Because Just One Todd Akin In The Senate GOP Circus Isn't Enough?

The Republican War Against Women is gearing up in the final thrust towards November. Let me just say from the outset that Claire McCaskill (D-MO) is the worst incumbent Senate Democrat running for reelection and that Joe Donnelly (Blue Dog-IN) is easily the worst House Democrat hoping to get into the Senate. Both vote with the Republicans on crucial issues as a matter of course. Both are cowardly, craven, corporate oriented... the worst the Democratic Party has to offer. There's no circumstance I would vote for either, regardless of how horrible their opponent was. And in both cases, their opponent is vile and contemptible beyond anything currently in the Senate, one of the most vile and contemptible institutions in America.

Let's not go over the "legitimate rape" controversy that swirled around Akin last month, or the arrest record that showed him involved with an anti-woman terrorist group that physically blocked women's health clinics. The newest news is in Indiana, coincidentally the state where the KKK once grew to even more prominence and power than it did in any state in the South. Like Akin, Richard Mourdock was favored to win a Senate seat in November. Like Akin, his psychotic hatred for women has bubbled over in such a way that he may actually propel and nearly equally reactionary Democrat into the Senate. Mourdock, a far, far right radical, who swamped mainstream conservative Richard Lugar, in the GOP primary, told a debate audience Tuesday that although he opposes rape per se, he also opposes women being allowed to abort a fetus if she is raped because the resulting child is "something God intended." Let that sink in for a minute. Or watch him say it in the video above and contemplate the ramifications of something like this in the already dysfunctional Senate.

Romney put out a tepid statement of disagreement: "Gov. Romney disagrees with Richard Mourdock's comments, and they do not reflect his views," but has-- so far-- refused to withdraw his endorsement of Mourdock the way he withdrew his endorsement of Akin. Former Gov. Christie Todd Whitman (R-NJ) says Romney has to unendorse Mourdock or at least get him to stop running the endorsement ad. "Mourdock's comments damage all Republicans and especially Romney as the fight for the women's vote intensifies. This could be a defining moment for Romney and he should immediately denounce both Mourdock and the comment." The NRSC has also made it clear that they're sticking with Mourdock, although they had followed Romney into an anti-Akin posture. Patty Murray, head of the DSCC wasn't letting the GOP get off the hook so easily. "While Mitt Romney is rightly distancing himself from Richard Mourdock today, his ad endorsing Mourdock's extreme candidacy continues to air in Indiana. If Mitt Romney is serious about repudiating these heinous views on rape, he will take down this ad immediately. National Republicans cannot paper over Richard Mourdock's heinous views on rape. Enough is enough. The Republican Party needs to stop the coddling and take a stand against the horribly offensive and dangerous views of the Tea Party and their extreme candidates."

It's ironic that it may be Choice that sinks the polarizing extremist Mourdock (and the GOP's hopes of taking over the Senate)-- since Donnelly is a fanatic anti-Chopice freak himself and has been a dependable vote against Choice for the entire time he was in the House. His ProgressivePunch score on Family Planning issues over his entire congressional career is 14.29, one of the lowest of the Democrats and lower than several Republicans. After the debate, Donnelly realized he had a winning issue with which to clobber Mourdock and told reporters, "I think rape is a heinous and violent crime in every instance. The God I believe in and the God I know most Hoosiers believe in, does not intend for rape to happen-- ever. What Mr. Mourdock said is shocking, and it is stunning that he would be so disrespectful to survivors of rape."

And what about anti-Choice fanatic Paul Ryan, who has partnered with Akin on several misogynistic bills and has campaigned with Mourdock? Ryan, who has himself referred to rape as "a method of conception," has been consistently against exceptions for rape and incest. Rob Zerban, the progressive running against Ryan for Congress, issued a statement castigating Ryan for his anti-Choice mania. “Of course, Paul Ryan will keep backing away from the dark corners of his party from where these disturbing comments about rape and violence against women are emanating. But Ryan can't back off their shared anti-women worldview. Ryan himself has called rape just another 'method of conception,' and co-authored the infamous Todd Akin bill to redefine rape. Ryan can no longer duck responsibility for his extreme views against women's most basic rights.”

If I lived in Indiana or Missouri I wouldn't vote for Senate-- and I'd try to think of a way of moving. And I'd think about helping the rest of the country stop Paul Ryan.