Sen. Claire McCaskill’s gift of Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO) is a gift that simply keeps on giving. Previously Akin alienated the GOP leadership and most of the known world with comments that, in cases of legitimate rape, women often do not get pregnant because “the female body has ways to shut that whole thing down.” He also claimed that doctor routinely performed abortions on women who are not pregnant. Now, at a Tea Party meeting in Jefferson City, Missouri, Akin has said that that there is no science behind evolution. Akin sits on the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology.
Akin’s remarks not only leave doubt about his knowledge — or ability to understand – science but also what he considers “the thing” that he is supposed to do in Washington:
I don’t see it as even a matter of science because I don’t know that you can prove one or the other. That’s one of those things. We can talk about theology and all of those other things but I’m basically concerned about, you’ve got a choice between Claire McCaskill and myself. My job is to make the thing there. If we want to do theoretical stuff, we can do that, but I think I better stay on topic.
Of course, such comments could be used by some to disprove any evidence that we have evolved intellectually. Frankly, whenever I hear Akin speak recently I too begin to doubt evolution in the human species.
Notably, Akin sits on the committee with Rep. Paul Broun, the chairman of the House Science Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight. Broun made headlines this month with the following statement: at the 2012 Sportsman’s Banquet at Liberty Baptist Church in Hartwell, Georgia on September 27th, he said this:
God’s word is true. I’ve come to understand that. All that stuff I was taught about evolution and embryology and the big bang theory, all that is lies straight from the pit of Hell. It’s lies to try to keep me and all the folks who were taught that from understanding that they need a savior. You see, there are a lot of scientific data that I’ve found out as a scientist that actually show that this is really a young Earth. I don’t believe that the earth’s but about 9,000 years old. I believe it was created in six days as we know them. That’s what the Bible says.
As many of you know, I have shown equal disregard for both of the main parties that hold a monopoly on power in the United States. Indeed, the low quality politicians that we see in both parties is the very danger of all monopolies — once protected from competition, the quality of a product declines. The political monopoly in this country is the ultimate example of that phenomenon. What we need is a Sherman Act for politics, starting with the eradication of the electoral college and the establishment of a new rule on general elections.
As for Republicans, I have many friends from that party who are intellectual and honest. These characters are destroying the credibility of their party which often appears anti-intellectual and anti-science.
Eric,
How does not voting help the situation you claim both parties are creating? Just what did Biden do that made you burn your registration card? Did he correct Rep. Ryan too often when Ryan told 24 lies in 40 minutes? You claim that Biden disrespected Ryan? Ryan disrespected millions of women by co-sponsoring a bill to redefine rape and prevent not only abortion for any reason, but contraception as well. Ryan’s party has embraced candidates that have called Obama a Kenyan, socialist, communist, non-American to quote some of the nicer names. They embraced birthers who claim that Obama was not an American citizen. Obama got compared to Boys by Romney …And you suggest Biden was disrespectful?
Whatever happened to working together you ask? Have you checked how many filibusters have been used against the Dems by the Republicans during the Obama administration? Is that extreme? How many jobs bills do they have to not vote for before their claims that Obama is killing the economy rings hollow? They even refused to vote for the Veterans Jobs bill? I have disagreement on the primary system being rigged against 3rd party candidates, but not voting will do nothing but perpetuate that process.
Elaine, when I really want to know what is going on, I always check with Jackie and Dunlap at Red State Update.
One should never watch one of their videos with your mouth full.
The Evolution of Man
Red State Update: Night at the Creation Museum
“those four don’t work the same”
Bill Maher & Richard Dawkins
There are more than enough extreme views – along with a serious dose of hatred and intolerance – on both sides of the aisle. I was all set to vote for Obama until the VP debate. The hate and disrespect coming out of Biden was too disturbing for me to watch. I can not – make that will not – vote for a ticket with that kind of negative energy. Shortly after the VP debate, I burned my voter registration card and it is too late to get another one – I’m out. For the first time since the age of 18, I will not be voting.
While I thought it would feel good, it just feels sad. With all this hate, in equal measures on both sides, and a two party system which blocks out any fresh ideas (oddly, the one area in which Democrats and Republicans seem to be able to work together these days is in rigging State primary systems, to ensure no third party could ever get a foothold). Whatever happened to working together like Ronald Reagan and Tip O’Neill?
Sadly, I fear for my nation. Whomever wins on November 6th – the one thing we can be sure of is nothing will change. And the Parties have ensured we have no valid choice but the “more of the same” which they are each offering. We can not survive this much longer.
Michaelb,
June 1, 2012
In U.S., 46% Hold Creationist View of Human Origins
Highly religious Americans most likely to believe in creationism
by Frank Newport
http://www.gallup.com/poll/155003/hold-creationist-view-human-origins.aspx
The US Congress Anti-Science Committee
By Phil Plait
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2012/10/06/the-us-congress-anti-science-committee/
There is abiotic evolution, microbial evolution, biological evolution, and human social evolution.
Those three don’t work the same.
So, the unique processes in each of those evolutionary realms throws a lot of Akinoid people off track.
Especially when they think “one size fits all”, i.e. that one and only one grandiose process is prevalent in each of those four types of evolution.
For example, those Akinoid kinds of mistakes gave us Social Darwinism and Eugenics.
Swarthmore mom,
I’ve been getting robocalls from Karl Rove’s group GPS Crossroads that are filled with lies about Warren. I also got campaign material from the Massachusetts Republican Party the other day that is an attempt to scare senior citizens in my state into believing that Warren wants to cut billions of dollars from Medicare.
**********
Wall Street’s Favorite Candidate Slings Mud In Effort To Beat Elizabeth Warren
The race for the Massachusetts Senate seat is a tale of two populists: one with the economic policy chops, the other with a pickup truck.
By Sarah Jaffee
October 15, 2012
http://www.alternet.org/election-2012/wall-streets-favorite-candidate-slings-mud-effort-beat-elizabeth-warren
The Massachusetts Senate race this year is a race between two competing populisms: Elizabeth Warren’s plain-folks explanations of real-world economic issues, versus Scott Brown’s “Look, I drive a pickup truck—don’t look at my record!” posturing…
Warren, hardly a raving socialist, still scares the heck out of the big banks because she’s made her political name challenging them, out loud and in public. “She seems so invested in creating a narrative about how terrible corporate America is; how bad banks are … just listen to her at her convention speech,” a Wall Street lobbyist told Politico.
Beyond rhetoric, Warren was the architect of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, one of the biggest victories for working people against the big banks in the last four years (and probably some time before that). “The CFPB is the first federal agency whose one and only job is protecting consumers in the financial marketplace,” Alexis Goldstein, Occupy Wall Street activist and former Wall Street professional explained. “They are empowered to ensure the biggest banks are following overdraft, credit card and mortgage rules, and to create fair rules for financial products in order protect consumers in some of the areas with the most predatory practices.”
At Buzzfeed after the Democratic National Convention, Blake Zeff argued that you could hear the echoes of Warren in other Dems’ speeches, from Obama on down the ladder. Though populism was nowhere to be found in Obama’s first debate performance, the big money is chasing Brown in Massachusetts out of fear that Warren’s message will indeed be infectious.
Meanwhile, Brown has to make noise (we won’t linger on the racist ” tomahawk chop” his supporters and staffers did at a Warren rally in response to questions over Warren’s Cherokee heritage) to distract from his actual record in the Senate. As the Campaign For America’s Future noted in its new Middle-Class Voter Guide , Brown has voted against such things as keeping interest rates on student loans down and against a bill that would’ve provided funding for teaching and fire and safety jobs, while supporting the Korea free trade bill that outsources more jobs. He also voted against the DISCLOSE Act, which would’ve required that groups that spend more than $10,000 on “electioneering” during an election cycle report that money to the Federal Election Commission.
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/08/20/712501/paul-ryan-and-todd-akin-partnered-on-radical-personhood-bill-outlawing-abortion-and-many-birth-control-pills/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/22/todd-akin-abortion-rape-incest_n_1819201.html Akin is not alone in his party in holding these extreme views. Forty republican candidates hold the view that abortion should not be allowed even in the case of rape, incest or death of the mother.
“God’s word is true. I’ve come to understand that. All that stuff I was taught about evolution and embryology and the big bang theory, all that is lies straight from the pit of Hell. ”
The really clever part is the the devil had God create all the evidence for those things as part of a bet. I mean, it’s amazingly clever the way God puts something in a woman that looks EXACTLY like a developing embryo, but then at the last minute switches it out for the REAL child, which was grown in a pumpkin patch.
Michaelb,
Good question.
Does he believe it or, sadly, do the majority of voters in his district believe it?
Elaine, There must not be too many. The moderate republicans have been knocked out by the tea party in nearly every primary. Lugar is the most recent example.The democrats have a line-up of new women candidates that are good and some of them are even winning. Tammy Baldwin and Elizabeth Warren are ahead in their respective races.
“the low quality politicians that we see in both parties”
You may very well be right but would you care to name the Democrats that compare to the clowns you highlight in this post?
“As for Republicans, I have many friends from that party who are intellectual and honest. These characters are destroying the credibility of their party which often appears anti-intellectual and anti-science.”
The Republicans who are intellectual and honest should be speaking out against these Neanderthals! Why don’t they? They are letting the crazies lead the party.