In watching much of the right wing flee from Todd Akin for saying what many of them believed themselves, one has to wonder why they so quickly ditched him and yet continue to associate with so many others who have said equally vile things as a matter of routine.
For example, with all the absolutely insane and bigoted things Bryan Fischer has said, he is still able to get prominent Republican legislators and even presidential candidates to come on his radio show and kiss his ring. And remember Jesse Lee Patterson, the wingnut who says that women should not have been given the right to vote? That hasn’t done a thing to hurt him on the right. He continues to be a regular guest on the Sean Hannity show and Hannity is still on the board of his organization. And Sen. Rand Paul still goes on his radio show:
Rep. Allen West has said things every bit as vile as Todd Akin. So has Steve King. There seems to be no limit to how nutty you can be and still be a member in good standing of the conservative movement these days.
28 comments
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Zinc Avenger (Sarcasm Tags 3.0 Compliant)
October 3, 2012 at 9:45 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Just don’t diss Reagan. They have limits, after all.
Reginald Selkirk
October 3, 2012 at 9:46 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
What? You’re suggesting these folks are too nutty to be riding in the clown car that constitutes modern day conservatism?
Gregory in Seattle
October 3, 2012 at 9:46 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I’m inclined to say that the limit is asymtotic: the right will continue to edge ever closer, but never actually reach it.
Modusoperandi
October 3, 2012 at 9:57 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Yes, but Alan Grayson said that the Republican healthcare plan was for you to die, and Obama says rich people should pay taxes. So both sides are equally extreme. So there!
Ace of Sevens
October 3, 2012 at 9:59 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Dinesh D’Sousa is essentially going around arguing that Ann Dunham was a slut and he gets even more credibility.
jollywahlstrom
October 3, 2012 at 10:02 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I am sure the Republicans will now start supporting Todd Akin again. The only reason they acted shocked is because it got national coverage but that was weeks ago.
Donovan
October 3, 2012 at 10:03 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Huntsman can answer that. Just imply that the Republican Party shouldn’t be the anti-science party.
Jeremy Shaffer
October 3, 2012 at 10:03 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
You mean like talking about the things Reagan actually did?
Jeremy Shaffer
October 3, 2012 at 10:09 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Not be insane?
Present facts that have a positive relationship with reality?
Suggest that maybe trying to establish a theocracy, even if you never call it that, is probably not a good idea?
State the intended goals of the party in clear language and no uncertain terms that cannot be easily smoothed over?
ArtK
October 3, 2012 at 10:12 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
What would it take to lose credibility? Telling the truth. Arguing logically and respectfully. Acknowledging that selfishness isn’t really virtue.
Outrageous lies and hateful speech are virtues in their bizarro world.
Zinc Avenger (Sarcasm Tags 3.0 Compliant)
October 3, 2012 at 10:12 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
@Jeremy Shaffer, #8:
Words like “did” are so static. We can’t judge a great man by what he actually “did”. His canonization was approved based on what he would have done, and how it should have turned out.
Chiroptera
October 3, 2012 at 10:17 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
jollywahlstrom, #6:
I think what shocked the Republicans is that here they’ve been saying things as bad or worse than what Akin said for decades, and now, all of a sudden, the general public expresses outrage?
TGAP Dad
October 3, 2012 at 10:18 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I watched the video, (and fergodsakes, DON’T do this unless you too are as masochistic as me) and Rand Paul tells a story about a woman harassed by the EPA for “putting dirt in her own property” because the EPA “defines clean dirt as pollution and your yard as public waterway.” Sen. Paul goes on to say that the woman got 84 months in prison for her crime. Is there anyone here who is familiar with this case, and can shed some light on the actual facts of it?
machintelligence
October 3, 2012 at 10:21 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
jollywahlstrom @6
They already have. See:
http://freethoughtblogs.com/dispatches/2012/10/02/rnc-back-in-for-akin/
dingojack
October 3, 2012 at 10:22 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
“What Does It Take to Lose Credibility for Right Wing?”
Simple – LOSE.
Dingo
dingojack
October 3, 2012 at 10:24 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Ooops I lose the footnote to the above: everything else is secondary.
:/ Dingo
Larry
October 3, 2012 at 10:27 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Ummmm, no. That doesn’t meet the bar. Think Sarah Palin.
justawriter
October 3, 2012 at 10:29 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
The satirical answer would be a 4 digit SAT score but the more realistic answer is to vote yes on a democratic party supported issue once. See Roberts, Chief Justice John.
dingojack
October 3, 2012 at 10:32 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Sarah Palin didn’t have anything – how could she lose. Oh you thought I meant ‘not win’.
;) Dingo
StevoR
October 3, 2012 at 10:43 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Quite clearly, a hell of a lot!
Modusoperandi
October 3, 2012 at 10:47 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Larry “Ummmm, no. That doesn’t meet the bar. Think Sarah Palin.”
She didn’t lose*. Governor Palin got elected to FoxNews.
* McCain lost.
baal
October 3, 2012 at 10:50 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
The Akin incident gave us a hint. The unforgivable sin for the (R) is exposing just how hateful and lying the party is when in public. This can be done by revealing a truth they lie endlessly about (the R chair in PA saying voter id will deliver the State for Romney) or by Akin’s legit rape comments.
BTW Akin also thinks it’s ok for minorities and women to be paid less than white men for the same work (h/t Maddow but it’s on huffpo and elsewhere). His language is along the lines of {Freedom means that a boss can offer a job for a wage and the worker can accept that wage. Note that the offer doesn’t need to be same for everyone.} This idea was discredited in the 1930′s – cf ‘freedom of contract’.
slc1
October 3, 2012 at 10:56 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Re baal @ #22
The voter ID law just got the, albeit temporary heave ho by a federal judge in Pennsylvania.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/election-2012/wp/2012/10/02/judge-halts-part-of-pennsylvanias-restrictive-voter-id-law/
StevoR
October 3, 2012 at 11:22 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
@justawriter :
Or Richard Muller maybe?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tciQts-8Cxo&feature=plcp
Now okay that’s Climate Change Denialists not Republicans but the overlap is pretty huge and they’re close to synomynmous aren’t they?
StevoR
October 3, 2012 at 11:25 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
@22. Baal :
Er, did you miss the recent post here :
http://freethoughtblogs.com/dispatches/2012/10/02/rnc-back-in-for-akin/
On how Akin’s Republican backers have kinda slunk back and are funding him again?
StevoR
October 3, 2012 at 11:44 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Pretty sure Anne Coulter has said or at least come very close to saying the same thing too and remains beloved of the US far right wing.
@14.machintelligence : Hah. Only now do I see you beat me to it! Guess I should’ve read the thread more closely and fully before commenting. D’oh. (Raised beer salute to you.)
Marcus Ranum
October 3, 2012 at 12:18 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
What would it take to lose credibility? Telling the truth. Arguing logically and respectfully. Acknowledging that selfishness isn’t really virtue.
You mean “Gaffe”s? You can’t have a “Gaffe Strategy”!!!!
Nemo
October 3, 2012 at 12:54 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I think what it takes to get Akin’ed is mainstream negative attention. This is surprisingly difficult to come by. Reading lefty blogs, or watching MSNBC, I’m drenched in the foibles of the right. But switching to even NBC, the picture is very different: The race is tight, and Republicans are somehow not buffoons. It’s quite amazing to see.