Well, at least, what's the diff "for the father"? Because, I guess, that makes them the same. Because guys who knock up your daughter are kind of like rapists? Or because rapists have fatherly feelings, too? Or …
Um … what the hell?
Here to explain, is Tom Smith, GOP candidate for US Senate in Pennsylvania
MARK SCOLFORO, ASSOCIATED PRESS: How would you tell a daughter or a granddaughter who, God forbid, would be the victim of a rape, to keep the child against her own will? Do you have a way to explain that?
SMITH: I lived something similar to that with my own family. She chose life, and I commend her for that. She knew my views. But, fortunately for me, I didn’t have to.. she chose they way I thought. No don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t rape.
SCOLFORO: Similar how?
SMITH: Uh, having a baby out of wedlock.
SCOLFORO: That’s similar to rape?
SMITH: No, no, no, but… put yourself in a father’s situation, yes. It is similar. But, back to the original, I’m pro-life, period.
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Pennsylvania GOP Senate Candidate: Getting Pregnant From Rape Is ‘Similar’ To Having A Baby Out Of Wedlock
In the aftermath of Rep. Todd Akin’s (R-MO) offensive and medically inaccurate comments that “legitimate rape” doesn’t often lead to pregnancy, Republicans have been scrambling to distance themselves …
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Well, let's hope they talk themselves right out of a Presidential election and then thin out the herd in the House and Senate as well. 😀
Yes, we've been found out!!
The ultra top secret GOP plan to diminish the impact of rape is going along swimmingly…..oy vey, lol.
More smoke and mirrors.
It's quoting the dude's words, +Mark Means. That a discussion of rape and abortion gets turned into an anecdote about his daughter's unmarried pregnancy that has to be explained by his suggesting the two circumstances are "similar" from the father's perspective … that's not a misrepresentational paraphrase, those are his words. In an interview, as a candidate for United States Senator.
I don't think it's a "secret plan." I think it's a set of attitudes that's endemic in certain sections of the GOP.
Well, I didn't mean you , in particular, thought it was a 'secret plan' but the article itself.
Either way, that's not the GOP platform so, besides someone misspeaking, or saying something stupid, it's really a non issue.
Actually, it kind of is an issue if it is a common form of 'stupidity' (to paraphrase your comment) amongst GOP candidates. And it certainly appears that way this week.
When a political party wants to dictate what half the population does and doesn't control in regards to their own health and reproduction, they damned well better know what they are talking about if they don't want to be seen as autocratic, American Taliban types.
And frankly, that's not what we're seeing right now.
This guy isn't running for president and one or two men do not speak for the whole party. I'm pretty sure the whole of the DNC wouldn't want to be held accountable for everything Joe Biden says.
But both of those men seek to represent the people. All the people. Including women. Showing a disregard and ignorance of basic human and reproductive rights is a problem. Especially for somebody who gets to vote on the future of the rest of the population.
I get that you are saying 'Bad Apples', +Mark Means , but honestly, how many bad apples do their have to be before the barrel counts as spoiled?
I concur that Smith is neither Romney nor Ryan. And while the article tries to draw a tight connection, I don't quite directly buy it.
On the other hand, he's certainly been engaged with those worthies and, as +Curt Thompson notes, his approach to women, rape, abortion, conception, the whole kit-n-kaboodle seems to be part of a pattern amongst certain of the GOP candidates this cycle (including the folks writing the party platform), which means that Romney/Ryan either need to address it or be smeared by it.
+Curt Thompson I don't know….let's go through the DNC barrel and see how many we can find there. My point being that it's not honest and more than a bit misleading to try to characterize a whole party by a few.
+Dave Hill I'm sure, as one of the more important social issues, that they'll address it. I believe Romney's already come out and said that he's for abortion in the case of rape, incest, and danger to the mother….which is at odds to Ryan's stance, from what I've read.
+Mark Means You keep saying 'by a few', but I think Ryan and Romney might disagree with you. See Ryan's comments today, for heaven's sake.
Also, look, I get that political stuff is absolutely childish and stupid in this country these days. Both sides wanted dumb constituents and that's what they have, by and large, but I am not going to argue 'Johnny did it too' with another adult.
This is the topic at hand. 'Bush did X' or 'Clinton did Y' or 'Reagan did Z' are immaterial, from either side.
+Mark Means, yes, today Romney explicitly added those clauses. And Ryan disagreed, but said, "Hey, he's the president" [for now].
(Actually, I think Ryan's the more principled of the two on the matter, but that's another post.)
But when you've got both candidates for US Senate (no trivial position that) and an array of not-insignificant punditry coming to the defense of folks like Akin (and, one assumes, Smith), and the GOP platform basically taking the same hardline attitude (granted, platforms tend to be extreme), it's not something that the GOP or their standardbearers can simply wave off.
From what I've seen, the GOP didn't come to the defense of Akin. In fact, they've all told him that he needs to step down.
As for this guy, this is the first I've heard of it, so I'm not sure what the reaction will be.
Honestly, it came across more as, "You're going to hurt our chances" than "We reject you and your medieval behavior."
On the other hand, he has found vocal, high-profile GOP-aligned defenders. Mike Huckabee. Tony Perkins. Bryan Fischer. Erick Erickson. None of them are running for office (this cycle), but GOP pols have enjoyed their endorsements (and appearing on their various TV/radio programs) for years.