Will Akin distract Romney/Ryan's pre RNC week?

[RogueBeaver]

Should be Brunner or Steelman.

[Warren 4 Secretary of Everything]

I dont care who they put there. Just get the man out. Running no one would be better for the GOP.

I think we can still keep the seat even if Akin drops out (which I doubt). Before this, Missouri was a sure GOP pick-up. No, McCaskskill can keep playing ads over and over with these comments.

[Negusa Nagast 🚀]

Should be Brunner or Steelman.

Brunner was the runner-up and has the money and infrastructure to run a race.

I think that if Akin is replaced, the candidate will do more poorly than if they had won the primary outright. McCaskill would not be the favorite, but she would go down be a more respectable margin. The Akin voters would not be pleased that their man was replaced.

[Adam Griffin]

Christian Science Monitor just published an article (4:30 PM EST) that says he's still in:

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Elections/Senate/2012/0820/Todd-Akin-says-he-s-staying-in-Senate-race-despite-furor-over-rape-comment

Also, NRSC is pulling funding from MO:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/with-todd-akins-rape-comments-abortion-is-back-in-the-campaign-spotlight/2012/08/20/c497bae4-eac7-11e1-a80b-9f898562d010_story.html

[MorningInAmerica]

Well TPM is just reporting that the party wants him out  but he is saying he is staying in. There is no indication he can be kicked out, so it is up to him.

I think by the end of the day Romney should call for him to drop out. What does he have to lose? It doesnt take a lot of courage now as many other republicans have already done it.

Fom WMUR, a New Hampshire news station: http://www.wmur.com/news/politics/Romney-calls-Akin-s-comments-on-rape-indefensible/-/9857748/16200484/-/um4xor/-/index.html#ixzz247hEUv1K

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[Torie]

If you haven't heard, GOP MO Sen nominee Todd Aiken said something really stupid about rape and abortion over the weekend, noting that victims of "legitimate rape" don't get pregnant due to some mumbo jumbo about women's bodies rejecting rape sperm or something.

Anyway Romney/Ryan campaign condemned the remark, but is that the end of it? In their comments the campaign said that Romney/Ryan were not against abortion in the case of rape. However, Ryan actually has been against the rape exception in the past and he co-sponsored legislation with Aiken which tried to redefine rape (to just "forcible rape"). Ryan is also a co-sponsor of the "Sanctity of Human Life Act", which gives "all the legal and constitutional attributes of personhood" to fertilized eggs (essentially outlawing all abortions and some forms of birth control and in vitro fertilization).

This thing could end up as a big distraction between now and the RNC with ROmney/Ryan spending a week talking about abortion, rape, IVF, Personhood, etc. Things that they probably don't want to be talking about. You can bet the Dems are going to use this opportunity to try and run up the score on their gender gap.

Looks like Akin's out.

Erick Erickson, the head of RedState, has just tweeted this.

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Will be interesting to see if this is true.

This proves beyond per adventure that there is in fact a God.

[stegosaurus]

Every once in awhile, a primary happens and you think to yourself: "This will not end well"...

If Akin doesn't get out, McCaskill wins. Luckiest incumbent of the election, hands down.

[RogueBeaver]

The closest parallel is probably Clayton Williams in 1990. Except what he said was even worse and being only a few days out, Ann Richards was elected Guv.

[Likely Voter]

Romney refusing to endorse this guy is not exactly a badge of courage. In fact calling for his withdrawal isn't exactly courageous either, it only requires him to pick a side within the GOP. Something he seems unwilling to do.

Romney has an opportunity here to show women voters that he will not tolerate this kind of stuff. He can make up for his limp reaction to the Limbaugh Fluke thing.

I dont understand why he hasnt called for this guys withdrawal. Is he that afraid of the FRC and Huckabee wing?

[RogueBeaver]

The only reason I could think of is that if Akin still doesn't withdraw after Romney tells him to get out then the MSM will paint Romney as weak.

[All Along The Watchtower]

Paul Ryan has basically the same views as Akin (Google "No Taxpayer Funding  for Abortions Act"-gave us that lovely term of "forcible rape"), yet he gets off the hook?

[Likely Voter]

Paul Ryan has basically the same views as Akin (Google "No Taxpayer Funding  for Abortions Act"-gave us that lovely term of "forcible rape"), yet he gets off the hook?

On Huckabee's show today Mike coached Akin to say that he was really trying to say "forcible rape" and not "legitimate rape" as if that made everything OK. Apparently this "forcible rape" thing is something the far right has been pushing for a while, including Ryan. It was pulled from the bill after the outcry but getting to my original post, Akin puts it back into the news and will eventually force Ryan to defend it.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

It is things like this that are the reason why I detest Mike Huckabee.

[Torie]

It is things like this that are the reason why I detest Mike Huckabee.

Another reason is that he is as boring as hell.

[old timey villain]

Romney refusing to endorse this guy is not exactly a badge of courage. In fact calling for his withdrawal isn't exactly courageous either, it only requires him to pick a side within the GOP. Something he seems unwilling to do.

Romney has an opportunity here to show women voters that he will not tolerate this kind of stuff. He can make up for his limp reaction to the Limbaugh Fluke thing.

I dont understand why he hasnt called for this guys withdrawal. Is he that afraid of the FRC and Huckabee wing?

Romney is a cold, calculating coward, you see.

And if that behind the scenes book is true, then Obama was right, Mitt is a weak man who stands for everything and for nothing.

[Stranger in a strange land]

I dont understand why he hasnt called for this guys withdrawal. Is he that afraid of the FRC and Huckabee wing?

Yes, he is. He needs them to win.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

More then likely he realizes that he has little impact on forcing him out. Someone with much more pull in the Socially conservative side of the party would have more effect and person with the best chance, is the one trying to coax him into some kind of stupid defense for himself.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

At this point the GOP had best hope Akin's merely trying to force the MO GOP to let him pick who replaces him on the ticket.

[MorningInAmerica]

ABC News politics reporter Chris Good just tweeted that the Romney campaign is actively involved in speaking with Todd Akin.

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Is there really any doubt they're saying "get the eff out!" ?

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

It is true that Mittens has plent of contacts in MO. The Blunt family, Talent and many others were supporters of his the first time he ran. Of course that didn't translate to votes against Santorum as we all no, and is probably of little consequence for the most part.

[Likely Voter]

So why wont Romney join the entire GOP establishment, including the head of the RNC, the Senate Minority Leader and the head of the NRSCC, and publicly call for him to step down.

I think by tomorrow if this guy isn't out Romney will be public about it. He cant just do this behind the scenes he has to take  stand on the record.

[pepper11]

He can't survive this. This is Caingate multiplied by 10. Hopefully the GOP picks a good candidate.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

So why wont Romney join the entire GOP establishment, including the head of the RNC, the Senate Minority Leader and the head of the NRSCC, and publicly call for him to step down.

I think by tomorrow if this guy isn't out Romney will be public about it. He cant just do this behind the scenes he has to take  stand on the record.

Leverage most likely. Romney is clearly in a weaker position then say Bush would have been if this were 2004. However, he does have some standing especially as the GOP Presidential candidate including instant means of denouncing Akin publically if Akin doesn't listen to reason. Romney has a long record of throwing even sitting Senators under the bus like he did with Larry Craig in 2007. Romney though has to be concerned about governoring and after Reid's tax accusations, Romney realizes that the chances of a productive relationship with Reid is dead and the only way to get anything done is to have Mitch in charge in the upper chamber. Therefore, rather then soley look after his own political gain, he also wants to try and salvage the seat if possible.

[Likely Voter]

well McConnel and Cornyn want him out so if Romney wanted to placate the Senate GOPers he would join them publicly

[MorningInAmerica]

Todd Akin, unless I'm hearing wrong, will be a guest on Piers Morgan tonight. Sounds like a really, really, bad, awful, stupid idea, if true.

Edited to add ABC politics reporter's tweet:

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