memeorandum: Bryan Fischer Says Todd Akin is Like a Victim of Rape (Brian Tashman/rightwingwatch.org)

10:05 AM ET, August 22, 2012

Top Items:

George Stephanopoulos / ABCNEWS:

Todd Akin Opens Door to Possible Exit — Here's what Missouri Congressman Todd Akin said when I asked if he was in the race to stay - even if it looked like he would lose and possibly cost Republicans control of the Senate. — “Well George, I'm never going to say everything that could possibly happen.

Discussion: Mediaite, Power Line, Taegan Goddard's … and ABCNEWS

Jeffrey Smith / Salon:

Eleven reasons Akin didn't quit — It's after 6 p.m., and Todd Akin is still on the Missouri ballot. Why did he remain in the race? — Todd Akin declared Tuesday that he would not drop out of the U.S. Senate race in Missouri. Most East Coast journalists and politicos I've spoken …

Discussion: Show Me Progress, Connecting.the.Dots, First Read, Conservatives4Palin, Politico, minx.cc, Hot Air and Religion Dispatches

James Hohmann / Politico:

GOP rejects rape exception in platform — TAMPA, Fla. — Even as Mitt Romney sought to quash the furor surrounding Todd Akin's “legitimate” rape comments, the Republican platform committee here approved an abortion plank that includes no exemptions for rape, incest or even to save the life of the mother.

Discussion: CNN, Guardian, The Caucus, iOwnTheWorld.com, his vorpal sword, Mother Jones, Scott Brown for US Senate and Poliglot

New York Times:

What the G.O.P. Platform Represents — Over the years, the major parties' election-year platforms have been regarded as Kabuki theater scripts for convention week. The presidential candidates blithely ignored them or openly dismissed the most extreme planks with a knowing wink as merely …

Discussion: The Hinterland Gazette, The Talking Dog and Prairie Weather

Brian Tashman / rightwingwatch.org:

Bryan Fischer Says Todd Akin is Like a Victim of Rape — After likening the backlash to Todd Akin's comments on “legitimate rape” to the Pharisees' persecution of Jesus, American Family Association spokesman Bryan Fischer is now comparing Akin to a victim of rape.

Discussion: Shakesville, Wonkette, Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, Towleroad News #gay, Daily Kos, The New Civil Rights Movement, The Raw Story and New York Times

Manu Raju / Politico:
Todd Akin's looming campaign of isolation

Discussion: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Washington Post and New York Times

Los Angeles Times:
Todd Akin touts support from crusader who espoused theories on rape

Discussion: The Hill, Zandar Versus The Stupid, The Daily Dish, Plunderbund, American Power, Washington Wire, The Gateway Pundit and USA Today

Gregory J. Krieg / ABCNEWS:
Todd Akin Defies Mitt Romney and Stays in Missouri Senate Race

Discussion: CNN, Politico, KFVS-TV, ABCNEWS, FishbowlDC and The Other McCain

BuzzFeed:
Fetus Vanishes From Akin Website

Discussion: ABCNEWS, Roll Call and New York Magazine

Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly:
Todd Akin, Superstar

Discussion: Politico, Lynn Sweet, naked capitalism, The Reaction and FiveThirtyEight

Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:
Akin Clarifies ‘Legitimate Rape’ Comments: Women Make ‘False Claims’ About Being Raped

Discussion: Firedoglake, Los Angeles Times, Pirate's Cove, Wonkette, Gawker, The Other McCain, ABCNEWS, No More Mister Nice Blog, Angry Black Lady Chronicles, Democracy in America, Taylor Marsh, The New Republic, Daily Kos, ECHIDNE of the snakes, The Moderate Voice and The Hinterland Gazette

Meredith Shiner / Roll Call:
Todd Akin Staying Put, as Top Missouri Republicans Tell Him to Exit

Discussion: Show Me Progress, Talking Points Memo and The Caucus

Evan McMorris-Santoro / Talking Points Memo:
Rep. Steve King: I've Never Heard Of A Girl Getting Pregnant From Statutory Rape Or Incest

Mark Murray / First Read:

NBC/WSJ poll: Heading into conventions, Obama has four-point lead — After Mitt Romney selected his vice presidential running mate, and just days before the political conventions kick off next week, President Barack Obama maintains his advantage in the race for the White House, according to the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, Hot Air, Zandar Versus The Stupid, The New Republic, Talking Points Memo, The Page, Politico, American Power, theGrio, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Gawker and News Desk

Mark Murray / First Read:

NBC/WSJ poll: Voters split on Ryan — According to the new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, 22 percent of registered voters say Mitt Romney's selection of Paul Ryan to be his running mate makes them more likely to vote for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

Discussion: Hot Air, Mediaite, The Hinterland Gazette, The Political Carnival, Election 2012, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Hullabaloo

Wall Street Journal:
In Tight Race, Romney Faces Hurdles

Discussion: Washington Wire and CNN

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:
Obama continues to lead in Virginia

Discussion: Ballot Box

myFOXDetroit.com:
New Michigan Poll has Romney ahead of Obama

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Scared Monkeys, The Lonely Conservative, Washington Monthly, Power Line, GOP 12, CANNONFIRE, Wake up America, Ballot Box, Public Policy Polling and FiveThirtyEight

Pew Research Center for the People and the Press:
Medicare Voucher Plan Remains Unpopular

Discussion: Washington Post, Firedoglake, Taegan Goddard's … and The Hinterland Gazette

Justin Sink / The Hill:
Ryan revives Obama gaffe, says he's ‘happy to be clinging to guns, religion’

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, Politico, Mediaite and The Lonely Conservative

Prince Harry / TMZ.com:

Prince Harry — Naked Photos of Las Vegas Rager Leaked — During Vegas Rager — Prince Harry put the crown jewels on display in Vegas this weekend ... getting BARE ASS NAKED during a game of strip billiards with a room full of friends in his VIP suite. — It all went down Friday night during …

Discussion: Guardian, The Daily Beast, Towleroad News #gay, Telegraph, Gawker, Newsy, BuzzFeed and Joe. My. God.

Alexander Burns / Politico:

Ledbetter, Baldwin, Longoria to address Dem convention — The Democratic National Convention Committee unveiled a list of prominent women Wednesday to speak at party's upcoming convention in Charlotte, including Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards and Lilly Ledbetter …

Discussion: JSOnline

BuzzFeed:
Eva Longoria To Speak At Democratic Convention

Discussion: Joe. My. God.

CNN: More women: DNC announces new speakers

Ron Paul / CNN:
Ron Paul delegates set to strike deal with RNC

Discussion: Politico, The Daily Caller, A plain blog about politics, Outside the Beltway, Associated Press, Bangor Daily News and The Political Carnival

Chris Chase / USA Today:

Oklahoma kindergartner banned from wearing Michigan shirt — An Oklahoma City kindergartner was forced to turn his University of Michigan shirt inside out last week because it violated a city ban on any apparel not supportive of the state's college teams. — Cooper Barton, 5, comes from a family of Michigan fans.

Discussion: Hit & Run

Invictus / The Big Picture:

Open Mouth, Insert Foot: Going Viral? — I had barely finished reading Niall Ferguson's takedown of President Obama when a flood of takedowns of Mr. Ferguson started hitting the web. This post, then, will not be about his Newsweek piece, but instead about his recent Bloomberg TV interview with Erik Schatzker and Sara Eisen.

Discussion: Brad DeLong, Firedoglake, Paul Krugman, AEIdeas and Daniel W. Drezner, more at Mediagazer »

Paul Krugman:
Kinds Of Wrong — Looking at the comments on my Niall Ferguson …

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, The Daily Beast and Applesauce, more at Mediagazer »

Jim McElhatton / Washington Times:

Labor Department spends stimulus funds for ads during Olbermann, Maddow shows — Contract shows no new jobs were created — The Labor Department paid out hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal stimulus funds to a public relations firm to run more than 100 commercials touting …

Discussion: The Lonely Conservative, protein wisdom, The Gateway Pundit, Pirate's Cove, The Mental Recession and Jammie Wearing Fools

Jackie Calmes / New York Times:

Costs Seen in Romney's Medicare Savings Plan — WASHINGTON — Mitt Romney's promise to restore $716 billion that he says President Obama “robbed” from Medicare has some health care experts puzzled, and not just because his running mate, Representative Paul D. Ryan, included the same savings in his House budgets.

Discussion: Guardian, First Read, Paul Krugman, Politico, The Caucus and DealBook

Brendan Sasso / The Hill:

House GOP: FCC ‘twists the facts’ in report to justify regulation — A spokeswoman for House Energy and Commerce Committee Republicans accused the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday of using an annual report on broadband access to justify more regulation.

CBS News:

Officials arrest Wash. man over Obama threat — (CBS/AP) FEDERAL WAY, Wash. - Authorities have arrested a Washington state man after he allegedly emailed threats against President Obama. — Law enforcement officials identified the suspect as 31-year-old Anton Caluori.

Discussion: The Rightnewz, The Hinterland Gazette and New York Magazine

Noah Rothman / Mediaite:

Jake Tapper Tells Ingraham ‘Media Helped Tip The Scales’ In 2008 — In an interview on Tuesday with conservative radio host Laura Ingraham, ABC News' White House correspondent Jake Tapper addressed many of the concerns that Republicans have with the media. Tapper said that he was concerned …

Discussion: Michelle Malkin, Washington Examiner, Politico, Taylor Marsh, The Impolitic and The Rightnewz