Todd Akin ‘s “legitimate rape” comments didn’t exactly bury him, but a handful of dated inflammatory remarks just might provide the last couple of nails needed to keep the coffin containing his campaign shut for good.
Slate has the scoop on some old Todd Akin C-SPAN footage in which he lays out what Amanda Marcotte of XX Factor calls “his dystopian nightmare vision of America.” Interestingly, Akin has actually regained some ground against opponent Senator Claire McCaskill for the Missouri Senate seat even after his controversial rape comments, and some opine that he might actually win the seat . These recently uncovered C-SPAN videos might cinch the election in McCaskill’s favor if they get enough traction in time for election season.
A quick run-down before the videos:
Referring to women as mere baby incubators:
“Now an embryo may seem like some scientific or laboratory term, but in fact the embryo contains the unique information that defines a person. All you add is food and climate control, and some time, and the embryo becomes you or me.”
On stem-cell research, which Akin believes will culminate in human cloning, evidenced by a sci-fi story written by his daughter:
“My own daughter wrote a little story—I will read it—about step three [human cloning]. ‘I live with 40 others in a compound, supervised by cool, efficient orderlies. Instead of playing, I stood pondering a troubling dream from the night before. It was of a loving father, giving his child a name. I’ve always been just 5-25-61-B.’ “
Comments on abortion facilities, which Akin believes are unsanitary dens filled with tax cheats:
“And what sort of places do these bottom-of-the-food-chain doctors work in? Places that are really a pit. You find that along with the culture of death go all kinds of other law-breaking: not following good sanitary procedure, giving abortions to women who are not actually pregnant, cheating on taxes, all these kinds of things, misuse of anesthetics so that people die or almost die…”
We all knew that Todd Akin was, at best, scientifically challenged, but painting a grim vision of the future using science fiction? Agree with his platform or not, he may have just lost whatever credibility he had. If he doesn’t back-track on some of this stuff, he’s going to end up being the McCaskill campaign’s MVP come election day.
Videos are below, but I want to know what you think. Are these clips as damning as Slate would have us believe? Are they just hot air? Sound off!