A week and a half after his controversial remark on rape and pregnancy, Missouri Representative Todd Akin is attempting to make himself into a more pitiable figure. Akin recently declared he has become the target of a “personal vendetta” by Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Reince Priebus. Akin’s statement follows the RNC’s decision to not give any money to the Missourian’s senatorial race against incumbent Democrat Senator Claire McCaskill. Since his initial remark, Akin has fallen behind in the race, which he previously led.
In a political gaffe which will not soon be forgotten, Akin, when asked about his stance on permitting abortions for rape victims, stated that victims of “legitimate” rape rarely become pregnant. The reason for this, explained Akin, was that the female body knows if the rape is legitimate and “has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.” The comments were widely condemned, with prominent figures from both the Democratic and Republican parties calling for Akin to pull out of his senate race.
Akin’s latest claim that he is some sort of victim should not fool anyone. Even though Akin lost support from his own political party, there is no way that the RNC’s actions constitute a personal vendetta. In fact, they seem a reasonable consequence for Akin’s statements. Akin established a misguided stance on a controversial issue — a stance which was found offensive by both sides of the political spectrum. Moreover, attempting to distinguish between pregnancies caused by legitimate and illegitimate rape was a foolish move which highlighted major flaws in the potential senator’s decision-making process. Akin’s notion that the female body can biologically determine whether or not a pregnancy was the result of rape is blatantly incorrect (though Akin claims that he was given that idea by doctors). If Akin bases some of his political stances on shoddy or false background information, perhaps he is not fit for the Senate.
So one cannot find it surprising that Akin would attempt to shift negative attention to the RNC in an attempt to make himself look better. Akin is refusing to drop out of the race against McCaskill and is now attempting to emotionally appeal to the public by characterizing himself as suffering under superfluous political animosity. According to Akin’s campaign, Priebus and the RNC are “putting party power and political games ahead of the good of the country.”
On one hand, the RNC is performing admirably by ceasing its public support of Akin. The GOP only needs to gain four seats in the upcoming Senate elections to gain a majority, and Akin was considered a major player in regaining that majority. The RNC, however, is refusing to turn a deaf ear to Akin’s comments, even though it could come back to haunt them later. Though some could argue that the GOP is halting its support of Akin only as a way to preserve its image in light of his offensive remarks, the fact that it is willing to let a key Senate spot slip away may demonstrate the belief that winning the Missouri Senate seat is not worth trying to garner support for a candidate who has made such unsettling comments.
On the other hand, one cannot be totally sure if the RNC is only pulling funding from Akin because his chances of winning have become slim. It may turn into a terrible blunder if the GOP ultimately attempts to push a similar anti-abortion stance to that taken by Akin, one that is simply devoid of the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate rape. Though Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney says that his political stance permits abortion in the case of rape, incest and preserving the mother’s life, some Republicans share Akin’s views, and are against abortion altogether. For them, even if a woman were raped and became pregnant, she should not be able to have an abortion. If the GOP goes down that route, it will run into almost the same outcry that has occurred with Akin’s comments and will show that its ostracizing of Akin was not so much because it found his comments offensive as it was to prevent bringing objectionable aspects of its abortion stance into the public eye. That would make Republicans look very hypocritical.
Either way, the RNC’s actions toward Akin are not motivated by a personal vendetta. His comments just made him too controversial to be supported.
Alex Yahanda is a senior associate editor for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at a.yahanda@cavalierdaily.com.
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