As we all know, Todd Akin did not withdraw from the Missouri senate race before the first deadline for him to do so expired at about 6:00 pm eastern time. Democrats officially began mocking the republicans not more than two minutes after the deadline passed. http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/... Patty Murray had a great take down:
The moment Washington Republicans first heard Congressman Akin’s remarks their inclination was to defend him. They circulated his statement and encouraged the media to move on. Not until the establishment saw the political backlash and saw that this would hurt Republicans across the country did they change their tune.
“Don’t be fooled by the faux outrage. This is not about principle. Congressman Akin’s substantive position on choice is the official position of the Republican party. This is about Washington Republicans playing politics with the voters of Missouri, plain and simple.
“The Republican establishment has poured millions of dollars into the campaigns of Senate candidates who share some of the same positions as Congressman Akin. Sharron Angle said that forcing a rape victim to carry the pregnancy was making ‘a lemon situation into lemonade,’ and Ken Buck refused to prosecute a rape case because he said that the victims just had ‘buyer’s remorse.’
“No one in the Republican establishment is standing up today to protest the party platform, which forces rape victims to carry their pregnancy to term. If Washington Republicans are not willing to stand up and defend rape victims when it counts, they should not have a say when Missouri Republicans nominate a candidate who shares that view.
“This is hypocrisy of the highest order.”
But about two hours before the deadline expired, Mitt Romney reiterated his call to Akin to withdraw:
"As I said yesterday, Todd Akin's comments were offensive and wrong and he should very seriously consider what course would be in the best interest of our country," Romney said in a statement Tuesday. "Today, his fellow Missourians urged him to step aside, and I think he should accept their counsel and exit the Senate race."
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/...
This is totally baffling to me. Yesterday, Romney made his pitch, somewhat tepidly, for Akin to resign. That's fine, everyone was doing that yesterday. Romney repeats it today, totally unnecessarily, not more than two hours before Akin's deadline expires, and well after Akin had been saying he would not step down. Akin ignores Romney and everyone else. What did Romney get for this second request for Akin to resign? Bupkis. That's right, bupkis. As in, he can't get no respect.
This Romney dude is one clueless fellow. It's as though he was saying to Akin "I am your leader and you will now do as I say." I simply can't understand how his campaign let him go out there and make a second demand that Akin was pretty clearly going to ignore. All that does is make Romney look weak and ineffectual. Open mouth, insert ..., well, after the last couple of days, I'll let you complete that sentence.
Does anyone have any expectation that the GOP will rally around Romney? Sure, all the money pouring in will excite them, but the man himself? Well, I've got one word - bupkis.
(Me doing a yippie happy dance....)