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Political controversies often have a strange lifecycle. In one of the more common trajectories, an event occurs, it's followed by a backlash, which then leads to a backlash to the backlash.
Take Todd Akin, for example, whose public standing was ruined by his rape comments last weekend, but who is now finding new allies who disapprove of the Republican establishment leading the lynch mob.
While an array of Republican leaders and conservative activists have called on GOP Rep. Todd Akin to withdraw from the Missouri Senate race, Mike Huckabee is rallying to the embattled congressman's defense.
In an email to supporters Thursday, Huckabee solicited donations for Akin's campaign and blasted national GOP leaders. Huckabee wrote that he was "shocked" that some Republicans tried to end Akin's political career over a "misstatement."
"If Todd Akin loses the Senate seat, I will not blame Todd Akin," Huckabee, who endorsed Akin in the crowded GOP primary, wrote in the email. "He made his mistake, but was man enough to admit it and apologize. I'm waiting for the apology from whoever the genius was on the high pedestals of our party who thought it wise to not only shoot our wounded, but run over him with tanks and trucks and then feed his body to the liberal wolves."
If you read Huckabee's full, 800-word message of support, you'll notice a few dog-whistle phrases. As Ed Kilgore noted, "The references to Akin being 'left behind' and 'crucified' obviously have some resonance with Huck's large tribe of fans."
As for the larger context, it's likely Huckabee has partisan/electoral intentions -- Huckabee wants a Republican to win the seat, and it looks like Akin will remain in the race -- but let's also not forget that Huckabee almost certainly agrees with Akin's ridiculous sentiments.
As Rachel noted on the show on Monday, in 1998, a Republican named Fay Boozman was a U.S. Senate candidate in Arkansas taking a hard-right line on abortion rights, going so far as to say there was no need for a rape victims' exception to making abortion criminal because "God's little shield" prevented victims from becoming pregnant.
When Boozman lost badly, Huckabee put Boozman in charge of the Arkansas Department of Health. Seriously.
Is it really any wonder Huckabee is enthusiastically supporting Akin?
Huckabee's backing will likely encourage Akin to stick around even longer, and send a signal to the religious right movement that the right-wing candidate deserves evangelicals' support.
Indeed, I suspect the Republican establishment will come around in time, too. The GOP's major pillars -- the RNC, NRSC, Rove's attack operation, etc. -- said in no uncertain terms that they'll abandon Akin if he stays in the race, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if this was a large bluff, intended to force the candidate's hand.
In early October, if the race in Missouri appears competitive, and control of the Senate is on the line, will the Republican establishment really stay on the sidelines, simply because Akin is a nut who ignored their advice? I seriously doubt it.
This probably won't happen quickly, and it's likely GOP insiders will keep the pressure on in the hopes that Akin can still be coaxed out, but if social conservatives continue rally behind Akin and he refuses to budge, it seems inevitable that Republicans will coalesce eventually.
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Todd Akin has managed to blow open the burgeoning schism that has rapidly developed within the Republican Party, pitting the most extreme evangelical and anti-government crowd against just-as-conservative mainstream types who cherish power more than anything. Akin is nit alone. He has received tons of support for his scientifically illiterate and truly offensive views on women and rape. Why else would he stay in the race? The new GOP{ core has ditched the establishment and taken out on the low road of revolutionary conservatism and religious theology, seeking to radically change the country as we know it, women and their rights be damned. - principled progressive
I ran across this quote this morning . Says it all
"There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."
Isaac Azimov
Spot on! Worse, the GOP has actively courted the swamp critters to join up and find political expression and even respectability in its ranks.
Actually, I believe that the core tenet of a large portion of the republican base is that "I believe". And, everyone knows that belief is a better basis for 'knowledge' than science or facts.
Of course, were Asimov alive today, and running for office, Rove's SuperPAC would probably take the quote out of context and insist that Asimov is dangerous "Because HE believes (play the audio) my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.' Do we want someone who admits he's ignorant yet still believes he knows more than you in charge of the decisions that will affect YOUR life? Vote Craig T. Nelson in 2012!"
Shorter Huckabee: Todd Akin's campaign died for somebody's sins, but not mine.
God has given each of us freewill to choose what destiny we want and what choices we want to make. But there is something in addition that does exist which is associated with God that knows everything you do even if you think you can hide under some rock. There is no place to hide from such a thing that consists of so much power and has existed for longer than you can imagine. Every little signal firing in your brain that is your thoughts or actions are directly connected to it. And that is the light, which exists everywhere and we are so much a part of. That internal light of yours can grow dim, but you can never escape or hide from the true light and its power as it knows you better than you know yourself. And if you get messages or help from the light, it is always best to listen to those warnings, because not to do such a thing will bring the worst results than you can ever imagine. And not to listen is the lack of wisdom and you are just fools. It is always best to work to be one with the light as Jesus spoke of and other religious faiths have talked about. Because it will be soon enough when you will face it and it will be speaking to you and not you trying to tell it what to do. And if you think it discriminates if a person is a different skin color, sexual orientation, religious/spiritual belief, etc, you are very much wrong, since it does not care. When it is really your thoughts and actions to the real intent of what you do in your life and who you really are. You can gain all the wealth you want at the price of others and all that you have gained by craving power, greed, corruption, arrogance, being hypocrites, and deceiving, but is really the opposite of what it wants. It consists of love, compassion, understanding, truth, and the rest of the good things about love.
Re: #4
These two sentences stand out to me:
"It is always best to work to be one with the light as Jesus spoke of and other religious faiths have talked about."
"It consists of love, compassion, understanding, truth, and the rest of the good things about love."
There is nothing about Huckabee or the religious "Christian" extremists that seems to even remotely square with either the teachings of Jesus or the broader concepts you describe.
They are free to believe whatever they want. They CANNOT impose those beliefs on the rest of us!!!
Would Jesus wear a Rolex on His television show?
I agree with you maphi that is the point of this.
I was watching your show last night, when an observation hit me. If the "Personhood" amendment would get passed and all human rights and all US laws would now govern this fetus, wouldn't that give every child conceived in this country automatic citizenship?
Consider the number of overflights from Latin America to Canada and east Asia. Anchor babies galore!
A whole new mile (well, 6) high club of IMMIGRANT SPAWNED BROWNIES!
Somebody needs to plant this idea at Fox Nation and Free Republic and NewsMax and....
NO. This is the same man who's hawking the "Human Life Amendment". Huckabee would like to outlaw a woman's control over her body. Period.
Ummmm...does someone want to tell these guys that the Old Testament in the Bible talks about what should happen when a woman is raped and becomes pregnant? They're claiming things about God and theology, which they obviously have no clue about what those say about rape. Ugh! This is why mixing theology of any specific kind and public policy is such a bad idea - the policy makers don't know what they're talking about!!
If one can create a category of forcible rape (legitimate rape) to distinguish such an act from consensual rape (this is after all Ryan's and Akin's attempt to do), then one can also distinguish between conception and ex utero viability for a fetus. Problem solved even for Catholic theologians.
I don't get the part about Akin's "mistake". The word "legitimate" is and was used as a qualifier. One doesn't just accidentally add a qualifier to a sentence in a vacuum.
He could have referenced rape all day long without ever having to define it as legitimate...
The religious right has craved power since the Republicans made that deal with the devil. Each Republican president since Reagan has paid lip service to social issues but has not pushed the social issues enough to satisfy the religious right. And each time the religious right gets their voter referendum on the abortion and contraception issues, they have lost. Now they have given up trying to convince voters about these issues and have pushed the issues through the state legislatures. This has been a successful tactic in many states, but that is still not enough to satisfy the religious right. When the religious right has put up some hardline conservatives for Congress, they have lost races for the Senate. They want a Congress to send an abortion or personhood Constitutional amendment to the states where they can get a large number of Republican states to approve it. Huckabee wants to get enough Senators elected to pass the amendment regardless of public opinion. This is just another race where the religious right wants a voter referendum on the abortion issue, but Akin has made a mess. Some establishment Republicans know they do not have public opinion on their side so they want Akin out. Akin will lose despite all the money the religious right pours into the race because there are a lot of women who will not vote for him or any other conservative candidate that pushes for outlawing all abortions. This loss could cost the Republicans control of the Senate. If Dems hold the Senate the Republicans will be unable to push their agenda and will be forced to make deals with Dems regardless of who is in the White House and which party controls the House. The status quo is unacceptable to voters who will take their anger out on Republicans if they obstruct.
Through a discussion on Huffington Post, I found this link. This is very disturbing and a possible discussion on The Rachael Maddow Show. Anti-Choice supporters want women to keep their unwanted babies and "make lemonade". But if they do, these women are suspect and in 31 states must allow rapists visitation rights to the child. A life-long horror show for these women.
Here is an interesting take on it from a victim of rape, an attorney.
[georgetownlawjournal.org]
http://georgetownlawjournal.org/files/pdf/98-3/Prewitt.PDF
States are free to pass laws on the visitation issue including a complete ban on visitation by the rapist. And most states will pass such a law.