Congressman Akin Should Stay

Yes, Congressman Todd Akin, Republican candidate for US Senate in Missouri, said some unbelievably stupid things this week, but he should stay in the race. If every politician who said something stupid were cast out, there would be no-one left. Vice President Biden says things just as stupid almost every day of the week.

I do not agree with his position on abortion, but there are millions of good people whose religious views correspond with his, and they are welcome in the Republican Party, my party.

I only have one goal for November: beat Obama and elect Republican majorities in both the House and the Senate so that Obama’s march toward a weaker and poorer America can be reversed.

Todd Akin resists pressure from fellow Republicans to drop out of the Missouri Senate race over rape comments.

Last Modified: 21 Aug 2012  Al Jazerra (excerpt)

"Republican US congressman Todd Akin, under fire for controversial remarks on abortion and rape, said on Tuesday that he was not dropping out of the Senate race in the US state of Missouri.

Despite calls from throughout the Republican party for him to step out of his race against Democratic senator Claire McCaskill, Akin vowed to stay in the race, indicating he represents a conservative movement that must be heard.

"We are going to continue in this race for US Senate," he told the Mike Huckabee Show, a radio programme hosted by the former Arkansas governor, an Akin supporter and a favourite of religious conservatives.

Akin has been under fire for his televised comments that women's bodies are able to prevent pregnancies if they are victims of "a legitimate rape."

Asked in an interview Sunday on a local television station, KTVI, if he would support abortions for women who have been raped, Akin said: "It seems to me, first of all, from what I understand from doctors, that's really rare. If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down."

'It's clear that I misspoke'

He has since backtracked, a bit, from his comments, saying in a statement on Sunday that he "misspoke" during the interview, though he did not say specifically which points were in error.

"In reviewing my off-the-cuff remarks, it's clear that I misspoke in this interview, and it does not reflect the deep empathy I hold for the thousands of women who are raped and abused every year," Akin's statement said.

Akin also said he believes "deeply in the protection of all life" and does "not believe that harming another innocent victim is the right course of action". Al Jazerra

*************************

Poll finds Akin with slim lead over McCaskill after rape comments

By Alexandra Jaffe - 08/21/12 The Hill (excerpt)

“Two new polls suggest Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) is still competitive in his race for Missouri's Senate seat despite the firestorm over his controversial comments on rape.

A poll released by Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling (PPP) late Monday still gives Akin a single-percentage-point lead over incumbent Sen. Claire McCaskill (D), the same lead he posted in a PPP poll from late May.

A Survey USA poll, however, finds that a majority of Missourians believe he misspoke and want him to drop out, but that Akin still has support among Republicans in the red-trending state….

….The new PPP survey was taken between 6 and 9 p.m. Central Time on Monday — after Akin's comments had been widely publicized and he had been asked by senior Republicans to drop out of the race.

His persistent lead — even as 75 percent of voters and over two-thirds of Republicans in the PPP poll say his comments were inappropriate — is likely due to McCaskill's persistent unpopularity in the state. A majority, 53 percent, of Missourians disapprove of the senator, and the same percentage of independent Missourians disapprove of her as well, indicating she'll have an uphill battle to sway voters to back her in the general election.

Still, Akin has a pretty lukewarm rating with Missourians, too, with a full 58 percent rating him unfavorably. Even those who voted for then-GOP presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) in 2008 are largely split over Akin, with 40 percent saying they view him favorably and 39 percent saying they view him unfavorably.” The Hill