Akin lets deadline pass, stays in Senate race

The deadline to walk away from his Senate race passed 45 minutes ago, and Rep. Todd “Legitimate Rape” Akin did not step down.

Republican Rep. Todd Akin allowed a state deadline to pass Tuesday, defiantly staying in the race to unseat Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill despite mounting calls for him to withdraw over incendiary remarks on rape and pregnancy.Under Missouri law, Akin would now need to get a court order to pull out of the race as he waited beyond the 5 p.m. deadline. He would also be required to pay for any necessary reprinting of ballots.

Akin has until 5:00 pm on this Saturday, August 25, to obtain a court order should he choose to step down. After that date, his name will appear on the ballot, even in the event of his death.

What does this mean?

A poll taken Monday night by PPP showed Akin leading McCaskill by one point, 44-43. Compared to his 11-point lead just last week in a SurveyUSA poll, this isn’t great . . . but McCaskill is an unpopular Senator herself. It could still be a close race.

In a poll of Missourians conducted by SurveyUSA on 8/20, 54% of Missourians wanted Akin to drop out of the race. But that’s not 54% of Missouri Republicans, or 54% of Missouri likely voters, or even 54% of registered voters. Take out the folks who never wanted a Republican in office in the first place, and you might well see a majority of Missouri Republicans wanting Akin to continue.

So, Missouri appears to remain a toss-up.

Nationally, the fallout may cause far greater damage than the loss of a single Senate seat.

The GOP platform’s new plank on abortion, which promotes a Constitutional ban on all abortion (without exception for rape or incest) has already been dubbed “the ‘Akin’ plank”.

As we’ve pointed out, Akin’s views are consistent with the anti-choice far right . . . including a failed effort by Paul Ryan and over 170 Congressional Republicans to ban Federal funding of abortion except in cases of “forcible rape” (currently “rape”).

Todd Akin, by tearing off the Band-Aid of civility, has exposed the ugly truth behind the anti-choice movement; the unscientific superstition that women subjected to forcible rape don’t get pregnant, which means any woman pregnant from a rape wasn’t raped at all.

Could there be any stance more anti-woman than this? Short of demanding burqas for all, that is?

Related articles:

1. Anti-Abortion Group Calls on Todd Akin to Withdraw from Senate Race
2. Todd Akin wasn’t ‘misspeaking’ about ‘legitimate rape’ but speaking for a movement
3. Todd Akin Receives Support from Phyllis Schlafly, Who Denies Existence of Marital Rape
4. Akin’s ‘legitimate rape’ reveals GOP hypocrisy and creates conundrum for Creationists
5. Todd Akin, Darling of the Religious Right, Wins Senate Primary