#mo 02

Why hasn’t Congress impeached President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder? Rep. Todd Akin says it’s simply a lack of votes. But he says that may change eventually.

“That’s a good question,” Akin told a constituent on Tuesday who asked just that. “I can’t speak for the other 400 and some congressmen, but I believe when they take a look at impeachment the question is do you have the votes to do it and, if you do it, it goes to the Senate, what’s going to happen with Harry Reid?”

The exchange was captured on video by Democratic tracker American Bridge at an event held by the Boone County Pachyderms in Columbia, Mo., and provided exclusively to TPM. Impeachment is generally considered a taboo topic among national Republicans, who prefer to limit their disagreements with the president to the political arena.

He concluded the quicker way to remove Obama from office would be to wait for the election to run its course.

“He is a complete menace to our civilization,” he said. “The question is what’s the best way to get rid of him, I think probably at the ballot box next election, we need to get that done.”

ST. LOUIS • A third Republican is considering inserting himself into what is at the moment a head-to-head primary in the Second Congressional District.

Dr. Randy Jotte, an emergency room physician and former Webster Groves city councilman, issued a press release Monday saying he is "considering entering the race" for the seat, which includes most of St. Louis County and some of Jefferson and St. Charles counties.

In his release, Jotte says, that, if he got into the race, it would be a "David vs. Goliath kind of challenge" — and he is absolutely correct.

The Republican primary currently includes Ann Wagner, the well-funded former ambassador and state party chair, and Ed Martin, who almost managed an upset victory over Russ Carnahan in 2010.