Ignorant voters could decide Akin-McCaskill race
Yael T. AbouhalkahThe Star’s poll shows that 8 percent of voters claim they are undecided in the Todd Akin-Claire McCaskill U.S. Senate race in Missouri.
Really? You mean 8 percent of people can’t make up their minds between supporting two candidates who couldn’t be more different?
This makes them look ignorant - “lacking knowledge or comprehension of the thing specified” as Merriam-Webster defines it - regarding the U.S. Senate race.
This is disturbing evidence that some people really aren’t following this key contest - which might come down to deciding which party controls the Senate.
It’s especially disturbing given all of the media attention this race has generated, largely tied to Akin’s ignorant “legitimate rape” comments back in August.
Finally, you have to wonder: What’s going to happen in the final days to make these “undecided” voters actually pay attention to what’s going on and select one candidate or another?
The Star’s poll, in fact, showed that McCaskill was ahead of Akin by only 45-43 percent, well within the margin of error.
Missouri papers, of course, have had plenty on what Akin said about rape, his apology for his remarks, and McCaskill’s attacks on the congressman.
On Sunday, The New York Times ran four columns on its Op-ed page. All four mentioned Akin, three negatively and a fourth neutrally, if not positively.
In the campaign’s last days, McCaskill is using an ad to up her bet that women will help her fend off Akin.
And here’s one of Akin’s continued attacks on McCaskill, especially tied to her husband and the contentions that his companies have benefited from her votes in the U.S. Senate. Unlike McCaskill’s ad, which uses real people and Akin’s actual remarks, his ad is staged to make it appear that McCaskill’s husband is engaged in unseemly business.
Steven Fetter
66223
6 months, 3 weeks agoWonder what the NY Times has to say about one of their own candidates, the Honorable Charles Rangle?
Or for that matter, what the NY Times feels about your own former boss’s comments on their liberal group-think?
You must be desperate to enter into evidence against Aikin this biased, has-been paper that is a shell of its former self.
Mark Hastert
6 months, 3 weeks ago“You must be desperate to enter into evidence against Aikin this biased, has-been paper that is a shell of its former self.”
Apparently Steven doesn’t dispute the message, just the messenger. Anyone who is undecided at this point in the race is uninformed and thus ignorant.
Charles Purvis
6 months, 3 weeks agoCould the Star be any more of a shill for the Democratic Party?
I agree with you that it is beyond comprehension that people could be this close to the election and have yet to make up their minds. But has this occurred to you?—they know; they just aren’t sharing that info.
I agree with Mr. Fetter 100%.
Phil Cardarella
6 months, 3 weeks agoActually, the astonishing thing is that anyone who HAS paid any attention is considering voting for Akin.
Seriously, if Missouri elects a guy who thinks some rapes are legitimate and that a woman’s uterus has some way of recognizing and rejecting a rape created zygote — not to mention thinking Social Security is a bad thing and student loans are a Communist plot — we are all going to have to pretend we are from somewhere else for 6 years.
Richard L Wagner
6 months, 3 weeks ago“Ignorant voters”? How typically condenscending of Yell Aboulhalkah. Personally, I won’t vote for Akin. But Yell is really telling more about himself by name calling.
Reginald Thornton
6 months, 3 weeks agoIs it the same ignorant voters that voted for Claire previously? Kinda like the AP’s theory that the same whites who voted in Obama 4 years ago are now racist.
Mark Hastert
6 months, 3 weeks ago““Ignorant voters”? How typically condescending”
He said ignorant, not stupid. There’s no insult in that. Ignorance is merely a state of unknowing. It is astounding that there are people who haven’t yet taken time to form an opinion. Are these folks even going to vote? Have they been in a coma for six months because it would seem impossible to have escaped at least some information.
George Hunsucker
Northland
6 months, 3 weeks agoYep, I cannot believe that anyone who would look at air claire’s voting record would be voting for her YT, but I guess some people are “ignorant” of how she has voted, as the big 0’s “best friend in the Senate, these last 6 years.
For the record: porkulus=YES, 0’care=YES, Supreme Court nominees=YES, debt ceiling expansion=YES, MO values=NO.
Maybe that will help some “ignorant” person YT….
Dan Wood
6 months, 3 weeks agoShe only voted for 4 things in the last 4 years? When I looked up her voting record there were quite a few more than 4 things and quite a bit of them were against Obama. And do you honestly think that Akin isn’t going to vote lockstep with the Republicans? If you look up his voting record, he already has.
Mark Hastert
6 months, 3 weeks ago“Wow, calling voters ignorant.”
Maybe a dictionary would be appropriate. We are all ignorant of many things. Apparently for some, the definition of ignorant
Mike Arb
6 months, 3 weeks agoAhh good ole Yael…the smartest man in KC if not the entire State of MO.
Mark Hastert
6 months, 3 weeks ago“I have a much better grasp on the application of the word ignorance as it applies to voting than do you or the author of this article.”
You’re referencing a fact not in evidence but you’re entitled to your opinion. The definition of ignorant isn’t conditional. Saying a voter (or anyone else) is ignorant of issues isn’t necessarily an insult although several readers have inferred that it is. The author cannot control the inferences of the reader.
In this election especially you can’t be familiar with issues as diverse as these and be undecided. It’s fair to think that they might be disinterested or ignorant or both. Regardless, they are entitled to vote. No doubt some will. If they do the best we can hope for is a 50/50 draw.
Stephen Platt
6 months, 3 weeks agoYael, an ignorant person can also be defined as unknowing or illiterate. Since illiteracy is a contributing factor to poverty, I am surprised by your insult to the class you champion. For those ill informed it probably needed to be said that Congressman Akin apologized and attempted to clarify his remark. Moreover this campaign is not about abortion, it is about jobs. Claire McCaskill wanted us to believe she is tough on China and helped Missouri manufacturers by co-sponsoring a bill in the Senate that has never been passed (S.1133) nor put into law. She declared the auto bailout wildly successful, yet now we read about Chrysler wanting to begin building Jeeps in China at a Fiat owned plant. We are to believe this will not affect the plants in the USA. Chrysler used to make Dodge Caravans in St. Louis and then set up another assembly line in Ontario Canada. The St. Louis plant is closed today. GM, who still owes the government $37 billion dollars, has spent $2 billion dollars opening a plant in Shanghai. China now builds twice as many cars and trucks as the US does. In January 2009, there were 272,100 manufacturing jobs in Missouri. Last month there were 247,100 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
So let’s not be so gleeful ever time you can say or print legitimate rape. The only legitimate rape going on is the fleecing of the American taxpayers and workers. Those undecided voters you call ignorant may still realize there are real fundamental issues in this campaign to be resolved. Heaven forbid if a committed Democrat changes their mind between now and next week, what degrading name would you call that person?
Mark Hastert
6 months, 3 weeks ago“She declared the auto bailout wildly successful, yet now we read about Chrysler wanting to begin building Jeeps in China at a Fiat owned plant.”
Don’t believe everything you read. Crysler has issued a flat repudiation of this assertion by Mr Romney. They called him out on this falsehood. He was just trying to instill fear in Ohio. Another shake of the etch-a-sketch.
Stephen Platt
6 months, 3 weeks agoMark Hastert, I stand by my comments. You may have to copy the link to read the article from Bloomberg.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-21/fiat-says-china-may-build-all-jeep-models-as-suv-demand-climbs.html
In 2005 the US built 12 million autos, China built 2 million. Last year the US built 9 million autos, China built 18 million. Ohio should be worried.
Obama has been calling Romney many names as well as Yael inferring we’re ignorant. I am afraid that you have heard these lines so many times you are starting to believe them.
We have serious issues. We need tax reform, we need jobs, we need bi-partisanship and less snarking. We have to quit blaming others, quit being dependents and take responsibility for ourselves.
James H. Gregory Sr.
6 months, 3 weeks agoCongressman Akin still has a few more days to influence anyone that is undecided that their vote is about him, as their representative in the Senate, as well as the balance of power in the Senate. Senator McCaskill’s appeal to voters to vote for her because she’s convinced they’ll view Mr. Akin’s reference to “legitimate rape” as more than just an honest comment, made by a person that was misled by erroneoous information, borders on being insulting to the voter. Does anyone really believe that his comment is an indictment of his credentials to be our Senator? (I hate to admit it, but I’ve believed untruths a time or two in my life!) I find it hard to believe that most voters are single issue people. I’m more comfortable thinking that, considering the importance of their vote this election, “very cautious” is a more accurate description of undecided voters than “ignorant”!
George Hunsucker
Northland
6 months, 3 weeks agoYou hae have to understand James that the star wants women to vote based on their vagina, not on what’s best for their family….
George Hunsucker
Northland
6 months, 3 weeks agoHow the bit 0 campaign views women… http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/332038/president-s-insulting-campaign-rich-lowry
Glen Enloe
6 months, 3 weeks agoAlas, only the ruling liberal elite seemed blessed with true wisdom superior to the ignorant conservative hicks. Perhaps next Tuesday the ignorant will be pounding the gates & demanding change.