Politics: How To Stop the Next Todd Akin

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Politics How To Stop the Next Todd Akin Why Karl Rove can't stop the "wrong conservatives" from running for office. By David Weigel Posted Monday, Feb 04, 2013, at 11:52 PM ET The would-be saviors of the Republican Party have one question, one that must be answered before the comeback can truly begin. What about your gaffes? It's the sure-thing applause line in Gov. Bobby Jindal's current speeches. "We had a number of Republicans damage the brand this year with offensive and bizarre comments," said the Louisiana governor in front of party audiences last month. "Enough of that!" It's the theory behind the Conservative Victory Project, an as yet murky outgrowth of Karl Rove's American Crossroads. In a front page Sunday New York Times story, American Crossroads president Stephen J. Law said that Republicans had "blown a significant number of races because the wrong candidates were selected." Rep. Steve King, an Iowa conservative now thinking about a Senate race, might have to be mercy-smothered by super PAC cash, because "all of the things he's said are going to be hung around his neck." Who were the wrong candidates, the scrubs who cost Republicans the Senate? This is the list: Christine O'Donnell (Delaware), Ken Buck (Colorado), Sharron Angle (Nevada), Richard Mourdock (Indiana), and Todd Akin (Missouri). In two of these cases, in Indiana and Delaware, Republican elder statesmen who could have won easily were replaced with losers. In Delaware, in 2010, the Democrats lucked out when Christine O'Donnell advanced in the GOP primary. By 2011 the Democrats were actually recruiting a candidate in Indiana because they bet Sen. Richard Lugar, unbeatable in a general election, would ... To continue reading, click here. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate How To Stop the Next Todd Akin A History of Misunderstanding There's No Such Thing as an Illegal Immigrant	Advertisement
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