Those who read this blog regularly know that we at Reaganista.com have no qualms about holding our own accountable and our utter contempt for those we consider backstabbers.

We have even dedicated an entire section we call the “Backstabbers Corner” where we showcase those we have branded as such since the blog was launched and why they have joined political reprobates like the Backstabber Charlie Crist in earning such an unenviable designation.

In it, we describe backstabbers as:

…those who have committed some act of  treachery or another that in our opinion makes them a backstabber.  This can be anything from selling out principles, betraying friends, family, supporters and the party, to lying, snitching, or outright sedition.

We add RINOs, Democrats, and other such malcontents to this list as they arise. However, we have never added someone we deem an actual conservative until now.

Over the weekend, Missouri Republican Congressman Todd Akin committed a huge verbal gaffe of #epicfail proportions. Akin is running against incumbent Democrat and all-around unlikable do-nothing Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill, who has been identified by most political pundits as one of the easiest incumbent Democrats to defeat this year due to her abysmal polls and approval numbers.

Specifically, Akin said the following when asked in an interview if he believed abortion should remain legal in the case of rape:

From what I understand from doctors, [pregnancy following a rape] is really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to shut that whole thing down.

Needless to say, I don’t have to dissect and analyze the statement to illustrate how totally outrageous it is. But I do wonder what the hell a “legitimate” rape is (versus an illegitimate rape).  But I digress.

However ridiculous that statement is, in my opinion it alone doesn’t make him a backstabber. It just makes him monumentally ignorant to the point of outright buffoonish. He knows it and has since apologized for it in what I believe to be a sincere act of contrition.

I sort of compare this kind of verbal gaffe to a domestic situation. Every person in a committed relationship knows that there are certain things that if said to the other person would cause irreparable harm to the relationship, even if said in a moment of emotional or mental weakness. If the person truly did not mean it and a sincere apology followed and was accepted, it is likely never to be forgotten by the other person. Words can never be taken back.

I believe Akin’s regret is sincere and if he could take back what he said he would, not just because of politics. But like I said, words can’t be taken back, people will remember them, and they have become an incredible distraction from the issues that matter to voters.

Now instead of talking about Obama’s abysmal economic record generally, and McCaskill’s role in enabling that horrendous record, specifically, this Akin controversy has sucked all the air out of the room. Important issues have taken a back seat to Akin, women’s rights, abortion, and other issues that are totally irrelevant to the crisis the country currently faces.  The entire ordeal has also added fuel to the Democrat’s Marxist/Alinskyist strategy of dividing Americans–in this case by gender–to win elections with their invented “war on women” accusation against Republicans and conservatives. It has needlessly put us conservatives on the defensive when it is the leftists who should be out there defending their horrendous record that has directly hurt millions of Americans.

We conservatives can’t allow ourselves to get caught in that trap. We oppose taxpayer funded abortions and taxpayer funded birth control. In fact, we oppose taxpayer funded anything that individuals can pay for themselves for their own personal well-being. That’s not a war on women–it’s fighting for people to carry their own weight. Leftists, on the other hand, support taxpayer-funded everything. Theirs is a real war against working Americans and taxpayers.

But nobody’s talking about that. So long as Akin remains in the race apologizing and reminding everyone what he said by his mere presence, it will be that much more difficult for voters to turn their attention to the issues that really matter this year.

As such, Akin has rightfully been asked to step aside by several Republican leaders including Mitt Romney and Marco Rubio to allow the Republican Party of Missouri to select a replacement candidate to challenge the dud that goes by the name of Claire McCaskill. Knowing the vast repercussions of staying in the race–including losing his own race, putting a possible Republican Senate majority at risk and perhaps indirectly helping Obama and the Democrats across-the-board by stoking the “war on women” narrative–Akin has refused to step aside.

Akin needs to put America, conservatism, and the GOP (in that order) before himself and drop out. In such a close election, we cannot afford to risk one inch of electoral territory. If we do, it may be just enough to preserve the current balance of power, allowing the Fifth Column leftist pukes to continue tormenting Americans and destroying the country from within . The fact that Akin knows what’s at stake and still puts his political ambitions before America makes him an ego-driven backstabber.

**UPDATE, 8/23/12**

Poll shows Democrat McCaskill running away with Senate seat:  A Missouri US Senate poll released today shows that Akin’s gaffee has had a dramatic effect on public opinion in Missouri. According to the poll of 500 likely Missouri voters conducted by Rasmussen, the waste of a carbon footprint that goes by the name of Claire McCaskill is now leading Akin by 10 percentage points, 48% to 38%.  This is a dramatic change, given that a week ago everyone felt that McCaskill was the Democrat incumbent most likely to lose her Senate reelection bid.

If Akin has just a fraction of decency and concern for the party and country he professes to care about, he will drop out so a viable candidate can replace him and defeat McCaskill.