memeorandum: RNC Chair wants Akin to ‘step aside’ and not come to convention (Kerry Picket/Washington Times)

9:20 AM ET, August 21, 2012

Top Items:

Akin 44 McCaskill 43 — Missouri voters strongly disagree with the comments Todd Akin made about abortion over the weekend, but it hasn't moved the numbers a whole lot in the Senate race. Akin leads Claire McCaskill by a single point, 44-43. That's basically identical to our last poll …

Discussion: Ballot Box, Taegan Goddard's …, Hot Air, Midwest Democracy, No More Mister Nice Blog, Daily Kos, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Election 2012, CANNONFIRE and American Power

Alexander Burns / Politico:

Exclusive: Akin ad asks for ‘forgiveness’ — Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin has recorded a television ad asking for “forgiveness” from the voters of his state and acknowledging that he used “the wrong words in the wrong way” when he suggested last weekend that rape rarely leads to pregnancy.

Discussion: ABCNEWS, Talking Points Memo, The PJ Tatler, Washington Examiner, Scared Monkeys, The Hinterland Gazette, National Review, Outside the Beltway, CNN, Towleroad News #gay, ABCNEWS, Daily Kos, The Huffington Post and RealClearPolitics Video Log

CNN:

TRENDING: First on CNN: GOP prepares tough anti-abortion platform — Tampa, Florida (CNN) - The Republican Party is once again set to enshrine into its official platform support for “a human life amendment” to the Constitution that would outlaw abortion without making explicit exemptions for rape or incest …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Agence France Presse, Firedoglake, New York Times, The Huffington Post, Boston Globe and Election 2012, more at Mediagazer »

Meredith Shiner / Roll Call:

Missouri: What Happens If Todd Akin Drops Out — (Scott J. Ferrell/CQ Roll Call File Photo) — If Rep. Todd Akin (R) does drop his Missouri Senate bid within the next 24 hours, as the GOP establishment is pressuring him to do, at least his timing will be impeccable.

Discussion: Election 2012, Los Angeles Times, Hot Air, Talking Points Memo, Washington Examiner, The Volokh Conspiracy, The Raw Story and National Review

CNN:

Clock ticking for Akin as GOP urges him to withdraw after rape comment — (CNN) — The Missouri GOP Senate candidate under fire for his controversial comments about rape plans to pursue his bid for office despite calls to withdraw. — Todd Akin faces a Tuesday deadline to withdraw from the U.S. Senate race in Missouri.

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, FOX2now.com, Balloon Juice and New York Times

Evan McMorris-Santoro / Talking Points Memo:

Todd Akin Launches 'I'm Not Quitting' Ad Campaign — Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO) has launched an online fundraising drive pegged to his pledge not to leave the Missouri Senate race, despite mounting pressure from broad swathes of the Republican and conservative establishment urging him to step down.

Discussion: Hot Air, Show Me Progress, The Fix and Hotline On Call

David Taintor / Talking Points Memo:

Reports: Akin Advisers Make Preparations For Withdrawal Tomorrow — Missouri Republican Senate candidate Todd Akin's advisers are making preparations to withdraw from the race Tuesday, GOP operative Richard Grenell and RedState.com editor Erick Erickson report.

Discussion: Donklephant, The Hill, Liberal Values, ThinkProgress, Firedoglake, Daily Kos and The New Civil Rights Movement

James Hohmann / Reuters:

Tampa platform's 5 flashpoints — TAMPA, Fla. — Mitt Romney's motto during two days of marathon meetings here to craft the 2012 Republican platform could be: Do no harm. — In order to keep the peace, his team must concede some things to the conservative base.

Discussion: CNN

Kerry Picket / Washington Times:

RNC Chair wants Akin to ‘step aside’ and not come to convention — Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus appeared on CNN's Out Front on Monday evening and spoke to Erin Burnett about the controversial statements made by Rep. Todd Akins, Missouri Republican, regarding rape.

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, Scared Monkeys and The Gateway Pundit

Allahpundit / Hot Air:

Hannity to Akin: You know you could cost us the Senate, right? — Via BuzzFeed, it's important that people like Hannity, Coulter, and the boss emeritus are leaning on this guy too, not just Romney and Reince Priebus. Without pressure from all-stars on the right, he can dig in and turn it into a …

Discussion: Mediaite, BuzzFeed, The Other McCain, The Lonely Conservative, ABCNEWS, Power Line, Politico and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Pam Belluck / New York Times:
Health Experts Dismiss Assertions on Rape

Discussion: The Caucus, Hullabaloo, The Daily Beast, rightwingwatch.org and The Daily Dish, more at Mediagazer »

National Review:
Step Aside, Todd Akin

Discussion: The Daily Beast, PJ Media, Scared Monkeys, First Read, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, CNN, The PJ Tatler, Weekly Standard, Mediaite, Politico, Michelle Malkin, The Other McCain, Althouse, Outside the Beltway, American Power, Boston Globe and BREITBART.COM

Manu Raju / Politico:
Piers Morgan calls Todd Akin ‘gutless little twerp’

Discussion: The Hill, Daily Kos, The Moderate Voice, New York Magazine and CNN

Allison Hantschel / Firedoglake:
Late Night: On Legitimacy, Or Why Akin's Comments Weren't (Just) About Rape

Discussion: CBS News and Washington Post

Ann Coulter / Human Events:
IF AKIN LOVES HIS COUNTRY, HE WILL STEP ASIDE

Discussion: Politico, Hot Air, Conservatives4Palin, Mediaite, About.com Conservative … and UrbanGrounds, more at Mediagazer »

Tony Perkins / CNN:
Leading social conservatives rally to Akin's defense

Discussion: Questions and Observations, Washington Post, American Power, Plunderbund, Politico, This Just In, Daily Kos, Newsy, National Review, BuzzFeed, BuzzFeed, The Reaction, Talking Points Memo, Pirate's Cove, The Hinterland Gazette and The Reality-Based Community

BuzzFeed:
Exclusive: GOP Platform Draft Strongly Defends “Traditional Concept Of Marriage”

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Towleroad News #gay, The New Civil Rights Movement, Good As You, Daily Kos, Advocate, Joe. My. God. and Election 2012

Alexander Burns / Politico:
Crossroads pulls out of Missouri after Akin comments

Maggie Haberman / Politico:
Family Research Council head defends Akin

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Stinque, CNN, rightwingwatch.org, Talking Points Memo, Midwest Democracy and First Read

CNN:
Team Obama spent more than it raised in July, falls behind Romney in cash-on-hand

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, Politico and The Lonely Conservative

BuzzFeed:
Republican Source: Akin Moving To Withdraw [UPDATED]

Discussion: NationalJournal.com, The Daily Caller, The PJ Tatler and The Gateway Pundit

Chris Christie / CNN:
Christie says ‘I was right’ about Romney's VP pick

Discussion: Politico

New York Times:
Republicans Press Todd Akin to Quit Race

Discussion: Politico, The Maddow Blog, Prairie Weather, The Daily Beast, Wall Street Journal, Media Decoder, American Power, ABCNEWS, Talking Points Memo and US Politics, more at Mediagazer »

Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:
Claire McCaskill Reacts To Todd Akin's ‘Legitimate Rape’ Remarks

Discussion: Wizbang, CNN, Guardian, GLAA Forum and Daily Kos

WMUR:
Romney calls Akin's comments on rape indefensible

Discussion: USA Today, New York Times, Hullabaloo and Scott Brown for US Senate

New York Times:

Romney Gains Huge Cash Advantage Over Obama — Mitt Romney's cash advantage over President Obama and the Democrats more than doubled in July, as intense Republican fund-raising and heavy spending by Mr. Obama and his allies left Mr. Romney and the Republican National Committee with $62 million …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, New York Magazine and USA Today

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:

Romney grows cash advantage on Obama — Mitt Romney extended his cash edge over President Obama in July and entered the final three-plus months of the campaign with about 50 percent more in the bank than the incumbent president. — Romney led Obama in cash on hand at the end of July $185.9 million …

Discussion: Power Line, Hot Air, The Lonely Conservative and Reuters

Ryan J. Reilly / Talking Points Memo:

Justice Department Approves Va. Voter ID Law — The Justice Department approved changes to Virginia's voter ID law Monday, suggesting there is a way forward for such laws — even in states that must have election laws pre-cleared under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

Emily Schultheis / Politico: Justice Dept. clears Virginia voter ID law

TMZ.com:

Phyllis Diller Dead — Legendary Comic Dies at 95 — Dead at 95 — EXCLUSIVE DETAILS — Comedian Phyllis Diller — who paved the way for today's female comics — died this morning, TMZ has learned. — Sources close to Diller tell us the comedian died in her sleep at her L.A. home, surrounded by family.

Discussion: BuzzFeed, Towleroad News #gay, Deadline.com, Scared Monkeys and Newsy

New York Times:
Phyllis Diller | 1917-2012: Phyllis Diller, Sassy Comedian, Dies at 95

Discussion: Mother Jones and Boing Boing

Justin Sink / Ballot Box:

Romney ad: Obama welfare change leads to ‘cycle of dependency’ — Mitt Romney's campaign released a new web video Tuesday, using the story of Danny Vargas, the former National Chairman of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly to again hammer President Obama on changes to welfare policy.

Discussion: The Maddow Blog

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Obama to media: Romney's whole campaign is based on lies

Discussion: Mad Kane's Political Madness, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Raw Story, The Huffington Post and The Political Carnival

Steve Benen / The Maddow Blog:
The post-truth campaign continues apace

Discussion: Washington Post, American Prospect and Booman Tribune

Toby Harnden / Daily Mail:

EXCLUSIVE: Obama ‘cancelled missions to kill bin Laden THREE TIMES after getting cold feet - until Hillary Clinton stepped in’, claims explosive new book — Leading from Behind: The Reluctant President and the Advisors Who Decide for Him will be published on Tuesday

Jammie Wearing Fools: Book Says Obama Deferred to Valerie Jarrett Over Whether To Go After bin Laden: ‘Obama feared taking responsibility’

Zack Colman / The Hill:

Green group urges Interior to delay Shell's Arctic drilling plans — In a report released Monday, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is urging the government to hold off on approving Royal Dutch Shell's plans for Arctic drilling until more information can be gathered about the project's environmental effects on the region.

Rosie.com:

my heart attack — while walking in a parking lot in nyack — “can u help me? she asked again — as i walked toward her — “oh u r rosie odonnell” — yes i am — the ghost of christmas future — me - if i did not wake — there r no accidents i thought — as i braced myself and lifted her

Discussion: People.com, Towleroad News #gay, New York Magazine, Mediaite and The Hollywood Gossip

Alicia Mundy / Washington Wire:

Rabbi Shmuley Gets Boost From Adelsons — Billionaire casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, among the top donors to the Republican machine this election, is also now the top giver - along with his wife - to the New Jersey congressional race of the reality-TV rabbi, Shmuley Boteach.

Discussion: Politico, Algemeiner.com and Israel Matzav