This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Nov. 16, 2012 - With little time left in the U.S. Capitol, outgoing U.S. Rep. Todd Akin, R-Wildwood, took to the floor on Thursday to deliver one last ode to his favorite fall topic: the Pilgrims.
As he has done every November for years, Akin – who lost a bid Nov. 6 for the U.S Senate – told his version of the Thanksgiving storyof the Mayflower, and the disastrous first winter that only left about 55 alive. (Hat tip to the Missourinet radio network for the audio.)
“A group of free people under God created a civil government,’’ said Akin, with the creation of the Mayflower Compact. He often has contended that the Pilgrims rejected socialism, although Akin didn’t bring up as much detail for this last House talk on the subject.
Later Thursday, Akin talked turkey, so to speak, of a different sort. His campaign sent out a missive for donations, saying that it had debts remaining from his unsuccessful effort to oust U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.
“There's no two ways about it - we came up short,” Akin said in his appeal. “But like you, I know our fight isn't over and we have much left to accomplish. Our country is on the brink. Spending is at record levels. Regulations and red tape are killing small businesses. The very ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are under attack….”
“…We are raising money now to finish paying our bills. You all came through for us time and time again and without your continued support we would not have been able to keep up the fight,” his campaign added.
Akin also picked up a dubious honor Thursday when the Washington Post’s political writers cited him with “the worst ad’’ of the 2012 campaign. The ad in question was the apology ad that he aired in August within days after the furor erupted over his observation about “legitimate rape.’’
