Even the most conservative of bloggers agrees: Rep. Todd Akin, who is now infamous for having said that in cases of legitimate rape, a woman’s body will naturally take actions to help prevent pregnancy, must bow out of his race for the Missouri Senate.
Over on The Other McCain, Robert Stacy McCain explains the situation, and exactly why Akin is just too green to be reliable as a representation of Republicans:
Back in March, the Democrat seized on FlukeGate as Exhibit A in their “Republican War on Women” argument, which forced the GOP to invest enormous effort in turning the conversation back to the issues — the economy, jobs, deficits, etc. — where they were prepared to fight the fall campaign.
And then, out of the clear blue sky, Todd Akin punts it.
It was like the point man in the infantry patrol who hits the trip wire that detonates the mine in the enemy ambush. Suddenly the entire platoon finds itself pinned down under carefully aimed small-arms fire from camouflaed emplacements, while mortars and artillery come pouring in on pre-determined grid coordinates.
The Democrats and their media allies had all their arguments and talking points ready to roll, having rehearsed the whole drill five months ago during FlukeGate. Suddenly, everything Mitt Romney ever said about abortion and everything Paul Ryan ever said about abortion is legtimate, relevant and newsworthy.
Most conservative commentators and Republican political leaders see the situation in a similar light. Sean Hannity, in an interview with Akin that Buzzfeed is featuring, strongly challenges Akin on the notion that people are forgiving of mistakes, and encourages him to let someone replace him (video below).
Ultimately, the message is clear: Nobody’s forgetting about this any time soon, as much as the Republicans may wish it would go away. And one thing both sides can agree on is that Todd Akin needs to take some time away from politics.
Robert Stacy McCain goes a step further:
…the fact is there’s no way Akin survives this — no way at all. The elders and wise men of the Republican Party will have him out of there within 24 hours, and probably a lot less than that. By lunchtime Tuesday the question will be who will replace Akin on the ticket.
What do you think will happen in Missouri in the next few days? Will he be replaced? Will his replacement be able to hold onto Akin’s significant lead or is the Republican party doomed?
Image of Stacy McCain courtesy of mediabistro.com