The Political Zone
Republican Todd Akin: Could Mr. “Legitimate Rape” Still Win Missouri Senate Race?
By Alex Henderson
RealmNoir, October 12, 2012
The outspoken trends forecaster Gerald Celente is fond of describing modern American politics as a “freak show” and a “reality show,” and when one looks at the 2012 campaign of Missouri Republican Todd Akin, it is hard to disagree. Akin, who is challenging Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill in Missouri, caused a major controversy when, in August, he made the bizarre statement that a woman who is being raped won’t get pregnant if she doesn’t want to. And even though McCaskill is leading in recent polls, a victory for Akin isn’t totally out of the question.
A far-right social conservative who opposes abortion even in cases of rape, Akin offended people all over the political spectrum when, in August, he said: “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. But let’s assume that maybe that didn’t work or something. I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be on the rapist and not attacking the child.” It boggles the mind: in Akin’s view, a rape victim can will herself not to get pregnant. Just when one thinks that the Christian Right can’t get any more bizarre, Akin espouses his “legitimate rape” theory.
After Akin’s unsavory comments, many Republicans immediately went into damage-control mode and distanced themselves from him. GOP Presidential nominee Mitt Romney denounced the comments as “inexcusable, insulting, and frankly, wrong”; even far-right extremists like Karl Rove, Fox News’ Sean Hannity, former Attorney General John Ashcroft and neocon talk radio host Mark Levin called for Akin to drop out of the race. But Akin stayed in the race, and some Christian Right theocrats rose to his defense. Among them: the Family Research Council, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee (who currently hosts a program on Fox News) and serial adulterer Newt Gingrich.
Celente, an independent who is contemptuous of most Republicans (Rep. Ron Paul being a notable exception) and most Democrats, pointed to Akin as a prime example of why he has grown so disgusted with American politics: “Look at this guy Akin saying that if you get raped, you’re not going to have a baby. I mean, come on with this stuff. Look at the quality of people who are running this country. I’m sick of it. I’ve had it.”
One would think that after his “legitimate rape” comment, Akin would be way behind in the polls. Not so. In early October, a poll by the Republican-leaning Rasmussen showed him trailing McCaskill by only six points (51-45%). Rasmussen polling also found that among likely voters in Missouri, 47% had a favorable view of Akin compared to only 41% for McCaskill. Meanwhile, a poll taken by the Democrat-leaning Public Policy Polling (PPP) around the same time found McCaskill leading Akin 46-40%, with 9% of those surveyed favoring Libertarian Party candidate Jonathan Dine.
In Missouri, social conservatives are not fond of Dine, a fiscal conservative who is quite liberal on social issues and is a vehement critic of the War on Drugs. Dine, in fact, has the words “legalize marijuana” and a depiction of a marijuana leaf tattooed on his chest, which makes him totally unacceptable to the Christian Right. Welcome to the Bizarro World of social conservatives, where calling for the legalization of marijuana is a cardinal sin but blaming rape victims for becoming pregnant is perfectly OK.
After Akin’s “legitimate rape” comments, it’s appalling that 45% or 40% of Missouri voters would even consider voting for him—and that Gingrich, Huckabee and the Family Research Council would defend the indefensible. Is it any wonder that Celente considers modern American politics to be a freak show?
Alex Henderson is a veteran journalist whose work has appeared in The L.A. Weekly, AlterNet, Billboard, Spin, XBIZ, Creem, Skin Two, The Pasadena Weekly, JazzTimes, Cash Box and a long list of other well-known publications. He can be followed on Twitter @alexvhenderson.
