One primary outcome of this week’s election is Democrats retain control of the Senate after winning many key races in states like Massachusetts, Indiana and Missouri.
This morning, Joe Scarborough took the time to congratulate the Tea Party-backed GOP Rep. Todd Akin of Missouri for helping tip the balance in the Democrats’ favor. Akin seemingly shocked the entire country in August after his comments that pregnancy is rarely the result of something he termed a “legitimate rape.”
Akin, who refused to drop out, lost the race to Sen. Claire McCaskill, who has served one term in the Senate.
“Thank you Todd Akin! Thank you for selfishly putting yourself above your party and the values that you claim to hold dear,” Scarborough said near the beginning of the show. “You just gave up yet another Senate seat for the Republican Party to Harry Reid. Todd, thanks a lot pal. The rest of the world knew you were going to lose, and you decided to do it anyway.”
The subject of rape and abortion came into focus after Republican candidates started clarifying their stance on the issue during their campaigns. Following the election, Morning Joe has been discussing the Republican Party’s brand crisis and its need for revision if it hopes to stay competitive.
Just yesterday, Scarborough suggested the GOP begin doing a better job reaching out to “fiscally conservative” gay and lesbian Americans who would vote for GOP candidates.
New York Magazine’s John Heilemann added to Scarborough’s comment in stating Akin should’ve never been the Senate nominee in the first place. “If you nominate the most conservative person on the farthest right wing in your party, that person is going to get beat by a reasonable Democrat. That’s what’s happening,” he said. Akin wasn’t the only Senate candidate who raised eyebrows in 2012 over comments on rape and abortion. The Tea Party-backed Richard Mourdock of Indiana, who lost to Joe Donnelly, said in October during a debate he opposed abortions even in the case of rape because he believed it was something God intended.
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