Todd Akin, a Thorn in Mitt Romney's Side

Despite the scandal caused by his remarks on rape, he refuses to withdraw from the Senate battle.

Large forehead, thin crop of blond hair carefully combed to the side, square jaw and traditional appearance. Sixty-five-year-old Todd Akin is the new face of rebellion in the Republican Party’s conservative base. A face that embarrasses Mitt Romney, already busy bridging the gap between the extreme claims of the tea party and conservative Christians and the more moderate moods of the independents — which he will have to seek out one by one from the center — if he wants a chance of beating Barack Obama.

Despite an enormous scandal which was triggered in August — when he justified his total opposition to all forms of abortion, even in cases of rape or incest, on the grounds that “legitimately” raped women would instinctively have the ability to prevent their pregnancy — this Missouri representative decided on Tuesday not to withdraw from the crucial path to the Senate, in which he is up against emerging Democrat Claire McCaskill. With this decision, he is thumbing his nose at the GOP establishment, and Romney himself, who had been pressuring him into throwing in the towel. “I don’t believe that that is really my decision. The decision was made by the voters of the state of Missouri,” declared Todd Akin, justifying his decision.

Before his blunder, Akin had won the Republican primary in Missouri hands down. Ahead of McCaskill 10 to 18 percent in the polls, this former military man seemed to have ensured the overturn of the much-coveted seat, in this predominantly conservative state, into the hands of the right, which needs four additional Senate victories in order to claim a majority in the Senate.

But in August, his stupefying remarks on rape caused an outcry across both the country and the Republican camp. The latter was enraged to see Akin bring grist to the Democratic mill, which accused the right of leading a “war against women.” The National Republican Committee announced that it was withdrawing its political and financial support from Representative Akin, whose popularity level had dramatically fallen in the polls. All the large conservative camp donators did the same. The rebel of Missouri — a former military engineer who is vehemently anti-state and advocates home schooling, “does not like” the American social security system, defends the carrying of weapons in all circumstances and considers state loans to students “like cancer” — today hopes to compensate for this barrage by rallying the Christian nebula in his favor. Akin is “seriously kidding himself” if he thinks the groups will reverse course, noted skeptic Jennifer Duffy, of the Cook Political Report, on Wednesday. Opening national coffers to Akin would make other Republican candidates vulnerable to Democratic attempts to tie them to Akin’s remarks, Duffy said.

Largely Beaten

However, several Christian groups, such as the Senate Conservatives Fund, run by tea party kingmaker Jim DeMint, seem tempted to save “Akin the soldier.”

The Missouri State Republican Party has also indicated that it was going to work with Akin. Importantly, former presidential candidate Newt Gingrich organized a fundraising evening in St. Louis for the candidate. “Are we going to leave the Senate to the Democrats or not?” he asked.*

Largely beaten (41 to 50 percent) by the polls at the end of August, today Akin is neck and neck with his Democratic opponent. The case promises, therefore, to be monitored very closely by the Republican Party. If Akin should be winning in the Senate and Romney losing the presidential race, the case would go the way of the Republican Party radicals, who are persuaded that we must do away with “softies” like Romney and McCain to get more right-wing conservative presidential candidates.

*Editor’s Note: This quotation, accurately translated, could not be verified.