I know I'll probably be flamed to hell for saying this, but...
"YAY!"
IMHO, this guy is an ass, and deserves to lose. But his remarks are a symptom, not the underlying cause... they're a symptom of a lot of unscientific garbage, and a lot of disrespect toward women and their stories, that populate a certain segment of the Republican party.
Now, if the Republican party wants to cozy up to that segment, bully for them... but exposing that segment of the party for what it really is, and having the Republican party as a whole suffer for it, maybe enough that they reconsider that cozy relationship... that, in the end, is a very good thing.
I'm with mominatrix. I want this issue to remain in focus - make the Rs articulate their abortion/rape stance clearly and then deal with the fall out. I'm also hoping this propels McCaskill to the win and helps to keep the Senate D.
I'm with mominatrix. I want this issue to remain in focus - make the Rs articulate their abortion/rape stance clearly and then deal with the fall out. I'm also hoping this propels McCaskill to the win and helps to keep the Senate D.
I live in MO and I'm not registered for any party...didn't think you had to in Missouri. In fact, in the primary election earlier this month they just asked me which ticket I wanted. I know people who ask for the opposite ticket just so they can vote for someone they know their party can beat. Just sayin'
I live in MO and I'm not registered for any party...didn't think you had to in Missouri. In fact, in the primary election earlier this month they just asked me which ticket I wanted. I know people who ask for the opposite ticket just so they can vote for someone they knowbelieve their party can beat. Just sayin'
FTFY
...and it happens on both sides.
It's one of the reasons people like me think you should have to actually register prior to election day.
Post by jillboston on Aug 21, 2012 15:54:22 GMT -5
I say he should let his freak flag fly. It's not like most of the people who voted for him didn't know he was against abortion in the case of rape and incest - they got what they wanted - the only nuance is his apparent misunderstanding of biology. If this is who GOP voters want - they should have him.
I live in MO and I'm not registered for any party...didn't think you had to in Missouri. In fact, in the primary election earlier this month they just asked me which ticket I wanted. I know people who ask for the opposite ticket just so they can vote for someone they know their party can beat. Just sayin'
I am registered...and a Democrat...in MO. Hope that is clear enough for you. Just sayin'.
McGee, I'm in KC but went to MU. Definitely miss Shakespeare's and Trops!
I can only imagine what a field day the superpacs will have with this one. You Missouri people better let us know if you see a good one.
And who else wants to bet that some of the groups that pulled their financial support will get desperate in a month when the reality of losing the senate again hits them, and start re-funding via other superpacs?
I hope this means McCaskill wins, and maybe that a few people start taking a harder look at the R platform as a whole. I mean, they were for this guy before they were against him.
I'm having a hard time composing my words here. To a lot of the people in this thread, I respect you as smart women and it never bothers me on a personal level when we disagree.
HOWEVER, as I've already said once today, you are celebrating a despicable person getting one step closer to the senate. Your desire to play politics is winning out over your compassion for rape victims.
And your assertion that he in anyway speaks for Republicans is absurd.
Someone this dim doesn't need to be making decisions for me, reproductive or otherwise. He will not have my vote. However, I cannot vote for Claire McCaskill. I think she has a more realistic chance of harming our economy (further) than Akin has of jeopardizing a rape victim's right to seek an abortion.
It's a bit of Sophie's choice, you see. No matter how shitty he is, it doesn't suddenly make her a good candidate. So I will either not cast a vote on that section of the ballot, OR go for Jonathan Dine after I vet him a bit more.
This is how I am choosing to handle it, and it's not an easy decision. If you extrapolate that anyone who casts a vote for him is a woman-hating rape apologist, I find that logic faulty. It's not hard to imagine voters who feel that another McCaskill term endangers our economy too much and therefore choose the giant douche to her turd sandwich.
Think about rape victims out there. I just happen to be one , I'm sure some of you are, too. I think about how hurtful his statements were to me. One thing that sucks almost as much as the violation is the knowledge that people will doubt you. Think you are either outright lying, or are responsible for putting yourself in harm's way, etc. His statements just give power to such doubters. Yesterday I reminded my mom of a child in our extended family who is the product of a rape, and my mom, staunch Democrat who is celebrating right along with you all, actually said, "well, so the story goes, but who really knows..." Gee Mom, perhaps there's a reason I've still never told you what happened to me.
So when you do your happy dance, what you are celebrating is pain inflicted on real people by this dickhead Akin. I wish that we could treat this a little less like a game and be united in viewing the possibility of this man winning (and yes, it's still a possibility), as nothing to celebrate.
I live in MO and I'm not registered for any party...didn't think you HAD to in Missouri. In fact, in the primary election earlier this month they just asked me which ticket I wanted. I know people who ask for the opposite ticket just so they can vote for someone they know their party can beat. Just sayin'
I am registered...and a Democrat...in MO. Hope that is clear enough for you. Just sayin'.
McGee, I'm in KC but went to MU. Definitely miss Shakespeare's and Trops!
Give me a break...I said I didn't think you "had" to register in MO. I see that you ARE registered, just commented that I didn't know you register in our state. I've been voting in MO for 29 years and have never registered for one party or the other.
I may be talking out of my ass here, but I see if a little differently. Granted, I want to him to stay in the race because I prefer McCaskill in the Senate, BUT I don't like the idea that the voters voted him into the general in the primary election. You get what you get. I don't like the idea of a party saying "OH, jeez did you fuck up! Withdraw, please". I don't really care for that....
"Not gonna lie; I kind of keep expecting you to post one day that you threw down on someone who clearly had no idea that today was NOT THEIR DAY." ~dontcallmeshirley
Post by mominatrix on Aug 21, 2012 18:24:01 GMT -5
vanessadoof -
I'm genuinely sorry that you have such a personal tale to tell of the impact of Akin's statement.
And I'm not yayayayayay over the thought of Akin running. Not at all.
You say that a vote for Akin doesn't make you or anybody else a woman hating rape apologist. And that's true.
But it's also true that a vote for him is a vote for a woman-hating rape apologist. Period. Full stop.
The greater Republican party has the choice as to whether or not this man will be allowed to represent them in the general elections. If they choose to let him do so (either by leaning on him so hard he backs down, or literally disqualifying him, which they can do), then we can ALL read into that what we will.
My point is - - and was - - that though his statement may be a tad more extreme than many (though not ALL) R's, it's indicative of a greater problem in the R party. The lack of basic scientific knowledge or understanding. The inability or unwillingness to hear women's voices about things like all rapes being rapes. Many (but, again, not ALL) R's see those as real problems with the party, and some genuinely believe the party has to hit rock bottom with those issues in order to get better.
Momi, I appreciate your reply, and I think it is well-reasoned. And yes, I see Akin himself as a woman-hating rape apologist.
My struggle as a right-leaning independent is, do we give up the Republican party to the people like him? Walk away, vote D or 3rd party? I wish there was a clear path for the younger, saner, moderates like myself taking control of it.
Momi, I appreciate your reply, and I think it is well-reasoned. And yes, I see Akin himself as a woman-hating rape apologist.
I guess that the struggle within myself as a right-leaning independent is, do we give up the Republican party to the people like him? Walk away, vote D or 3rd party? I wish there was a clear path for the younger, saner, more moderate people like myself taking control of it.
See... that's always the question, isn't it?
If you stay, you can work from the inside.... but is that working?
And, if you stay (you, of course, generally, not you specifically) you run the risk of your own party calling you out for not being R enough, for being a RINO.
Or, you can go... and try to "teach them a lesson" by voting with your feet. But the problem is the fear that there isn't a better alternative out there.
...I'm beginning to think that it's almost like deciding when to call off a relationship of a more personal kind. Not an easy decision. Not at all.
Momi, I appreciate your reply, and I think it is well-reasoned. And yes, I see Akin himself as a woman-hating rape apologist.
My struggle as a right-leaning independent is, do we give up the Republican party to the people like him? Walk away, vote D or 3rd party? I wish there was a clear path for the younger, saner, moderates like myself taking control of it.
You should vote for the other person, or not vote at all IMO - not because you support it, but if the Rs lose because of this shit, they will have to change their stance. Otherwise the support cannot help but equal agreement, even if your support is for other issues.
In my area, when the constituents wanted to send a message to the Dems, they voted in the Republican. They had been upset about the Dems stance on a specific issue. In droves, they came out to the polls and voted in the person that would probably never have voted for otherwise. Message was sent.
Good. IMO, he didn't do anything to merit quitting. He just showed who he really is, which is exactly what you hope to learn about your candidates. The substance of what he said isn't very different from the GOP mainstream at all. If he had said "forcible" rape instead of legitimate rape, no one would have blinked.
The stuff about a woman's body shutting down was stupid but saying stupid things isn't unusual for a politician these days. Still waiting for West to tell us who the Communists in Cogress are...