The other day I took the contrariwise position that the GOP should have circles the wagons around Akin. Alas, then we get this
AKIN: You know, Dr. Willke has just released a statement and part of his letter, I think he just stated it very clearly. He said, of course Akin never used the word legitimate to refer to the rapist, but to false claims like those made in Roe v. Wade and I think that simplifies it….. There isn’t any legitimate rapist…. [I was] making the point that there were people who use false claims, like those that basically created Roe v. Wade.
Making a really, really dumb statement is forgivable, especially since he apologized: following it up with another dumbass, bat guano insane statement is inexcusable. A long term politician should know better than to clarify. You just move on. Time to go, Todd.
That said, I stand by one of my main points about circling the wagons instead of immediately running the person over with a steamroller. Consider what happened with Larry Craig.
When that issue popped up the big shiny bus peeled out, aiming right for him. Exactly what did he do wrong? Soliciting consensual gay sex with no money involved isn’t a crime in a sane world (if that was what he was actually doing). Instead of supporting Craig in his personal life and attacking the Dems for gay bashing, Craig was assaulted by the GOP, I guess because they were embarrassed or something.
Just hours after Christine O’Donnell won the GOP primary, the NRSC said the6 would help her out with money, advice, and training….oh, wait, they said she’d get no money and was on her own. Why? Cause she was a bit wacky? Then Republicans started denigrating her. Do we want robots or something?
There was no real support for Sharon Angle or Linda McMahon. And others have had the same thing happen. Some went after Joe Wilson after he said “You Lie!”
Maybe instead of saying Akin had to go originally the GOP could have denounced him and then told him STFU, let’s move on and win this race. Too late.
Of course, the follow up is still on Akin, and he needs to go
