Don't get discouraged if the websites go down. That is actually a good sign that millions are logging on to finally get health care. The actual coverage doesn't kick in until January, and you have until December to sign up, so don't panic.
The clot was located in the vein between the brain and and the skull behind Clinton's right ear and did not result in any stroke or neurological damage, her doctors said in a statement.
Clinton was treated with blood thinners to help dissolve the clot and would be released once the medication dose had been established, they said.
"In all other aspects of her recovery, the secretary is making excellent progress and we are confident she will make a full recovery. She is in good spirits, engaging with her doctors, her family, and her staff," Clinton's doctors said.
Clinton, 65, was suffering from a stomach virus earlier this month when she fainted because of dehydration, causing the concussion.
Clinton spokesman Philippe Reines released a statement late Sunday that said the secretary was being treated at New York Presbyterian Hospital and was expected to be kept under observation for two days. Earlier this month, Clinton’s aides said she fainted and hit her head, causing a concussion. She has remained out of the public eye ever since.
Read the full statement:
In the course of a follow-up exam today, Secretary Clinton's doctors discovered a blood clot had formed, stemming from the concussion she sustained several weeks ago. She is being treated with anti-coagulants and is at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital so that they can monitor the medication over the next 48 hours.
Her doctors will continue to assess her condition, including other issues associated with her concussion. They will determine if any further action is required.
Many on Twitter were recalling today that back when Hillary fell and suffered a concussion, members of the right-wing media made lots of jokes about a fake malady that would keep the Secretary of State from testifying about Benghazi. I knew that was total BS - why would Hillary suddenly be afraid to tell the truth to Congress? It was just hateful talk from the hateful side of the country.
I think a little more bloodletting and some boar's vomit, and he'll be just fine.
~ Theodoric of York, Medieval Barber
Mitt Romney wants everything to go back to the 1950s when people paid doctor bills with hickory nuts and the poor just fended for themselves.
"Well, we do provide care for people who don't have insurance. If someone has a heart attack, they don't sit in their apartment and die. We pick them up in an ambulance, and take them to the hospital, and give them care. And different states have different ways of providing for that care."
~ Mitt Romney in an interview with Scott Pelley of CBS's "60 Minutes" that aired Sunday night
His new Health Care plan is actually a rip-off of a Democrat - Alan Grayson of Florida. Remember what he said?
"If you get sick, America, the Republican health care plan is this: Die quickly."
In fact, it's easy to believe that Mitt has become so retro in his ideas, maybe thanks to High Inquisitor and Rape Expert Paul Ryan, that he wants to go much further back . . . to the Middle Ages.
Joan: Will she be alright?
Theodoric of York: Well, I'll do everything humanly possible. Unfortunately, we barbers aren't gods. You know, medicine is not an exact science, but we are learning all the time. Why, just fifty years ago, they thought a disease like your daughter's was caused by demonic possession or witchcraft. But nowadays we know that Isabelle is suffering from an imbalance of bodily humors, perhaps caused by a toad or a small dwarf living in her stomach.
Hmm, he went to the Todd Akin school of Medicine!
Joan: You charlatan! You killed my daughter, just like you killed most of my other children! Why don't you admit it! You don't know what you're doing!
Theodoric of York: [ steps toward the camera ] Wait a minute. Perhaps she's right. Perhaps I've been wrong to blindly folow the medical traditions and superstitions of past centuries. Maybe we barbers should test these assumptions analytically, through experimentation and a "scientific method". Maybe this scientific method could be extended to other fields of learning: the natural sciences, art, architecture, navigation. Perhaps I could lead the way to a new age, an age of rebirth, a Renaissance! [ thinks for a minute ] Naaaaaahhh!
As if we needed any more proof that Mitt is unfit to be President, last night he said on CBS's 60 Minutes that going to the emergency room is the best way to get medical care. Oh, but, you know . . . first have a heart attack from all the years you had untreated high blood pressure without health insurance, and that way you'll get in.
Mitt Romney on Sunday suggested that emergency room care suffices as a substitute for the uninsured.
"Well, we do provide care for people who don't have insurance," he said in an interview with Scott Pelley of CBS's "60 Minutes" that aired Sunday night. "If someone has a heart attack, they don't sit in their apartment and die. We pick them up in an ambulance, and take them to the hospital, and give them care. And different states have different ways of providing for that care."
This also proves that the man knows nothing about how the 47% or the 99% live their lives, with or without insurance. Because guess what - it costs plenty to go to the ER even when you have a good health plan. It is not a safety net. It is not a clinic for the poor. We need both of those, but the ER is not the answer.
And everyone knows that the costs of treating the poor are enough to put most hospitals out of business, so their bills get passed along to everyone else. This especially hurts people in rural areas with 47% populations because hospitals don't want to go there, unless the people are elderly and have Medicare of course, because then they can pay. Oh, wait a minute . . . Romney and Ryan want to get rid of Medicare too.
*silent scream*
I think people should have rallies outside emergency rooms carrying signs that say "Mitt Sent Me."
When I heard about this tonight I actually shook with anger. How callous is he going to be? How low can he go? If he ever had real empathy for people in Massachusetts when he passed Romneycare, has he thrown it all away for a chance to be the darling of the "Screw the Poor" Party? And guess what - most Tea Party members don't want to take Grandma or Junior to the ER either!
I bet y'all $10K Mitt Romney has never seen the inside of a large hospital's ER.
— Lisa P. Smith (@lpsrocks) September 24, 2012
Some intrepid reporter needs to ask Mitt Romney if he really believes an ER would treat cancer, Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, etc.
— Jason Febery (@JasonFebery) September 24, 2012
So Mitt Romney says people without insurance can get medical care in ER and Clinics. Who pays for that, moron? @mittromney
— Crutnacker (@Crutnacker) September 24, 2012
Thanks to Mitt, kids w/special needs can now get treatment by walking over to the ER. They just need to get hit by a bus on the way #p2#aca
— Sadistic Statist (@TheXclass) September 24, 2012
When asked in a March 2010 interview on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" whether he believes in universal coverage, Romney said, "Oh, sure."
"Look, it doesn't make a lot of sense for us to have millions and millions of people who have no health insurance and yet who can go to the emergency room and get entirely free care for which they have no responsibility, particularly if they are people who have sufficient means to pay their own way," he said.
The Republican misogynist cavalcade of ignorance continues. The guys really are ignorant cretins, and the women in the party who go along with the talking points are worse!
The question before us now is how are the Democrats going to handle that issue, how are they going to appeal to women? Is it going to be the Sandra Fluke sort of message that women are only interested in free birth control or free stuff at that. The question is what message works and it is a message of victim-hood, that you need free stuff from the government to be able to be productive in society?
Is this just about the idea that really all it takes to win a woman's vote is free birth control which, by the way, we know that WalMart offers it for $9 a month. I often think I'd like to say to Sandra Fluke that if you'd just had less beer in college, I think you probably could afford the birth control you wanted.
Yeah, that's the kind of stupidity you get when women take their talking points from misogynist men like Rush Limbaugh.
And that brings me to Ann "I Love You Women" Romney, who tried to give an interview in Iowa the other day but instead merely stonewalled on every question pertaining to women's issues:
Anchor David Nelson: "Do you believe that employer-provided health insurance should be required to cover birth control?"
Ann Romney: "Again, you're asking me questions that are not about what this election is going to be about. This election is going to be about the economy and jobs."
Anchor David Nelson: "Well, a Pew Research poll shows those issues are very important to women, ranking them either "important" or "very important."
Ann Romney: "You know, but I personally believe, and this is what I'm hearing from women all across the country that they are going to look for the guy that's going to pull them out of the weeds and get them job security and a brighter future for their children. That's the message.
No, ANN, we are not just "looking for some guy to pull us out of the weeds." Women are not a bunch of swooning weak moochers looking for white knight (or a white horse) to ride up and tell us how to save ourselves. We'd rather have a President who sees women as his equals who can make their own decisions. We don't need a bunch of theocrat daddies who want to go back to the "saint in the kitchen - slut in the bedroom" school of family life.
An anti-abortion crusading Ohio Republican lawmaker, state Rep. Jim Buchy, was unable to deliver an intelligent answer to a reporter who asked him why a woman would actually want to get an abortion.
“What do you think makes a woman want to have an abortion?,” an Al Jazeera reporter asks Buchy, as this video from last night’s Rachel Maddow Show depicts.
“Well, there’s probably a lot of — I’m not a woman so I’m thinking, if I’m a woman, why would I want to get — some of it has to do with economics. A lot has to do with economics. I don’t know, I have never — It’s a question I have never thought about,” responds Rep. Buchy. “It’s a question I have never thought about.”
So at the Democratic Convention Wednesday night their first prime time speaker was Sandra Fluke — Fluke, Fluke, whatever her name is.
Think about this: a 31-32 year old law student who’s been a student for life, who gets up there in front of a national audience and tells the American people, “I want America to pay for my contraceptives.” You’re kidding me. Go get a job. Go get a job Sandra Fluke. This is what, I was offended. We’ve got Americans who are struggling. We’ve got parents in this country who are struggling to buy sneakers that their kids can wear to school that just started. We’ve got parents up and down my district who are barely keeping their house. And, and, and, we have to be confronted by a woman, the Democratic Party this is what they stand for. Their going to put a woman in front of us who is complaining that the country — you, me and you — won’t pay the 9 dollars per month to pay for her contraceptives.
How crazy is this? In a way it’s not her fault, because we teach people this stuff. You go back to fairness, we teach young people this. Don’t worry, government will take care of you. You’re having trouble with your student loans? Don’t worry, government will be there for you.
We are raising the Sandra Flukes of the world. We’re raising Americans who don’t know how to take care of themselves, who feel entitled. This a woman who feels entitled that we all should pay for her contraceptives. This is what we are teaching Americans? That was embarrassing. That was embarrassing.
PETITION: Remove Todd Akin from the Science Committee
Sign your name to call on Speaker John Boehner to remove Rep. Todd Akin from the House Science and Technology Committee.
Republican Congressman Todd Akin told a Missouri news station:
"First of all, from what I understand from doctors [pregnancy from rape] is really rare... If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down."
Someone who believes nonsense like this has no part overseeing science policy.
Tell Speaker Boehner to immediately remove Rep. Akin from the House Science and Technology Committee.
The more Todd Akin tries to explain what he said last Sunday, the bigger the hole gets under Romney/Ryan and the Republican Agenda. Let's face it, Akin is probably the most honest representative the Republican Party has ever had. What you see in him is what you get when you vote red.
Stupidity, Misogyny, Anti-Intellectualism - they've got it all.
Akin's latest attempt to explain "legitimate rape" makes things even worse. He wasn't saying there are various types of rape, he says. No, he just thinks women are liars and can't be trusted to tell the truth after a traumatic experience. He believes even the landmark Roe vs. Wade is based on lies. The premise seems to be that "bad women" are in such a hurry to get abortions that they will lie and say anything to get it done.
Arguing that he misplaced the word “legitimate,” Akin explained — during a follow up interview with Dana Loesch — that he meant to argue that women sometimes lie about being raped:
AKIN: You know, Dr. Willke has just released a statement and part of his letter, I think he just stated it very clearly. He said, of course Akin never used the word legitimate to refer to the rapist, but to false claims like those made in Roe v. Wade and I think that simplifies it….. There isn’t any legitimate rapist…. [I was] making the point that there were people who use false claims, like those that basically created Roe v. Wade.
This would merely seem absurd and grasping at straws, except that yesterday the Republican Party voted to leave the "no exception for rape and incest" clause in their Party Platform. And that's not all - they still want to ban birth control, too. So Akin is not alone, and even if he leaves the Party, there are plenty of his kind waiting in the wings.
Later, in a discussion of health care, the platform committee waded back into the abortion question, passing several amendments. One, proposed by Illinois delegate Sharee Langenstein, says being "pro-life" is consistent with being "pro-woman."
Another amendment, proposed by a delegate from North Carolina, supports banning the RU-486 pill and similar drugs that end pregnancies. Jackie Curtiss, a delegate from Alabama, objected, saying in light of Akin's recent comments about rape, it sends the wrong signal to women. The amendment passed after others on the committee said the resolution would not affect the "morning after" pill.
A reporter tried to get Paul Ryan to go on the record about his past interactions with Todd Akin, but Ryan is a slippery devil and keeps hiding behind the "top of the ticket" candidate, Mitt Romney. But Ryan certainly didn't cut all ties with the past, and is still touting his "pro-life" record as a dog whistle to the base.
Delano: “Should abortions to be available to women who are raped?”
Ryan: “Well, look, I’m proud of my pro-life record. And I stand by my pro-life record in Congress. It’s something I’m proud of. But Mitt Romney is the top of the ticket and Mitt Romney will be president and he will set the policy of the Romney administration.”
Despite Ryan’s views, Romney says he will allow exceptions for rape and incest. Ryan also seemed to back away from earlier views on types of rape.
Delano: “You sponsored legislation that has the language ‘forcible rape.’ What is forcible rape as opposed…”
Ryan: “Rape is rape. Rape is rape, period. End of story.”
Delano: “So that forcible rape language meant nothing to you at the time?”
Ryan: “Rape is rape and there’s no splitting hairs over rape.”
Okey, Dokey, only Ryan sponsored bills WITH Todd Akin that would change the definition of rape, distinguish between forcible and statutory rape, and would definitely ban several types of birth control. We can only conclude that Paul Ryan is lying now just to get elected.
(A) the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution is vested in each human being, and is the paramount and most fundamental right of a person; and
(B) the life of each human being begins with fertilization, cloning, or its functional equivalent, irrespective of sex, health, function or disability, defect, stage of biological development, or condition of dependency, at which time every human being shall have all the legal and constitutional attributes and privileges of personhood; and
(2) the Congress affirms that the Congress, each State, the District of Columbia, and all United States territories have the authority to protect the lives of all human beings residing in its respective jurisdictions.
Lest there be any doubt, this bill is unconstitutional. Congress does not have the power to overrule Roe v. Wade by an ordinary statue, only a constitutional amendment could serve that purpose.
And even Romney can't really hide from this mess. Turns out back in 2007, he aligned himself with voodoo pro-life Dr. Willke who started all this nonsense - the same guy Akin mentions in the first quote at the top of the page. All roads lead back to Dr. Willke.
Boston, MA – Today, Dr. John Willke, a founder of the Pro Life Movement, endorsed Governor Mitt Romney and his campaign for our nation's highest office. Dr. Willke is a leading voice within the pro-life community and will be an important surrogate for Governor Romney's pro-life and pro-family agenda.
"Unlike other candidates who only speak to the importance of confronting the major social issues of the day, Governor Romney has a record of action in defending life. Every decision he made as Governor was on the side of life. I know he will be the strong pro-life President we need in the White House," said Dr. Willke. "Governor Romney is the only candidate who can lead our pro-life and pro-family conservative movement to victory in 2008."
Welcoming Dr. Willke's announcement, Governor Romney said, "I am proud to have the support of a man who has meant so much to the pro-life movement in our country. He knows how important it is to have someone in Washington who will actively promote pro-life policies. Policies that include more than appointing judges who will follow the law but also opposing taxpayer funded abortion and partial birth abortion. I look forward to working with Dr. Willke and welcome him to Romney for President."
Akin told Mike Huckabee that he was going to stay in the race today, even though everyone in Washington was begging him to drop out. He must have taken some "going rogue" lessons from Sarah Palin, eh?
His statements today are almost as incredible as what he said on Sunday. Almost.
“I’ve had a chance now to have run through a primary, and the party people said when you win the primary then we’ll be with you. Well, they were with us. Then I said one word and one sentence on one day, and everything changed,” Akin told Huckabee, an early supporter. “I haven’t done anything morally or ethically wrong. It does seem like a little bit of an overreaction.”
. . . Akin said that his supporters and “good friends, closer than brothers,” had asked him to stick it out. He added that he has received “continuing calls from other congressman” expressing their support. (He did not name any of these congressman.)
He compared his race to the GOP primary, when he was outraised by rivals and lacked institutional backing. And he referred to the potential to attract more independent voters. “I realize that there are now a lot of other bravehearts that don’t fit into the political parties exactly,” he said. “I believe there is a cause here, and there is a part of the message that’s missing, and a lot of the people feel left out of the parties.
“What we’re seeing right now is a tremendous outpouring of support from just regular small people,” he said. “They’re not the big party people.”
No, but you can bet the "Big Party People" are furious right now because having Akin in this race will keep the topics of abortion and "personhood" in the center of controversy until November. And that road leads right back to his good buddy, Paul Ryan. Ha!
"The views expressed were offensive," said Obama. "Rape is rape. And the idea that we should be parsing and qualifying and slicing what types of rape we are talking about doesn't make sense to the American people and certainly doesn't make sense to me. So what I think these comments do underscore is why we shouldn't have a bunch of politicians, a majority of whom are men, making health care decisions on behalf of women."
. . . "Although these particular comments have led Governor Romney and other Republicans to distance themselves, I think the underlying notion that we should be making decisions on behalf of women for their health care decisions, or qualifying forcible rape versus non-forcible rape, I think those are broader issues," Obama said. "And that is a significant difference in approach between me and the other party."
Great discussion on Hardball: "Defending the Caveman"
Today Mitt Romney tried to distance himself once again from crazy Todd Akin, the Missouri congressman running for Senate who spoke yesterday about "legitimate" rape and some other strange views about women's bodily functions.
"Congressman’s Akin comments on rape are insulting, inexcusable, and, frankly, wrong," (Romney) told National Review Online. “Like millions of other Americans, we found them to be offensive." He added that his view was "entirely different" and that Akin's statement was "entirely without merit and and he should correct it."
He did not call on Akin to bow out of the race.
Note from Me: Romney always uses a qualifier before any opinion. "Frankly wrong" is much weaker than saying "Just Plain Wrong" or simply "Wrong." To me, whenever he starts a sentence with "Honestly," "Frankly," "Truthfully," or "Seriously," it makes him less believable, and more like a con artist. He talks like a used care salesman and reminds me often of Mr. Lindegard from the movie "Fargo."
Akin was on Mike Huckabee's radio show today, and vowed that he isn't dropping out before tomorrow's deadline. St. Louis Dispatch
"I'm not a quitter," Akin said. "We all make mistakes. . . The many people who supported me know that when you make a mistake what you need to do is say you're sorry."
Akin said no party leaders have called him and asked for him to drop out.
"This was a very very serious error," Akin said.
Akin, who is running for U.S. Senate against incumbent Claire McCaskill, has until Tuesday at 5 p.m. to withdraw, according to Missouri election law. That law allows candidates to leave the ballot 11 weeks before election day, otherwise he would need a court order. The Republican state committee would have two weeks to name a replacement, under the law.
Yeah, okay - Akins knows he is in hot water now, but we also know that plenty of Republicans share his belief in magical body fluids that protect against pregnancy during rape. The conservatives are split down the middle - half calling for him to quit, others supporting his views. Comments from the Far-Right on Snark Amendment
Paul Ryan has worked with Akin on "redefining" rape, so that women who are victims of statutory rape won't be given the morning after pill or an abortion. From The Liberal OC Blog:
In 2011, Congressmen Ryan and Akin co-sponsored the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortions Act, which would redefine a ban on federal funding for abortions to exempt only “forcible rape” and not “rape” generally. According to the Washington Post, the Act would make a version of the Hyde Amendment permanent. The Hyde Amendment, which had been renewed every year since 1976, prevented some federally-funded health care programs from covering abortions, with exceptions in cases of rape and incest, and when the life of the woman is threatened. However, under the language proposed by the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortions Act, rape becomes “forcible rape.” The Washington Post reported that the bill’s critics believed “the modifier could distinguish it from other kinds of sexual assault that are typically recognized as rape, including statutory rape and attacks that occur because of drugs or verbal threats.” [HR 3 Co-Sponsors, 112th Congress; Washington Post, 2/1/11]
We have come too far in this country to let men like Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, and Todd Akin drag our country back to the stone-age. Their radical and extremist views are a recipe for disaster and the imposition of radical Christian-Biblical Law on our nation. These guys would have us believe that a woman who becomes pregnant as a result of rape, wanted it.
Ya know - statutory rape is still rape. Underage children are not considered old enough to "give consent" because often they are too innocent to know what it is they are doing. People who make these distinctions probably don't believe in date or marital rape either, and they can use it as a rationalization for why Jerry Sandusky can go free. The only reason this didn't come up was because Jerry targeted underage boys who couldn't get pregnant.
Obama's Strategist David Axelrod told Huffington Post today that Romney and Ryan are not really fooling anyone with their constantly shifting positions which contradict previously "firm" opinions on abortion or "personhood" of a fetus.
"When you look at who Akin's partner was on all the anti-choice legislation, it was Paul Ryan," said Axelrod. "When you look at the legislation that would limit a women's right to choose, even for victims of rape and incest, that is the Akin-Ryan position. And frankly, by endorsing personhood amendments ... Romney has gone there too. This is the prevailing position of the Republican Party."
"I think they find Todd Akin's comment terribly inconvenient," Axelrod said. "It is very inopportune. But they are certainly not inconsistent, when Ryan joined with him and tried to limit the definition of rape to forcible rape. What does that mean? They are trying to run away from what has been their own position and yet, while Akin's proposition was particularly egregious and outrageous, on the underlining principle of whether you are going to limit a woman's right to choose, and how rape victims are dealt with and how they would approach this issue, they are very much in line with him."
Romney's campaign said he and Ryan addressed the issue during an interview with WNUR in New Hampshire on Monday. . . . Romney briefly drew fire for seemingly endorsing a fetal personhood amendment in Mississippi, which would have established that a fertilized egg as a person under the law. But both he and his campaign have insisted that he never back the measure and was simply stating his belief that life began at the point of conception.
Romney has said that life begins at conception, and Ryan believes that the embryo has constitutional rights. I shudder to think what they would do to a young woman who had a miscarriage, which can happen to anyone for no apparent reason. And what about her doctor - does he or she have to report every late menstrual period? Where do we draw the line? One thing we know - the Republicans are really confused over women's rights when it comes to their own bodies. What about the "personhood" of women?
Sometimes the more subtle type of violence against women is the verbal kind coming from the Right-Wing Republican Tea Party Nutters. Take Todd Akin . . . please. He thinks that women can't get pregnant from "forcible" or what he calls "legitimate" rape because of "God's Protective Shield," which is something a couple of wingnut doctors made up. Insane. (More on that further down the page)
From what I understand from doctors, that's really rare. If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. But let's assume maybe that didn't work or something. I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be on the rapist.
What we know is that Akin worked with Paul Ryan in Congress to redefine rape as either "forcible" or not, so that girls wouldn't be lining up for abortions and claiming "statutory rape." I guess he believes that statutory rape can lead to pregnancy, but not "legitimate" or "forcible" rape.
Ryan ... cosponsored the "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act" with Akin in 2011. The GOP tried to narrow the definition of rape as it related to abortions with the measure. Only in instances of "forcible rape," the bill specified, would a woman be eligible to have her abortion covered under insurance.
The Romney/Ryan Ticket came out with a statement tonight that is slightly to the left of Paul's previous views on abortion:
Governor Romney and Congressman Ryan disagree with Mr. Akin’s statement, and a Romney-Ryan administration would not oppose abortion in instances of rape," Andrea Saul, a Romney spokesperson, told The Huffington Post.
While Saul's statement is consistent with Romney's position on abortion, it's a clear departure from Ryan's position, which is that abortion should only be legal in cases where the life of the mother is at risk. Ryan sponsored a fetal personhood bill, which would effectively criminalize abortion and some forms of birth control without exceptions for rape victims.
“I’m as pro-life as a person gets,” he told the Weekly Standard in 2010. “You’re not going to have a truce.”
Mother Jones has an article detailing just where Todd Akins (and probably Paul Ryan) got this misinformation about rape and pregnancy. Turns out there are some whacked-out doctors on the right who are spreading misinformation and these anti-women wingnuts then use it to make policy.
My question: Why would grown-up supposedly educated men believe this nonsense?
. . . John C. Willke, an anti-abortion doctor, writes on the website Christian Life Resources about how pregnancies resulting from rape are "extremely rare" because of hormones and stuff:
Finally, factor in what is certainly one of the most important reasons why a rape victim rarely gets pregnant, and that's physical trauma. Every woman is aware that stress and emotional factors can alter her menstrual cycle. To get and stay pregnant a woman's body must produce a very sophisticated mix of hormones. Hormone production is controlled by a part of the brain that is easily influenced by emotions. There's no greater emotional trauma that can be experienced by a woman than an assault rape. This can radically upset her possibility of ovulation, fertilization, implantation and even nurturing of a pregnancy.
. . . In 1998, Fay Boozman, a Republican candidate for Senate in Arkansas, got in trouble for embracing this idea. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported that Boozman said the inability to get pregnant from rape stemmed from "God's little protective shield"—a report Boozman denied before saying that it was in fact an "adrenaline rush" that prevented conception from rape.
The you-can't-get-pregnant-from-rape falsehood is apparently something that enough people believe that Planned Parenthood includes it on its pregnancy FAQ page.
I don't think even God's Protective Shield can help Todd Akin now. He's going down!
Honestly, how much more of this can we women take before we have to go march in the streets? This evil idiocy towards women is like a Frankenstein's monster that keeps going and going and going . . .kicking women where they are most vulnerable. What does this say about the GOP and the future of this country? I. Just. Can't. Stand. It.
On Pregnancy from Rape:
From what I understand from doctors, that's really rare. If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. But let's assume maybe that didn't work or something. I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be on the rapist.
~ Congressman Todd Akin, R-Missouri, running for Senate
We're going to prove to Missourians that Todd Akin is out of touch with their problems, out of touch with the pain that they feel, and out of touch with the views that they hold dear.
~ Akins opponent, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Missouri
As a woman & former prosecutor who handled 100s of rape cases,I'm stunned by Rep Akin's comments about victims this AM bit.ly/NahiHz
— Claire McCaskill (@clairecmc) August 19, 2012
UPDATE: Akins Issues a Statement - "Whoops, I misspoke off-the-cuff." OMG
St. Louis - Congressman Todd Akin just released the following statement regarding his interview on the "Jaco Report" broadcast this morning in St. Louis:
"As a member of Congress, I believe that working to protect the most vulnerable in our society is one of my most important responsibilities, and that includes protecting both the unborn and victims of sexual assault. In reviewing my off-the-cuff remarks, it's clear that I misspoke in this interview and it does not reflect the deep empathy I hold for the thousands of women who are raped and abused every year. Those who perpetrate these crimes are the lowest of the low in our society and their victims will have no stronger advocate in the Senate to help ensure they have the justice they deserve.
"I recognize that abortion, and particularly in the case of rape, is a very emotionally charged issue. But I believe deeply in the protection of all life and I do not believe that harming another innocent victim is the right course of action. I also recognize that there are those who, like my opponent, support abortion and I understand I may not have their support in this election.
"But I also believe that this election is about a wide-range of very important issues, starting with the economy and the type of country we will be leaving our children and grandchildren. We've had 42 straight months of unacceptably high unemployment, trillion dollar deficits, and Democratic leaders in Washington who are focused on growing government, instead of jobs. That is my primary focus in this campaign and while there are those who want to distract from that, knowing they cannot defend the Democrats' failed economic record of the last four years, that will continue to be my focus in the months ahead."
Sometimes idealogy has less to do with politics than the fact that someone is just basically an insensitive loud-mouth lout. It's as if these people grew up watching Archie Bunker and thought he was the perfect role model. What they seem to have missed is that Archie was never a lovable guy, but a caricature of an all-American bigot and the essence of loutishness.
Did I mention he was also written as a stupid character with little understanding of other peoples' lives and experiences? I think some of these politicians should realize that.
Here's Congressman Bill Young of Florida insulting a constituent who is asking a perfectly legitimate question about raising the minimum wage:
Constituent: Jesse Jackson Jr.'s passing around a bill around to increase the minimum wage to 10 bucks an hour. Do you support that?
Young: Probably not.
Constituent: Ten bucks and hour to give us a living wage?
Young: How 'bout gettin' a job?
Constituent: I do have one.
Young: Then why do you want that benefit? Get a job!
Constituent: I have a job!
Uh, Congressman Young? The point isn't the job, it's making enough money. You fail at logic. I'm surprised you didn't just call this guy "Meathead." And why shouldn't we all care about the minimum wage? You fail at sympathy for the American people, too.
Or how about Chris Collins, running for Congress in New York District 27? He obviously lives in a world of his own where it's okay to oppose health care because he thinks no one dies from cancer anymore. How con-veeeen-ient! Now he can hate Obamacare without feeling guilty.
"People now don’t die from prostate cancer, breast cancer and some of the other things,” Collins said.
. . . In fact, over 28,000 men will die of prostate cancer this year. According to the American Cancer Society, “Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in American men, behind only lung cancer. About 1 man in 36 will die of prostate cancer.”
Approximately 40,000 women will die from breast cancer in 2012. The American Cancer Society says it’s the “second leading cause of cancer death in women, after lung cancer.
Hey, get educated, bro.
The flip-side of that remark comes from the head of the New Hampshire Tea Party, who seems to understand that cancer kills, but he wants it to kill some specific people: the Supreme Court Justices who wrote the majority opinion ruling that gave the green light to Obama's Health Care program.
Merrimack, New Hampshire libertarian and Tea Party president Mike Malzone has gone further than others in his outrage, declaring in a Facebook post on the Merrimack Tea Party page, “I hope the (5 supremes) get colon cancer.”
When the post was met with outrage, Malzone backtracked a day later, while waxing lachrymose. “I didn’t wish for anyone to die, but I said I do wish for them to feel our pain,” he said. “No one cares about me, they all make their promises and then go do what they g**damn feel.”
Boo-hoo. Call a Wahhhmbulance! Another narcissistic insensitive lout whining because the Supreme Court upheld the law of the land. But he also manages to remind us that there are terrible illnesses like colon cancer, which does kill if untreated, and that's why we need health care for everyone. So thanks for reminding us.
Finally for your inspection, we have Congressman Joe Walsh (R-IL) who said his opponent, Tammy Duckworth, was not a "true hero" even though she is a double-amputee veteran of the War in Iraq. He compared her to John McCain, whom he says never talks about his military service, which just isn't true! Everyone knows all about John McCain's service in Vietnam and his time as a prisoner of war. McCain wrote a book about it, and talked about it the whole time he was running for president in 2008.
Duckworth lost both her legs after Iraqi insurgents hit her helicopter with a rocket propelled grenade in 2004. She is now challenging incumbent Walsh in Illinois' re-drawn 8th Congressional district. "Now I'm running against a woman who, my God, that's all she talks about," said Walsh, a Tea Party freshman. "Our true heroes, it's the last thing in the world they talk about."
Did that stop him? Of course not - louts will never shut up. Here merely repeated himself: Story Here
“Of course Tammy Duckworth is a hero. I have called her a hero hundreds of times in the past four months. Just like every man and woman who has worn the uniform, her service demands -- demands -- our utmost respect. That’s why I recognize our veterans at the beginning of every one of my public town halls. However, unlike most veterans I have had the honor to meet since my election to Congress, who rarely if ever talk about their service or the combat they’ve seen, that is darn near all of what Tammy Duckworth talks about.
Duckworth responded on the Martin Bashir show:
Yet another irresponsible comment from someone who's supposed to be a sitting Congressman. He's irresponsible in his words and he's irresponsible in his votes. Time and time again he votes against the people of this district, and he really disrespected 23 million veterans across this nation with those comments....
. . . He's lived up to his words that his district is not going to get squat from him, and he's in Washington to be a poster child for the Tea Party. He's lived up to that. I hope to win in November and I will be a servant to the people of the district. I've served this nation my entire life, lived up to my responsibilities, and I hope that I'll get the chance to continue to serve.
Later on Duckworth told Ed Schultz:
He's just trying to shift the focus away from the fact that he's done nothing in his two years in Congress other than be an extremist loud-mouth for the Tea Party....
