THE UNRAVELLING OF A RYAN - POST AKIN

It has happened far quicker than JAY H ELL imagined. (See blogs A RYAN FOR A PALIN AND A LUCKY OBAMA and THE NOT SO PRIVATE RYAN AND RADICALISM.) The Ryan appointment was thought to be a Hail Mary by a desperate Romney to shore up his sagging Presidential hopes. The risks of the appointment were massive. Ryan came with a documented past available for all to see. Romney vetted him fully and knew that he what he was getting. Moreover he had to accept that with Ryan's detailed agenda as opposed to Romney's generalities it would the Ryan agenda that the team would be running on.

IN THE BEGINNING

It all started off fine. Ryan is energetic, intelligent, personable and even "likeable". The Conservative media raved and swooned. Romney morphed from a jaded campaigner to look like a live activist. They attacked on their now "clearly defined" Medicare Policy. This they did by accusing Obama, rather disingenuously, of robbing Medicare to pay for Obamacare. The ads were on TV ad nauseam. Also they said that "their" Medicare plan was better and with vouchers the free market would come into play and bring down costs. Everyone trotted out their mothers who said, "Their boy would never sell their momma’s Medicare down the river." After a delay Ryan, with mommy in tow, went to Florida and vowed to look after Medicare liked he looked after his Momma. 

Romney must win Florida to have a chance at the Presidency. So they took the bull by the horns and went for it. The Romney campaign was on the attack at last. Florida has the largest percentage of seniors in the US. At least they were now giving it a full go and they were leading with Medicare potentially their biggest liability. 

Finally they could get down to discuss the economy - Obama's Achilles heal and their strength.

AND THEN ALONG CAME AKIN...

Congressman Akin was running against Claire Macasskill for the Missouri Senate seat. The latter seat is the most vulnerable to loss to the Republicans. Aiken on being interviewed on local TV stated that the only time he could agree for an abortion was for "legitimate" rape. What he really meant by that was "forcible" rape. He apologized no - one was quite sure for what. He admitted rape was terrible and he had misspoke and used a "wrong" word and that was that.

The statement went viral and before you knew it the whole Republican establishment wanted him out of the race from the Chairman of the GOP to every Republican spokesperson. Romney first started by saying "He would not have used those words", then as the issue became more central, he and Ryan issued a statement that they were in favor of abortion in incest and rape and finally Romney told Akin to get out of the race and that "Rape was Rape". Akin was told that he was not welcome at the Republican convention the next week. Karl Rove's PAC withdrew all further moneys from him. Shaun Hannity one of Fox's centerpieces told Akin for the good of the Conservative Republican Cause he needed to get out of the race as his statement would become a magnet for attention and a defining issue in the November elections. 

But after "careful consideration" Akin stuck to his guns and refused to withdraw as he was after all the Missouri Republicans' choice and he could not let them down. Rubbing salt into the wounds he did the rounds of the morning talk shows sucking up all the political oxygen. This on day three of the crises.

WHY THE FUSS?

Number one reason is that you would never have guessed who was Akin's number one co-sponsor of a number of Bills on abortion, contraception and the like? You guessed right - Vice Presidential nominee Paul Ryan. Even worse there were 200 other Republicans who cosigned House Resolution 3 - "The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act", which would only fund an abortion for "forcible" rape and in a minor for incest. Then on House Resolution 212 Ryan and Akin would have banned all abortions regardless. So with Romney he may say Rape is Rape and abortions are OK for all Rape and Incest but that is brand new. 

So Ryan is as "flexible" as Romney on difficult policy as JAY H ELL has already indicated in the last blog, THE NOT SO PRIVATE RYAN AND RADICALISM.

So number two reason there will be awakening among the electorate to ask every Republican candidate where they stand on these issues. Even worse is the decision on this issue by the Republican Platform Committee. In normal times nobody takes the slightest notice of this body even thought they are responsible for the creation of the Policies that the GOP automatically endorse at every Republican Convention. The Committee in the teeth of this controversy stated that it was GOP policy not to allow abortion for rape and incest. This was merely a reaffirmation of the GOP Platform Party Policy of 2004 and 2008! 

Also the extensive background and growth of the "movement" has been researched and produced for all to see. The argument being that is not a one-day wonder. This has been Republican thought for decades and party policy for at least 12 years.

Another unintended consequence of the establishment's frantic call to Akin to pull out of the race is that those demanding his resignation were nothing but a bunch of hypocrites. This includes Ryan and Romney who would get rid of Planned Parenthood if they could. The latter organization whose activities are what medically would be defined as gynecological services, including the occasional abortion. 

WOMEN'S RIGHTS

Now in the good old days this battle would have been under the rubric of Pro-choice versus Right to Life. Now because of the issues of rape and incest and types of rape and because this has all been linked to funding of contraception, hormonal therapy and women's preventative care such as PAP smears and mammograms, the subject is considered one of women's rights. Prior to this the GOP have been smeared that they have declared war on women's rights. This has stuck to the extent that in the female demographic Obama is 20 points ahead of Romney. It is fair to say that this is not going to help the GOP cause.

The issue is being expanded to depths never before known in the public arena. The use of the terms "forcible" or "legitimate" rape that found it's way into prospective legislation had an unbelievable genesis.  The belief was that in "true" rape or "forcible" rape women rarely if ever got pregnant as the "body shut down to this possibility" and or the woman secreted a "secretion" that was spermicidal. Put less subtly if the rape wasn't forcible the woman was "asking for it" and she didn't "deserve" an abortion.

Can this get worse? Probably as no one is letting go. It has to overhang the GOP Convention"lovefest". Every minute talking about Women's Rights and other social issues focuses less and less on the economic issues that the Republicans would like to focus on.

Also this whole hullabaloo has allowed Obama to respond to press questions, politically correctly - " 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.  I want women to control their own health choices, just like I want my daughters to have the same opportunities as your sons."  "

A RYAN FOR A PALIN?

Ryan has got off to a worse start than Palin but there are still 80 days to go so who knows. Ryan and Romney are very selective as to whom they interviewed by but they won't be able to escape the debates where the moderators are fearless. They have to be relying on the massive sums of money that are to be poured into their campaign to drown this all. There is a film that is going on the circuit entitled 2016 that purports to reveal who Obama really is. There are all those State voter restriction Acts that potentially will reduce the Democratic turnout in swing states. But other than that the picture really is getting bleaker and bleaker.