Huckabee still grumbling about how badly Republicans treated Todd Akin
After Akin’s comments about “legitimate rape,” many in the party wanted him off the stage and out of the race. But Huckabee says it was that reaction, and not Akin’s comment, that doomed his campaign: “It was like they not only saw his wounded body on the battlefield but pumped more bullets into him, and then they took what little water and food was left and took it away from him.”
So he has no regrets about supporting Akin?
“Not at all,” Huckabee told me. “I regret the Republican Party’s complete abandonment of Todd Akin.”
“The Republicans did more damage than the Democrats,” he added, and “allowed him to be beaten to death with no money. I attribute his loss more to what was done to him than what he did. His own army jumped all over him and abandoned him, and they didn’t do it quietly, but publicly and excoriatingly.”
Blowback
Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.
Trackbacks/Pings
Trackback URL
Comments
Whatever. So tired of these religious fanatics screwing over the rest of the conservatives.
ButterflyDragon on November 17, 2012 at 4:22 PM
huck gets the mute as does ‘the spitter’ on Fox! Both are not worth listening to any longer.
L
letget on November 17, 2012 at 4:23 PM
Huckabee shut up!
Akin’s dumbass was a tanker of gasoline on a small fire. He gave the war on women meme something tangible. The alphabet networks ate it up!
Mr. Mike on November 17, 2012 at 4:27 PM
Republicans still grumbling about how terribly Huckabee handled the Akin situation. When that idiot refused to step aside, it did more damage to social conservatism then anyone on the left could have dreamed of doing. And I say this as a social conservative.
DavidW on November 17, 2012 at 4:31 PM
Akin sank pro-life popularity. Great job Huxter.
the_nile on November 17, 2012 at 4:31 PM
This is neither here nor there, but I caught Mr. Huckabee on television last week and was shocked. Six years after he wrote, Quit Digging Your Grave With A Knife and Fork, he looks like a knockwurst bursting out of its casing. Damn shame…
Ladysmith CulchaVulcha on November 17, 2012 at 4:31 PM
Excuse the expression, but Amen! Knuckle draggers like Akin and fools like ‘Pardon Me’ Huckabee should form their own party for people who believe in young Earth ‘science’ and Noah’s ark. Leave the rest of us, please.
St. Regis Philbin on November 17, 2012 at 4:33 PM
What would have them do, Huck? Democrats were throwing everything at the wall to see what stuck, stuff about horses and Bain and dogs on car roofs, pushing the “War on Women” meme as far as their tired little white knight beta male arms could push it, and just as even the mainstream media is beginning to conclude that their most prominent line is laughable, Todd Akin wanders into DNC central command and gives the Democrats the ammunition they need to make the entire line of attack work. It was like the stars were in alignment for them.
We’ll never know the full extent of the damage that Todd Akin dealt to conservative candidates in the 2012 election, but it’s entirely possible that there were a few races that just barely went blue, and wouldn’t have, had Akin not “removed all doubt.”
mintycrys on November 17, 2012 at 4:33 PM
Some things are worth circling the wagons around and Todd Akin isn’t one, Huckabee. It does Christianity, the GOP, and the conservative movement a disservice to speak of something called “legitimate rape” and then go on to talk about a woman’s biological defenses against a rape. It’s just nutty, terrible and completely indefensible.
If Akin loved his country (he doesn’t), he would have stepped down and let someone else run in his place.
Punchenko on November 17, 2012 at 4:36 PM
Huckabee and Aiken are the problem.
WisCon on November 17, 2012 at 4:38 PM
Real headline: Huckabee still grumbling about the bleak, grim, aphotic shadow of death the Akin/Mourdoch debacles cast on a theoretical Huckabee candidacy.
HitNRun on November 17, 2012 at 4:40 PM
Huckabee is absolutely right, actually. But so are the people ticked off at him for saying it.
The lessons in this shouldn’t be just ‘nominate better candidates’ or ‘stand by your candidates even when they’re gaffe tastic’ – the lesson is about what the media does and how it frames republican gafs and uses them nationally.
Imagine if republicans had the smarts to nationalize every stupid thing out of every liberal’s mouth on the campaign trail. Liberals say far more outrageous things far more often than Republicans, but republicans have a lousy network and no media smarts at all.
Imagine if you took 10,000,000 and hired 5,000 students at $2000 to flood the social media and campuses all over the country with the conservative messages, and to pound liberal stupidity amongst their friends. That would have been a hell of a lot more effective than the same amount of money spent on advertising and it would have helped with the youth vote and started grass roots that would help in the upcoming elections. If republican party were smar they’d be doing that sort of micro-hiring by the thousands and tens of thousands from now on.
They won’t.
Akin was an ass, and the party was an ass too. In the end, we’re paying for the republican party’s attack on its own. His loss and Romney’s can fall on both his own and the parties feet. Huckabee is partly right, but he’s engaging in the same sort of self-shooting of the food as the party did with Akin’s destruction.
WashingtonsWake on November 17, 2012 at 4:40 PM
Yep – pretty much that’s what they did. NRSC spent millions on Snottie Brown and he lost to a fake Indian.
Todd Akin – with NO money – ran a better race against McCaskill than Snot Brown did against Ms. Cherokee Nation.
Imagine what he could have done with MONEY???
Oh I know – he said something BAAAAAD! LMFAO – how many “bad” things have Snot Brown, Olympia Snowe and Lisa Murkowski said? These people are a blight on the GOP but we keep supporting them because … “they agree with us on 60% of the issues and they A LOT BETTER than any Dim!”
Well – wouldn’t Todd Akin been better than McCaskill? And hey – Todd Akin agreed with you on 99% of the issues.
You left him hanging out for the buzzards to pick him.
Enjoy irrelevance Republicans! You did it to yourselves.
HondaV65 on November 17, 2012 at 4:42 PM
I agree about the idiocy of Akin….but what did he say that was religious? He just spewed some biological idiocy. How do you connect it to religion?
Mimzey on November 17, 2012 at 4:43 PM
It sure would have helped imo. Would it really be that hard to vet the candidates before getting to that point? It would be easy. Just think like a stereotypical leftist fool and ask questions they may ask and respond like they may respond.
Mimzey on November 17, 2012 at 4:47 PM
We’re so tired of you.
Stoic Patriot on November 17, 2012 at 4:48 PM
That ^
Mimzey on November 17, 2012 at 4:49 PM
True, BUT…
SO WHAT???
Look, the networks are going to eat up any and every stupid thing Republicans say and they’re NEVER going to report anything bad a democrat says EVER. So WHAT?
There is no possible way that a republican can stand clear of every misstep. You can’t talk that much and not say something stupid. It’s human. The question remains, what are Republicans going to do about it?
If the answer is defund and destroy every republican that says a moronic thing – well then, welcome to the new permenant minority.
Until there’s a plan to deal with this – we need new tactics and an over-arching strategy. We need to be dynamic and engaged on all fronts. Until then, we lose.
If you want to win nationally and do much better locally start running campaigns like an economist and maximizing every penny and every bit of labor. This type of self-pity doesn’t really serve any of us very well, and it neglects the real issue which isn’t ‘he said a stupid thing that damaged all campaigns all over the country’ – the real issue is, “We have no idea how to deal with our inability to connect with the public and get around the Main STream Liberal Establishment.”
WashingtonsWake on November 17, 2012 at 4:56 PM
Akin makes a great scapegoat.
I think I’m going to stop blaming Bush for all my life’s woes and start blaming Akin.
eforhan on November 17, 2012 at 4:57 PM
I hated him as Governor. I will hate him as a clown on TV. Basic game theory dictates that you don’t reward bad behavior like saying something stupid and not leaving the race.
ArkyDore on November 17, 2012 at 5:00 PM
Akin made an extremely stupid statement.
Biden has made dozens.
One was abandoned by his allies, the other celebrated by his.
itsnotaboutme on November 17, 2012 at 5:01 PM
Yes, Akin, was like the wounded soldier on the battlefield that had more bullets pumped into him. Or something. What a ridiculous analogy.
changer1701 on November 17, 2012 at 5:02 PM
This.
itsnotaboutme on November 17, 2012 at 5:03 PM
When, when, when will the r’s realize that every word out of their mouth, of those running, will get the fine tooth comb and taken out of context? The d’s are masters at cratering anyone who is not a d and as soon as the r’s realize that, they just might win? So, if you feel a way about something HOW about YOU keep your mouth shut? Simple as that?
L
letget on November 17, 2012 at 5:11 PM
FIFY
Resist We Much on November 17, 2012 at 5:15 PM
It might be more accurate to say one was attacked by his enemies and the other was given cover.
Mimzey on November 17, 2012 at 5:21 PM
So what??
So don’t be so stupid.
Once you understand how the media and the main enemy functions, stop loading their guns for them.
It shouldn’t really be that difficult.
“After you get hit in the head with a frying pan a few times, you should be able to figure out who’s doing the hitting.”
H. Truman?
Mimzey on November 17, 2012 at 5:25 PM
Dear Huckabee,
STFU
Love,
Anyone with half a brain
Red Cloud on November 17, 2012 at 5:26 PM
Why not?
They only have about 4 topics.
1. Gay marriage.
2. Abortion.
3. “Equal Rights”.
4. Gaia/penguins/CO2/George Bush is like Hitler.
Mimzey on November 17, 2012 at 5:31 PM
Thats true, but the problem is, even if you keep your mouth shut NOW, the msm will dig back to something said a couple of decades ago…and take that out of context if need be.
Without a widely watched or listened to alternative media, it will be tough to sway people to the truth of the situation.
Look how many conservatives were too dumb to vote this cycle because they bought into the msm spin on Romney.
With Maobama winning another term, it’s going to be all uphill from here.
Mimzey on November 17, 2012 at 5:38 PM
Huckabee is right. It’s almost like they wanted to win points with the Democrats by beating up on the Republican. Although I don’t know why candidates for Republican senator are even talking about abortion. They should just say it’s an issue for the states and Roe v Wade should be repealled. If you ban abortion at the federal level, then you are saying that states should have fewer rights than you can accept other countries from having, unless you are willing to break alliances with other countries that allow abortion.
Buddahpundit on November 17, 2012 at 5:44 PM
Hey, Huckster. Answer this question candidly. If Achin’ had dropped out before the deadline and been replaced by any other candidate, would the GOP have picked up that seat? Some things are more important than the bruised ego of a Congressman with a big fat mouth or his lone supporter with his big fat….well, everything.
Doughboy on November 17, 2012 at 5:52 PM
Untill Roe V Wade is abolished all of this is mere theory. If a more moderate pro-life position is easier to sell and thus makes it more likely that we will be able to get rid of this judicial monstrosity, so be it. As soon as we realized that goal you can fight for the abolition of exceptions all you want.
Valkyriepundit on November 17, 2012 at 5:57 PM
The Republicans would have done the Party, and by extension their presidential candidate, a world of good had they gone after Akin tooth-and-nail. Did whatever they could, for as long as they could, to embarrass him, undermine him, get him replaced.
It would have undercut Obama’s stupid War on Women narrative, which really, really hurt Romney. It’s hard to believe that so many otherwise intelligent women (and I’m talking mature women, not the young and entitleds) rejected Romney solely because they believed he would take away abortion rights and contraception.
Socons, and especially the anti-abortion fanatics, are killing the Republican Party. Which I realize is just fine with the rightwingers, but isn’t fine with those of us who desperately want a political party that might actually have a chance of slowing the march of progressivism.
Meredith on November 17, 2012 at 6:07 PM
Todd Akin, running in a solidly Red state with culturally conservative values, lost by FOURTEEN F**KING POINTS to a wildly unpopular incumbent in Claire McCaskill. He got LESS THAN FORTY PERCENT OF THE VOTE on election day.
Meanwhile, Scott Brown ran in the bluest state in the nation against Obama’s coattails and lost by 5%. And he’ll most likely be back in the future, either as a gubernatorial or Senate candidate.
So explain to me again how Akin ran a “better” campaign than Brown. By losing by nearly three times as wide a margin in a far, far, far, FAR more Republican-friendly state?
I’m all ears.
Esoteric on November 17, 2012 at 6:10 PM
If Republicans were fighting a better war on the “war on women” meme, then a few phrases from any one or two politicians wouldn’t kill the cause.
eforhan on November 17, 2012 at 6:11 PM
Actually, I just checked and I’m wrong: Akin lost by FIFTEEN percent to McCaskill. 54.7%-39.2%.
That’s a disgrace. Anyone who wants to defend that needs to do a gut-check right now.
Esoteric on November 17, 2012 at 6:12 PM
The abortion issue was settled a long time ago and it is frankly toxic to talk about it.
Akin played right into the hands of the war on wimmyn idiots.
I reckon most women are not abortion advocates who also want you to pay for their birth control as a human right. But if I know anything about women it is that they do NOT want to be told what to do by some guy who can lord it over them.
Unless you’re paying them, which is why God invented hookers.
CorporatePiggy on November 17, 2012 at 6:13 PM
Don’t think so. The man’s comments needed to be repudiated loud and clear. It’s okay to be viewed as conservative…it’s quite another matter to be seen as a fool.
And while we’re at it…can we end the practice of open primaries please? The possibility of the system being manipulated has become too big of a risk.
lynncgb on November 17, 2012 at 6:19 PM
Before posting you might read at least the headline quotes above, if not the article.
eforhan on November 17, 2012 at 6:25 PM
Huckawho?
Pork-Chop on November 17, 2012 at 6:31 PM
I believe this as well. The Republican party needs to stop giving the impression that it may decide to dictate/remove the choices of women. It’s going to backfire on them over and over.
lynncgb on November 17, 2012 at 6:35 PM
“Being made fun of for repeatedly saying something stupid is not ‘persecution’ or ‘discrimination’. If Mr.J laughed at you for writing down that seven times seven is negative fourteen, that is nothing but an indication that you’re an idiot.”
-My old Aca-Deca teacher
Buzz off, Huckabee.
MelonCollie on November 17, 2012 at 11:03 PM