Republican Campaign Strategy – The War on Women

Missouri Senatorial Candidate Todd Akin is in hot water for statements he made regarding his views on abortion. For those who do not know, the summary of the statement was:

It seems to be, first of all, from what I understand from doctors, it’s really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut the whole thing down.”

Akin is a Republican Congressman seeking to unseat a Democratic Senator from a fairly conservative State. His comment amounts to any sexual activity that ends with a pregnancy was legitimate and not a crime. Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan and countless other conservative politicians have been falling over themselves to denounce Akin and demand that he withdraw from the race. The question is why? Akin's view on abortion is right in line with the view pronounced recently (at least for now) by Mitt Romney. Paul Ryan and Akin co-sponsored a bill in the house to ban abortion in all cases, including cases of rape and incest. Many Republicans these days hold this view that was once considered extreme. Akin is un-apologetically anti-abortion in any case. So why is he voted off the conservative island?

What is troubling about Akin's comments is not his view on Abortion per se, although his no abortion stance troubles many people. But this is a political view held my many good hearted Americans who have every right to have that view. No, the media is missing the truly troubling aspects of Akin's remarks.

What makes Akin's remarks so troubling is they are a clear indicator of Akin's views on Women as general. Basically, according to Akin, women are liars. Akin's comments show that he believes women claim a crime has been committed when they have an unwanted pregnancy in order to get an abortion. Further, according to Akin, all women who get pregnant not by their husband are sluts. So if they get pregnant, there was no crime, they were asking for it. Akin's comments bring back the time when women were drowned in order to prove they weren't witches.

But again, are Akin's views really that different than so many of the mainstream Republicans. Rick Santorum ran on a platform calling birth control the opposite of the way things are supposed to be. In defense of Santorum, Rush Limbaugh claimed that women using birth control are sluts, referring to someone who dared questioned Santorum's position. Vice Presidential Candidate Paul Ryan referred to rape as just another "method of conception." According to Ryan, the method of conception does not change his view of abortion regardless of what the woman may actually feel.

The Republican Party further is against sexual harassment laws, against equal pay, against taking out clauses in defense contracts that make women arbitrate claims of rape, against, against, against, against. The leaders of the Republican Party yearn for a time when women stayed home and took care of the kids. Rick Santorum said as much. Even their Presidential candidate said as much when asked about equal pay. He said that the woman that work for his get "flexible" schedules so they can get home in time to cook dinner. This comment was drowned out by the "binders full of women" comment that itself was demeaning as well.

The more troubling part is that instead of sending Rick Santorum to the corner, the likes of Fox News, Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh defend him. A day after Akin made his remarks, Mike Huckabee had Akin on his show and provided a list (of 2) of people who were the product unwanted sex who turned out fine. The troubling aspect is not that people say these things but that so many people clap and cheer when it is said.

And that is the truth. Akin's views are not all that extreme. They are the views of much of the Republican establishment. They are the views of much of the Tea Party. And that is the War. The War on Women launched by Republicans comes down to the defense of almost every man who takes advantage of a woman: What do you expect? She was asking for it.