MEMO: The Consequences of Crazy, Volume 2: Todd Akin is a Legitimately Bad Candidate
Displaying an incomprehensibly poor understanding of human female biology and raising disconcerting questions about what distinguishes a “legitimate” rape from presumably lesser rapes, Rep. Todd Akin forever entered the political lexicon and emerged as a national punch line with his comments on “legitimate rape.” For casual observers, the comments raised the question of how an individual holding such an extreme view not only wins a Senate primary, but holds onto a seat in the House of Representatives for over a decade. Indeed, such concerns are well warranted. Rather than an isolated incident, these remarks are just the latest in a long line of outrageous comments from Akin. With the deadline passing for Akin to withdraw his name from the November ballot, Republican strategists are wishing that they had had a way to shut down his whole candidacy. Instead, they are finding out that these are the consequences of nominating crazy.
MEMO: The Consequences of Crazy, Volume 1: Michele Bachmann’s Presidential Bid
“There’s a woman who came up crying to me tonight after the debate. She said her daughter was given that vaccine. She told me her daughter suffered mental retardation as a result of that vaccine.”
- Michele Bachmann, FOX News, September 12, 2011
- Click here to view The Bachmann Files.
- Click here to view our Best of Bachmann video.
On August 13th 2011, Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann secured a victory at the Ames Straw Poll in Iowa, temporarily vaulting her to frontrunner status in the Republican presidential race. Almost exactly one month later, following a debate with her fellow primary contenders, Bachmann claimed in an interview that the HPV vaccine caused mental retardation. Michele Bachmann is no stranger to controversial statements. She rose to national fame by calling for an investigation into her congressional colleagues to determine which Members of Congress were “anti-America.” But her decision to run for President moved her from fringe political bomb-thrower to one of the preeminent members of the Republican Party. And with that came an increased scrutiny which she was unable to withstand. These are the consequences of being crazy.
VIDEO: Christie/King 2016?
Chris Christie will be traveling to Iowa today to attend a fundraiser for embattled Representative Steve King, whose recent comments…
Roscoe Bartlett Really Likes Comparing Things To Nazis
Recently, Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD) was forced to apologize for implying that federally-issued student loans could lead the United States down a "slippery slope" comparable to the Holocaust. But do you know who else liked comparing things to Nazis? Well, actually, Roscoe Bartlett. It appears that eliminating subsidies for private companies in the student loan process is just the latest action that Bartlett has identified as setting America down the path to fascism and genocide.
#DropHuck Effort: It’s Not Just His Support Of Akin
WASHINGTON - American Bridge today launched its #DropHuck petition drive and online ad campaign demanding Mitt Romney drop Todd Akin-backer and Republican leader Mike Huckabee from his prime time speaking slot at the Republican National Convention. DropHuck.com, the effort’s online hub, is equipped with a petition and web ad allowing voters to see first hand the offensive and inexcusable ideas Huckabee is supporting. As the research below shows, Huckabee’s steadfast support of Akin is far from an isolated occurrence. Throughout his career, Huckabee has shown he is on the wrong side of issues impacting women and victims of rape.
Tell Mitt Romney: Fire "The Donald"
Donald Trump and his birther conspiracies just helped Mitt Romney raise more than $2 million at a fundraiser in Las Vegas. Even by Vegas standards, that’s an awfully big pay off -- but every single dollar Romney raised is tainted with the dishonesty and bigotry of Trump’s lies. It’s hard to imagine a worse gamble, and it’s time for Mitt Romney to put his love of firing people into action. Join us in calling for Mitt Romney to fire The Donald.
Everything Richard Mourdock’s Website Said About Dick Lugar
It was reported yesterday that Indiana State Treasurer and Senate candidate Richard Mourdock was in the process of scrubbing his website of mentions of Senator Dick Lugar, the primary fight, and contrast pieces highlighting his policy differences with the incumbent. Unwilling to let Mourdock tack to the center after claiming his extreme conservatism, American Bridge 21st Century is making available to the public an archive of everything Mourdock published on his campaign website regarding Senator Lugar. Check it out after the jump.
MEMO: What you need to know about Deb Fischer
Thanks to the more than $250,000 investment from billionaire Joe Rickett’s super PAC, Deb Fischer won a surprising last-person-standing victory in Nebraska’s Republican senate primary. But now Nebraskans are left wondering: who is their Republican nominee? As an untested, unknown, unscrutinized candidate, Deb Fischer didn’t “win” on Tuesday, her opponents lost. But now that she will be the Republican standard bearer in the most high profile race in the state, her record, votes, and positions will be thoroughly vetted by voters. While no means exhaustive, below is a quick primer on what you need to know about Deb Fischer.
MEMO: Richard Mourdock’s Extreme Record
Let’s be clear about one thing regarding Richard Mourdock’s win over Dick Lugar tonight in the Indiana Republican Senate primary: Richard Mourdock did not win; Dick Lugar lost. Assuredly, Lugar’s precipitous drop in the final weeks was propelled by his stumbles over the residency issue. But Lugar’s vulnerability stemmed from being identified as one of the Tea Party’s top targets of the 2012 election cycle. Lugar will have been felled by the same extreme fringe of the Republican Party that took down several pragmatic Republican candidates in 2010. These extremists found a mouthpiece in State Treasurer Richard Mourdock and are nominating a candidate who is well outside the mainstream of Indiana voters.
The Republican primary has been a referendum on Lugar, not an endorsement of Richard Mourdock. As Hoosiers across the state learn more about Mourdock, they will realize that his soft-spoken demeanor belies a fervent, extreme view of politics and governance that would hurt Indiana’s middle class families, students, veterans, women, seniors, and farmers.BACKGROUND ON RICHARD MOURDOCK’S EXTREMISM
Mourdock Said Auto Bailout Was Illegal. According to a Mourdock Editorial in the South Bend Tribune, “By any traditional legal analysis, fundamental elements of the Obama administration’s Chrysler bankruptcy plan were illegal. It turned 200 years of U.S. bankruptcy law on its head by awarding more value to a select group of unsecured creditors than to secured creditors. Others are apparently willing to tolerate the violation of federal bankruptcy laws simply because they liked the result: It helped their friends. But most Americans, including the Hoosier retirees who had their property stolen away, see such picking and choosing by the federal government as fundamentally un-American.” [Mourdock Editorial, South Bend Tribune, 10/9/10]