On the Issues: Why Akin Lost

The general consensus of the media after the election was that Todd Akin’s lost to McCaskill because of his infamous “legitimate rape” comment early on in the election. News sources such as the Washington Post state that Akin’s questionable remarks “badly damaged his political standing”₁. McCaskill’s standing in the upper chamber was particularly vulnerable going into the race. However, the “legitimate rape” comment put the odds dramatically in her favor. From the beginning it seemed like an inevitable win for a stark democrat against an extreme conservative.

Polls shut down after 3 hours as she won with 54.7 percent of the vote. Akin lost with 39.2 percent and Libertarian candidate, Jonathan Dine, got 6.1 percent₂. McCaskill clearly won by a huge margin. At some point the voters must have looked past Akin’s “legitimate rape” comment and at his other policy points. The following section will briefly summarize and compare the candidates’ beliefs and policies.

Akin:

• Against federal involvement in student loans
• Against federal involvement in the school lunch program
• Proposes to abolish the minimum wage
• Against equal pay for equal work for women
• Pro-Life, even in cases of rape or incest
• Against reductions in defense spending
• Against income tax increase for income above $250,000
• Against federal spending to promote economic growth
• Against increasing federal aid for college education
• Does not believe humans are a driving force behind climate change
• Repeals all sections of the Affordable Care Act
• Against same-sex marriage and civil unions

McCaskill: 

• Supported the Higher Education Opportunity Act and Federal Family Education Loan program, supports federal assistance in higher education
• Supports the Head Start program and No Child Left Behind
• Supports minimum wage increase
• Supports equal pay for equal work for women
• Pro-choice
• Supports reductions in defense spending
• Supports income tax increase for income above $250,000
• Support federal spending to promote economic growth
• Supports increased federal aid for college education
• Supports federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions
• Supports all sections of the Affordable Care Act
• Against same-sex marriage but for civil unions

As you go through the list you notice that both candidates have held true to their party ideologies. McCaskill is a bit more center of left while Akin is far left; therefore, voters in the middle were most likely to swing Democrat given the two options. McCaskill said herself that she is “in the middle” while Akin is “far on the fringe”₃.

At many points in the Presidential race we saw the candidates agreeing on the fundamental basis of many programs and policies. Unlike the Presidential candidates, the Missouri senator candidates held polarizing viewpoints on almost every subject. This made it a lot easier for voters to choose a candidate whose ideologies are closest to their own. Republican. I believe that it was not the “legitimate rape” comment that caused Akin’s dramatic defeat. It was the fact that Akin is overly conservative and his views are so extreme that many Republicans found it difficult to support him.  

1. Sullivan, S. (2012). Democrat Claire McCaskill defeats Republican Todd Akin in Missouri Senate race. The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2012/11/06/democrat-claire-mccaskill-defeats-republican-todd-akin-in-missouri-senate-race/
2. Reese, D. (2012). Claire McCaskill legitimately shuts down Todd Akin in Missouri Senate race. The Washington Post. Retrieved from  http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/wp/2012/11/07/claire-mccaskill-legitimately-shuts-down-todd-akin-in-missouri-senate-race/
3. Sullivan, S. (2012). Claire McCaskill calls Todd Akin’s views “extremist” at first debate. The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2012/09/21/claire-mccaskill-calls-todd-akins-views-extreme-at-first-debate/ 

Works Cited

Henderson, N. & Kane, P. (2012). Todd Akin rape comments prompt GOP to pull campaign funding, calls to exit race. The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/with-todd-akins-rape-comments-abortion-is-back-inthe-campaign-spotlight/2012/08/20/c497bae4-eac7-11e1-a80b-9f898562d010_story.html

            Loeb, P. (2012). Missouri US Senate Race Todd Akin vs. Claire McCaskill – Nonpartisan Issue Guide. The Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-loeb/missouri-us-senate-race_b_2068589.html

            McCaskill, C. (2012). Issues: Education. Missouri’s Senator Claire McCaskill. Retrieved from http://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/?p=issue&id=308

            Progress Missouri. (2012). McCaskill and Nixon support minimum wage increase. Progress Missouri. Retrieved from http://progressmissouri.org/mccaskill-and-nixon-support-minimum-wage-increase

Reese, D. (2012). Claire McCaskill legitimately shuts down Todd Akin in Missouri Senate race. The Washington Post. Retrieved from  http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/wp/2012/11/07/claire-mccaskill-legitimately-shuts-down-todd-akin-in-missouri-senate-race/

            Sullivan, S. (2012). Claire McCaskill calls Todd Akin’s views “extremist” at first debate. The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2012/09/21/claire-mccaskill-calls-todd-akins-views-extreme-at-first-debate/

Sullivan, S. (2012). Democrat Claire McCaskill defeats Republican Todd Akin in Missouri Senate race. The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2012/11/06/democrat-claire-mccaskill-defeats-republican-todd-akin-in-missouri-senate-race/

            Terkel, A. (2012). Todd Akin Opposed to Minimum Wage, Equal Pay Laws. The Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/09/todd-akin-minimum-wage-equal-pay_n_1951192.html

McCaskill Takes Aim at China

            When it comes to foreign policy, McCaskill is firm in ensuring that no country can exploit America. China’s trade practices and monetary policies in the recent years have arisen as a concern for the U.S., especially considering their trade imbalance and the threat of high growth rates. It comes as a breath of fresh air to see the topic of debate move from her opponent, Akin, to her stance on foreign relations. This time her opponent is China’s currency manipulation. Many American manufacturers and their employees are happy to see McCaskill’s policy agenda address the trade deficit with China, which caused the loss of 2.8 million jobs in the last decade (Lambrecht, 2011). This campaign move has won the support of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, despite their strong ties to Republican candidates (Donia, L., 2012). This support could prove helpful for McCaskill campaign, as she is vying for the votes despite the tough Republican opposition. The Republican Party, who see a defeat as necessary to recapturing chamber, have already spent $15.2 million on an “anti-McCaskill” activism (Steinhauer, J., 2012). The Democrats have returned this sentiment with a slew of attack ads and comments about the offside remarks of her opponent, Todd Akin. He has gotten a break from the Democrat’s scrutiny as McCaskill’s latest advertisement, named “China”, focuses on her legislation that is committed to stopping Chinese companies from evading U.S. trade laws.

            McCaskill has been tough on China since 2011, when she introduced legislation that would penalize foreign companies and shippers using unfair trading advantages such as evading duties (Lambrecht, 2011). This is a smart move for McCaskill since job creation is a top priority for many voters, many of whom believe America is losing jobs to China. In 2011 she began creating a bill to curb duty evasion from foreign companies. On her website she states, “When Missouri businesses compete on a level playing field, they win—and that means more jobs for Missourians,” showing that she views foreign policy in the same way as most citizens.

            Getting tough on China is not only a tactic to win votes; it is also a matter of funding. Berry, Goldman, Hula & Janda found that trade associations donated around 100 million dollars in the 2008 Election, second only to corporations. It is large donation that will gain attention from members of Congress making it difficult for them to ignore a lobbyist’s requests (p. 249, 2010). The same sort of funding and support from groups like the Alliance for American Manufacturing means that voting against China obligatory for their continued backing.

            McCaskill’s commitment to stopping unfair trading practices from foreign traders shows how international relations can directly influence domestic issues. Formal and fair business is a matter of pride for Americans. It is also a problem area that necessitates government support. She states on her website that her foreign policy role targets constructively dealing with external threats. Her tactic for foreign relations is ensuring America is a safe and stable environment with “expanded trade opportunities, safe borders and a healthier population” (2012). Emphasis on unfair trade practices from the Chinese is a way to justify and explain high rates of unemployment to undecided voters. Since the U.S. economy and unemployment are key issues in this election it is a smart move from the Democrats to blame the Chinese in part.

Works Cited 

           Berry, J., Goldman, J., Hula, K. & Janda, K. (2012). The Challenge of Democracy in American Government in Global Politics. Boston: Wadsworth.

          McCaskill, C. (2012). Foreign Policy. Missouri’s Senator Claire McCaskill, Issues, National Security. Retrieved from: http://mccaskill.senate.gov/?p=issue&id=319

          McCaskill, C. (2012). McCaskill cracks down on unfair trade practices, boosts jobs. Missouri’s Senator Claire McCaskill. Retrieved from: http://mccaskill.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=1337

           McCaskill, C. (2012). China [Video File]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlpIuI0vDbA

           Donia, L. (2012). McCaskill’s tough on China’s stance with odds with her voting record. The Blog for the Alliance for American Manufacturing.  Retrieved from: http://americanmanufacturing.org/blog/mccaskills-tough-china-stance-odds-her-voting-record

           Lambrecht, B. (2011). McCaskill will introduce bill to tackle tariff scofflaws as Congress ponders trade policies, she targets foreign firms, shippers that evade customs duties. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved from http://www.lexisnexis.com.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/hottopics/lnacademic/?verb=sr&csi=11810&sr=HLEAD(McCaskill+will+introduce+bill+to+tackle+tariff+scofflaws)+and+date+is+September+20%2C+2011

           Steinhauer, J. (2012). Missouri Congressman to Take On McCaskill in Senate Race. The New York Times. Retrieved from LexisNexis Academic: http://www.lexisnexis.com.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/hottopics/lnacademic/?verb=sr&csi=6742&sr=HLEAD(Missouri+Congressman+to+Take+On+McCaskill+in+Senate+Race)+and+date+is+August+8%2C+2012

          Denesha, J. [Photographer] (2012). Sen. Claire McCaskill speaks to constituents during a roundtable discussion [Photograph], Retrieved November 6, 2012, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/sen-claire-mccaskill-takes-fight-to-super-pacs-as-missouri-swings-farther-right/2012/04/22/gIQAqoAmaT_story.html