Ed Hudgins Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 Akin’s Idiocy and Lessons for Republicansby Edward HudginsAugust 24, 2012 - Representative Todd Akin, this year’s GOP candidate in the Missouri U.S. Senate race, has highlighted campaign-killing idiocies that provide valuable lessons for Republicans.Everyone is now familiar with Akin’s idiotic response to a question concerning his pro-life views as they apply to abortion in cases of rape and incest: “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.”Where did this guy learn his biology? Of course, he is a religious fundamentalist and many of them believe that humans rode around on dinosaurs only six thousand years ago. Don’t put this guy on the science committee!But Akin’s comment reflects a deeper problem.Major Republicans (from Mitt Romney on down) as well as top conservative commentators (like Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham) have called for Akin to pull out of the race. They fear that he is now likely to lose in his bid to unseat Senator Claire McCaskill, the Democrat, which likely would mean that the GOP fails to win control of the Senate. Worse, pollster Scott Rasmussen finds that Missouri, which was leaning toward Romney for president, now slightly favors Obama. If Romney loses Missouri, Obama likely will be reelected.And here’s another data point of interest. Democratic Party supporters apparently put money into the Missouri Republican primary to back Akin’s nomination because they saw him as the weakest potential candidate against McCaskill. And they were right. But it is important for limited-government Republicans, and anyone else who wants to see the powers of the state reined in, to understand the exact reasons why.A first factor to consider when choosing a candidate is his or her views concerning government and public policy. Social conservatives like Akin, rather than keeping their eyes on the prize of turning back the socialist tide that has been swamping America for decades, worry about other people’s sex lives.A second factor is whether a candidate is intelligent and articulate enough to convince voters of the rightness of limited government views, and to be an effective lawmaker. In 2010, I called this second factor the “Crane rule,”after the Cato Institute’s founder and president Ed Crane. My former boss rightly argued that to be effective, advocates of pro-freedom ideas that might seem radical today must show themselves as serious, thoughtful, and credible.One reason why Republicans failed to win the Senate in 2010 was that Delaware GOP senatorial candidate Christine O’Donnell came off as a ditz and a crybaby, and Nevada GOP senatorial candidate Sharron Angle spent a lot of time avoiding the press for fear of saying something stupid rather than using the media as a bully pulpit to articulate the pro-freedom philosophy.Akin clearly fails the Crane rule. And perhaps his greatest idiocy is that he is staying in the race. He is likely to go the way of O’Donnell and Angle. The lesson for Republicans: If you want to roll back government, don’t be idiots by picking candidates prone to idiocies.--------Hudgins is director of advocacy for The Atlas Society.For further reading:*Edward Hudgins, “Tea Party Candidates and the ‘Crane Rule'.” September 28, 2010. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selene Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 Ed:He was "picked" by the electorate by winning a plurality of the vote.Adam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caroljane Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 Akin is going the way he wants to go, his own individual way, and the devil take the hindmost.He cares only for God and his own god-given rights to control the bodies of others. He never has cared for anything elsel/ Why should he change now?His ideological supporters control the Republican party. What does he have to lose? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiodekadent Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 If you want people that seem intelligent and thoughtful, then you will be hard pressed to find them in the so-con-flooded Republican party.All those damn religionists should be thrown to the lions.[Disclaimer: above is a stress-reducing piece of hyperbole, not a serious proposal to throw Christians to lions] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
syrakusos Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 Ayn Rand never got passed Wendell Wilkie. She continued to issue statements of praise and blame for Republican candidates. Of course, she also repudiated the Libertarians. That left "None of the Above" which is arguably the truly consistent, objective appraisal. Rand did say - correctly, I believe - that politics is a consequence of philosophy, that to change the political climate, one must begin at a deeper level of understanding. Certainly, the ethics of egoism are the moral foundation of capitalism - and the GOP is not going to endorse the virtue of selfishness, as the case of Paul Ryan so clearly proved.This week, I was honored to be the luncheon guest of an international businessman, who came to America after two moves in Europe. We talked politics and he said that he is a European conservative. I did not argue when he suggested that the Ron Paul libertarians in the GOP only care about legalizing drugs. I did not disagree much about anything as I was there to listen.We did agree on one thing I suggested. He said that Romney's talking about Obama's birth certificate will only come back to bite Romney by forcing his off-shore accounts to become public information. I said that Romney should announce his off-shore accounts and recommend them to others as a good way to protect your money from the ravages of excessive government. He laughed in agreement, but we shook our heads, knowing that this will never happen.The fact that Romney has been as busy covering his tracks, as Obama was in creating his, explains why anyone objectively interested in their own freedom will not waste much time unraveling today's political rhetoric. The only people running for office are Eugene Lawson, Claude Slaggenhop, Wesley Mouch, Mr. Thompson, and Cuffy Meigs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caroljane Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 Logically, the GOP should disband and form two new parties, the socioreligious conservatives and the individualist fiscal conservatives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caroljane Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 The Creationistss and the Productionists, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PDS Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 Akin’s Idiocy and Lessons for Republicansby Edward HudginsAugust 24, 2012 - Representative Todd Akin, this year’s GOP candidate in the Missouri U.S. Senate race, has highlighted campaign-killing idiocies that provide valuable lessons for Republicans.Everyone is now familiar with Akin’s idiotic response to a question concerning his pro-life views as they apply to abortion in cases of rape and incest: “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.”Where did this guy learn his biology? Of course, he is a religious fundamentalist and many of them believe that humans rode around on dinosaurs only six thousand years ago. Don’t put this guy on the science committee!But Akin’s comment reflects a deeper problem.Major Republicans (from Mitt Romney on down) as well as top conservative commentators (like Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham) have called for Akin to pull out of the race. They fear that he is now likely to lose in his bid to unseat Senator Claire McCaskill, the Democrat, which likely would mean that the GOP fails to win control of the Senate. Worse, pollster Scott Rasmussen finds that Missouri, which was leaning toward Romney for president, now slightly favors Obama. If Romney loses Missouri, Obama likely will be reelected.And here’s another data point of interest. Democratic Party supporters apparently put money into the Missouri Republican primary to back Akin’s nomination because they saw him as the weakest potential candidate against McCaskill. And they were right. But it is important for limited-government Republicans, and anyone else who wants to see the powers of the state reined in, to understand the exact reasons why.A first factor to consider when choosing a candidate is his or her views concerning government and public policy. Social conservatives like Akin, rather than keeping their eyes on the prize of turning back the socialist tide that has been swamping America for decades, worry about other people’s sex lives.A second factor is whether a candidate is intelligent and articulate enough to convince voters of the rightness of limited government views, and to be an effective lawmaker. In 2010, I called this second factor the “Crane rule,”after the Cato Institute’s founder and president Ed Crane. My former boss rightly argued that to be effective, advocates of pro-freedom ideas that might seem radical today must show themselves as serious, thoughtful, and credible.One reason why Republicans failed to win the Senate in 2010 was that Delaware GOP senatorial candidate Christine O’Donnell came off as a ditz and a crybaby, and Nevada GOP senatorial candidate Sharron Angle spent a lot of time avoiding the press for fear of saying something stupid rather than using the media as a bully pulpit to articulate the pro-freedom philosophy.Akin clearly fails the Crane rule. And perhaps his greatest idiocy is that he is staying in the race. He is likely to go the way of O’Donnell and Angle. The lesson for Republicans: If you want to roll back government, don’t be idiots by picking candidates prone to idiocies.--------Hudgins is director of advocacy for The Atlas Society.For further reading:*Edward Hudgins, “Tea Party Candidates and the ‘Crane Rule'.” September 28, 2010.One nit-pick: a post speaking of another's idiocy should probably have each word in its title spelled correctly. Although I do agree that Akin may end up being a "lesion" on the arses of the Republicans as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 I wrote Todd Akin and told him to stay in the race. It is too late to put up another candidate. If it were the primaries I would be against him as I was against Michelle Bachmann but now it is the "real race" and we need a 51 Senator majority. I think he is down by one percent the last time I looked.Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caroljane Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 I wrote Todd Akin and told him to stay in the race. It is too late to put up another candidate. If it were the primaries I would be against him as I was against Michelle Bachmann but now it is the "real race" and we need a 51 Senator majority. I think he is down by one percent the last time I looked.PeterI wrote Todd Akin and told him to stay in the race. It is too late to put up another candidate. If it were the primaries I would be against him as I was against Michelle Bachmann but now it is the "real race" and we need a 51 Senator majority. I think he is down by one percent the last time I looked.PeterI hope you prefaced your name with "Saint" when you wrote him, to best get his attention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selene Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 Gee...I would have prefaced his name with:You ignorant asshole... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caroljane Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 Gee...I would have prefaced his name with:You ignorant asshole...Adam, I meant Peter's name! I should have said, signature. Check your possessive pronouns and quit ruining my jokes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selene Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 Gee...I would have prefaced his name with:You ignorant asshole...Adam, I meant Peter's name! I should have said, signature.Check your possessive pronouns and quit ruining my jokes!Ouch - my sincere apology ,,,certainly misread and responded to my true thoughts in my head about the Missourian Moron...My apology to Mr. Taylor also, if he took offense.Adamcleaning his lenses as we type... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PDS Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 Gee...I would have prefaced his name with:You ignorant asshole...Adam, I meant Peter's name! I should have said, signature.Check your possessive pronouns and quit ruining my jokes!Ouch - my sincere apology ,,,certainly misread and responded to my true thoughts in my head about the Missourian Moron...My apology to Mr. Taylor also, if he took offense.Adamcleaning his lenses as we type...Might as well clean your lesions while you are at it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caroljane Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 Gee...I would have prefaced his name with:You ignorant asshole...Adam, I meant Peter's name! I should have said, signature.Check your possessive pronouns and quit ruining my jokes!Ouch - my sincere apology ,,,certainly misread and responded to my true thoughts in my head about the Missourian Moron...My apology to Mr. Taylor also, if he took offense.Adamcleaning his lenses as we type...Gee...I would have prefaced his name with:You ignorant asshole...Adam, I meant Peter's name! I should have said, signature.Check your possessive pronouns and quit ruining my jokes!Ouch - my sincere apology ,,,certainly misread and responded to my true thoughts in my head about the Missourian Moron...My apology to Mr. Taylor also, if he took offense.Adamcleaning his lenses as we type...I forgive you, of course, as I am sure will peter if he noticed it. I am shocked and saddened however, to learn that apparently you do not read each and every one of my posts, however many they may be, at least twice, the second time to fully absorb and appreciate the message and the style in which it is delivered.I certainly do with all of yours.Downcast.carol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brant Gaede Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 I read 83% of Carol's posts.--BrantI understand most of them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caroljane Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 I read 83% of Carol's posts.--BrantI understand most of themI read 83% of Carol's posts.--BrantI understand most of themThank you Brant!I also read all yours. But I cannot make the same claim about understanding "most". It depends on the subject. I will just say, that matters of physics and detrminism currently under discussion, have made my brain hurt to the point wherte I had to retreat into reruns of the Trailer Park Boys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selene Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 Might as well clean your lesions while you are at it...I am so glad you mentioned that because I so wanted to! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selene Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 I will just say, that matters of physics and detrminism currently under discussion, have made my brain hurt...Could be a dietary issue.Follow Mistress Michelle's advice and eat more roughage, or else! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caroljane Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 <p>I will just say, that matters of physics and detrminism currently under discussion, have made my brain hurt...Could be a dietary issue.Follow Mistress Michelle's advice and eat more roughage, or else!</p><a href="http://media.photobucket.com/image/michelle obama/dumbnubzz/michelle-obama-hideous.jpg?o=15" target="_blank"><img src="http://i798.photobucket.com/albums/yy265/dumbnubzz/michelle-obama-hideous.jpg" border="0"></a>OkOK OK Yes maam! just put down the whip. These are organic peanuts, honest. Locally sourced! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brant Gaede Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 I read 83% of Carol's posts.--BrantI understand most of themI read 83% of Carol's posts.--BrantI understand most of themThank you Brant!I also read all yours.But I cannot make the same claim about understanding "most". It depends on the subject. I will just say, that matters of physics and detrminism currently under discussion, have made my brain hurt to the point wherte I had to retreat into reruns of the Trailer Park Boys.Don't worry; when it comes to physics I really don't know what I'm talking about.--Branta boy has to have fun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caroljane Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 When it to God's will, i DO know what I'm talkin about!Have fun dancin around your golden calf in the rain in Tampa, ye Unrighteous!Hee-hee.Todd Akin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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