A day after Missouri Congressman and Senate candidate Todd Akin shared with the world his belief that “legitimate rape” rarely results in pregnancy because “the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down,” some Republican pundits and strategists are suggesting that the party shut Akin down — that is, replace him with someone else in what used to be a very winnable race against incumbent Democrat Claire McCaskill. And not just any winnable race, mind you, but a race that would be integral the GOP’s hopes of taking control of the Senate. However, as Think Progress notes, under Missouri law, it would be impossible to get someone else on the ballot unless Akin steps down by tomorrow.
For the record, McCaskill does not think the party should try to replace the dim-witted neanderthal whose continued presence in the race gives her the best possible chance of winning. But only because it would upset so many Akin supporters. As TPM reports:
Appearing on Morning Joe on Monday, McCaskill cautioned Republicans against replacing Akin, who won the party’s nomination in a primary earlier this month.
“Todd Akin won by a comfortable margin and was supported by many very strongly,” McCaskill said. “I mean, he has some passionate supporters in the Republican Party … So I really think that for the national party to try to come in here and dictate to the Republican primary voters that they’re going to invalidate their decision, that would be pretty radical. I think there could be a backlash for the Republicans if they did that.”
Won’t anybody, besides Claire McCaskill, stand up for the rights of those poor Republican primary voters?
