Todd Akin Must Resign

Todd Akin, Republican Candidate for U.S. Senate in Missouri: “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.” That was Akin’s response to a question about abortion and rape in a recent interview.

Where does one start with this man and his mouth? There are so many adjectives that jump to mind to describe this guy – irresponsible and ignorant, stupid and chauvinist, reckless and illiterate, undisciplined and insensitive. They all accurately describe Todd Akin.

I have a wife, mother, sister and two daughters. I understand rape is rape; it’s sexual assault. There is no legitimate rape as suggested by Akin. There is no real rape as was put forth by Whoopi Goldberg. There is only rape – ugly, vicious, violent rape.

Akin has been a Congressman since 2001 representing the western suburbs of St. Louis, Missouri. Young Todd earned a degree in management engineering and a Master of Divinity. He is not a medical doctor, nurse, or technician. He has no special knowledge of human female physiology. In other words Todd Akin doesn’t know any more about how the female body works than you or I do. Which is very little.

Todd Akin claims he read about the female body reacting to rape: “I read a couple of articles several years ago.” Akin doesn’t remember the media in which the articles appeared, who wrote them or specifically when they were published. He can’t recall which doctors were involved. He developed his own definitions of rape.

Akin doesn’t understand rape. And I sense there were no articles. I sense this guy is grasping at straws after he’s made a fool of himself and created a disaster for America.

If Todd Akin had simply said he believed there was never a reason for any abortion, most folks would agree he’s entitled to his opinion. But Todd didn’t say that. He twisted words and concepts to try to win favor with the more liberal citizens of Missouri. He was not a man of principle; he was just an ordinary politician pandering for votes.

Now Akin has almost no support. Reasonable persons are not going to vote for a man who spews bigotry and idiocy. The punishment for Akin’s unforced error is that he can no longer be elected. Everyone seems to understand that except Akin.

Senator John Cronyn of Texas announced Republicans will yank $5 million dollars originally slated to support Akin. Karl Rove and his Super Pac have pulled a similar amount intended to fund Akin’s campaign. Both Cronyn and Rove, as well as Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, Scott Brown, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and many more prominent conservatives have called for Akin to resign – for the good of the Party and for the good of the country.

Independent conservatives and Republicans will need every vote to control the Senate. Americans who yearn for traditional American values will need every vote to replace President Obama.

There are 75 days before the most important national election in the past 152 years. We cannot be distracted by a single Senatorial candidate with a big mouth and a small mind. Todd Akin needs to resign from his race. Right now.