Not actually a winning talking point for Republicans
Hey, ladies, remember that time Republicans figured turning out the rapist vote might be a winning strategy? Of course you do because it was, like, yesterday.
Guess what. They were wrong. Very, very wrong. Because after months of Republican after Republican saying the most oh-my-god-are-you-freaking-kidding-me stupid things about rape and the "science" of magical and mysterious lady parts, the lady voters of America shut that whole thing down.
Todd "legitimate rape" Akin, Missouri Senate candidate:
"First of all, from what I understand from doctors [pregnancy from rape] is really rare [...] If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.
Lost to Claire McCaskill.
Richard "rape babies are intended by God" Mourdock, Indiana Senate candidate:
"The only exception I have to have an abortion is in that case of the life of the mother," Mourdock said. "I struggled with it myself for a long time, but I came to realize that life is that gift from God and I think even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape that it is something God intended to happen."
Lost to Joe Donnelly.
Linda "emergency rape" McMahon, Connecticut Senate candidate:
It was really an issue about a Catholic church being forced to offer those pills if the person came in in an emergency rape. That was my response to it. I absolutely think that we should avail women who come in with rape victims the opportunity to have those morning after pills or the treatment that they should get.
Lost to Chris Murphy.
John "rape thing" Koster, Washington congressional candidate:
"But on the rape thing, it's like, how does putting more violence onto a woman's body and taking the life of an innocent child that's a consequence of this crime, how does that make it better?"
Lost to Suzan DelBene.
And of course, Paul "method of conception" Ryan:
"I’m very proud of my pro-life record," Ryan told WJHL-TV in Virginia Wednesday in an interview aired Thursday. "I’ve always adopted the idea, the position, that the method of conception doesn’t change the definition of life."
Yes, Ryan did manage to keep his seat in the House of Representatives; however, Ryan will not be doing his P90X exercises in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
Too bad, so sad. Maybe next time, Republicans won't try to woo the lady voters by telling them rape ain't no thing, they shouldn't have the right to make decisions about their own bodies because Paul Ryan's daughter looked like a bean when she was a fetus, and besides, women are only supposed to care about the deficit because that would be a lot more convenient for Republicans. Maybe next time, they won't run on a pro-rapist/anti-woman platform.
But don't hold your breath.