What is it with Republican Senate candidates (male, of course) and women’s right to choose? The current pin-up boy for GOP foot-in-mouth disease is Richard Mourdock of Indiana, who took it upon himself to say that if a woman becomes pregnant as a result of rape, she still shouldn’t have access to an abortion because God wants that baby to be born.
“I think that even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something God intended to happen,” Mourdock said during a debate. Mourdock has unsuccessfully tried to walk back his statement, which is redolent of comments made by another GOP Senate candidate, Todd Akin of Missouri. Akin famously declared that women can’t become pregnant as a result of “legitimate rape” because their body protects them.
Mourdock is the perfect Tea Party Republican. He defeated incumbent Richard Lugar in the June GOP primary by painting Lugar as insufficiently conservative. Mourdock’s campaign included an ad that showed Lugar giggling and dancing with a cartoon Obama, with pink hearts and rainbows floating around them. (We’re sure any homophobia was purely intentional.) As you might imagine, Mourdock is a mighty opponent of marriage equality, domestic partnerships, workplace protections and anything else remotely lavender.
Mourdock’s comments are a godsend (if you’ll pardon the expression) to the Obama campaign. It’s another chance to remind women that the GOP leaders might not only oppose the right to choose but possibly are eyeing the repeal of the 19th amendment of the Constitution. Given the existing gender gap in this year’s voting, this is a demographic nightmare for the Republicans. It’s bad enough to have lost the Latino vote for the foreseeable future. If they lose the women’s vote as well, Republicans will only ever see the White House from the outside for a long, long time.
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The immediate impact of Mourdock’s gaffe (defined as the inadvertent expression of a true belief) is that he increased the chance of his losing the Senate race, which would be quite a feat in GOP-friendly Indiana. The bigger impact is that it gives Obama an opening to tie Romney–who just released an ad endorsing Mourdock, the only Senate candidate he has endorsed–to the far-right wing of the GOP. Obama’s lost no time in doing so.
Republicans are on the defensive, but what should they expect? They keep minting crazies for candidates because that’s what the base wants. How long will it take for them to realize that ultimately it’s a losing strategy?
Photo by Indiana State Treasurer Office via Wikimedia Commons
2eo
If he said that in the UK he’d have being sacked immediately. From any party even the nutty right wing BNP and UKIP parties, without hesitation.
America are supposed to lead the free world but so many of the people have their heads stuffed so far up their arses they’re deepthroating their spines. Nearly all of them with ties to the right.
Dumdum
If there is a god (though there is NO evidence to support that belief) I am so very glad that god has chosen these idiots to speak on his behalf. It truly illustrates just how stupid god really is. And that ALL of his followers are developmentally disabled.
Dez
Can someone please rape this man and then tell him it’s what God intended?
alexoloughlin
The republican party never ceases to amaze me. It seems to have an overwhelming majority of religious nutjobs controlling it and to think, gay republicans support this party, one that does NOT support LGBT equality. Even if the economy were booming, they’d still vote for and support it. A mega case of Stockholm Syndrome.
Aidan8
BJ???? Avenger???? Scary Heather??? Gee…. where are you guys??? Hmmm? Where’s your defense of this b.s.??? Hmmm? Come on now, let’s see if you can some how deflect…. maybe obfuscate…. or perhaps change the subject??? Hmmm?