All things being equal, it wouldn’t have been the end of the world for the GOP to have their own little Joe Biden running around in the Senate. Bumbling politicians like that do have their place in this country – if nothing else, they liven up the news broadcasts, and give us something to laugh at from time to time. You know, there are whiny left-wing psychologists out there that say laughter is actually good for us! And let’s be real here. What did Akin do that was really so wrong, when you consider it in the entire conservative political landscape? The GOP doesn’t make an exception for abortions after a rape anyway. And as for the contention that women’s bodies have a mechanism to prevent pregnancy as a result of forced sex, Akin wasn’t completely off base – there is a scientific theory on it that is rooted in evolutionary theory at least a little. No, I am not suggesting that I condone or agree with what Akin said (nor do I agree with the GOP platform on abortion, for that matter.) What I am saying is that yet again, the GOP has dropped the ball, and allowed the Dems to control the narrative.

The proverbial ball is in Akin’s court right now, and I’m not going to editorialize on what I think he should do. Bluntly, I don’t think that he is paying attention to what anyone is saying on that anyway. What I will say is that the GOP needs to seriously think about what happens to the next Akin. Does the party throw that person under the bus like happened to Akin? Or does the party start getting the message out that when a Republican politician screws up, rule of thumb is that the party and pundits go in lockstep to protect them? Complain all you like about the Dems, but they’ve been doing the latter for ages, and – surprise, surprise – it works for them.

This isn’t a question about principles. It is a question about strategy. The only one talking about principles now is Akin, and he’s trying desperately to keep standing as the sand’s disappearing beneath his feet. But, that wouldn’t necessarily be the situation. We’ve been complaining about distractions being used by Obama to keep eyes off the major issues, and now? We’re feeding that fire, to the point where Mitt Romney had to finally chime in on the situation. I finished the last story I wrote on this with “It’s the economy, stupid!” This fight wasn’t worth fighting, and now, Akin should recognize he’s finished. He’s not going to be the GOP’s Biden. Sure, that might not seem a big deal, but he’s also a lost opportunity.

When life gives you lemons…. Akin’s “lemonade” would have been an excellent indictment against the continuation of Obamacare. But, instead of owning the situation, the right literally handed it to the mainstream media and left on a silver platter. In the future, we need to think about what lemonade we can make of the lemons our politicians hand us, before we let the left keep us from making the best of the situation. Is the GOP really out there to focus on the real issues, or are we going to pander to the left-wing distractions? Which is more important here:

I’m more concerned with the debt. How about you?

Of course, ABC decided to pontificate on the pros and cons of a SuperPAC-free campaign. Personally, I see it as an opportunity to place real issues center-stage. Special interest groups tend to focus on their own little corners of the political world, and spend their money accordingly. Brown can control the narrative of his campaign, and has a relatively free hand to prevent it from degenerating into a pissing contest centered on Warren’s collective nonsense.

There was much screaming from the left over the Citizens United ruling that allowed the rise of the SuperPAC in the first place. And even though it hasn’t been that long, the GOP seems to have become far too dependent on corporate participation in campaigns. The Brown campaign offers us the opportunity to show everyone once and for all that we can still win without the help of the big bucks and special interest advertising. This can be an ideological campaign, and it can win on the merit of what Brown wants to do for Massachusetts.

That is how you win a campaign on conservative values, pure and simple. But, in order to do this, he needs money to get that message to his constituents. No SuperPAC advertising means that everything is on the Brown campaign. And while out-of-state organizations may not participate in this campaign, out-of-state individuals may contribute (within the limits permitted, of course.) So….

On a personal note, I used to write for a liberal editor from Massachusetts. We still keep in touch from time to time. Please, don’t give him the opportunity to pick on me about Scott Brown losing in November!! I really don’t like it when the few liberal friends I still have can do that sort of thing! Thanks!