They're All Todd Akins Now

23 Comments

by: Colorado Pols

[T]the GOP officially opposes abortion in all cases including rapes, incest and protecting the life of the mother.

After Akin’s controversial remarks, Romney said that he personally does support exceptions in those cases; now, he’ll have to work harder to let voters know that the official GOP platform is not a carbon copy of his own personal views – a difficult political tightrope of appealing to moderate voters while satisfying the many social conservatives among the Republican base.

Akin Tuesday also refused to bow to roughly his entire Party and declared his intention to stay in the race, which will keep his candidacy – and controversial comments – in the news during the run-up to a convention that the GOP wants to be about Romney and Ryan.

As Republicans across the country call on fellow Republican Todd Akin to withdraw from the Missouri Senate race over controversial comments he made on rape and abortion, the Republican Party on Tuesday quietly approved a platform that calls for a constitutional amendment banning abortion, and which does not provide exceptions for victims of rape or incest, or to save the life of the mother… [Pols emphasis]

The party platform states that “the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed.”

“We support a human life amendment to the Constitution, and we endorse legislation to make clear that the 14th Amendment’s protections apply to unborn children. We oppose using public revenues to promote or perform abortion and will not fund organizations which advocate it,” says the platform. “At its core abortion is a fundamental assault on the sanctity of innocent human life. Women deserve better than abortion.”

…Romney has said he would not oppose abortion in instances of rape, and has rebuked Akin for his Sunday remarks, in which the Missouri Senate hopeful suggested pregnancies rarely result from “legitimate rape.” His position, however, puts him at odds with the official GOP party platform.

It’s worth noting that the Republican Party campaign plank calling for a “National Life Amendment,” considered analogous to the “Personhood” abortion ban amendment we’ve seen in Colorado several elections now, isn’t new: a similar campaign plank was approved for the 2004 and 2008 GOP platforms. But approval of this platform plank comes at the worst possible time for Mitt Romney’s campaign and the GOP brand generally.

Between the delicate fending off of questions about vice-presidential presumptive nominee Paul Ryan’s stridently anti-abortion record, and the enormous controversy that’s erupted over Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin’s comments about “legitimate rape,” by officially enshrining these views on abortion into the party’s platform at the same time they try to push Akin out, we really couldn’t imagine a more confused message being given to voters today.

The timing of this so bad that it almost seems intentional. Are they trying to gum the issue to death in August? Or is this really the wholesale breakdown of the GOP’s message it looks like?

23 thoughts on “They’re All Todd Akins Now”

BlueCat says:

August 22, 2012 at 12:42 am

Just because Rs are saying nice things like rape is bad and they don’t agree with Akin that women have a magic secretion to deploy, they plan to agree with him in their party party platform.

They plan to push for an anti-abortion amendment with no exceptions, not for rape or incest or even to save the life of the mother. The only difference is that they want you to know they recognize women can get pregnant from rape but still think they should be forced to remain pregnant and give birth against their will. Even little girls, some of whom are reaching puberty by the age of 9 theses days.

So, ladies, a vote for a Republican, any Republican, even a very polite Republican or a woman Republican, like Dave’s mom in Hawaii, is a vote for giving the party that supports that platform more power, maybe control of all three branches.

And here’s something for Dave,

I thought you should see this.

Mazie Hirono is running to replace Senator Daniel Akaka in Hawaii who is retiring at the end of the year. Senator Akaka has served in the Senate honorably for 22 years and is a true statesman in every sense of the word. He leaves enormous shoes to fill, but I know Mazie is up to the challenge.

Mazie is organizing a “pineapple bomb” to raise over $100,000 from supporters across the country over the next 72 hours. Can you help her out by contributing to her campaign?

We have to hold on to the majority in the Senate. Please read Mazie’s letter below and pitch in to keep Hawaii a blue state.

Sincerely,

Michael Bennet

So who’s your way cool GOP mom supporting, Dave? a GOP Senate candidate who could help the Rs take over the US Senate would be my guess.

Log in to Reply
1. Barron X says:
  
  August 22, 2012 at 8:08 pm
  
  and I don’t mean “the Tribe.”
  
  Log in to Reply
dwyer says:

August 22, 2012 at 1:21 am

The Republican platform has had a Human Life Amendment for 32 years. The only time Congress voted on the Amendment was 1982. This is my question:

Is this phrase new?

, and we endorse legislation to make clear that the 14th Amendment’s protections apply to unborn children

Log in to Reply
1. dwyer says:
  
  August 22, 2012 at 1:25 am
  
  The Washington Post says that this language is identical to that which was in the 2008 platform.
  
  Log in to Reply
ArapaGOP says:

August 22, 2012 at 2:48 am

Let’s try this in reverse.

Democrats are all John Edwards now.

Isn’t it true? Doesn’t John Edwards stand for everything you stand for?

You are all pathetic hypocrites.

Log in to Reply
1. ClubTwitty says:
  
  August 22, 2012 at 3:01 am
  
  No. I suggest that you buy a book called ‘Logic for Dummies’ and learn, at least, how to frame a basic argument. Now, I wouldn’t tell your employers how to operate, but if they are paying you anything near minimum wage they are being robbed.
  
  Log in to Reply
2. Aristotle says:
  
  August 22, 2012 at 3:04 am
  
  is that we can point to a whole slew of GOP party positions that are fully in line with Akin’s thinking. Basically all the things we call the “war on women.”
  
  What you CAN’T do is draw the same parallel here. Democratic policy positions are not, in any way, congruent with cheating on one’s spouse, having a child with the third party, and being an all around asshole.
  
  I like your impotent sputtering, though. It becomes you.
  
  Log in to Reply
  1. ArapaGOP says:
    
    August 22, 2012 at 3:51 am
    
    These are both absurd comparisons. There are a great many Republicans who don’t agree with Akin, and other who might but are not to completely tactless as he is.
    
    I greatly resent being told we are “all” like this person who I have only ever called on to resign. Nothing else. I’ve never known him to support him or not.
    
    Log in to Reply
    1. BlueCat says:
      
      August 22, 2012 at 8:13 am
      
      women don’t get pregnant when raped? They do agree on no abortion, no exception for rape. At least Akin believed he wouldn’t be harming any rape victims because he pretty much didn’t believe pregnant rape victims existed. The Republicans denouncing him for being an idiot do think there are pregnant rape victims and that they should be forced to go through pregnancy and forced to give birth against their will. Is that so supposed be better? We are talking about that policy, not whether or not Edwards and Akin are A-holes. I think that’s pretty much settled.
      
      Poor Arap. You really can’t come up with anything coherent to say about this, can you?
      
      Log in to Reply
3. Phoenix Rising says:
  
  August 22, 2012 at 6:46 am
  
  Do you agree that it is better that the mother die than that a zygote or fetus be terminated? Do you agree that the mother should have to bear the pain of 9 months of pregnancy brought on by a rapist that traumatized her?
  
  Log in to Reply
taterheaptom says:

August 22, 2012 at 3:28 am

It’s up to the states.

“We have a general plank in there that affirms our belief in the God-given right to life and that governments are instituted to protect that,” said Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell, chairman of the platform committee. “The specifics are largely left up to the states.”

Log in to Reply
1. ArapaGOP says:
  
  August 22, 2012 at 3:52 am
  
  But please continue your pearl clutching as if you never read that.
  
  Log in to Reply
  1. ClubTwitty says:
    
    August 22, 2012 at 5:38 am
    
    Exception for rape and incest? It is a legitimate question. It is your party’s platform. Why are your leaders so chickenshit as to do whatever they can to avoid having to give a direct answer?
    
    Bob ‘transvaginal ultasound’ McDonnell, he’s a governor–what about his state? If a woman is raped in Virginia should she be forced to carry her rapist’s offspring against her will? It is a simple question. What does A-bot think?
    
    Log in to Reply
    1. BlueCat says:
      
      August 22, 2012 at 8:20 pm
      
      Log in to Reply
      1. Phoenix Rising says:
        
        August 22, 2012 at 11:01 pm
        
        Actually, more like snow falling in a quiet wood – the silence is deafening.
        
        Perhaps he missed the question? Or maybe not, since it was asked by multiple people throughout this diary…
        
        Log in to Reply
thiokuutoo says:

August 22, 2012 at 3:53 am

Akins sure did the job of getting the lack of tax returns off the daily question list.

Log in to Reply
1. ArapaGOP says:
  
  August 22, 2012 at 4:01 am
  
  Thanks, I was wondering what was really going on!
  
  I’ll bet you’re a 9/11 Truther too.
  
  Log in to Reply
  1. BlueCat says:
    
    August 22, 2012 at 8:21 pm
    
    Don’t want to answer?
    
    Log in to Reply
Phoenix Rising says:

August 22, 2012 at 7:02 am

Mitt Romney certainly did until this week. He’s stated his support for a Federal Eggmendment in 2007, and state level Eggmendments this year.

And 225 out of 240 Republican Congressmen voted in favor of H.R. 3, which enacts Paul Ryan’s and Todd Akins’ ideas about “legitimate” rape.

Voting for Republicans at almost any level these days is a vote in support of this platform plank. You can say that not everyone supports this platform, but if they’re voting Republican, they’re certainly re-enforcing it.

Log in to Reply
Gardnerpath says:

August 22, 2012 at 7:15 am

When running for gov, Romney said:

“On Abortion Rights:

As Governor, Mitt Romney would protect the current pro-choice status quo in Massachusetts. No law would change. The choice to have an abortion is a deeply personal one. Women should be free to choose based on their own beliefs, not the government’s.” http://web.archive.org/web/200…

Now he is the presidential candidate for a party that says no choices for women, even after rape, incest, or where the pregnancy would kill her. That’s a pretty major change of opinion right there.

Log in to Reply
1. Phoenix Rising says:
  
  August 22, 2012 at 7:30 am
  
  He was in favor of a Federal Eggmendment back in 2007 when he was running in the primary against McCain. So he’s had a while to get used to the idea.
  
  Of course, this week he’s all of a sudden in favor of exceptions for rape.
  
  Log in to Reply
Barron X says:

August 22, 2012 at 8:03 pm

among folks who would never vote for him anyway.

Log in to Reply
1. BlueCat says:
  
  August 22, 2012 at 8:29 pm
  
  But that’s less important than the fact that he keeps having to spend time talking about this stuff when he would prefer to be attacking Obama and it all leads back to questions about how his positions differ from Ryan’s when his entire campaign strategy revolves around not saying anything about his positions beyond… Obama bad/me job creator/ trust me.
  
  Log in to Reply