Todd Akin is a Typical Republican

The news and blogs have been going full throttle over Representative Todd Akin’s recent comments about rape.

“First of all, from what I understand from doctors [pregnancy from rape] is really rare,” Akin told KTVI-TV in an interview posted Sunday. “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.”

Which met with general fury from women, scorn from other politicians, and rebuttals from actual scientists and doctors.   The problem for the Republican Party is not that he has these beliefs.  It’s that he came out and said what has become typical for Republicans.

It’d be comforting to think that he was just one of a few “village idiots” who got elected to office.  But no, here comes Representative Steve King to double down on the stupid.

King told an Iowa reporter he’s never heard of a child getting pregnant from statutory rape or incest.

“Well I just haven’t heard of that being a circumstance that’s been brought to me in any personal way,” King told KMEG-TV Monday, “and I’d be open to discussion about that subject matter.”

Seriously?  I have news for Representative King:   It happens.  Yes, I know of cases.  So that tells me he’s either incredibly stupid, very sheltered, willingly obtuse, or all of them.  My bet is on all of them.   We also have Bryan Fischer comparing Akin to a rape victim.   We also have the Republican Party approving a plank banning all abortions -with no exceptions.

It’s been a constant litany of “the stupid” from the Republican Party.  Not only the assault on women’s rights, but in other areas.  We can talk about climate change denial, the racist dog-whistling – or even outright racism – from numerous Republican candidates, or the screaming about teaching evolution in schools.   That’s when they’re not suddenly deciding to espouse a rather … strict … version of Christianity.

It used to be that one considered these things to be simply “nods” to various bases in the Party, and that once they took office, they’d do the work of government, not simply spout simplistic ideological solutions to complex problems.  That’s no longer the case.  The wingnuts have taken over the party, and any pragmatic and reality-based politicians have been purged.

That’s why Representative Akin is a typical Republican.  No, he’s not an anomaly, he’s not even a minority.  Listen to the Republicans running for office these days and you’ll hear variations of the same things he’s been saying.  Oh, they may try to blur what they mean, couch it in terms they think might slide by the media and the general public, but when it comes right down to it, not only are they saying this, they mean it.  This isn’t your parent’s Republican Party, heck, it’s not even the Republican Party of 15 years ago.  This is a Party which has gone back to its origins:  The Know-Nothings.

Despite the protestations coming from various Republicans, Todd Akin just said what they were thinking.    The really sad part?  There are enough people who are willing to vote for people like him.  So while not all Republicans may be willfully ignorant, bible-thumping racists who believe that women should be treated as lesser beings, it’s  the way to bet.