Can Congress Get Any Crazier?

In a word, yes. A Tea Party wannabe for Senate, Todd Akin of Missouri, opines on abortion that in cases of “legitimate rape...the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.”

His pronouncement sets off a GOP scramble to distance Romney-Ryan and eventually even Akin himself from such loony tunes medicine but succeeds only in raising doubts about the national standard bearers themselves.

A campaign spokesperson says flatly that “a Romney-Ryan administration would not oppose abortion in instances of rape,” but the record shows Ryan publicly against all except those to save the life of the mother and co-sponsoring a House bill last year to define human life as beginning with fertilization and grant “personhood” rights to embryos, which zealots believe would outlaw all abortions and even some birth control.

Embarrassments for Romney-Ryan surface almost daily, but the focus here should be on the kind of crazy people competing relatively unnoticed for Congressional seats on the Republican down-ticket.

John Boehner and Mitch McConnell are out of the political spotlight and will likely hang back during the convention, but voters should understand what Tea Party control of both houses would mean with a veto-proof president in the White House.

In thrall to their zealots even now, Congressional leaders would have no way of setting limits for them then. As all the noise and passion of the season are focused on national nominees, more serious threats to the American future are relatively out of sight, inmates preparing to take over the asylum.

Who will stop them then?
 

Update: Even after the uproar, Akin is hanging on, leading in polls by a point and praying for rape victims in a repentance ad:

 "Rape is an evil act. I used the wrong words in the wrong way and for that I apologize. As the father of two daughters, I want tough justice for predators. I have a compassionate heart for the victims of sexual assault. I pray for them."

Prayer, yes. Abortion, no.