KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Congressman Todd Akin wrapped up his state-wide bus tour on Friday at Kansas City’s Crown Center, and at every stop along the way, protestors have followed him, making their voices heard.
They are upset with his views on contraception and abortion, and some of the comments he’s made lately is making it harder for him to win over female voters.
Akin was bombarded with questions on Friday, asking him to explain his stance with women. He was criticized last month when he used the phrase, quote, “legitimate rape,” a term he later apologized for using. And this week, he said Senator Claire McCaskill wasn’t as “ladylike” when she debated him as to when she debated Jim Talent six years ago.
Outside the Sheraton in Kansas City, a group of protestors and McCaskill supporters made their voices heard. Akin is against abortion and funding for contraception, and they believe his ladylike comment shows how he really feels about women.
“Being aggressive and being vocal in politics, he certainly knows that’s part of the process, and he certainly has not shied away from that, so to claim Senator McCaskill is unladylike because she uses the same tactics as all her male colleagues does a disservice to women,” said Sarah Gillooly.
But females who support him say Akin’s voting record shows he does support women’s issues and they don’t mind the way he expresses his message.
“I’ve heard a lot of the language change over the years, and it doesn’t bother me,” said Sherley Bott. “I know his heart, I know what he stands for. I know how he’s voted and that says a lot more to me than what a word will say.”
Akin believes he’s in good standing with voters.
“The response we’re getting, polling data, contributions, I think we’re doing very, very well, and so as I said, we’ve got a lot of people who are supporting us, working with a women’s group, and they are busy campaigning for us also,” said Rep. Todd Akin.
Claire McCaskill responded to the ladylike comment Friday morning on MSNBC and says she believes Akin was intimidated by her during the debate because she brought up some tough issues about his voting record.
You can expect the war of words to continue through election day.
