Here's the thing, if you're running for the Senate and you have to cut a spot that assures voters that you think rape is bad and you now know that women don't have a goalie in their vajay-jay to stop sperm in case of "legitimate rape", you're in big trouble.

I didn't think I'd live long enough to see an ad worse than "I'm not a witch" but I was wrong. I regret the error.

PPP has a poll out showing Akin still leading by 1. Alas, it's total bull. Almost as if Democrats want to keep Akin hanging in there. Even if were a legit poll, it's early and 1 point is within the margin of error. How do you think it will look after a couple of weeks of pounding with no Crossroads or national GOP money in the game?

If Akin stays in and we are one vote short on in the Senate then he and John Roberts will have saved ObamaCare. Great.

One last thought. This whole notion of we have to be loyal to guys like Akin is nuts. He broke the faith by putting a slam dunk win in danger. We owe him nothing.

I think this infatuation some people have with defending politicians to the end is silly and not a healthy small 'r' republican value. These guys are chess pieces to me. If you have to sacrifice one or more to win the game then do it and win. The game here is control of the Senate (repealing ObamaCare, confirming judges, etc.) not vindicating some guy most of us couldn't pick out of a lineup. This is about beating the Democrats at the ballot box, not shoving it to the "establishment" or the media.

Oh and if you think we must stick with Akin to the bitter end, you know who agrees with you? Claire McCaskill. So you've got that going for you.

Posted by: DrewM at 05:11 AM | Comments (591)
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Happy Tuesday.

Actually, no, I'm not that happy. I'm rather frustrated that a man that believes that women have magical "ways" to terminate pregnancies is a congressman and actually sought a Senate seat. I know public-school sex ed is a hot topic, but, folks, if parents aren't going to teach about the birds and the bees, well, somebody has to. Akin could most certainly have benefited from an explanation of just how that whole pregnancy thing happens.

I mentioned it on twitter, yesterday, but it bears repeating: Akin's convenient misconception about pregnancy gave him an easy out when it comes to abortion. He gets to take the tough line on abortion -- make it illegal in all cases -- but then sooth his guilty conscience by believing some horseshit about women having ways to nonetheless dispose of an unwanted pregnancy. It's moral cowardice, but I bet you anything Akin thinks he's a martyr.

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 03:01 AM | Comments (467)
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Dreams From My Father, Blocked Calls From My Brother

Obama at the National Prayer Breakfast in February:

"Living by the principle that we are our brother's keeper. Caring for the poor and those in need," Obama said before an audience of about 3,000 at the Washington Hilton. These values, he said, "They're the ones that have defined my own faith journey."

But apparently this principle only applies in the abstract. When it comes to actual brothers - not so much.

Because Barack's real-life brother, George Obama, the youngest of Barack Obama Sr's eight children lives in a shanty in the Huruma slum in Nairobi, Kenya. And when George's son needed $1000 to pay for medical treatment for a chest condition, instead of turning to his President brother who's not really into the whole keeping thing, he was forced to ask for money from...Dinesh D'Souza?

Okay this sounded completely bizarre to me but apparently it's true:

A few days ago I received a call from a man I recently met named George.  He was a bit flustered, and soon informed me that his young son was sick with a chest condition.  He pleaded with me to send him $1,000 to cover the medical bills.  Since George was at the hospital I asked him to let me speak to a nurse, and she confirmed that George's son was indeed ill.  So I agreed to send George the money through Western Union.  He was profusely grateful.  But before I hung up I asked George, "Why are you coming to me?"  He said, "I have no one else to ask."  Then he said something that astounded me, "Dinesh, you are like a brother to me."

Actually, George has a real life brother who just happens to be the president of the United States.  (George Obama is the youngest of eight children sired by Barack Obama Sr.)  George's brother is a multimillionaire and the most powerful man in the world.  Moreover, George's brother has framed his re-election campaign around the "fair share" theme that we owe obligations to those who are less fortunate.

Now I'm cynical enough to strongly suspect some kind of scam going on here and George Obama would probably make Billy Carter look good in comparison but then George *does* live in a dirty shack in Kenya and the rest of the Obama clan is not living a whole lot better.

If I were a president worth millions, I think I could at least get my African extended family out of shanties, some basic medical care, a TV and possibly a basic cable package. Hell my family does that already with my deadbeat cousins and they're just pathetic losers.

Posted by: Maetenloch at 06:31 PM | Comments (484)
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Morgan is now showing an empty chair to communicate that Akin bailed.

...

In the primaries she ran ads touting Akin's endorsements by Mike Hucakabee and Michelle Bachman, supposedly to convince a party who likes candidates that are "too conservative" that he was "too conservative."

Those aren't negative ads in a Republican primary. They're strong suggestions that you might want to give a gander to this Akin feller.

And now she's flacking for him.

Coulter: Read it all.

Posted by: Ace at 04:31 PM | Comments (659)
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Mark Levin is a tough loss for Akin, obviously.

He's highly influential (Rush respects him) and he'd be the sort of guy you'd usually expect to defend Akin. He scolds the Democrats for hypocrisy, but at 6:35 he calls it a mistake for Akin to stay in the race. He also reminds Akin that "there's just too damn much at stake."

I know this is a rush to judgment here, but as it turns out, the calender compels a rush to judgement: Tomorrow is the last day upon which a candidate may withdraw cleanly, without having to seek a judge's agreement.

I look at it like this: We are playing a single game to determine the future, the fate, of the United States of America.

Either you are good at this game or you are not. We're looking for pitchers that get a lot of strikeouts, not ones that give up a lot of towering, cloud-f***ing homeruns that land somewhere out in the boondocks of parking lot section 19D.

I don't see how else you can look at it. People keep saying "This is the most important election ever" and then behave as if it's all a lark, it's all a laugh.

This is deadly goddamned serious business. This is the country we're talking about.

If you're not good at this game, I don't care if you're a good, decent man down inside, because this isn't about one man, whether he's good or decent or not.

I don't care if a bad pitcher is a good man. I need good pitchers. You win with good pitchers, not bad ones.

And you look it at that way.

This isn't about Akin; this is about everything. It is about whether we will restore a democratic republic or slide further into socialistic tyranny.

No sentimentality here. It's not like Akin ceases to exist on earth if he steps out of the race.

This isn't about Akin. It's about us, and our children, and our children's children, and about whether America will be both the once and future last best hope for freedom and justice on earth.

"Providential:" A source says he's not dropping out because he views this race as "providential."

Terrific.

Posted by: Ace at 02:45 PM | Comments (580)
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Eh.

A trooper approached Mr Gauthier on his way back from the encounter.

'It was at that time I noted his zipper was open and part of his shirt was hanging out. I asked him why his zipper was down and he said he didnÂ’t know,' the officer wrote in his police report. 'I told him to zip it up and leave. The male seemed nervous.'

Then, the trooper said, he saw the teen.

'He stated that he had met an older man at the rest area after corresponding with him in a response to a Craigslist ad,' the trooper wrote.

The teen told the police that his parents were unaware of his sexual orientation and begged them not to tell his family of the incident.

I don't know. I'm having a hard time caring.

There's a lot of glee in these embarrassments all around. I'm not sure they actually matter, or they're our business.

I know the kid was 17 but... Going to a rest stop to give an old due a wettie (or... vice vera, to get one)? Seems like he might sort of have been around the block a few times.

Not even arguably relevant is this skinny-dipping story.

Do we all now have firm opinions on a Congressman's decision to skinny-dip?

Because I sure don't.

Posted by: Ace at 02:28 PM | Comments (216)
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This seems to be a big finding to me.

If 50% of the public is "no better off" than they were during the crisis of the 2008 collapse -- how do they then turn around and vote for Obama?

In addition, Romney's cash-on-hand advantage has grown; he has about 50% more banked cash than Obama. It's something like $180 million (and change) to $120 million (and change).

Posted by: Ace at 01:57 PM | Comments (107)
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A surprise, I'd warrant, so that the press corps did not have a heads-up. If they had a heads-up, they could have thought of questions they've wanted to ask him for months.

In this nationally televised bullshit session, he claims, among other things, that he never heard of or knew of Senator Reid's "didn't pay his taxes" attack on Romney.

He also claimed his campaign never called Romney a felon. Via Instapundit, Drudge links...

more...

Posted by: Ace at 01:36 PM | Comments (141)
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On Hannity.

So, assessing the damage: Likely McCaskill will win a seat we were counting on as a pick-up.

Further, No Exceptions Even For Rape now becomes a serious electoral issue in all other contests.

Further, it becomes especially important in Missouri. A state Romney/Ryan need to win.

Horrific.

It is what it is. As everyone will, I'm sure, I'll do what I can to ignore this, and argue about "distractions" and such.

And we'll see if that gets us anywhere.

Audio: The Hannity interview -- which I haven't heard, but which is teased as "brutal" -- is here.

Apparently Akin makes the slightest nod to "listening what the party is saying" at the end of the interview.

Coulter: For the good of the country, step aside.

Dated? Via Instapundit and @rdbrewer4, this report about Akin's advisers readying for a withdrawal. But this may be dated by now -- he insisted on Hannity he was staying in, no matter what the consequences.

Prayer Vigil?

@davidharsanyi: MI GOP insider tells me that Akin is meeting w/staff & having a prayer vigil tonight. Looking for way out "gracefully"

Gallup: 20% of the public agrees with the no-exceptions position.

Posted by: Ace at 11:59 AM | Comments (854)
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@ewerickson and @richardgrennell are twittering that he will withdraw tomorrow.

Missouri is an absolutely-necessary pickup if we are going to repeal ObamaCare and put this country right. It is not a state we can afford to lose.

If Akin is actually putting patriotic duty ahead of ego and ambition, I'd give that man a lot of respect. And maybe that wouldn't count for much this cycle, but it would in future ones.

Posted by: Ace at 10:36 AM | Comments (618)
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