Leading social conservatives rally to Akin's defense
Tampa, Florida (CNN) - While much of the Republican universe spent Monday condemning Missouri Senate hopeful Todd Akin for his comments about "legitimate rape" and abortion, one of the nation's most prominent conservative organizations rallied to his defense.
Two top officials from the Family Research Council said the Missouri congressman is the target of a Democratic smear campaign and chided those Republicans who have condemned Akin.
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Connie Mackey, who heads the group's political action committee, said the group "strongly supports" Todd Akin.
"We feel this is a case of gotcha politics," Mackey told reporters in Tampa, where the Republican National Committee was gathering ahead of the party's convention next week. "He has been elected five times in that community in Missouri. They know who Todd Akin is. We know who Todd Akin is. We've worked with him up on the hill. He's a defender of life."
"Todd Akin is getting a really bad break here," she added. "I don't know anything about the science or the legal implications of his statement. I do know politics, and I know gotcha politics when I see it."
Family Research Council president Tony Perkins fired back at Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, a leading moderate voice in the GOP who called Akin's remarks "outrageous" and encouraged him to drop his challenge to Democrat Claire McCaskill.
"He should be careful because based on some of his statements there may be some call for him to get out of his race," Perkins said of Brown. "He has been off the reservation on a number of Republican issues, conservative issues I should say. His support among conservatives is very shallow."
Mackey said that Republicans calling on Akin to apologize or drop out should get "backbone."
Perkins and Mackey, though, pulled their punches when asked about Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who has also denounced Akin.
"The Romney campaign as well as now Paul Ryan have made very clear where they stand in the issue of life," Perkins said. "We are not going to allow people to divide conservative voters in this process. We are going to keep our eye on the big picture."
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He might have been elected 4 times but hopefully he won't win this time. That kind of thinking is unconscionable.
@ Howard
You said: (quoting an author) “Welcome to Obama’s America: nearly half the population is not represented on a taxable return—almost exactly the same proportion that lives in a household where at least one member receives some type of government benefit,” Ferguson writes. “We are becoming the 50–50 nation—half of us paying the taxes, the other half receiving the benefits.”
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Did anyone look at how many of those in the 50% category are working full time but do not make enough to pay income taxes without creating hardship? Did anyone look at how many of those 50% of households receiving government assistance have members working full time but still need food stamps to make ends meet? What is Romney's plan to move the workforce away from these low paying jobs? 28% of jobs are these poverty level wages, so even if everyone got a PhD, these jobs would still exist. When 'job creators' 'create' jobs that have the employee eligible for government assistance while the employer makes profit, is it not the 'job creator' sucking off the teet off the American people? When 'job creators' do not pay enough to their employees to allow them to pay taxes without creating hardship, do job creators have a right to complain about their own tax rate?
This is why the FRC is considered a hate group!
Is there any truth to the rumor that the last time this guy took an I.Q. test he owed them points. I guess the saying "You can't teach ignorance " is true.
Every Republican on the planet needs to run screaming from this guy, loudly. He's going down, and any one who tries to defend him is going down too.
Tony Perkins is pure evil incarnate.Akin only said what Rethuglicans believe,they reaqlly are in the dark ages.I'am still waiting to hear what that ding bat Bauchman has to say about this.
"Rallying to his defense". This is proof that conservatives are stuck in medieval times.
Always good to have the endorsement of an officially-recognized hate group.
Mackey and this group only show how thier personal agenda is above the truth and what is right. It is Rebulicans calling for him to drop from the race. It is Republicans that are embarrassed by this tupidity of the Akin statement.
But they feel by using their tired line of blaming Democrats will give them a cause to raise more money.
Hypocrites always show their evil side.
If there's any justice in the world Aikens will get raped by an HIV positive guy and let his manly body ward off the disease in the same fantastical way that a woman who raped can avoid getting pregnant! BTW, I'd like to know which doctor gave him this "information" in case I'm in a medical emergency. As a confirmed atheist I'd rather become a Christian Scientist than let a quack like that even examine me!
With his Taliban mentality, Akin deserves a cell in Gitmo!. Feel free to take money from my tax dollars to keep Akin guarded in Gitmo. What an idiot!
It is very sad to see to the price and to what extent some hard nosed conservatives are willing to go. Nothing matters in the process if they get their way. Tony Perkins views are detrimental to our society.
Tony Perkins and the Family Research Council have officially, on the record, disclosed themselves as the radicals they truly are. When there is as much money, and pubicity, media control, and pure ego in the business of Christianity as there is, no wonder we get kooks like Tony Perkins running the show.
Are we just supposed to take the FRC's word for it that Akin is a good candidate and ignore what he says and the types of legislation he proposes? I guess the FRC never heard the following: "By their fruits ye shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?" Well, anyone who has looked at Akin's record or listened to his comments knows him no matter how much the FRC wishes we would look the other way.