Chilling new poll: Akin could beat McCaskill
Yael T. AbouhalkahThe poll in today’s Kansas City Star on the U.S. Senate race contains chilling -and stunning - news: Todd Akin could defeat Claire McCaskill.
Yes, Akin trails the incumbent, 45-43 percent. But that’s within the margin of error, as The Hill points out in its piece Saturday.
Here’s the more stunning part, especially if you are one of those - like me - who can’t believe someone as unqualified as Akin to be a U.S. senator is so close to victory this near to the election:
McCaskill is spending millions of dollars to portray - accurately - Akin as an extremist on many issues. Her ads are pounding him on his views about “legitimate rape” and many other matters.
Akin, by contrast, doesn’t have that much money to spend.
The top Republican leaders have more or less abandoned his race.
In other words, McCaskill ought to be crushing Akin in the polls (as she has been in some internal ones done for the incumbent).
Yet it’s still a neck-and-neck race, at least according to the poll in The Star.
That’s a frightening prospect for the people of Missouri. And it offers renewed reasons for McCaskill and her supporters to be working extra hard in the last days of the campaign to win.
Johnathon Busby
7 months agoExactly as I predicted; the win or loss of Akin will ride on the number of people in Mo willing to sell their souls to spite Obama or anyone who had anything to do with him.
That’s the socially conservative movement; they want to ensure you have no choice in your own body. They deny there’s such a thing as legitimate rape (see Akin), suggesting women’s bodies can fend off such a pregnancy. They deny health of the mother, as Joe (forget last name) recently claimed. In short, social conservatives want to control your decisions, because they don’t think you can make your own choices.
But wait, there’s more! As they mandate your sexual activities and reproductive decisions, the other side of their forked tongues spill lies about small government and minimum interference in the lives of private citizens!
Social conservatives; an utterly worthless batch of hypocrites.
George Hunsucker
Northland
7 months agoair claire: porkulus=YES, 0’care=YES, debt ceiling expansions=YES, Supreme Court nominees=YES, MO values=NO
What is surprising to me is that air claire is even this close after 6 years of stiffing MO voters, voting to give her hubby millions of dollars and of course being “my best friend in the Senate” according to the big 0…
Vote Akin not the spendthrift air claire!!!
JR Beillenhouser
7 months agowow Johnathon. You’ve now resorted to reposting the same post now about 5 times. It wasn’t that good the first time, and it gets worse every time you post it.
You must think that it is some type of work of art.
Johnathon Busby
7 months agoGood morning to you too, Junior.
First, it’s been tweaked daily for the exact events of the day, try and pay attention. Though, not much; the wrongness of the socially conservative movement does not much change day to day. Which rolls into…
Second, the socially conservative philosophy was wrong (both factually and ethically) yesterday, and today, and will still be so tomorrow, for the same reasons. So it lends itself to a great deal of repetition.
Matt McKinley
7 months agoJohnathon,
If you have any intellectual honesty, try reading this article.
http://blogs.the-american-interest.com/wrm/2012/10/25/news-from-obamas-home-state/
Brian Mehnert
7 months agoClassic. Believe me, even conservatives are aghast at some of Akin’s statements in the past. But - Air Claire ran advertisements to ensure Akin was nominated by the republicans (violation of The Hatch Act) and she succeeded. If she loses to the worst possible republican candidate (by her own estimation) that will be a classical repudiation of Democrats in general, and Claire personally.
Johnathon Busby
7 months agoMatt,
The article contains many points, too may to deal with individually. Basically, I don’t have much problem with the fiscal aspect of the conservative movement, and I agree with lots (though not all) of what I read. Thank you for the article.
My issues are with the socially conservative movement.
JR Beillenhouser
7 months agoIf you are a democrat, and you have nothing else, use the abortion angle.
Johnathon, that is all you got. You can’t mention the economy, the state of world affairs, or leadership.
Pretty sad.
Johnathon Busby
7 months agoJunior; I honestly stated why I lean the way I lean politically. Also, I don’t trust the conservatives to spend less (like they claim), just differently. So, no gain really.
Plus, there are plenty of other issues with the socially conservative ethic; opposition to gay equality being another easy one.
Also, I can’t help but note that while you’ve attempted to raise issue with my posts, you’ve raised precious few of your own. Yet you call me sad. Keep your insults, they are petty and of no use to me.
Johnathon Busby
7 months agoFirst, you’re confusing issues; I forget the name of the guy who said pregnancy by rape was God’s will, but it wasn’t Akin. So let’s not heap unfair blame upon him. Akin said that a woman’s body has “ways of fending off” pregnancy in the case of a rape.
Second, the answer is that both the churches you mention, and the person who’s statements you mistook for Mr. Akin’s are incorrect; pregnancy by rape is never the will of God. My own point being, they’re very bad people, ethically, for even considering the idea. Especially for their desire to encode their faith based beliefs into law.
Johnathon Busby
7 months agoActually, I don’t mind if individual churches refuse to recognize gay marriage. They’re private, they can fail to recognize the rain if it makes them happy. But so long as the government is issuing marriage licenses, they should be equally available to all. That’s why I disagree with that view.
And before you ask, I don’t accept “civil unions” because we found out that “separate but equal” is always separate but rarely equal.
As for your article about voter fraud, another topic for another day; but in general I assume both sides do it to the extent they can deny culpability when caught. Though only the right seems to be interested in keeping people away from voting entirely.
David Graham
7 months agoIf you’re for socialized medicine (Obamascare), then vote for Clare. If you oppose socialized medicine, then vote for Akin. It really is that simple.
Charles Purvis
7 months agoFrom the very first post: “Social conservatives want to control your decisions, because they don’t think you can make your own choices.”
What is obamacare if not that?
Johnathon Busby
7 months agoDifference being, Obamacare does not mandate the outcome of a woman’s pregnancy, force her to carry a rapist’s child to term, mandate further violations of her person via trans-vaginal ultrasound want, etc. All Obamacare does is mandate you have insurance.
And in the end, the penalties for that have been pretty much waived, so it really doesn’t even force that, so much as strongly suggest you do it, else the will wag a bureaucratic finger at you.
Phil Cardarella
7 months agoLook, half this State wanted to join the Confederacy — even though most of them couldn’t afford shoes, let alone slaves. Why would it be surprising that so many of their descendants simply cannot accept an African-American President — even one who espouses a traditional Republican, Heritage House policy like Romneycare/Obamacare?
Some “socialist”! Obamacare is LESS “socialist” than that ol’ commie NIXON wanted to do!
And, to the religious right, the idea that uppity women or uppity blacks should hold high office is simply repugnant. They don’t think that women should have the right to control their own bodies. Heck, if they are not good barefoot virgins or obedient pregnant wives, they deserve to be ostracized and punished for being such sluts by forced pregnancy, right? they brought it on themselves by leaving the house without their burkas, right?
And, God bless her, Claire is one uppity woman!
Johnathon Busby
7 months agoAkin did not admit his incorrect statement about biology, only offered a vague apology referencing nothing in specific. I want to hear him explicitly state that a raped woman is no more or less likely to become pregnant; anything shy is Akin avoiding the issue because, in his heart, he meant exactly what he said. His only mistake was saying it out loud, where cameras could record it, and if the interviewer had one bit of salt, he would have followed up on it then and there.
Johnathon Busby
7 months agoedit: or possibly more likely to become pregnant, I read. Not certain about that, but certainly the myth that women’s bodies can fend of pregnancy due to rape is part of the socially conservative mythology that every abortion is one of choice, convenience, and personal irresponsibility.
Mark Hastert
7 months ago“What is obamacare if not that?”
…taking personal responsibility…
Charles Purvis
6 months, 4 weeks agoYes, Mark…at the threat of fine or imprisonment.
That is NOT what you call taking personal responsibility.
Johnathon Busby
6 months, 4 weeks agoI fully accept and encourage the trend towards fewer abortions (my understanding is that is the trend, correct me if I’ve mis-understood). Certainly the times it has come up in the lives of close friends, I have vocally suggested to not abort. Personal responsibility is a thing I think we agree on.
Mark Hastert
6 months, 4 weeks agoFact of the matter is that the always no to abortion faction like Akin are trying to impose their religious beliefs on others. How is that different than Sharia law? We have a Constitution, honor it.
Glen Enloe
6 months, 4 weeks agoI think what is really happening is that Missourians are reacting to McCaskill’s over kill. Her constant pounding of Akin comes off as “witchy” and nasty. Claire’s constant calling herself a moderate is another joke. Akin’s not the ideal candidate by any means, but scary Claire deserves defeat.
Mark Hastert
6 months, 4 weeks ago“Her constant pounding of Akin comes off as “witchy” and nasty.”
What? Not “ladylike” enough for you? I look at the way the Akin and the boys at Crossroads GPS are going after McCaskill as pretty savage. Are boys allowed to play rough and girls can only be nice? Are women something less than men? This sort of thing seems to always come from old men.
JR Beillenhouser
6 months, 4 weeks agoYou heard it here first. Akin wins based on the turnout for Romney and the high negatives for Claire.
Mark Hastert
6 months, 3 weeks agoWan smile….I personally know several Romney supporters that won’t be voting for Akin. Not all Republicans are right wing religious fanatics.