Last night, Jon Stewart had an excellent piece on Richard Mourdock and his rape comment, but connected the dots from his position to the GOP's position in general.
Now, I am not a pollster or a pundit. But here's how you know your campaign may have veered slightly into the weeds. When one week after your party's leader endorses your candidacy, you have to call a press conference to say this.
SENATE CANDIDATE RICHARD MOURDOCK, R-IN (10/24/2012): I absolutely abhor violence. I abhor any kind of sexual violence. I abhor rape. And I am absolutely confident, as I stand here, that the God that I worship abhors violence, abhors sexual violence, and abhors rape.
"So, now that I've cleared up that I do not worship a rape-loving deity....
Let me just reiterate, Mourdock 2012. Woo!"
Wow. Well, I hope you enjoyed that Romney endorsement while it lasted, Mourdock, cuz you can blow it a kiss goodbye, right Romney campaign?
ANDREA SAUL, ROMNEY PRESS SECRETARY (10/24/2012): Mr. Mourdock's comments do not reflect Governor Romney's views. We disagree on the policy regarding exceptions for rape and incest but still support him.
Wow, not often do you hear someone say, "You know, I disagree with your views on rape and incest, but ah... (audience laughter) I disagree with your views on rape and incest, but ah, not a dealbreaker!" (audience laughter)
....
I mean, where does Mourdock get his crazy fringe ideas about rape and abortion anyway? Ah, I dunno, maybe from Mitt Romney's running mate Paul Ryan, who co-sponsored a Sanctity of Human Life Act so severe, it not only could outlaw all abortion, but also could effectively ban in vitro fertilization. Or from the platform of the Republican Party, which states that "the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life" and calls for "a human life amendment to the Constitution". Nothing in there about exceptions for rape, incest, life of the mother, or feelings of swing voters.
In other words, according to the Republican Party platform, and the man who wants to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency: If a woman wants to have a baby, in vitro fertilization? She cannot. Rape? She has to. (uncomfortable audience reaction)
No wonder they buried it on page 14, rather than splashing it across the cover.
Video and full transcript below the fold.
Lot of Congressional races also going on around the country. In fact, one Senate candidate from Indiana just got some really good news.
MITT ROMNEY AD: This fall, I'm supporting Richard Mourdock for Senate.
(audience boos)
I cannot believe Mitt Romney thinks he can just pick winners and losers like that. (see reference to first segment below)
Well, Mourdock just snagged this plum endorsement last week, let's check in and see what this brash young Republican is all about.
SENATE CANDIDATE RICHARD MOURDOCK, R-IN (10/23/2012): I believe that life begins at conception. The only exception I have to have an abortion is in that case of the life of the mother. I've struggled with it myself for a long time, but I came to realize life is a gift from God. And I think even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen.
(audience boos)
Well that brings us to yet another installment of our surprisingly recurring series, Republican Candidate Said What About Rape Now? (audience laughter and applause)
Now, I am not a pollster or a pundit. But here's how you know your campaign may have veered slightly into the weeds. When one week after your party's leader endorses your candidacy, you have to call a press conference to say this.
SENATE CANDIDATE RICHARD MOURDOCK, R-IN (10/24/2012): I absolutely abhor violence. I abhor any kind of sexual violence. I abhor rape. And I am absolutely confident, as I stand here, that the God that I worship abhors violence, abhors sexual violence, and abhors rape.
"So, now that I've cleared up that I do not worship a rape-loving deity....
Let me just reiterate, Mourdock 2012. Woo!"
Wow. Well, I hope you enjoyed that Romney endorsement while it lasted, Mourdock, cuz you can blow it a kiss goodbye, right Romney campaign?
ANDREA SAUL, ROMNEY PRESS SECRETARY (10/24/2012): Mr. Mourdock's comments do not reflect Governor Romney's views. We disagree on the policy regarding exceptions for rape and incest but still support him.
Wow, not often do you hear someone say, "You know, I disagree with your views on rape and incest, but ah... (audience laughter) I disagree with your views on rape and incest, but ah, not a dealbreaker!" (audience laughter)
Well, if Romney wasn't willing to throw Mourdock under the bus, the same couldn't be said for your friends at Morning Joe.
JOE SCARBOROUGH (10/25/2012): It is remarkable what Republican candidates have said this year regarding abortion, regarding rape.
Finally, a Republican admits a fellow Republican's stance is repugnant. Thank you. Please, continue with the moral stand that you were taking.
JOE SCARBOROUGH (10/25/2012): I'm a pro-life guy, but they are driving away so many swing voters.
No, that's not the problem, that's not the problem! The swing... no, no, no, the problem is the believing of the things, not the.... The problem isn't that he violated the first law of Fetus Club — which is Don't talk about Fetus Club! — like, that's not... cuz it's the ideas.
I mean, where does Mourdock get his crazy fringe ideas about rape and abortion anyway? Ah, I dunno, maybe from Mitt Romney's running mate Paul Ryan, who co-sponsored a Sanctity of Human Life Act so severe, it not only could outlaw all abortion, but also could effectively ban in vitro fertilization. Or from the platform of the Republican Party, which states that "the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life" and calls for "a human life amendment to the Constitution". Nothing in there about exceptions for rape, incest, life of the mother, or feelings of swing voters.
In other words, according to the Republican Party platform, and the man who wants to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency: If a woman wants to have a baby, in vitro fertilization? She cannot. Rape? She has to. (uncomfortable audience reaction)
No wonder they buried it on page 14, rather than splashing it across the cover.
We'll be right back.
Jon also did an excellent job picking apart the mendacity in the Romney/Ryan talking point of Obama "
picking winners and losers", and how Romney/Ryan wants to
pick their own winners as well.
Meanwhile, Stephen
mocked that CNN story that claimed women vote more liberally when they're ovulating.
He then looked at how you can make
cheap Halloween costumes for kids with a special guest.
Jon talked with
Nancy Pelosi, while Stephen gave Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels (R) two segments.
Part 1
Part 2