Click here to read PART 1 of this article: Republican Party and The Minority Vote
Now let’s look at the other “minority” group big in this upcoming election…the ladies. We all know about the remarks made by Republican Todd Akin from the “Show Me” state who stated:
“It seems to be, first of all, from what I understand from doctors, it’s really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut the whole thing down.”
While this is enough to make one’s hair curl, I find it even more ironic that two of the biggest people trying to distance themselves from the madness are Mitt Romney and his hand-selected running mate Paul Ryan. While both vehemently denounced Akin’s statement, Paul Ryan’s rebuttal in particular comes as a shock. After all, this is the same Paul Ryan who co-sponsored eight anti-abortion bills with Akin during the 112th Congress. In fact, the two worked closely on trying to categorize rape and only allow abortions in situations where the rape was “forcible.” My question: How is “forcible” rape any different from regular rape?
The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines rape as “unlawful sexual activity and usually sexual intercourse carried out forcibly or under threat of injury against the will usually of a female or with a person who is beneath a certain age or incapable of valid consent.” It appears that the word rape itself implies the concept of force which begs the question: What is “forcible rape” if rape itself is done by force?
I especially like the final definition from the Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary which states rape is “an outrageous violation.” One could argue that electing Mitt Romney fits that definition and could actually decimate any forward progress that has been made since the 1960’s. Mitt Romney, based on his own words, lives in a fantasy land where women and Black folks either don’t deserve and/or should not have the opportunities afforded them today. Mitt would, similar to his silent stance on voter suppression, sit back and watch states systematically disenfranchise minority voters. Mitt would in essence rape America of all she could ever hope to be! For me, that is reason to terminate his candidacy on the grounds that a Mitt Romney Presidency would in fact endanger the life of Lady Liberty!