Indiana Senate candidate Richard Mourdock beat longtime GOP Senator Richard Lugar in the primary.  Lugar was first elected to the Senate in 1976.  Then Mourdock said during a debate “even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that is something that God intended to happen.”

That is not a gaffe. That is just plainly, horrifically stupid and the GOP lost one its most electable experienced Senators to this clown. And Romney endorsed Mourdock who did not even carry his own county in Indiana.

And GOP Senate candidate Todd Akin from Missouri responded to a question about abortion in the case of rape with an equally detestable statement, “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. But let’s assume that maybe that didn’t work or something. I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be on the rapist and not attacking the child.”

Again, this is no gaffe.  Akin really believes this nonsense.  He also lost.

I know we are all Monday morning quarterbacking the GOP loss. Conservatives are mourning that our march toward socialism has now turned into a gallop. They blame hurricane Sandy, compliant media, and God knows what else.  But they cannot underestimate the damage such morons as Mourdock and Akins do to their party.  Not only did they cost the GOP two very valuable Senate seats, they give credence to impressionable independents that the GOP really is at war with women.

Yes they are outliers, and certainly there are Democrats who have made dumb statements as well.  It doesn’t matter.  If you were a single woman in her late twenties would you warm to a party that runs misogynistic idiots like these?

The GOP has some great candidates, but we handicap them by including the Mourdocks and Akins.  And there are others.  They drive away valuable support. Perhaps this is why Romney drew three million fewer Republican voters than McCain, a dramatic difference that alone could have cost him the election.

I sympathize with the Tea Party and their call for smaller government, but when they run inexperienced unelectable candidates they are not helping the Republicans or their ultimate aims. They fail to recognize the political reality of a divided nation with opposing views and a strong opposition party. They fail to understand the basic law of political power.  You have to obtain power in order to exercise it.

The GOP needs to get control of its own party, and vet their candidates better.  The GOP DC consultant class needs to be thrown to the curb and replaced with leaders that want to win elections and run respectable candidates.  Until they do even solid candidates like Mitt Romney will be handicapped.

PS from Walker Chandler

Charles Darwin Gets 4,000 write in votes

Only one name appeared on Georgia’s November ballot for U.S. House, 10th district. The only name on the ballot was incumbent Republican Paul Broun. However, according to this story, after Broun said recently that evolution was an idea “from the pit of hell”, an organized effort for write-in votes for Charles Darwin was launched. Clarke County, which includes Athens (home of the University of Georgia), tallied those write-ins, and says there are approximately 4,000.

HKO

The GOP has to reign in the idiots.

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