total bullshit and therefore also sharp enough to know that it would cause outrage and just didn’t care, which would make him a colossal dick. So, stupid or colossal dick, though there’s probably no need to choose – he can be both at the same time.

    Anyhoo, Louche in her deep wisdom thought that “why aren’t you lefties talking about the OWS rapes, huh, huh?” was somehow the perfect comeback, as if the fact that some women got raped at Occupy sites had anything to do with Akin being a stupid, colossal dick; she acted as if Akin’s mealy-mouthed “I misspoke” comment cleared the air…which of course it doesn’t, because again, he either said something he’s stupid enough to believe or he lied; then she shifted gears into “Akin shouldn’t apologize for this statement until Obama apologizes for calling Mitt Romney a murderer,” which, of course, Obama never did. Our intrepid, well-qualified CNN commentator either isn’t bright enough to recognize the difference between a superpac and a candidate’s campaign organization, or she lied…like Akin, which probably explains why she saw nothing wrong with his “flubbed sound bite.” Erik son of Erik, who actually found something to criticize in the drunken skinny-dipping by the GOP asshat from Kansas had weighed in on the feed today to give Louche some “ata-boys” for sticking to her guns and defending the indefensible….You have to wonder how fucked-up a political movement has to be when they can’t say “that was a horrible, and horribly ignorant, thing to say” but they come unglued when they hear that someone’s naughty bits were on public display a year ago.

    At least Romney has had to address it, and thanks in large part to left blogistan, it ain’t going away, despite the best efforts of Breitbart’s attack muppet and her colleague who have helped cover CNN in glory.

  47. 47.

    David Koch

    August 21, 2012 at 12:36 am

    Hope he doesn’t bend to the liberal media.

  48. 48.

    dead existentialist

    August 21, 2012 at 12:37 am

    @JGabriel:

    .

  49. 49.

    pattonbt

    August 21, 2012 at 12:37 am

    He’ll stay in and he’ll win big.

  50. 50.

    JGabriel

    August 21, 2012 at 12:38 am

    @mechwarrior online:

    My Senator, Webb, just said “you all suck, fuck you, I’m going home”.

    Webb had a long career in the military, and a different set of desires and expectations than Akin.

    .

  51. 51.

    Cacti

    August 21, 2012 at 12:40 am

    @Jennifer:

    That twit Dana Louche was twatting about how Akin’s comment was a “flubbed sound bite” or something equally stupid…no, it wasn’t. He said what was in his mind, either because he’s so fucking stupid he actually believes it

    If religious conservatives can believe the earth is 6,000 years old, it’s not much of a stretch for them to believe women secrete a magical ‘gina juice that protects against hostile invader sperm.

  52. 52.

    Smiling Mortician

    August 21, 2012 at 12:41 am

    @mechwarrior online:

    Just keep in mind that many on the right view forced actions by financial or phsychological threat fine, but draw the line at physical. It’s wrong and stupid, just keep it in mind.

    It’s not just wrong and stupid. It’s impossible. Rape is physical. You can’t take the “physical” out of it just because something psychological or financial may have preceded the actual physical assault.

    And yes, I know that “many on the right” view all sorts of impossible things as if they were real so I’m wasting my breath but holy shit, man.

  53. 53.

    FlyingToaster

    August 21, 2012 at 12:42 am

    @The Dangerman:

    and the money from Rove, et al, gets turned back on before the week’s out.

    Not that soon.

    The NRSC won’t turn the taps back on, period. They need someone to make an example of and Akin’s handed them their Golden Opportunity.

    Crossroads, etc. won’t turn the taps back on until after the Democratic convention. Then, if Akin’s survived and maintaining parity w/ McCaskill (a la the PPP poll in the field), the SuperPacs will definitely fill up any remaining airtime.

    not-remotely-full disclosure: I grew up in KCMO; my dad grew up in KCMO; my grandad grew up in St. Joe and my grandma in Maysville. I fled at 18, and cheered when “The Day After” aired. The people I went to high school were all either IGMFY or bibletards; every last one of them would still vote for Akin.

    Akin’s tweeting for cash amongst the Xtianists; my money is he’s raised a million by noon tomorrow and can tell the NRSC to suck it.

    Small Appliance +2

  54. 54.

    Mark S.

    August 21, 2012 at 12:44 am

    Behind every great man

    But a source with ties to Akin’s political operation tells First Read that the GOP congressman most likely won’t quit the contest, saying Akin believes this race is “providential” and even if Akin was ready to get out, his wife would never let him quit. The person with knowledge of Akin’s political operation adds: “She makes him seem like the reasonable one.”

  55. 55.

    mechwarrior online

    August 21, 2012 at 12:44 am

    @Jennifer:

    Yeah this….

    Not defending the asshat, but I’m not sure the term “legitimate rape” is the biggest issue there. Sure, it’s heinous, but that’s the one part of the stupid assed shit he said that actually COULD have been a misstatement, the word “legitimate” standing in for “forcible” or “violent” or several other descriptors.

    Is what I was getting at. Because it’s an act, that much like robbery, can be viewed different based off what actually went down. And it’s worth noting that some view “violent methods” at where it crosses the line. IE, when my nephew got his money “stolen” at school because he gave it up, he wasn’t robbed. Got his ass beaten to a bloody pulp and it taken, I’d call that robbed.

    And yeah I’m aware it’s a sexist male self governing issue. But for most of us it’s drilled into our skulls from birth that “unless you were physically forced to do it, you did it on your of your own valition and should shut the fuck up about it”. It’s a societal and gender issue, but people should keep in mind that for a ton of guys “against your will” means “physically could not resist”, it’s why we often have to be beaten as kids to fall in line.

  56. 56.

    JGabriel

    August 21, 2012 at 12:46 am

    __
    __
    Jennifer:

    Sure, it’s heinous, but that’s the one part of the stupid assed shit he said that actually COULD have been a misstatement, the word “legitimate” standing in for “forcible” or “violent” or several other descriptors.

    I think the issue is that none of the alternatives are any better. In fact, assuming “legitimate” is a misstatement, then it’s a freudian slip, because it’s certainly not a homonym. It means he thinks any non-violent rape isn’t legitimate.

    For me the biggest issue is the bullshit “doctors have told me that there’s this special substance the ladies produce that blocks them from getting pregnant if they actually weren’t asking for it.”

    I think that’s part & parcel of the whole Akin outrage package. It doesn’t fit in a soundbite, headline, or chyron as easily as “legitimate rape”, but I don’t think anyone is arguing that it isn’t as bad.

    .

  57. 57.

    JGabriel

    August 21, 2012 at 12:47 am

    @dead existentialist: Yes? I’m waiting with bated breath.

    .

  58. 58.

    Spaghetti Lee

    August 21, 2012 at 12:47 am

    @Mark S.:

    even if Akin was ready to get out, his wife would never let him quit.

    Is it misogynist of me to find that hilarious? “But honeybunch, I’m tired of running for the senate! Can’t I just get a FOX news show instead?” “Zip it, you old fart! You’re going to get me into that bitch Ann Romney’s country club if it kills you!”

  59. 59.

    mechwarrior online

    August 21, 2012 at 12:49 am

    @JGabriel:

    The point is people can walk away from the Senate and not give a damn. And his military career wasn’t long at all, he came back to work as a civilian, in that aspect I’m just like him. But it’s not “service” and I don’t think you’d find anybody that put the uniform on that thinks serving without it is the same.

    I’m sad we lost him, truly.

  60. 60.

    Cacti

    August 21, 2012 at 12:50 am

    @mechwarrior online:

    when my nephew got his money “stolen” at school because he gave it up, he wasn’t robbed

    And you would be quite wrong.

    Force OR fear are elements of robbery in the common law.

  61. 61.

    Jennifer

    August 21, 2012 at 12:52 am

    @JGabriel: Oh, I agree that none of the alternatives are any better. I’m just sayin’, the “I misspoke” bullshit dodge might apply to that ONE word; there’s no way to claim, with a straight face, that the rest of the statement was a “misstatement.” Shithead claimed that doctors had TOLD him that the ladies produce a magical anti-baby shield when they weren’t asking for it. That’s a deliberate statement – no frickin’ way “misspeaking” will cover that.

  62. 62.

    dead existentialist

    August 21, 2012 at 12:52 am

    @JGabriel: @JGabriel:

    .

    I see your point

    .

    Apparently, you missed mine

    .

  63. 63.

    mechwarrior online

    August 21, 2012 at 12:54 am

    @JGabriel:

    It’s a guy thing. I haven’t been raped, but living in DC I have been “robbed” several times. I don’t consider it robbed, mugged, or whatever you call it unless their was a physical assault. I know people who have been “raped” in prison, males, and they only considered it was rape when done by force. When coughing it up to avoid violence or gain favors they didn’t consider it that.

    Again, not saying this viewpoint is right, but it’s widely held.

    To go one further it’s why conservative economics win fans. You weren’t “robbed” by the rich, you got taken like a fool. But the government can rob you because if not they have the threat of force.

  64. 64.

    JGabriel

    August 21, 2012 at 12:54 am

    @Jennifer:

    Shithead claimed that doctors had TOLD him that the ladies produce a magical anti-baby shield when they weren’t asking for it. That’s a deliberate statement – no frickin’ way “misspeaking” will cover that.

    Yep. Totally agree.

    .

  65. 65.

    kerFuFFler

    August 21, 2012 at 12:54 am

    Just saw this and had to share!

    (This Akin thing is going to help us write slogans for sure!)

  66. 66.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    August 21, 2012 at 12:55 am

    @Mark S.:

    saying Akin believes this race is “providential” …: “She makes him seem like the reasonable one.”

    I don’t know which of those sentences is scarier

  67. 67.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    August 21, 2012 at 12:55 am

    @Mark S.:

    saying Akin believes this race is “providential” …: “She makes him seem like the reasonable one.”

    I don’t know which of those sentences is scarier

  68. 68.

    Cacti

    August 21, 2012 at 12:56 am

    @Jennifer:

    Shithead claimed that doctors had TOLD him that the ladies produce a magical anti-baby shield when they weren’t asking for it.

    There are plenty of quack doctors out there.

    Bill Frist, MD diagnosed Terri Schiavo as fit to run the Boston Marathon, based on what he saw on TV.

  69. 69.

    GregB

    August 21, 2012 at 12:56 am

    @Mark S.:

    Just want to point out that I called it with this skullfuck that he’s been chosen by God.

    Now on the matter of his wife forcing him to stay in…..

  70. 70.

    Triassic Sands

    August 21, 2012 at 12:57 am

    I think it’s pretty obvious he was talking about forcible rape. The word “legitimate” was not what bothered me; people choose the wrong word all the time. What bothered me was what is inside this cretin’s head that would even get him to the point where he was discussing forcible rape and abortions and whether a woman should be granted an exception to the Baby Jeebus Code of Justice’s ban on abortions. What bothered me was and is the witch doctor level of scientific sophistication that he and other religious zealots have concerning things like pregnancy and rape. Once again we have a Republican substituting laughable magical thinking (a woman’s supernatural sperm seeking nuclear — pronounced noo-kew-lur — warheads to prevent her from becoming pregnant when her body is invaded by unwanted tadpoles) for science, because their science is found in the Bible and it is not only primitive, it is dead wrong. What bothered me was once again we have a bunch of ignorant men telling women what they can and can’t do with their bodies.

    And probably what bothers me most is that in the US a sickening idiot like this can actually win a nomination and probably even the general election as long as he doesn’t say what’s really in his mind and heart. All he has to do is tone it down just a little for the “undecided” voters, and he’s home free.

  71. 71.

    mechwarrior online

    August 21, 2012 at 12:57 am

    @Cacti:

    Common law and how people view it are not the same thing at times. Like it or not there is a large swath of the population that draws the line at “physical threat”, we need to learn to deal with it. It’s one of the areas we fail at because the right is only concerned with that.

  72. 72.

    Mark S.

    August 21, 2012 at 12:58 am

    Here’s a little info on Mrs. Akin. She started out as a godless hippie, flirting with joining the Peace Corps or working for Ralph Nader. Then she met Combover and became a fundamentalist Christian. A friend calls it “right out of a biblical romance novel,” which threw me for a loop. The most romantic story from the Bible I can think of is David and Jonathan, but I don’t think that’s what they had in mind.

  73. 73.

    Mark S.

    August 21, 2012 at 12:59 am

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    They’re both pretty damn scary.

  74. 74.

    mechwarrior online

    August 21, 2012 at 1:00 am

    @Cacti:

    We really don’t want to get into quack medicine. Since the left is the source of anti vaccine issues, homeopathy, and other such quack science. It’s branded our faces.

  75. 75.

    Cacti

    August 21, 2012 at 1:01 am

    @Mark S.:

    Here’s a little info on Mrs. Akin. She started out as a godless hippie, flirting with joining the Peace Corps or working for Ralph Nader. Then she met Combover and became a fundamentalist Christian

    Just like ex-drunks make the most obnoxious teetotalers, ex-heathens make the most repugnant holy rollers.

    See: Mustaine, Dave

  76. 76.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    August 21, 2012 at 1:01 am

    @JGabriel: someone on MSNBC said today she had heard this argument from a Georgia state senator, in the chamber, from a goober with an MD.

  77. 77.

    JGabriel

    August 21, 2012 at 1:02 am

    __
    __
    dead existentialist: Ah. The point.

    It’s a two decade old habit, developed when back in the BBS days. I tried to break it the last time John updated the site’s comment format, but failed. It just felt weird and uncomfortable trying not to do it anymore.

    So mock me and move on. I’m old and set in my ways, well, middle-aged anyway. (I measure time by how a body sways.)

    .

  78. 78.

    1badbaba3

    August 21, 2012 at 1:04 am

    @danimal:

    Vitter wasn’t going up against the incumbent, and he had the full support of the Righteous in Congress. I do believe they gave him a standing ovation upon his return. One of the many reasons I believe they are ultimately doomed.

    Face it, we’re just better than they are. Period.

  79. 79.

    mdblanche

    August 21, 2012 at 1:08 am

    @tofubo: http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2012/08/20/muni-puts-up-counter-ads-to-controversial-pro-israel-messages-on-buses-activist-says-manifestation-of-sharia/

  80. 80.

    dead existentialist

    August 21, 2012 at 1:09 am

    @JGabriel: !

    ; )

  81. 81.

    mechwarrior online

    August 21, 2012 at 1:13 am

    @Cacti:

    No, it’s all hippies. Working in a non profit it’s common. “I want to save the world, but I fucking need that BMW or I won’t fit in, let me wed a lawyer”. It’s really, really, really, common in DC. So much it’s to be expected that the more Peace Corps style the girl, the more hardcore libertarian she’s married to. And then it’s get passed off as “see we can get along, centrism”.

  82. 82.

    Origuy

    August 21, 2012 at 1:14 am

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    someone on MSNBC said today she had heard this argument from a Georgia state senator, in the chamber, from a goober with an MD.

    Some MDs are scientists, most are mechanics. Ever had an auto mechanic tell you something about a modern car that he learned working on his ’65 Dodge Dart as a kid?

  83. 83.

    JGabriel

    August 21, 2012 at 1:24 am

    @dead existentialist: Danke.

    .

  84. 84.

    Jebediah

    August 21, 2012 at 1:50 am

    Five o’clock world!
    I roadied for a bit for a band that did a lovely cover of that song.

  85. 85.

    Brandon

    August 21, 2012 at 1:57 am

    It’s a base turnout kind of election in a state Obama will lose. The hell this guy is gonna quit now, particularly since as others have pointed out, this hasn’t affected his polling at all.

    The voters of MO understand he is an idiotic creep, but he’s a Republican creep, their creep, so they don’t care. The only people this affects is the national Republican party, like say if Cynthia McKinney was elected to the Senate.

    Can you imagine what Republicans would say? Yeah, me too. Which is why the Democrats should not fail to say it loud and clear so everyone can hear.

  86. 86.

    Mnemosyne

    August 21, 2012 at 1:57 am

    @mechwarrior online:

    What many Republicans are saying is “if you got pregnant, it wasn’t a rape so deal with it”, what others are saying is “there is a difference between rape via blackmail or peer pressure and rape by violent force”.

    Of course, women in war zones like Bosnia or Somalia who ended up pregnant after being gang-raped half to death might want to argue with the Republican claim that violent rape never results in pregnancy.

    Because that’s what the claim is here: violent rape never ends in pregnancy, so therefore any woman who gets pregnant after being raped wasn’t “really” raped, so therefore there’s no need to provide Plan B to rape victims or to allow any exceptions to abortion laws because real rape victims won’t get pregnant.

    You’re right that it’s completely male-centric bullshit since apparently the males you know are completely ignorant of human biology and have no clue how reproduction works.

    Oh, and hi again, SteveinDC. Interesting new nym.

  87. 87.

    daverave

    August 21, 2012 at 1:57 am

    @Waynski:

    Because Derek Jeter great… 4 more hits tonight albeit in a losing effort. He’s been en fuego.

  88. 88.

    Yutsano

    August 21, 2012 at 2:01 am

    @Mnemosyne: And ye shall know them by their deeds…or words in this case. I smelled the contrarian bullshit a while back, I was just waiting for it to become obvious.

  89. 89.

    Brother Shotgun of Sweet Reason

    August 21, 2012 at 2:06 am

    @mechwarrior online:

    I don’t consider it robbed, mugged, or whatever you call it unless their was a physical assault.

    You may not consider it, but the rest of us do. I was 90 pounds in junior high. If a 180 pound jock wanted my lunch money, according to your lights, I have to swing at him and get beaten in order to consider myself robbed. That’s just fecking BS. The threat of force is force.

  90. 90.

    Brother Shotgun of Sweet Reason

    August 21, 2012 at 2:11 am

    @Origuy:

    Ever had an auto mechanic tell you something about a modern car that he learned working on his ‘65 Dodge Dart as a kid?

    Actually, no. The mechanics I go to are really solid on my semi-modern cars and I’m the one telling them stories about the junkers I worked on in the 70s. With, like, carburetors.

  91. 91.

    David Koch

    August 21, 2012 at 2:33 am

    BREAKING: Ben Roethlisberger endorses Todd Akin

  92. 92.

    Applejinx

    August 21, 2012 at 3:58 am

    I hate this talk of ‘legitimate rape’, I hate these people, and I hate this idea that if a rape victim got pregnant it’s because she liked it.

    And that the world must therefore protect a rapist’s progeny at the expense of her own life if necessary.

    It’s fucking medieval. It’s sick. Freaks me out and I’m not even female.

  93. 93.

    Valdivia

    August 21, 2012 at 6:59 am

    Can we just say it once again with feeling: Rape is Rape. No hyphens. Ever.

  94. 94.

    gelfling545

    August 21, 2012 at 7:45 am

    @beltane: Some of my students tried that one out over the years, mostly followed with “Teacher, why are you so mean?” Actually students have never had to participate in activities that offend their religious beliefs but those were usually things involving holidays, etc., not the basic curriculum.

  95. 95.

    Omnes Omnibus

    August 21, 2012 at 7:57 am

    @mechwarrior online:

    It’s a guy thing.

    Bullshit. Pure, unadulterated bullshit.

  96. 96.

    Marc

    August 21, 2012 at 8:08 am

    I think that he’ll stay in, and I also think that he’ll lose. MO voters might be unwilling to vote for a black president, but they have been willing to vote for dems downticket. And you can’t use an election like 2010 to argue for a long-term trend – e.g. I’d bet that in 2016 a candidate like Clinton could very well win in MO.

  97. 97.

    Agoraphobic Kleptomaniac

    August 21, 2012 at 10:45 am

    @mechwarrior online:

    Again, not saying this viewpoint is right, but it’s widely held.

    Bull. If you can show me a single person who wouldn’t call a stranger taking your personal belongings on the street as “robbery” or “mugging”, regardless of the level of physical violence, i’ll eat my hat.

    This is not the point, and so far off the actual issue of Akin’s statement that I despair at the discussion at all. If you can’t see this, I worry any other points made are just dust.

  98. 98.

    CarolDuhart2

    August 21, 2012 at 12:06 pm

    @mechwarrior online: WOn the left this stuff is celebrity-driven or a matter of private preference. I’m sure none of the Democratic candidates are trying to impose this on other people like the right with creationism or their ideas about rape.

  99. 99.

    AHH onna Droid

    August 21, 2012 at 12:11 pm

    @Applejinx: insult to medieval ppl. Their medical armamentarium was chockfull of alleged abortifacients. Ste Brigid of Ireland got a girl an abortion in her hagiography. (Brigid was yet another foreign deity turned into a saint by medieval Catholics.)

    What youre looking for is the Reformation–John Calvin, Savonarola, witch trials, reactionary religious austerity, religious wars and Puritanism, anti-Semitism. When the nutjobs rolled into town, they appealed to some sort of christian good old days which were as fictional as the White Wing’s 1950s.

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