About Gaffes

I'm sure he would not agree but Todd Akins committed the mother of all political campaigning gaffes when he said, “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. But let’s assume that maybe that didn’t work or something, I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be of the rapist, and not attacking the child.”  His words, notwithstanding, a subsequent apology caused an uproar.I suspect that Akins considers his words a gaffe only in the sense that they caused the opposite reaction than he intended. The gaffe did serve to expose him for the ass that he is and will continue to be.

 It seems to me that Campaign 2012 as compared to past political campaigns is tainted by more than the usual number of gaffes. Both parties have experienced "I wish I had not said that" moments. Obama "the private sector is doing fine" and "if you created a business, you didn't build it". Romney discrediting the Brits handling of the Olympics and better yet letting us know that Anne drives two Cadillacs ( I  believe it is one at a time).

What I don't understand is that these people have all kinds of aides charged with keeping them out of trouble. The fact that they don't, is exemplified by a Romney aide who compared going from primary campaigning to general election campaigning to shaking up an "Etch A Sketch".

According to Buddha avoiding gaffes is simple; "Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or  ill." Good advice, but then again, Buddha was not a politician -  or was he.