...and this is just in the last MONTH. Doesn't even cover Rand Paul's fillibuster rantings.
Hard to pick a favorite, but #1 is right up there for me. How about you??
Source:
http://theweek.com/article/index/240838 … last-month
Conventional wisdom suggests that Republicans would hold five additional U.S. Senate seats if their candidates hadn't said really dumb things during the last two election cycles.
So last month, I decided to keep track of the most controversial comments � some inflammatory, some just plain crazy � made by Republican politicians.
Here's the round-up for February:
1. "When a physician removes a child from a woman, that is the largest organ in a body. That's a big thing. That's a big surgery. You don't have any other organs in your body that are bigger than that."
�Alabama state Rep. Mary Sue McClurkin (R), defending her sweeping anti-abortion bill.
2. "They are going to cull the herd, so that instead of having billions, we'll only have hundreds of millions of human beings on the face of the planet."
�Alan Keyes, warning what's behind President Obama's gun control proposal.
3. "Some people could make the argument that a lot of people like being in abusive relationships. It's a love-hate relationship. It's very, very common for people to stick around with somebody they love who also abuses him or her."
�New Hampshire state Rep. Mark Warden (R), during a debate on a bill to reduce the penalty for simple assault.
4. "Slavery and abortion are the two most horrendous things this country has done but when you think about the immorality of wild, lavish spending on our generation and forcing future generations to do without essentials just so we can live lavishly now, it's pretty immoral."
�Rep. Louis Gohmert (R-Texas), equating slavery with the national debt.
5. "Like most men, I'm more opposed to violence against women than even violence against men. Because most men can handle it a little better than a lot of women can."
�Rep. Jimmy Duncan (R-Tenn.), speaking on anti-violence legislation.
6. "There's a lot of ill will towards Sen. Hagel because when he was a Republican, he attacked President Bush mercilessly. At one point, he said he was the worst president since Herbert Hoover, said the surge was the worst blunder since the Vietnam War, which is nonsense. He was very 'anti 'his own party, and people don't forget that."
�Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), explaining the GOP backlash against Chuck Hagel.
7. "To redefine marriage is discriminatory towards those who hold the sincerely held religious belief that it is a sacred institution between a man & a woman."
�Illinois state Sen. Kyle McCarter (R), in response to the state Senate approving same-sex marriage in Illinois.
8. "I'm going to try to be brief because I notice you're on your fourth glass of water, and I don't want to be accused of waterboarding you."
�Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), speaking in the middle of a long, contentious confirmation hearing for John Brennan as CIA director.
9. "Slow down. Slow down. How about a little foreplay?"
�House Speaker John Boehner, joking that with bipartisan conversations on immigration reform taking place it's too early to talk about specific legislation.
10. "I was very proud of the fact that I didn't get anything wrong that I said during the course of the debates. I didn't get anything wrong, and that's a huge arena."
�Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), commenting on her performance in the 2012 GOP presidential debates.
Now you know how these people keep getting elected
I find #9 to be quite witty.
(sigh) I was sooo hoping this thread would disappear before it got any responses.
Now I may have to post one about all the horrid (not just dumb) things that have come out of the Democrat leadership's mouths...........
While I'm here, I'll note that
#8 is equally witty and quite beautiful!
#4 and #2 are highly prophetic and spot-on
#7 is simple truth and thusly the most beautiful of all.
and the original poster said:
"Conventional wisdom suggests that Republicans would hold five additional U.S. Senate seats if their candidates hadn't said really dumb things during the last two election cycles."
I say:
Perhaps that's true, but I not only suggest, but I say, that it wasn't conventional wisdom that caused the loss of seats; it was unconventional Leftist activism that bereft those particular voters of their ability to process conventional wisdom.
You should see the one about the dumbest things Democrats say.
By the way, slavery and abortion are both two of the most terrible things America has ever had. Abortion has killed more unborn babies than any war America has ever had too.
The comment was not funny or even stupid. It was right on target.
What is dumb about bringing attention to unconstitutional drone attacks against US citizens? Abortion is an awful practice of genecide that puts blood on the hands of many many Americans. Even the lowest among us (liberal politicians) refuse to describe that practice of abortion as a "good" thing.
I am particularly confused about the animosity towards Rand Paul's filibuster. Is there something good about drone attacks?
It depends on the President's political party. Republican presidents abuse civil rights Democrat presidents do not despite both engaging in the same actions..
Liberals are only morally outraged when its politically convenient.
I haven't seen any "outrage" at Rand's filibuster. Bemusement is more like it.
From the same issue The Week as my OP list, there's an article entitled "5 Condescending Republican responses to Rand Paul's filibuster."
These two really made me smile -- as the the mother of one of those impressionable libertarian kids (who I figure are just doing their job of rebelling and individuating. Modern day hippies, eh?)
Political stunts that fire up impressionable libertarian kids"
"If Mr. Paul wants to be taken seriously he needs to do more than pull political stunts that fire up impressionable libertarian kids," Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) thundered from the Senate floor the day after the filibuster. For what it's worth, McCain's line, while sure to sting, was lifted from a Wall Street Journal editorial.
It sort of reminds me of young kids when they first read The Fountainhead"
Serious foreign policy thinkers in the GOP enjoy comparing Paul's filibuster to the rant of an adolescent. "It sort of reminds me of young kids when they first read The Fountainhead or Atlas Shrugged," opined John Yoo, who famously penned the so-called torture memos that authorized the Bush administration's harsh interrogation techniques. "They suddenly think that federal taxation equals slavery and they're not going to pay any federal taxes anymore."
Just the fact the Attorney General answered his question and said the President was not authorized to use them against citizens in the US.
Paul said he was satisfied with the answer. I'm not convinced, myself.
I wonder if the Attorney General will sell drones to Mexican drug gangs for use at the border? Perhaps Americans can be killed by proxy.
Just as ridiculous as guns, right?
Oh, I forgot. Since Holder refuses to release relevant documents, and Obama is protecting him, that means it never happened, right?
The American government facilitated the sale of firearms to Mexican drug gangs that were later used to kill American citizens on the border. One need only substitute firearms for drones and the story writes itself.
Operation Fast and Furious has been reported on by ABC News, Univision and the LA Times - none of which are related to Fox News or Glenn Beck. There have been, at least, two US Border Patrol agents killed with arms supplied to Mexican drug gangs via the Obama administrations ineptitude. There have been hundreds of Mexicans killed with similarly supplied arms.
ratief2000 is right, uninvited writer and sorry to say, you are wrong
Much ado about very little in the great scheme of things.
An American law enforcement official stonewalling a clear cut case of illegality; the murder of American Border Patrol Agents; the hundreds of guns illegally taken to Mexico with the knowledge of the Federal Government; hundreds of Mexicans murdered with those guns -- one wonders if the grand scheme of things wouldn't be different if the political party responsible for this cynical policy was Republican rather than Democrat.
If memory serves this foolish scheme was hatched by ATF before Obama was inaugurated. In any event how would you compare the significance of this event with the 4,000 Americans and 100,000 Iraqis killed thanks to Bush's foolish, costly, unnecessary invasion.
Here are the conclusions of the Inspector general wrt Holder's role in the affair:
"4.
Department Leadership
a.
Attorney General Holder
We determined that Attorney General Holder did not learn about
Operation Fast and Furious until late January or early February 2011 and was
not aware of allegations of “gun walking” in the investigation until February.
We found no evidence that Department or ATF staff informed the Attorney
General about Operation Wide Receiver or Operation Fast and Furious prior to
2011. We concluded that the Attorney General’s Deputy Chief of Staff, the
Acting Deputy Attorney General, and the leadership of the Criminal Division
failed to alert the Attorney General to significant information about or flaws in
those investigations.
Although the Office of the Attorney General received various weekly
reports from components in the Department that mentioned Operation Fast
and Furious, we found that Attorney General Holder did not personally review
these reports at the time that his office received them and that his staff did not
highlight them for his review. Moreover, we determined that these reports did
not refer to agents’ failure to interdict firearms or include information that
otherwise provided notice of the improper strategy and tactics that ATF agents
were using in the investigation. Although the National Drug Intelligence Center
reports (NDIC) referred to 1,500 firearms that Celis-Acosta and straw
purchasers had trafficked to Mexican drug cartels, the reports did not state or
suggest that ATF had advance knowledge of the firearms purchases or
otherwise knowingly allowed the guns to cross the border."
And here's a link to the entire report by the Inspector General of the Justice Department.
http://www.justice.gov/oig/reports/2012/s1209.pdf
No, I would compare the significance of this event to a minor burglary at a Washington D.C. office building or some "Presidue" on a blue dress. Democrats in Congress (and now in the White House) have been complicit in the casualties of the last 11 years of war. At any point the Democrat majority in the House from 2007 to 2011 could have defunded the wars Bush and Obama have been fighting and did not.
It is a sad obsession that constantly leads back to Bush. But that is nothing new for Democrats. They have to create and than repeat tales of villainy to continue to elevate themselves as societies only real heroes. Jan Valjean needs a Javert, Democrat romanticize themselves and they need a villain, Hoover, McCarthy, Nixon, Reagan and now Bush.
OMG! Why didn't the GOP think of this before November? It could have changed the course
of the election!
"See how much we care about you, Latinos? We are shocked and appalled at the
killing of Mexicans with American arms! We will not stand for it!!"
[Mexicans that stay on their own side of the border only, of course. But Mexicans nonetheless.]
Univision covered the story before the election and there have been people on the American side of the border murdered with arms supplied through the Fast and Furious program. Yet another sad and pathetic race hatred accusation. It gets boring after awhile.
How about just blaming the government? If the Republicans were upset over it, they would have been all over the networks, crying fowl. It is naive to believe that they do not scratch each others backs regarding these matters. The one who keeps quiet and lets it pass, is just as guilty as the ones who vote for these issues. This was not news until it blew up in their faces. Let's be honest and admit, they are all criminal, greedy, and self serving.
They were, as much as network news would bother, and treated by the true believers as extremist, racist, wingnuts, 1%ers - or in other words they received the regular treatment. It required investigative cooperation and a desire to expose the story from the media to turn Watergate and Monika Lewinski into significant events. The media has abrogated its responsibilities in favor of camouflaging Obama's ineptitude with endless and uncritical coverage of every unsupported or scurrilous accusation against anyone who offers anything but unquestioning allegiance to the Obama Imperium.
Ralph, why are you everywhere? Are you that bored?
It's winter and I'm retired with a lot of time on my hands.
He answered him AFTER the filibuster.
Before that all he got was the Obama administration could, "hypothetically," carry out drone strikes against Americans on U.S. soil, but "has no intention of doing so."
After the filibuster they said "Does the President have the authority to use a weaponized drone to kill an American not engaged in combat on American soil?' The answer to that question is no."
#3 is making me highly incensed. HOW DARE that intellectually challenged Republicanazi state this. Many women have died or became permanently maimed because of abuse.
Factually speaking, those would be aggravated assault or man-slaughter. The bill being debated was regarding simple assault. How many policemen are injured each year breaking up a mutual slug fest between equally abusive - and frequently mutually intoxicated - domestic partners? Men are also maimed and killed in domestic violence, men are far less likely to report an abusive partner than are women. Things are always more complex than many people care to consider.
#1 is a truly pathetic use of the English language. She is a state representative... ?
http://doonesbury.slate.com/strip#mutable
Click on the link for a legible view of today's Doonesbury strip.
I think the Republicans will give the good old use-the-names-of-dead-people voting tactic again. It's been a while since they last employed it.
Actually, this is a tactic that Democrats use. Republicans do no such thing.
Oh, please. Don't even try to pretend that any sane person honestly cast their vote for George W, McCain, or Romney.
What sane person would cast their vote for a guy who has much to hide named Obama?
I voted for Romney and Bush. Better than an empty suit named Obama any day.
Then live in terror because tens of millions have done just that. In fact, in just about any other election year the number of voters in 2008 who turned out for McCain would have been sufficient for victory. How can you sleep at night knowing that nearly half the population is insane? Perhaps more than half since there is a significant number who do not vote yet agree with one candidate or the other in any given election year. Since Obama's approval numbers fluctuate from just above 50% to just below 50% it could be a really bad day for you.
According to the Real Clear Politics average Obama's approval rating as of March 11th was only 48.7% - sleep well.
Are you questioning whether people who cast their vote for W, McCain and/or Romney are sane?
Or that their votes were cast honestly?
Or both?
Or neither?
So how is casting a vote for Kerry, Gore or Obama any better?
Gore is a draft dodger, molests women and looked up to the King of womanizing, Bill Clinton. Second, Gore is a hypocrite and a liar. The loser has falsified evidence about Global Warming in his book, makes millions and makes tons of money off Big Oil.
Kerry is a disgrace to the military uniform. While my family fought bravely for America, Kerry comes back less than 90 days after writing himself in a medal. Then this loser uses his rich privileged card to get in the political door. Why is this loser Secretary of State? This is proof that Obama is indeed an airhead.
Obama, Mr. Hope and Change. lol, he is the greatest liar since former President Clinton. Here is why:
ie No. 1: Obama has repeatedly claimed his white grandfather, Stanley Dunham, "fought in Patton's army," when he was a clerk with no combat in WWII.
Lie No. 2: Obama claimed Dunham, a communist sympathizer, signed up for duty "the day after Pearl Harbor," when in fact he waited six months.
Subscribe to the IBD Editorials Podcast
Lie No. 3: Obama claimed his father "fought when he got back to Kenya against tribalism and nepotism, but ultimately was blackballed from the government," when in fact he fought against capitalism and lost his job when he advocated communism.
Lie No. 4: Obama has claimed his late mother's health insurer refused "to pay for her treatment" for cancer while citing a "pre-existing condition," when Cigna paid all her hospital bills and never denied payment.
Lie No. 5: Obama claimed he and a black high school friend named "Ray" were ostracized in Honolulu, when in fact the friend, Keith Kakugawa, was half-Japanese, and neither of them experienced discrimination.
Lie No. 6: Obama claimed the father of his Indonesian stepfather was killed by Dutch soldiers while fighting for Indonesian independence, when in fact the story turns out to be "a concocted myth in almost all respects," Maraniss found.
Lie No. 7: Obama claimed his parents decided to marry in the excitement of the Selma civil-rights march of 1965 — and that he personally has "a claim on Selma" — when in fact they were married several years earlier.
Lie No. 8: Obama claimed his father got to study in the U.S. thanks to JFK's efforts to bring "young Africans over to America," when in fact the Kenyan airlift his father participated in occurred in 1959 under Ike.
Lie No. 9: Obama submitted a phony bio to his book publicist claiming he was "born in Kenya."
Lie No. 10: Obama denied being a member of the socialist New Party, when a member roster of the Chicago chapter of the party lists him joining on Jan. 11, 1996.
I've never before seen so much slander in a single comment.
Both Kerrys are war heroes, and both John Kerry and Al Gore should have been president instead of Bush.
Both Kerrys are not heroes. John Kerry is no hero. He wrote in himself a medal after getting a scratch. Al Gore is a draft dodger, so how is that being a hero when members of my family can go and fight for this nation?
John Kerry is a JOKE. Obama is also a joke for making this man Secretary of State. A useless Leftist who turned his back on the U.S. Army when he returned back to America soil joining the young privileged cowards known as the flower children.
Al Gore should have been president? I know that God exist because Al Gore did not win, even with trying to cheat his way into the president's office. Al Gore is a liar, a loser, a womanizer and a hypocrite. But you like people like that it seems.
This makes me rethink the type of person you are who backs a person with a lousy character such as Al Gore.
Touche Trudeau!
But you know, when your party's platform is Jesus approved, there's really nothing you can
do to improve it.
Surely Hubbers can do better with the political insults. Here's a example from this month's "Fortune Magazine" from a couple of experts:
From Fortune March 18, 2013:
"Just when the controversy (over Papa John's owner's comment that franchises would likely reduce employees' hours to avoid Obama care) was subsiding, in January, Bill Maher weighed in with a double-barreled opinion article in the NY Times:
"The filthy-rich founder of Papa John's, John Schnatter, said he'd cut his employees' hours to avoid the costs of Obamacare. this is where I'd normally suggest boycotting Papa John's, but that's like telling people to boycott sadness. Nobody eats papa John's because the like it. They eat it becauise Domino's won't deliver to crack houses."
And "Stephen Colbert, in character as an arch conservative, savaged the company and its product. "When you order a Papa John's pizza, it's only after you've reached a state of such desperate gnawing hunger that you would eat the ass off a racoon that drowned in your birdbath...and now Obama expects you to shell out three extra nickels for this hot turd pie. Eat the nickels. You have your dignity."
Hard to match Maher and Colbert for colorful invective.
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