Todd Akin, A Mispoken Man

The scrutiny that every politician is subject to seems overwhelming.  Every word muttered by a public servant is seen as a direct representation of his or her constituents, their political affiliation, and their country.  I pose the question, is this scrutiny deserved? Some may argue that politicians are essentially humans, no different than you or me, and are subject to occasional mistakes, while some may argue that they must conduct themselves in a very disciplined manner because they represent a vast network of people.  Citizens seem to be responsive to apologies when a public figure misspeaks mildly or states incorrect facts, but each scenario must be dealt with on a case by case basis.  There are false remarks, and then there are some severely incorrect and rude remarks that are difficult to take back.

Over the weekend, Todd Akin, a congressman from Missouri who is also running for the senate in the 2012 election, stated on a radio show that in the case of "legitimate" rape, the woman's body will undergo means to ensure that pregnancy does not occur.  Aside from the obtuse biological error in this remark, it just comes off as offensive, not only to women, but to all citizens.  The idea that our lawmakers can believe something like this is repugnant.

What Todd Akin did in the moment was comprehensible to him.  He is running in a state that has shifted to the right of the political spectrum since Obama took office, and he was attempting to convey a strong pro-life value.  In the process of appeasing conservative voters, Akin forgot that the rest of the country was listening, a country that elected a democratic president and a democratic senate.  He did not realize the potential magnitude of backlash from opposite-minded voters. In the midst of his comment, he put the Republican party in a tough position, while many Republicans may concur with Akin's view, they do not want to vocalize it, in order to maintain power.  Now Republicans must denounce Akin's comments and shift to a more centrist view on abortion, although they stated they will continue to fight for the "sanctity of life."  Akin's comment may also deter women from voting for republicans in the upcoming election, a demographic the Democrats are targeting heavily after the Ryan vice presidential announcement.  Akin's comments alongside with Ryan's strong pro-life views will cause many female voters to perceive the Republican party as having an "anti-women" agenda.  Not only are women disgusted by the comments made by Akin, various republican leaders have now called upon him to respectfully bow out of the race and let another republican candidate run in order to have a fair chance at the Missouri senate seat.

Akin has denounced the requests for him to stand down, and believes that he can shift his campaign back on track.  As a democrat I would be happy if he stayed in the race, Akin on the ballot will most likely result in a McCaskill win, which means one more democrat in the senate.  On the other hand, as an American I would like to see Akin leave the race.  I, and many others cannot burden the fact that a man who has such influence in policy  making can display such disrespect towards women and the horrific event that is rape.  As of now Akin is refusing to step down, but many threats have been made by republican powers, including the republican senatorial committee which has stated they will halt the  5 million dollars that they were previously going to donate to Akin's efforts.  I predict that Akin will step down soon, but he will try to do everything in his power to heal the wound he made to his legitimacy, but the speed and sensationalism of this story will leave Akin's political career in ruins.

Akin on the Jaco Report

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