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Subscribe to RSSMissouri Senate candidate Todd Akin, who launched a firestorm of controversy after his use of the phrase "legitimate rape" and then ignited further criticism with his comments Tuesday, has said he's going to stay in the race. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports.
Updated 6:12 p.m. - Rep. Todd Akin (R) did not step aside as the Republican Senate nominee in Missouri, allowing a key preliminary deadline to end his candidacy to come and go.
Akin, who's faced growing clamor from fellow Republicans to end his candidacy amid an uproar over his weekend comments about rape, said he believes it is important for him to press forward with his campaign against incumbent Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill.
"I want to make one thing absolutely clear: we are going to continue with this race," Akin said on the radio show of Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor and Senate candidate.
Congressman Todd Akin may not drop his Senate bid today, but NBC's Domenico Montanaro reports his real deadline is likely Sept. 25, the date that he would be locked into the ballot. Today is the last day he can drop out of the Missouri Senate race without having to pay ballot costs.
"I've had a chance now to run through a primary. And the party people said that when you run through a primary, we'll be with you."
Akin had until 5 p.m. CST today to resign his Senate nomination without facing any procedural difficulties. He could still withdraw by Sept. 25, though he would have to petition a court to remove his name from the ballot, and have to pay costs associated with reprinting the ballots.
National Republicans have undertaken efforts to force the six-term congressman from the race. The National Republican Senatorial Committee has canceled its advertising reservations, and a pro-Republican super PAC has said it no longer plans to invest in the campaign, either. Top Republican senators have also canceled a planned fundraiser for Akin on Sept. 19.
Akin said he'd seen an influx of small-dollar donations since the initial uproar emerged on Sunday, and he said he'd received supportive calls from other colleagues in Congress, though he did not say who.
More significantly, national Republicans have begun openly agitating for Akin's ouster. Missouri's past five Republican senators released a joint statement today saying "the right decision is to step aside."
Orlin Wagner / AP
Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo., talks with reporters while attending the Governor's Ham Breakfast at the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia, Mo.
Akin's controversy stems from comments he made last weekend on "The Jaco Report" on KTVI FOX 2 News, on which he said "legitimate rape" rarely results in pregnancy in victims. Akin has since apologized, and said he was mistaken to assert that rape culdn't result in pregnancy. He released a television ad to that effect this morning.
Republicans had high hopes of beating McCaskill before Akin made his comments over the weekend. But the congressman's persistence in the race could jeopardize the GOP's chances in this key race, which provides one of their best opportunities to achieve the net gain of four seats Republicans need this fall to take control of the Senate in the next Congress.
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This is great news of Obama. He can now tie Akins to Ryan - they make a great pair of modern day thinkers of the
GOP.
HOME SALES TAX - BEGINS 2013
When does your home become part of your health care? After 2012!
Your vote counts big time in 2012, make sure you and all your friends and family know about this!
HOME SALES TAX I thought you might find this interesting.The National Association of Realtors is all over this and working to get it repealed, -- before it takes effect. But, I am very pleased we aren't the only ones who know about this ploy to steal billions from unsuspecting homeowners. How many realtors do you think will vote Democratic in 2012? Did you know that if you sell your house after 2012 you will pay a 3.8% sales tax on it? That's $3,800 on a $100,000 home, etc. When did this happen? It's in the health care bill, -- and it goes into effect in 2013. Why 2013? Could it be so that it doesn't come to light until after the 2012 elections? So, this is 'Obama change you can believe in'? Under the new health care bill all real estate transactions will be subject to a 3.8% sales tax. If you sell a $400,000 home, there will be a $15,200 tax. This bill is set to screw the retiring generation, -- who often downsize their homes. Does this make your November, 2012 vote more important? Oh, you weren't aware that this was in the ObamaCare bill? Guess what; you aren't alone! There are more than a few members of Congress that weren't aware of it either. You can check this out for yourself at:http://www.gop.gov/blog/10/04/08/obamacare-flatlines-obamacare-taxes-home
Pffffft! Nice scare tactic using your beloved GOP majority website as a backdrop. You conveniently left out that it applies to "high income" earners...not middle class earners.
And WTF does this have to do with the article? Nothing.
I digress! Come to find out I was wrong...the entire 3.8% tax thing is COMPLETELY BOGUS!!!
http://factcheck.org/2012/04/realtors-the-3-8-sales-tax-and-247-medicare-premiums/
This crazy mother f'er is "legitimate". I think he is a rapist tring to get away with it.
That was the line Bubba used on him in prison.
A prime example of the 'Puritan Ethic' that this country is still inflicted with----violence against women started in this country by the Puritans with the Witch Trials and has progressed to the present day.
Heaveto
I agree to a point, there were men as well as women hung for witchcraft though. Saddly, many, if not all were Christians who the village had no more use for or wanted their property, or children "crying out" on others to avoid being exposed for little actresses they were. 19 were hung in Salem thanks to these children.( Yes, they were Puritan)
I truly feel the Right will not be happy until they can once again have a good ol' fashioned "Witch Burning" in the town square, with T-shirts and Beer for all God fearing "witnesses."
Being a "Witch," guess how I'll be voting. >:o):
Much Love n Bright Blessing,
Da Pup,
>:o):
PS: Ladies, they FEAR YOU!!! They know you represent the Goddess, they fear for their War God if WOMEN ever regain their rightful power.
Good for you Mr. Akin. Stand firm and stay in the race. This is just another attempt for liberals to try to keep another pro-lifer out of Congress. I, as a woman, understood what he was trying to say and I am sure everyone else did. The Liberals are always the first to cry foul on a Republican, twisting every word to mean something other than intended but don't even blink when a Democrat like Biden or Toure says something so blatantly racist that it is downright sickening. Shame on you people.
Shame on you for letting your niece get raped.
Members of his own party are calling on him to step aside. His own party and outside interest groups are withholding money from his campaign.
I had no idea that Republican-leaning PACs were "liberals".
Funny to talk about twisting words. You don't even have to take them out of context at all to realize how disgustingly ignorant it is. He didn't misspeak, he made the mistake of speaking his actual mind in front of a running TV camera. He very clearly thinks (or used to think until a few days ago) that a woman who is "legitimately" raped can't get pregnant, and has been writing anti-abortion legislation for years, possibly decades, based on that false belief.
That's not just ignorance, that's ignorance of Godzilla-sized proportions, especially from someone on the House Science Committee.
But, keep chugging that Kool-Aid, I'm sure it makes your air of self-righteousness a lot easier to maintain.
Another idiot who 'shoots himself in the foot!'-----a true Puritan!!!---as the Australians say--"we got the better part of the deal, we got the Convicts and the Americans got the Puritans!!!"
CasAccountant,
Thanks for your thoughtful comment, but help me out with something, since you understand what Akin was trying to say. How DOES a woman's body shut down a pregnancy initiated by a rapist? I guess everyone else understands this, but I'm just to d***ed ignorant to get it. Help me out.
Woefully-benighted Pedagoguish
I've never donated to an out-of-state race before, but I feel like sending Akin three bucks....not enough to be really meaningful, but just to make him keep thinking there's some kind of support for him.
His refusal to leave the race is a gift from God....to the Democratic Party.
AMEN!!!
I am a Republican, and yes that was just about the most ignorant thing I have ever anyone say.
So please don't lump me in the same category with that idiot.
BTW where were all of the civic minded liberal democratic friends when the Vice President made his racist comment about "Putting Y'all back in chains" I know, he really didn't mean it. He was taken out of context Since nothing was said I guess all democrats agree with his racist comments.
I do lump you in with these idiots because you vote for them. You are telling every women this is the kind of people who need to pass laws to govern what you do with your body!
It wasn't a racist comment. It was a regurgitation of a previous speech.
Nice try at diversion.
Biden doesn't hate blacks...but I guarantee you that Akin and Ryan hate women...and they're trying to pass bills to legislate hatred against women.
Biden's comments are irrelevant...Ryan/Akin's bill, however, isn't.
Biden was clearly making a play on words, and nothing in his legislative career would suggest he believes in any kind of discrimination against minorities.
Akin, on the other hand, was stating what he honestly believed to be true, and had written legislation that tried to more carefully describe "forcible rape" so that abortion rights could be further restricted.
Anyone who compares the two is extremely out of touch. The Republicans are withholding money and support....five senators or senate candidates, all (R)s, have told him he should quit. This shouldn't be about partisanism, it should be about keeping people with grotesquely backwards ideas out of positions of power. Nice to see that some (R)s are getting the point.
I'm black so you can't vouch for me. That's number one, Two I was in the audience, what Joe said did not correlate to blacks being in chains. The African American Community loves Joe and hates republicans such as yourself. Any African American that is living will not vote for Mitt Ryan, because they know the Repuke party are the racists. Besides they did not pay you enough to make your case. You FAILED
I think I hear someone asking for a refund.
Does anyone in the republican party think rape is a bad think to happen to a woman? Is this the new republican litmus test like abortion used to be? You can't be a republican unless you think rape is something woman should just lay back and enjoy?
Obviously you didn't read my comment or didn't understand it.
You are just like all chatty Kathy liberals. You can't think for youself. Someone just pulls that little string in your back and you keep chatting that same liberal garbage over and over and over until you have convinced youself its true.
I wonder how many that have commented on this are rape victims? I am and I am a survivor. I listened to what this man had to say. ALL of it. He made assumptions. However I understood exactly what he meant. And I believe in abortion. A few years ago, Whoopie Goldburg made a comment about the case of Roman Polanski being charged for rape. She said "It wasn't Rape, Rape". Saying the same thing but when it comes out of a liberal mouth, we all knew what she meant. He was a child molester because he had sex with minors. Rape is rape. However, there truly is a difference between being raped by a monster. That the date rape, woman says no--man does not stop. Until you have been held at knife-point and beaten and raped repeatedly you should not assume to know how all women feel about this man or the Republican Party. I try my best not to generalize and believe others should try to do the same. But it is a whole lot more fun to poke fun at anyone who disagrees with you. Shame on you all.
How dare these people (Akin, Ryan, Republicans) try to tell all the women that have suffered through a rape, or too young to give consent that they were illegitimately raped....especially in the very traumatic circumstance that they suffered an unwanted pregnancy from it.
I'm so tired of old men involved in the abortion debate. Until one of these dried up, misogynistic aholes can push a baby out of their d**k, I truly wish they'd leave women alone so that they have the right to deal with their own health and life issues as they deem appropriate to their specific situation.
The idea of them deciding whether a woman's rape was legitimate or not is really over-the-top misogyny though. Its so hateful and sick..its hard to fathom.
I truly hope this guy stays in the race...I want this to be a HUGE issue for as long as possible and I want Ryan to have to answer some very heated questions about the bill he co-authored with this sick bastard.
http://thedaleygator.wordpress.com/2012/08/16/dem-representative-investigated-for-having-sex-at-rest-stop-with-17-year-old-boy/
democrats blow male children at rest stop so is that a war on women ?
The GOP is handing out Chastity belts at the convention to the first 10,000 women who show up....I'm guessing they are gonna have about 9000 left over.....(they are engraved with "GOP war on women tour 2012" ) Rage against the baby machine..........
and dems are giving blow jobs to underage kids
http://shavedlongcock.blogspot.com/2012/08/minn-state-rep-kerry-gauthier-gets.html
that last article about gary studs was so disgusting i have to post another story this is kerry gauthier
http://shavedlongcock.blogspot.com/2012/08/minn-state-rep-kerry-gauthier-gets.html
Do you save every article you see about gay sex? That says a lot about you stud!
just the ones about democrat politicians when the democrats are preaching
You sure are one sick and twisted sorry excuse for a human.
Akin should not quit.
He is ahead in the poll. You Conservative women had to have known what he was about. You had to have known his policies concerning rape. You had to have known his stance on women's health rights.
Either you have -s h i t-for brains,just totally misinformed...or you are into sadism.
Which is it?
Lies of the GOP & Paul Ryan TeaWackers, Mitt R. Bain, Citizens United and all the Alec corps ( WALMART ): that pay off the Politician. Its all about the Wealthy getting richer and the middle class getting poorer.....They don't want to help the poor...Who are the one's that leach off the taxpayer. The Wealthy: they get welfare both for themselves an for the Corps. ...But it seems that the Wealthy get away with it ..They steal billions and the few poor steals a few thousands. So what does the GOP want, is Screw the MIddle Class to get even with the few. As I say its the me me me and F everyone else.... The failures of the Republicans party trying to take away SS & Medicare & Health care for Woman so they can give their wealthy Blackmailers more money...To hell with the Poor and Needy. Let them freeze in the winter and stave the Old and Babies,let them die from bad water, do away with the EPA and thats what you'll have, just like all you Tea baggers want...You make me sick with your Me Me Me altitude. Greedy and you all call yourself a REAL Christians, Mormans. What a laugh: Wake up...Sounds like Mitt!!!!!!Fuss up your tax Return
Stay in the race Akin.
I want this whole issue to remain in the news for as long as possible!
why ... obama policies ?
democrat politicians blowing children unionized teachers bearing children from underage children and they preach to us
The FourthReich speaks
You sure are turned on by gay sex and especially gay sex with children. Is that the new republican norm?
Good thing there is only one of you
One--You want to pretend that Republicans have a monopoly on virtue? Tell that to Mark Foley, Larry Craig and countless other Republicans. Dirtbags come in all political persuasions. Akin just happens to be the latest incarnation of the really stupid misogynist.
Gee, if I ever get pregnant by rape I want informed people like Akin deciding what will become of me, my other children, and my family in general.
Watching me give birth to my rapist's child would be an especially good learning experience for the kids.
"YOUR CHILD" is the important part of that post
He also quoted his "old friend" John Paul Jones (I have not yet begun to fight). Damn, he is old.
Gee... his science education is even more 18th century than I thought.
WHAT?
way to go All4Areason. The fact that some sick democrat acted like a monster means I want Akin in charge of my body.
and you can bet i don't want to pay for your sex habits
You convinced me. The republican position that rape is a good thing for women and they should just lay back and enjoy it is spot on!
i said raping young boys is something democrats approve of becuase they don't get pregnant
All--Maybe we now know why Senator Larry Craig (R) made his play in a Minnesota restroom.
One--Since when did Mark Foley become a Democrat?
ONEREALMAN
I think the Catholic Church actually holds that belief....
Ummm, ya might wanna see someone about your obsession with under aged gay sex.... It's very kinky and somewhat disturbing.
Good strategy for the democrats. One idiot repub says something dumb and they think they have won.
keep cheering and enjoy.
the dems are so focused on winning they cannot see Barack and obama have no idea how to run this country.
we are all in trouble.
The republican party has a long and well established history of making comments very much like one we are talking about.
so do the democrats. Bill clinton alsa appears to not understand the definition of sex with that woman. and paula jones thinks he does not knpw what rape is. right now by reading thesost - the dems are over excited about akins stupid comment. most did not even know who is before today.
When Bush was in office you Dems were chanting"its the economy stupid". now your are chanting something else. have fun...
fourth reich ? you mean like taking tax monies and buying banks auto makers and funding unions ? how about creating racist arguments like amnesty without congressional approval ... oh wait that is the democrats
Your Republican CEOs have enough illegal offshore money to pay the national debt.... twice.
you make things up and that really makes you sound stUUUpid
Go ask you mother if she think that rape is a good thing? Or is she as f****d in the head as the rest of you worthless republicans?
great looking dog....must be a Democrat...He still has his balls..(girly men like Romney and Ryan need not apply)
i cant help but think that feisty and joe bit me are brother and sister both just pure dumb
Oh please...there have been so many republican sex scandals boys/men its ridiculous.
The guy tapping bathroom stalls at the airport...the guy taking time away from passing bills so he could send sex messages to his young male interns...the preacher with a giant ministry for kids that was having sex from a gay male crack dealer...on and on and on....
Do you morons address your misogyny without trying to divert attention away from the fact that you are trying to legislate bills which will subvert women's rights? We're not as stupid as you are...you can't distract us from what the issue is...
anthony weiner and bill clinton are good examples
Good examples of real men you would like to date. Isn't that right, onerealloser.
At least Weiner and Bill Clinton had sex with consenting adults.
Unlike Republican Mark Foley...
The Mark Foley scandal, centers on soliciting e-mails and sexually suggestive instant messages sent by Mark Foley, a Republican Congressman from Florida, to teenaged boys who had served as congressional pages.
All the GOP needs now is another dog/pony
They give a new definition to the work "freak".
Todd Akin is glowing with bright beams of stupid. glowing so bright he could be the next prophet of the stupids!
he speaks for the people that vote Republican
The male Kennedy's try to screw every woman they can, killed one (Mary Jo Kopechne), Bill Clinton getting blow jobs in the White House, John Edwards has a covered up love child fiasco while his wife is dying of cancer and you lefties have the nerve to lecture about atttidues toward women and values. HYPOCRITS!!!!!