Congressman Todd Atkins R on rape

[PeterSibley]

Where do you get these guys and how does an idiot like this become a Congressman ? He's been condemned by both Romney and Obama but the question remains .....

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-08-2...mments/4211634

[Donn]

One thread on him wasn't enough?

BTW..it's "Akin."

[PeterSibley]

I don't read all the US political guff on the Bilge but this story was on our local news service as you can see by the link . Where is the other thread?

[Norman Bernstein]

BTW, the Akin thing wasn't exactly original... according to an NPR report, the idea that women can't get pregnant from rape has been circulating at a lower level in right wing politics, for years.

If you thought that Akin (member of the House Committee on Science and Technology, no less) dreamed this up himself, think again... there's more than one blithering right wing idiot in politics.

[PeterSibley]

BTW, the Akin thing wasn't exactly original... according to an NPR report, the idea that women can't get pregnant from rape has been circulating at a lower level in right wing politics, for years.

If you thought that Akin (member of the House Committee on Science and Technology, no less) dreamed this up himself, think again... there's more than one blithering right wing idiot in politics.

Oh dear , I wonder how that kind of profound ignorance has effected US science and technology . Can you imagine this guy having a finger on the purse strings .

[David G]

Let's be fair. The man has recanted. He said, "I misspoke."

Of course, it'd probably be more honest and more accurate if he'd said: I'm an ignorant, out of touch, sexist bigot who didn't even know I was stepping in it when I made those remarks.

But I suppose such self-knowledge and candor is too much to hope for.

[Peter Malcolm Jardine]

Let's be fair. The man has recanted. He said, "I misspoke."

Of course, it'd probably be more honest and more accurate if he'd said: I'm an ignorant, out of touch, sexist bigot who didn't even know I was stepping in it when I made those remarks.

But I suppose such self-knowledge and candor is too much to hope for.

Let's face the facts: Christian conservatives have a number of belief structures like this that are truly staggering in the scope of their primitive outlook. Amazing.

[Keith Wilson]

The man has recanted. He said, "I misspoke."

Not really; he clarified that he meant "forcible rape", which is of course not legitimate in any way. He did NOT retract the utterly false and quite loathsome claim that there's some biological mechanism that keeps women from getting pregnant if raped (so of course, if she gets pregnant, she wasn't "legitimately" raped).

What a piece of work. At least he may have ensured Ms. McCaskill another term in the Senate. Another example of the Republican party's descent into madness.

It's difficult to imagine that anyone with two X chromosomes could vote Republican this time around.

[LeeG]

Hey, He's got a degree in Divinity.

[Peter Malcolm Jardine]

Well, men are in charge in heaven you know.

[Keith Wilson]

Hey, He's got a degree in Divinity.

Yeah, well, so does my wife, and I seriously doubt that they're members of the same species.

His degree is from Covenant Theological Seminary in St Louis, of the PCA, the breakaway mostly deep south ultra-conservative faction of the Presbyterians.

[Phillip Allen]

Wonder if John Wilkes Booth might, today's media circus, might say "I miss-shot."

dems have misspoke... you might ought to remember that

[Rich Jones]

dems have misspoke... you might ought to remember that

Yes, but for now it's our turn to bash this guy. Let us have our fun!

[fishrswim]

"Stupid is as stupid does." Forrest Gump

[Meli]

Maybe Mr Atkins is confusing us with rabbits?
I heard this on the radio this afternoon. Despite the appalling ignorance in human Biology, maybe by "legitimate" rape he meant ..... erm ... "genuine" rape? whatever that means in the silly old codgers mind.

Whatever he meant, it's pretty clear that this man should have no place in the senate when voting on issues of womens health.

[Gerarddm]

Paul Ryan is right on board with Akins on this issue, or has been, and is now today furiously trying to disown him. Good freakin' luck, and thanks, Mitt, for taking on a troglodyte as your Veep candidate. Bah. :-(

[PeterSibley]

BTW, the Akin thing wasn't exactly original... according to an NPR report, the idea that women can't get pregnant from rape has been circulating at a lower level in right wing politics, for years.

If you thought that Akin (member of the House Committee on Science and Technology, no less) dreamed this up himself, think again... there's more than one blithering right wing idiot in politics.

No one has commented on this, what does it mean for the state of political attitudes towards science and technology in the US ? I'm assuming science includes biology not just ballistics.

[Meli]

From the same morans that tell us

You cant get preggers if you do it standing up
You can get STD's from a toilet seat
Using tampons destroyrs your virginity
Masturbating boys will go blind, make you infertile etc
Women in short skirts that go out at night are asking for rape.
Women that say no at the last minute really mean YES
Husbands cant rape their wives
Falatio is akin to abortion

Listened to this crap for all my life.
Even our magistrates are guilty sometimes

[LeeG]

No one has commented on this, what does it mean for the state of political attitudes towards science and technology in the US ? I'm assuming science includes biology not just ballistics.

Haven't you heard? Global warming is a fraud by liberal environmentalists, there's more oil to be drilled if the gov't got out of the way and $150Billion has been spent over 25 years for ABM system (that can be rendered moot with decoys or box cutters)

[John Smith]

Let's face the facts: Christian conservatives have a number of belief structures like this that are truly staggering in the scope of their primitive outlook. Amazing.

Don't forget: this guy is on the science committee. He is not out of line with Republican think:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#48732520

[LeeG]

Oh man, how could I spin this to a Geng like question?

Will Akin be a liability to Romney's campaign?


http://www.politico.com/morningscore....html?hp=l6_b4

[Norman Bernstein]

What a piece of work. At least he may have ensured Ms. McCaskill another term in the Senate...

Sadly, the 'overnights' from the polling outfits don't seem to indicate this. Akin's favorability ratings have gone into the toilet... but apparently, it hasn't significantly damaged his lead in the election.

Considering that Akin is getting the full court press from the GOP to abandon the campaign, I suspect it's not because his ignorance might result in losing the election; apparently, it's because his win would be embarassing

[LeeG]

Didn't Ryan participate in an anti- abortion funding bill that tried to redefine rape?

[Norman Bernstein]

Didn't Ryan participate in an anti- abortion funding bill that tried to redefine rape?

I'm not sure about the redefinition of rape... but he certainly participated in an effort to define life as beginning as conception, which is more of the same... and, I believe, he promoted the notion of defining 'forcible rape' (the thing that Akin mislabeled 'legitimate rape'), in order to defeat a federal exemption for abortions due to statutory rape.

[Norman Bernstein]

A couple of notes with clarifications:

Ryan's Record on Abortion Under Scrutiny

National Journal reports that Rep. Paul Ryan and Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO) -- who is desperately trying to save his U.S. Senate campaign after making controversial remarks about rape and abortion -- "share a voting history on abortion rights, including mutual support for a controversial measure that would define embryos as a person. They cosponsored another measure, subsequently withdrawn, that would distinguish 'forcible rape' in banning abortion funding. Akin, Ryan, and Mitt Romney also back less-controversial measures, such as defunding Planned Parenthood."

"That broader link gives Democrats a chance to push a debate about abortion and women's health back into the presidential race's limelight, putting the GOP ticket on the defensive over an issue it would rather avoid and with a group of voters, females, it has already struggled to attract."

GOP Prepares Tough Anti-Abortion Platform

The Republican Party is once again set to enshrine into its official platform support for "a human life amendment" to the U.S. Constitution that would outlaw abortion without making explicit exemptions for rape or incest, according to drafts obtained by CNN.

[David G]

We should throw maximum rescources into developing a stupid vaccine. Everyone should then be inocculated at birth.

You have my full support for this notion. I can't count the times when it would have saved me a lot of embarrassment. And just think how much better off we'd be as a nation!

[Kaa]

We should throw maximum rescources into developing a stupid vaccine. Everyone should then be inocculated at birth.

Nah, I have an easier solution: http://bash.org/?4753

<xterm> The problem with America is stupidity. I'm not saying there should be a capital punishment for stupidity, but why don't we just take the safety labels off of everything and let the problem solve itself?

Kaa

[David W Pratt]

Regardless of your political stance on abortion if you are, or know someone who is, considering Worcester Poly Tech in Mass, Atkins got his bachelor's there.
Just a word to the wise

[Phillip Allen]

From the same morans that tell us

You cant get preggers if you do it standing up
You can get STD's from a toilet seat
Using tampons destroyrs your virginity
Masturbating boys will go blind, make you infertile etc
Women in short skirts that go out at night are asking for rape.
Women that say no at the last minute really mean YES
Husbands cant rape their wives
Falatio is akin to abortion

Listened to this crap for all my life.
Even our magistrates are guilty sometimes

thanks for the reminders... I'm old enough to have heard it all

[Phillip Allen]

Don't forget: this guy is on the science committee. He is not out of line with Republican think:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#48732520

you guys love to shove great multitudes of folks into small pigeon holes... but of course you do not lie... as lj said the other day, it's common knowledge

[TDSoren]

I love the way Rove was talking to Martha on FOX and kept changing the subject when Akin came up. FOX failed to mention that Crossroads (Rove's superpac) has dumped @ $5,000,000.00 into Akins campaign.

How can anyone keep a straight face on that channel?

[Phillip Allen]

I should have pointed this out with my first point but this Atkin sounds like an idiot and wouldn't get my vote.

the whole abortion thing is a red herring anyway... we (the public) need to get out of people's personal lives NOW.

that includes their horses and other pets and so on

[David G]

Let's be fair. The man has recanted. He said, "I misspoke."

Of course, it'd probably be more honest and more accurate if he'd said: I'm an ignorant, out of touch, sexist bigot who didn't even know I was stepping in it when I made those remarks.

But I suppose such self-knowledge and candor is too much to hope for.

Not really; he clarified that he meant "forcible rape", which is of course not legitimate in any way. He did NOT retract the utterly false and quite loathsome claim that there's some biological mechanism that keeps women from getting pregnant if raped (so of course, if she gets pregnant, she wasn't "legitimately" raped).

What a piece of work. At least he may have ensured Ms. McCaskill another term in the Senate. Another example of the Republican party's descent into madness.

It's difficult to imagine that anyone with two X chromosomes could vote Republican this time around.

Looks like he's had several types of spin he's tried out. Here's the latest. I'm sorry I stood up for him at all:

http://thinkprogress.org/politics/20...t-being-raped/

[LeeG]

He's got a friend

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012...ncy/?mobile=nc

[Osborne Russell]

I should have pointed this out with my first point but this Atkin sounds like an idiot and wouldn't get my vote.

the whole abortion thing is a red herring anyway... we (the public) need to get out of people's personal lives NOW.

that includes their horses and other pets and so on

Your party does not agree. Is the disagreement fundamental enough that you would vote for the other party?

[Phillip Allen]

Your party does not agree. Is the disagreement fundamental enough that you would vote for the other party?

I've told you before... it's not my party... when one is an extremist (like yourself), everyone else except those who agree with you look like extremists...

[Tom Montgomery]

Nice dodge.

Is the disagreement fundamental enough that you would vote for the Democratic presidential candidate rather than the Republican presidential candidate?

[Meli]

I should have pointed this out with my first point but this Atkin sounds like an idiot and wouldn't get my vote.

the whole abortion thing is a red herring anyway...
we (the public) need to get out of people's personal lives NOW.

Well said

that includes their horses and other pets and so on

Um..No I wont go there LOL EEK

[Phillip Allen]

Nice dodge.

Is the disagreement fundamental enough that you would vote for the Democratic presidential candidate rather than the Republican presidential candidate?

there is no connection as Akin is not running for president

are you suggesting that if I dig up something stupid said by a democrat that you would vote against Obama?

[Donn]

...atkin...

Akin!

[Phillip Allen]

Akin!

sorry... all I caught the other day was the lack of an 's'

thanks for the correction

[Tom Montgomery]

there is no connection as Akin is not running for president

are you suggesting that if I dig up something stupid said by a democrat that you would vote against Obama?

So your answer is "no?"

[Phillip Allen]

So your answer is "no?"

and YOUR answer is... ?

[Tom Montgomery]

Yes.

[Phillip Allen]

amazing

[Tom Montgomery]

Really? Let's remember the question: Your party [the Republican party] does not agree [with you on the abortion issue]. Is the disagreement fundamental enough that you would vote for the other party?

[Phillip Allen]

absolutely

[Tom Montgomery]

Meaning that the disagreement is absolutely not fundamental enough for you to vote for the Democratic candidate.

[Phillip Allen]

Meaning that the disagreement is absolutely not fundamental enough for you to vote for the Democratic candidate.

I don't even know who the democrat candidate is and I don't live in that state

[Phillip Allen]

Really? Let's remember the question: Your party [the Republican party] does not agree [with you on the abortion issue]. Is the disagreement fundamental enough that you would vote for the other party?

my party is NOT the republican party nor is it the democrat party... so far, I have been told who NOT to vote for, I prefer to find out WHO to vote FOR