EDITOR’S UPDATE: According to an AP report: “Republican strategist Karl Rove has apologized to Congressman Todd Akin after joking about the Missouri Senate candidate being murdered. Akin campaign adviser Rick Tyler told The Associated Press that Akin accepted Rove’s apology during a phone call Friday. A Rove spokesman didn’t return messages Friday from the AP.”
As if being spineless isn’t bad enough, American Crossroads’ Karl Rove jokes about being murderous. At a fundraiser breakfast at the Republican National Convention, Rove was quoted as saying: “We should sink Todd Akin. If he’s found mysteriously murdered, don’t look for my whereabouts.”
That’s about as hilarious as a rape joke, which apparently isn’t enough to spur liberals to denounce their favorite “comedians”. Rove’s not a comedian either, and I’m sure Akin’s family wouldn’t be laughing about the political guru’s punch line. His comment is far more outrageous than Akin’s feeble attempt to answer a question about abortion and rape, but I predict little to no uproar from either political corner. Will American Crossroads distance itself from its ubiquitous advisor?
Don’t count on it.
Akin will be dragged through the mud by certain Republicans and every liberal out there who want to focus on a pixel instead of the big picture from now until November.
The Jaco Report interview, which incited Rove’s attempt at comedy and the media’s fixation with Akin, should’ve inspired a much deeper conversation. As always, the attention span of mainstream media is like a child in a candy shop, flitting from one display to the next. There was much more substance to Akin’s interview that should draw concern, but not the same ire that his “legitimate rape” comments drew.
Typical of liberal media, Akin was asked about fringe examples of abortion, like tubal (ectopic) pregnancies. It never ceases to amaze me how pro-life politicians continually get duped into answering some of these questions without knowing it’s a set-up. Not that the small percentage of women affected (2% of pregnancies) with ectopic pregnancies are not important, or that the less than 1% of abortions (due to rape, incest or physical health of the mother) aren’t equally as tragic, but these examples are always used as a scapegoat for 100% of abortions.
According to the CDC: “The more sex partners a woman has, the greater her risk of developing PID.” Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) is the most influential risk factor in a woman having an ectopic pregnancy. Yet this is exactly what Planned Parenthood and its ally, Claire McCaskill advocate—sexual behavior without parameters.
According to Planned Parenthood, “Claire led the charge to pass legislation that restored birth-control access to three million college students after the Bush administration and its allies in Congress stripped access in 2005.”
PID can leave women infertile. Adding more pain to the equation, infertility treatments are considered a contributing risk factor in ectopic pregnancies, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians.
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Yet the controversy is over Akin’s misguided scientific understanding as opposed to an abortion industry, and its Congressional advocates, who regularly abuse science in the name of “choice”. This is why pro-life politicians need to be schooled. The media questions are predictable. There’s no excuse to be ill prepared. Pro-life politicians, from either party, need to put the “gotcha” questions into a clarified context. They need to stop regretting an interview because they could have “said it better” or “misspoke”. There’s voluminous information out there, 24-7 access to evidence, pro-life leaders willing to educate, and too many lives at stake to allow the political perversion of a pro-life stance.
Karl Rove’s comments were repulsive. Will we see a massive exodus of support for this Republican strategist over his despicable words? I’m a staunch advocate of freedom of speech, but for a party that continually espouses ‘responsibility’, his words were mean-spirited and reckless.
Perhaps fiscal conservatives and independents can shrug their shoulders and pretend that this is the stuff of “cultural wars” and it’s not their battlefield. Hopefully, before November, they will see the reality that ties all of this together. The deficit that our country is experiencing is way beyond financial. It is moral. We need more people who value Principle over Party, Character over Convenience, and Substance over Semantics.
LifeNews Note: Ryan Bomberger is a LifeNews blogger and the president of the Radiance Foundation. His opinions are his own and do not necessarily represent the views of LifeNews.
