There is some debate on the internets as to whether Todd Akin is “the worst scoundrel in politics since Richard Nixon.” There is no comparison. President Nixon was the true scalawag, who enjoyed manipulating people and situations to his own benefit. He was smart enough to know what he was doing; the same can’t be said of Akin.
By contrast, the GOP senatorial nominee is a sincere believer in the nonsense he espouses. He is an open homophobe; it’s not just a pretense to capture conservative votes. He actually believes the Earth was created 6,000 years ago in the shape of his head—flat. There’s no doubt in his mind that taking care of sick people is contrary to the Constitution and the teachings of Christ.
Akin ain’t fakin’. He’s convinced that the 17th Amendment should be repealed, so backroom politicians can select U.S. Senators rather than voters. In his mind, student loans are odious and the “stage three cancer of socialism.”
Though Akin has not yet advocated building a Great Wall around the 48-contiguous states, he firmly believes it would be in our national interest to withdraw from the United Nations. (For heaven’s sake, Todd, even the commie-bashing Richard Nixon chugged a few Tsingtaos with the Chinese when it suited his purposes.)
Yes, Akin is far scarier than President Nixon because the congressman is an unwavering ideologue, never assailed by doubt or swayed by facts. Unlike Romney, whose ever-changing views make him resemble an Etch-a-Sketch, Akin is unshakeable. He is unphased by the 21st century. There is no reason to believe that new information would alter him an iota. You might say, Akin has fossilized; he is rock solid from the neck up, no doubt, having suffered from too much exposure to Fox News or from imbibing too freely with the Tea Party set.
