Legitimate Rape, Sex, or Love?

I thought it was on page one of the “how to be a politician” handbook: talk about rape as little as possible. If you’re forced to talk about rape, actually say as little as possible. How could Todd Akin, with his comment about “legitimate rape” not have learned this lesson from Clayton Williams? Williams was running for Texas governor back in 1990 when he sort of quoted Bobby Knight and compared the weather on his ranch to rape. “If it’s inevitable, just relax and enjoy it.”

Williams was called out for this statement, and his apology did little to appease people. He explained that he said this on his ranch, which isn’t some Republican women’s club, but a working cow ranch, where you can get your testicles kicked in if you’re not careful. But it wasn’t a serious statement so he wasn’t going to give it a serious response.

Well, the people of Texas gave him their own serious response, and elected Ann Richards as governor. At least Akin knows enough to issue a sincere apology, but it’s not enough for many Republicans, who have been begging him to drop from the race all week.

Why? It’s not because Romney and Akin have differing views on rape and abortion, but because Ryan and Akin don’t.

I’ve read more than once that Ryan is known for his fiscal conservatism and not so much for his social views. But I believe that’s merely the story that the GOP is trying to sell. According to Nate Silver of fivethirtyeight.com, Ryan has the highest conservative rating of any VP running mate in the last 100 years. This is from an analysis by the statistical system DW Nominate, and it can only assess running mates with a congressional voting record (not governors). But it ranks Ryan as being more conservative than both Dick Cheney and Dan Quayle, and as being pretty much in line philosophically with Michele Bachmann. Or Todd Akin.

Bloomberg has reported that Akin and Ryan have co-sponsored 38 anti-abortion measures during their time together in Congress, and some of those measures provide no exceptions for rape, incest, or the health of the mother. In addition, the language in their bills – “forcible rape” – is seeking to redefine what rape is. Meanwhile, the GOP platform committee in Tampa passed language this week that officially opposes abortion in all situations, including rape, incest, and the health of the mother.

So I reject the claim that the Democrats are trying to hype this issue to distract people from the economy. I also reject the idea that this is a non-issue. It’s a very real issue, and Akin’s comment wouldn’t be getting so much press if it wasn’t indicative of something much bigger.

Political gaffes only gain traction if they present an up-close view of an already messed up picture. It’s not that different from infidelity. They say cheating only happens if the relationship in question is already suffering problems. That certainly seems to be the case with Jack.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were having an affair?” I demanded. We were talking on the phone, and I needed answers.

“I wasn’t ready to tell you. It’s not like it sounds, you know.”

“How do you think it sounds?”

He sighed. “Like I was cheating on my devoted wife and the mother of my child with a twenty-five-year-old waitress.”

“Isn’t that what happened?”

He didn’t answer right away. I was sitting in my office, and I clicked a pen open and shut, open and shut, waiting for him to reply. “Petra stopped being in love with me a long time ago.” He confessed. “And we had sex maybe twice a year.”

I swallowed hard. Wow. Twice a year?

He continued. “I wanted us to be different, more affectionate, and I tried to talk to her about it, but I never got anywhere…then Jessie started working at the restaurant, and we hit if off, and it just sort of happened.”

I put down the pen and chose my words carefully. “I’m not judging you. I’m just worried. Now that you’ve gotten caught in an affair, won’t Petra have more wiggle room, legally, to get what she wants?

“That’s what Monty thinks. I’m sure he told you…”

Jack’s voice trailed off but I could feel his angst over the phone line. So I didn’t say that he should have known better, or that he could have looked at past mistakes, ones that other people have made, and figured out how to do the right thing.

There’s more to any issue than a single gaffe, and there’s more to any statement than a few wrong words. “What are you going to do now?” I asked.

“Try and be happy,” he said. “And I’m not going to give up.”