“First of all, from what I understand from doctors, [pregnancy from rape] is really rare….If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.” ~Rep. Todd Akin, R-MO.
Sometimes things happen that set me off so much, that I feel an immediate need to share.
We’ve all heard the saying, “Think before you speak.” It’s one of those proverbs that’s been around for ages, yet seems to be dying out as we progress into more digital forms of communication. On a personal level, we all have – or, in some cases, had – a friend or two on Facebook who doesn’t seem to understand that the things they post could potentially be considered offensive or contain details few people care to know. But that’s only minor compared to some of the ignorance spewed under the proverbial safety net that is the First Amendment.
When I was in undergrad public relations classes, we learned about these things called “prepared remarks.” Basically, any person in the public eye should have prepared key points for interviews to help stay on topic but still deliver main points. This was not the case for Todd Akin.
With his reckless display of ignorance, Akin had single-handedly ruined his campaign for the Senate, drawing criticism from fellow Republicans and losing support from third-party conservative campaign group Crossroads. And to make matters worse, his public “apology” was anything but. By simply stating he had “misspoke,” he only drew further criticism.
Although the majority of my political opinions tend to be more liberal, I have a deep appreciation for the moments when party politics are pushed aside over general agreement that something is flat out wrong. Todd Akin’s comments are that perfect indication that we, regardless of status, need to educate ourselves on the issues before we make assumptions and misinformed statements. The opinions of the American people influence which direction our country heads, but when our votes are placed without proper knowledge, we may end up regretting our decisions as voters.
What I’ve found to be the most useful resource for me so far is iSideWith.com. It helped me realize what my opinion is on the various important issues, their importance to me, and which candidates I agree with most. It is very comprehensive and detailed, and really helped me realize that I’m not entirely as liberal as I thought. I feel very strongly that party politics is ruining our nation’s potential, and believe this will help disseminate those affiliations. If you want to view my results, check them out here.
Now is the time to educate yourself. Discover the issues that matter to you most so you can go out and talk about them. We need more discussion on this issues in this country, and now is the best time to get started.
And most importantly, DON’T FORGET TO VOTE!!
Please feel free to share your results, and whether they were what you expected, in the comments below!