Kyrillos jumps into the Rape and Abortion fray
Missouri Congressman Todd Akin, a GOP candidate for U.S. Senate, set off a national uproar and likely ended his poltical career with his comments comments about rape and abortion over the weekend when he said pregancy from “legitimate rape” was rare and that women’s body have a natural way of “shutting that whole thing down,” during an interview on a St. Louis Fox afflilate wherein he was asked about his views on abortion in the case of rape.
“From what I understand from doctors, that’s really rare,” said Akin said of pregnancy caused by rape. “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. But let’s assume maybe that didn’t work or something. I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be on the rapist.”
Akin issued an apology of sorts on facebook later in the day on Sunday and told Mike Huckabee on the radio that he should have said “forcible rape.”
President Barack Obama called Akin’s comments offensive during his press conference this afternoon.
GOP Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney distanced himself from Akin, calling the congressman’s remarks “insulting, inexcusable and frankly wrong,” according to the Washington Post.
Governor Chris Christie called Akin’s comments “asinine” and “ridiculous” during his press conference in Asbury Park this afternoon, according to Poltickernj.
In a press release, New Jersey GOP Senate nominee Joe Kyrillos took his criticism of Akin one step further than his fellow Republicans by addressing the congressman’s views on abortion :
“Like many I am outraged by Representative Todd Akin’s remarks regarding pregnancy and ‘legitimate rape’ – they have no place in our public discourse. But beyond my concern for our national public discourse, I am saddened and disappointed as a husband and a father to a 10 year old daughter. Not only are Representative Akin’s comments about a horrific act of violence wrong and inappropriate, he and I disagree on the issue of abortion, generally.”
(emphasis added)
Neither Kyrillos nor his campaign have responded to requests for a clarification on what he means by his “general” disagreement with Akin over abortion.
U.S. Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell is suggestting that Akin withdrawl his Senate candidacy by the 5pm Tuesday deadline, according to the LA Times.
More from my site
The bullshit of the abortion debate
Kyrillos closing the gap with Mendendez
Ken Kurson Resigns As Observer’s Editor-in-Chief
School Days, School Daze
Quinnipiac: In New Jersey, Obama leads Romney by 7%, Mendendez leads Kyrillos by 10%
Menendez puts personal and political interests before national interests
Quinnipiac: New Jersey Voters Approve of Christie and His Tax Cut
Quinnipiac: Menendez and Obama leading in NJ by double digits
MMM Predictions for Election 2012- 2012 Predictions
Note that up until 24 hours ago, Paul Ryan opposed abortion even in cases of rape and incest. Note that many conservative Republicans also share that extreme view.
I know that the majority of people on MMM are not voting for the President but keep in mind if Ryan/Ramoney win, you and your family also get the right wings extreme positions on many social issues whether you want them or not.
typo above (believe it or not) on spelling Romney
Some advice Joe. Some things you should just stay away from. It’s like the guy on the subway you don’t wanna look in the eye or the rabid racoon you don’t wanna poke with a stick. Some things can never end well.
Yes, many are disagreeing with Rep. Akin, but why would any Republican demand that he withdraw? Did Democrats ask that Biden withdraws after he said Republican will “put y’all in chains?” Did they ask that MD Lt Governor candidate Charles Larson withdraw after the said Michael Steele brings nothing to politics except the color of his skin? Did Democrats ask that Obama withdraws after he stood next to Jimmy Hoffa saying “let’s take these sons of bitches out” and did nothing to disapprove it? Did they demand that Hilary Clinton quit after she told Paul Fray “you fucking jew bastard”?
Bob English FYI,
New Jersey will not decide the prez election. NJ will go blue. Your plea is pretty silly in light of that.
It will go blue, not because Barack Obama is the best choice, but because that’s what NJ always does in a prez election. It goes blue.
Sooooooooo now, you and all the other left-wing-nuts need to get a grip. Your vote is not gonna change the outcome. That’s up to those Americans living in the swing states.
GOP candidate Akin was visited by the late Strom Thurmond in a dream. Strom, who impregnated his African American servant when she was 15 and he was 23, told Akin he “thought” a gal can’t get pregnant if you force yourself on her, but the African American daughter Strom left behind apparently gave lie to that old GOP canard.
BTW, was the doctor who told Akin that little known medical fact one of those doctors who is anxious to stick an ultrasound probe into any woman seeking an abortion? I thought so.
I suggest Akin abort his campaign.
His insane comments have truly hurt the pro-life movement.
There is no such thing as “legitimate” rape. Period.
Roflmao…Oh I was not just talking about NJ but I do agree with you that Americans living in swing states are going to determine who the next President is….which is why if I where Romeny I would worry that the cat is now out of the bag when the Americans in those swing states realize just how extreme the House Republicans (including Paul Ryan) are when many of them have supported bills that would not allow abortion in the cases of all rapes or incest. Can’t wait to see them all taking new positions in the next few days.
Maybe they can start by explaining the difference between “rape” and their new term called “forcible rape” and since Chris Smith introduced HR-3 which contained that language, he could be the first one to explain the difference to voters in his district.
Akin does not know what he is talking about but the fact is that out of 1000 women who destroy life by procuring an abortion only three cite rape as the reason for the kill. Further 70 percent of pregnant rape victims chose to give birth, citing doing a loving act helps bring healing from the horrible experience of rape.
Glad you mentioned Chris Smith. Wonder if the ladies in Lincroft understand what Chris Smith has been advocating when they pull that lever for the Congressman for their newly drawn district.
Bob English FYI,
No one is supporting Akin’s idiotic, vulgar and supremely offensive comments.
Why on earth would you tell such a dispicable bold-faced lie about fellow human beings? Why would you present such harmful rubbish as truth?
Oh wait, I forgot. You’re a wing-nut. An obsessive one at that. Bahhh, you’re ilk is not even worth the time it took to type this. You are as transparent as you are reprehensible.
The GOP has no problem with what Akin believes just that he had the stupidity to state it plainly to the American people rather than in a private Koch sponsored powwow.
Akin, his thoughts and words not withstanding, should be allowed to make the decision to stay or not stay in his campaign. Freedom of speech right next to freedom of religion as his protected right.
And those who support him and those who do not should make their choice known at the ballot box. Those who have supported him in action and deed, campaigning for him and funding his campaign should demand that their money be returned to them and publically withdraw their past support, directly and for the obvious reason.
Whether it be legal or productive, it would be meaningful.
Mr. Akin has shown a profound ignorance of humanity, God and the religion he claims to represent.
Nice try ROFLMAO on posting something that is not true to try to deflect peoples attention away from the issue….(and how about using your real name) but I did not say anyone was supporting Akin’s comments (why dont you point that out to everyone in quotes exactly where you think I said that since you made the claim) but there are sure an awefull lot of House Republicans including Paul Ryan who have supported or voted for bills with extreme positions regarding abortion in case of all rapes or incest.
Agree with Joe Killeen on this one. But Mr. English, you need to be more specific because this sure does look like it backs up ROFLMAO’s point:
Bob English said at 10:34 pm on August 20th, 2012:
“Roflmao…Oh I was not just talking about NJ but I do agree with you that Americans living in swing states are going to determine who the next President is….which is why if I where Romeny I would worry that the cat is now out of the bag when the Americans in those swing states realize just how extreme the House Republicans (including Paul Ryan) are when many of them have supported bills that would not allow abortion in the cases of all rapes or incest. Can’t wait to see them all taking new positions in the next few days.
Maybe they can start by explaining the difference between “rape” and their new term called “forcible rape” and since Chris Smith introduced HR-3 which contained that language, he could be the first one to explain the difference to voters in his district.”
NJ Resident: I’m glad you support what Joe wrote but that has nothing to do with my post. Outside of attacking me, what is Roflmao’s point? I never said that anyone supported Aiken’s comments (which is what I think he is implying even though I am not really sure.) I clearly referred to bills that people have voted on and supported.
Just cut to the point and note specifically one sentance that I posted above that is not true and WHY it is not true.
Just cut to the point and note specifically one sentance that I posted above that is not true and WHY it is not true.
I’ll play.
I know that the majority of people on MMM are not voting for the President but keep in mind if Ryan/Romney win, you and your family also get the right wings extreme positions on many social issues whether you want them or not.
That sentence is not true.
History suggests otherwise. Reagan and W were pro-life presidents. If they had imposed their “extreme” views on abortion and other social issues , you’d be employing a different spin, Bob.
Hi Art…I would agree that how Romney/Ryan would actually govern and where they would fall on social issues is a debatable point and matter of opinion. You really don’t know until they are in office. Reagan is a good example since he really governed much more moderately (than his previous conservative positions) once he was in office. I can only go by what Romney has been saying the last few years and by what Ryan has been saying since he entered politics when stating the opinion that I did above. Whether Romney would revert to positions he held prior is yet to be seen.
When “Roflmao” or whatever his/her name is refered to my post as a “dispicable bold-faced lie about fellow human beings” it appears that he/she was referring to my post regarding positions that people have taken on bills/policies that would not permit a woman or child to have an abortion in the case of rape or incest. I was hoping he/she would note what the bold faced lie was there since their votes and positions are a matter of public record.
No talking points Bob. I will just defend it. While rape is one of the most horrible things that can happen to a women and rapists should be severly punished that does not provide a moral justification for taking an innocent life that results from the rape. I acknowledge that to a women who has been raped that may be difficult argument to accept. Because of that and because abortions as a result of rape are such a small percentage of abortions performed I would be happy if we could just agree to ban all other abortions where the life of the mother is not in danger. The leftist extremists however will never agree to any restrictions.
As to Akins, he is an idiot who is unfit for office of any type.
Art- If this were not 2012 and not this election I might even agree with you on the results based upon the Reagan/Bush record in regards to abortion.
But this is now and the right, the Republicans, have ceded their individual political beliefs, in public, to a few, puppeteers calling the shots from their corner offices on K Street.
This began with Newt Gingrich’s first putsch and has grown into the sophisticated and well funded Karl Rove and Grover Norquist program to reverse the last 70 years of American history and the actions year after year of our duly elected representatives, both Democrat and Republican.
In return for the organization and financial support these two wag the dog producers have assembled every sitting and wanting to sit Republican running for a public service financed job and forced them to surrender their independence and their promise to do what is best for the people, and have replace it with the pledge that they MUST do what is best for the party and the ideologues and big money footing the bills.
Money they “made themselves” without any assistance from the people or the government.
It became an easier and easier sell over the last 30 years and especially easy after the results of the last election and the black guy won.
The added fanaticism of race and the raising of the Morality banner have succeeded in burying any objective evidence that a rational fully thought out Republican agenda ever existed. There is little to indicate that there was any real belief or real intellectual support for any of the non actions that have topped the Republican agenda for the last 4 years.
Now we are flooded with a highlight reel with high production values to accept that the real issue is money. But any sentient individual would be able to see that the too big to fail banks have their balance sheets in order, money is available and sitting on their P&L’s waiting to be put to work. That US Government bonds are being scooped up within the first hours of issuance by the international financial community and at rates that have these globally big money boys, many US too big to fail in origin, practically paying the US government to just hold their money for them.
Yet the Republican party wants us to believe that the answer lies in once again trusting the same process and people who just picked our pockets and our only assets and sold them to the highest or lowest bidder.
Remember whatever the too big to fail free market players did they were certain of being backed up and not blowing the farm on their plays.
They didn’t have to worry about the common sense of any end of the deals. They are too big to fail.
If it wasn’t for the huge money rolling in hour by hour to support the candidate thought the best of a bad lot none of this would matter.
The truth would be obvious despite the manipulated facts and there would be little or no political debate.
What we are getting now is the last gasps and rantings the result of the greed gone to fear syndrome that afflicts those who believe themselves anointed and non afflicted. The “solutions”, answers and practical approach to the peoples problems is as equitable as the pay check loan outlets and the temp agency touts, it is the historical and only evident result when all faith, trust and assets are put in the hands of the “free market” to take care of those on the bottom of the trickle down spout. What is that old saying, don’t and then try and tell me it”s raining. Yeah that one.
Joe,
You’ve been watching too much TV. You sound crazier than a birther.
Romney is not an extremist and neither is Ryan.
Getting back to the social issues that Bob brought up…the whole abortion question is a canard that politicians on both sides use to win votes depending on where they are from and what church their constituents go to.
There are only two ways that Roe v Wade can be overturned. 1) By constitutional amendment, or 2) a Supreme Court decision that overturns it.
Neither is likely to happen in our lifetimes, if ever.
Even if it did happen, that would not outlaw abortion in the United States. It would go back to being an issue that states decide.
Regarding the two big to fail phenomenon…we’ve talked about that before. Bring back Glass-Steagall and start enforcing Sherman and those problems will start taking care of themselves.
Regarding politicians being puppets…very few are. I suspect your information is not first hand and are you projecting thoughts you’re being fed by the media.
Well, so much for me then.
But, Art, why is there so much concern and attention being paid to the abortion issue by the right? Why do many right thinking Republicans and some Democrats by the way keep coming back to who gets what dollar and what additional amendment can be inserted somewhere that keeps whittling away at the individuals right to choose? If it is only via the Supreme Court or Constitutional Amendment than all of this positioning and counter positioning is useless and a waste of our time and money.
As to Glass Steagall I am fairly certain that no one, Democrat or Republican, will be picking at the scab anytime soon.
I have a bet with a long time Democratic functionary that by the last quarter of 2013 Bill Clinton will be making whispers that he made a mistake and it needs to be revived and given CPR. But we shall see.
I disagree with your politicians as puppets view. I think just by the very nature of their job they are subjected constantly to the pull of strings whether the pull be just slight and only annoying and requiring only a promise to look into it or the pull is more earnest and the puller can bring some serious weight to bear at more than one point in the pols career.
All of this is not the result of watching too much television it comes from living long enough, participating and winning some, losing others and some being rained out.
But, Art, why is there so much concern and attention being paid to the abortion issue by the right?
As I said earlier, its about getting votes and raising money, on both sides. It’s really bullshit on both sides, politically.
Why do many right thinking Republicans and some Democrats by the way keep coming back to who gets what dollar and what additional amendment can be inserted somewhere that keeps whittling away at the individuals right to choose?
Most of that is about is not about the right to choose, but who pays to kill the baby. It’s not a matter of restricting the right to kill the baby, its about restricting taxpayer money being used to kill it.
If it is only via the Supreme Court or Constitutional Amendment than all of this positioning and counter positioning is useless and a waste of our time and money.
That’s exactly right.
I have a bet with a long time Democratic functionary that by the last quarter of 2013 Bill Clinton will be making whispers that he made a mistake and it needs to be revived and given CPR. But we shall see.
I hope so.
I disagree with your politicians as puppets view. I think just by the very nature of their job they are subjected constantly to the pull of strings whether the pull be just slight and only annoying and requiring only a promise to look into it or the pull is more earnest and the puller can bring some serious weight to bear at more than one point in the pols career.
That’s very different than what you said eariler.
I had to turn off the TV before I could get the exact words to become decipherable.
I am not as certain as you that the cover issue of abortion “reform” is just about spin. There are too many examples of political “actions” picking at the edges of social and moral questions in our past for me to be comfortable with accepting the crusade as a strictly political issue.
Those two bugaboo’s religion and politics will be mixed that is why I keep coming back to the maxim of separation of church and state.
Adding race into this cocktail and you have the toxic mix that has and does play out in this election.
Jihad or Crusade the end result is the same.
To take your position as the starting point, much of my replies on the site “…sound crazier than a birther.” We can try and move the debate forward from there.
Some history from my so called mind, Bill Clinton and his “third way” brought the whole free trade and globalization question to the foreground and we began with NAFTA et el. Add in his support and action on giving the US financial industry a “level” playing field in the word of globalization he acted on financial reform.
George W 2 provided further stimulus and then 9/11. Some particularly deft wag the dog play calling provided the cover for the economic stimulus of expanded war, covered by some deft off the books accounting methods and the daily bingo numbers from Wall Street led to the unbridled enthusiasm of the opening decade of this century.
The strategy, tactics and decisions made throughout the early 2000’s are much too long and much too convoluted to detail here, can we at least agree that the years of George W 2 were not our brightest testament in support of our intelligence?
If not, ce la guerre,
But my reality show viewing has led me to that conclusion.
Now we jump to the last years of the opening decade and we see, touch, feel and smell, the end result of the “free”, “free” market efforts under the last two, bipartisan, Presidents.
Flash ahead to 2008 and the beginning of the “recovery” from the almost end of the world economy has it had been organized to that point. A rather large and intimidating event that required the largest financial subsidy to the largest and last bank standing crowd. Right off the bat, do not bother hitting go, just pass right by it and save the gosh darn world.
Politically, pupeteerly and chess master wise, the situation provided some excellent opportunities to profit, electorally and financially in this ultimate SNAFU environment.
Those who could, did, those who seemed to be missing the Queen Mary of sailings politically, were enlisted and signed up by those who knew and had known for quite a while.
Now we open the wide angle on today and we see the results of the past and we get promises, numbers and sound bites of the future, “LETS DO IT ALL AGAIN.” Same script, same themes and throw in the added inducements of this time WE REALLY, REALLY know how to do it right. There are no good paying jobs, there is no American Dream, throughout the whole decades long show and despite those unfortunate “blips” and “bubbles” bursting we have managed to keep the money flowing top side, kept it in the “in crowd” so you ahl just give us the blank check, let us make those hard calls of who lives and who dies, and we can all, (all of us in the crowd of patriotic, sensible and still holding, free white and 21 crowd) and life returns to the sitcom world of Father Knows Best and Marcus Welby MD.
I think my thoughts surpass the single take birthers and is as sound as the tea baggers?
What do you think Art? As you once stated Art,this election is about two distinctly different views on how to move ahead. I for one don’t see the odds as favorable putting my money on the Let’s Do It Over All Again crowd. I’d rather take my chances on the lets try it this way folks, at least I won’t be watching repeats all the time.
Joe,
First, please note that I said that you sound crazier than a birther, not that you are crazier than a birther.
That is an important distinction that often goes missing in these debates, both here and elsewhere. (I’m talking about you, Rick)
I don’t think you are crazy.
I’m not sure birthers are crazy, but I know they sound crazy.
Your view that there are a very few power brokers on K Street pulling the strings of all of our politicians on behalf of their clients, with the inference that its is more of a problem for the right than the left sounds crazy. Like a Grisham novel.
That the Koch brothers, AFP, Grover Norquist, ATR and FOX exist to counter the influence of George Soros, MoveOn, SEIU, NBC, ABC, and The New York Times is a good thing for our republic in my view.
I’ll respond more specifically to your other points later.
For now, I’ll just say that if you really believe that a Romney/Ryan administration would be a repeat of W’s policies, you are not paying attention. If you believe that, which I don’t think you really do, you are watching too much TV.
To paraphrase a great philospher.
Crazy is as Crazy does.
TR- facts again, those damn facts, keep popping up and ruining a great retort or an entire national campaign- The quote , from a Hollywood character not a great philosopher, is, “Stupid is as stupid does.” Forest Gump.
REEAALLY Killeen? I did not know that.
Let me ask you do you understand things like sarcasm and parody? Maybe later I will test out some irony on you.
As far as facts I have yet to see you present anything on this page other then a stream of conscience of the hallucinagenic wanderings of your mind masquerading as an opinion.
Please up the meds cut back on the acid and try to string a coherent sentence together. I actually believe you can do it if you try.
TR- you sly fox you, now I got you, you are in the Spiro Agnew wing of the Republican Party. Good to see you again. I appreciate the advice. And shall talk to myself about the dosage I am currently using.
I would really appreciate your help while I rehab my thoughts however, we can’t do it all alone as you probably already know. The help I ask is this, help me clear my head and please, just answer any question or point in the discussions directly,rather than crouching behind the paintball style of discussion.
Art- I have not seen anything that indicates that Romney/Ryan or Karl/Grover have come up with anything but W2.000. The fact that they lead with the same jabs, resort to the same combinations and do it over and over leads me to that conclusion.
MLaffey and others have pointed out the fact that we can’t continue to fund our social programs or any of our government produced subsidy and incentive programs using the same accounting rules of the past.
The issue is that we are at a juncture where too many of us are too soon old and those younger are not gainfully employed.
Instead of the Baby Boom if we had called the current generation of aging folks, Veteran’s Benefits, would we be discussing Medicare and Medicaid with the same dichotomy of on the one hand figure out the way to meet the cost or on the other hand figure out the way to transfer the cost from our collective pockets to each of these Veteran’s Benefit’s pockets?
I would like to understand the difference between the Romney/Ryan approach to economics, social responsibility and the right to profit, and how it differs from previous versions whether GW2 or Ronald Reagan’s trickle down theories.
In one obvious area, I see a difference and it does not seem logical from a purely best practices approach. What do we expect to gain by replacing one entity with the buying power of 100 million, with 100 million individual buyers with a defined dollar amount to spend, in the same market? Additionally, setting the dollar amount to be given to those 100 million on today’s numbers and the projections made upon those numbers is the same book keeping that got us in the hole we are currently in and without the leverage of 100 million market share of buyers.
When Macy’s calls Ralph Lauren listens, when TR calls they say “Who?” and put him on hold.
We have seen the results of the open, free, individual investor market. Magically, more of the individual investors money and net worth disappeared than the corporate, centralized, too BIG to FAIL banks.
Now we are being asked to double down and spread more individual pools of money around to be again under the control of the crowd that took the last of our money that was on their table.
Yes I expect any years under a Republican directed government to be more of the same tired and failed repeat of the recent past.
Art- I have not seen anything that indicates that Romney/Ryan or Karl/Grover have come up with anything but W2.000. The fact that they lead with the same jabs, resort to the same combinations and do it over and over leads me to that conclusion
You really aren’t paying attention, Joe.
W increased spending with abandon and governed by the mantra that “deficits don’t matter.”
Romney and Ryan are not proposing anything like that. They are proposing bringing fiscal sanity to Washington.
I really can’t believe that you don’t see that.
Nattering nabobs of negativism. Excellent reference Killeen. I new you were not unintelligent. You just need to work on organizing your thoughts. I will continue to trt to help you.