Paul Revere by Cyrus Dallin, North End, Boston

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Monday, September 21, 2015

The TGOP's Allergy to Facts


The extremist right wingers' preposterous insistence that President Obama is a Muslim (as if there were something unAmerican about that) is only one symptom of their allergy to facts. Some right wing pundit once stated that the TGOP creates its own reality, and we can observe that every day some wacko insists the POTUS is not a Christian but a Muslim, despite the truth that stares them in their allergy-to-facts faces:






Speaking of anti-Muslim baiters, Dr. Carson stepped in it again with his ignorance of the United States Constitution on full display.  The right wingers think this man, who knows practically nothing about our country's founding document, would make a nifty preznit! Because, you know, if you wanted someone to perform complicated brain surgery on your child, you'd go for the guy who knows how to install a garbage disposal in your kitchen sink!






By Michael Cohen:

"...Jake Tapper directed a question to Carson about the connection between vaccines and autism..."

This isn’t a complicated issue. There is no link between vaccines and autism. None. That should have been the answer when the question was posed to an actual medical doctor such as Carson. But Carson demurred. Instead of answering, he pivoted to a bizarre complaint about big government and the size of the federal workforce."

[skip]

"And when Trump, who has for years trumpeted the autism/vaccine link, claimed that he wasn’t opposed to vaccines but that they should be spread out (which actually increases the risks of spreading deadly diseases), Carson went along with him. While he noted that there is no known connection between vaccines and autism, Carson also said, “We’re probably giving way too many.”

[skip]

"[Rand]Paul thinks “freedom” is more important than public health. It’s one thing to marvel at the unprecedented and stupefying levels of GOP know-nothingness on display this election season — the misstatements, the untruths, the exaggerations, the falsehoods, and the straight-up lies. But these vaccine comments represent a legitimate public health menace. And it’s indicative of the allergy to facts, data, and evidence that is the real story of the GOP debate, and indeed of the Republican nominating contest — and we need to be talking more about it."

[skip]


"Carly Fiorina went further into crazy land than Rubio by calling for “aggressive military exercises in the Baltic states” and no dialogue at all with Russia. She also said that Iran has “talked Vladimir Putin into aligning themselves with Iran and Syria to prop up Bashar al-Assad” — as if Russian support for Assad doesn’t go back decades. These are minor points that few nonwonks noticed, but it’s indicative of how ill-informed so many of the comments were during the debate; and how reluctant (or too ill-informed) debate moderators are to point out these statements are wrong. 

 We joke about this stuff, but after a while it’s no longer funny. The Republican Party is dominated by candidates who are proudly, even boastfully ignorant. Rejecting the clear science on vaccines or climate change is practically the price of admission even to be considered a legitimate presidential candidate. 

Playing on xenophobic fears of immigrants by lying about the economic costs and threats to American workers — pro forma. It reached a point Wednesday night when a candidate actually saying something true was an event worthy of note. But make no mistake, the descent of the Republican Party into dishonesty, lies, and cravenness is no joke. It’s a national crisis."



13 comments:

Ray Cranston said...

Ben Carson: 'I Would Not Advocate That We Put A Muslim In Charge Of This Nation'

And I would not advocate that we put an ignoramus who knows nothing about the US Constitution in charge of defending it. He wouldn't know what the hell he's defending.The same nuts who support Carson and his ignorance about Constitutional guarantees are the ones who say Obama shreds the Constitution, but they're silent on Carson's anti-Constitution blather.Carson says homosexuality is a choice becuz men go into prison straight and come out gay, he sez Obamacare is worse than slavery, and we should bomb caves where immigrants hide out? Do the people who support this nut really listen to him or are they just thrilled because hes an A.A. that spews wingnuttery just like them? I think that's the charm they find in him: Look! He's black and so that means we're not racist cuz we support him, even if we make fun of other black people by calling them apes and monkeys! We can't be bigots cuz we love Dr. Ben and his bigotry!

Anonymous said...

Shaw, last weekl you put up a post that quoted far righties calling Muslims "vermin" and also reported a nutjob who wants to deport Americans who practice a faith he hates.Those same nutjobs love Carson's bigotry and have no problem with his stupidity over the US Consstitution. How does the Tea Party reconcile a man with no understanding of our Constitution who wants to lead this country? IF that ismn't a plan to "destroy" America --disregarding religious freedom--then what is? If a liberal politician or anyone said what Carson and those nutjobs said about Islam--if they said that about Christianity we'd hear the howls on Mars! But the same people who call for American Muslim's deaths and deportation are the same nutjobs who say Christians are persecuted? They've all gone down the rabbithole on this subject and they don't even know it.

Shaw Kenawe said...

"It was left to Carson's spokesperson, Doug Watts, to try to soften Carson's claim — a tricky task, given the definitive nature of Carson's statement. "He did not say that a Muslim should be prevented from running, or barred from running in any way," Watts said.

In other words, the defense of Carson from Carson's own campaign is that while the candidate "absolutely" would not support a Muslim president, he does not think it is currently illegal for Americans of Muslim faith to run for president.

But Carson's comment was more than a gaffe. It came after Donald Trump indulged a supporter who said, "We have a problem in this country, it's called Muslims." It comes amidst a sharply rising tide of Islamophobia in America. And it comes in context of a presidential campaign where Republican candidates are being rewarded for bigoted comments.

Carson's statement is being treated in the press as a disaster for his campaign. But no one should be surprised if his poll numbers rise in its aftermath."


Of course not. He'll only rise in approval with the wingnuts who call all Muslims (which includes Americans) "vermin," and who want to kick Americans who practice their faith out of their own country. By any definition, those who approve of that or say nothing in defense of religious freedom are disgusting bigots. But they're also chest-thumping patriots to each other, so long as they share their bigotry.

As Anon above commented: What would these nuts have to say if Christians were called "vermin" and if a nut said they should all be kicked out of their own country, America?

They might say that Muslims are jihadists, and yes, a small percentage of the billion plus Muslims are, just like a small percentage of Christians are killers as well. What they can no long claim is that some Muslims advocate death to infidels because those right-wing nuts are advocating the exact same thing for ALL Muslims.

Shaw Kenawe said...

CORRECTION:

This statement:

"What they can no long claim is that some Muslims advocate death to infidels because those right-wing nuts are advocating the exact same thing for ALL Muslims."

should have read:

What the right wing nuts cannot claim is that ALL Muslims advocate death to infidels and then turn around and advocate the exact same thing -- for ALL Muslims.

(O)CT(O)PUS said...

To explain my absence from the blogosphere of late (in part because I recently moved to a new house), I have also been writing commentary for the local edition of a Scripts newspaper. Yup, I created a new avatar and write as humble humanoid to mask my true identity … because people are prejudiced against cephalopods.

So here is the controversy I have been writing about: A local evangelical minister is running for public office and openly hates liberals; he recently accused a minister of the Unitarian Church of promoting reprisal crimes against law enforcement. The Unitarian Church supports the “Black Lives Matter” movement. IOW, the evangelical minister equates “BLM” with crimes against law enforcement, and demanded an apology from the Unitarian minister.

Here is the text of my commentary:

I have a close friend who works for the North Carolina Legislature. She studies pending legislation for economic, legal, and social impacts and makes recommendations to lawmakers. Her job requires a wealth of knowledge, and her credentials include a Law degree, a Masters Degree and numerous certifications. Yet, her accomplishments mean nothing.

When she visits an upscale department store, she is shadowed by store security and profiled as a suspected shoplifter. Why?

My friend is a black woman. She is judged by the color of her skin, not by the content of her character; not by her accomplishments, nor her service to the citizens of North Carolina. Here is an example of gratuitous stereotyping and racial profiling: My friend is not free to shop in the same way as a white person. How degrading and humiliating to be treated with suspicion everywhere you go!

There can be no racial reconciliation without honesty; but Dale Glading [the rightwing reactionary minister] has not brought honesty or balance to this discussion. He employs shameful rhetoric to discredit any meaningful conversations on race.

Glading refuses to acknowledge the taint of crime statistics that torments good people like my friend and condemns her to second-class citizenship.

Even more shocking, Glading assails a respected religious leader of this community over an act of conscience. Moral support for our black community does not equate with reprisal crimes against law enforcement – a false equivalence that is divisive, offensive, and unethical.

What next? Will Dale Glading assail other religious leaders for acts of compassion and community outreach just to score political points? If the Reformation is considered settled history, Glading has just opened a new and disturbing chapter.

Glading proves himself incapable of healing the wounds that divide us by disrespecting other stakeholders in our community. We deserve honesty and integrity, not demagoguery. We deserve leadership, not this predatory partisanship.


My point in sharing this you: You gotta go into the community and challenge this kind of bullying. Hiding inside the blogosphere will not longer cut the bullshit. I think most of you the subject 'legislative analyst" in my letter ... our dear friend Sheria Reid who passed away suddenly in July. I dedicate this effort to Sheria, who taught us so much about race relations in America.

Shaw Kenawe said...

Thanks for posting this. There's a lot of this sort of elimination rhetoric in the fringe right wing blogsphere, where on any given day one can read them calling American citizens "vermin," and urging that they be deported because of their religion. And now we have a presidential candidate, Ben Carson (who's supposed to be brilliant because he's a brain surgeon) saying a Muslim should never be president, which is shocking to hear from someone who, if he became president, would have to swear to uphold and defend the Constitution. Clearly, he doesn't believe in our founding document. When Carson makes dumb statements like this, it makes me wonder if in fact he was a brain STURGEON, instea of a brain SURGEON.

Call Me Hank said...

Not too bright bloggers spreading this false story:

IT BEGINS: MUSLIM DEMANDS MUNICH END ‘ANTI-ISLAMIC’ OKTOBERFEST

And the easily duped, Stupidest Man on the Internet fell for it, which then was picked up by other dupes. One guy, ONE GUY!, writes a demand on Change.org, and the anti-Muslim freaks believe all Muslims are in on the demand. Like I said, DUPES!

Clearwater, Florida said...

Every rank-and-file wingnut in America is certain that Muslims seek to impose "sharia law" on America, although no wingnut actually knows what that means. And Carson talks a lot about "sharia law."

Sharia law? Is that like saying God's law is above tgovernment law? Like that woman in Kentucky said. She believes her god's law is above the civil law she swore to uphold. That sounds a lot like a Christian version of sharia law to me.

okjimm said...

allrightee ,Shaw.....now you have me upset.... "makes me wonder if in fact he was a brain STURGEON,".......gees, the sturgeon is a pretty neato-keen fish,if a bit ugly,and you can harvest their eggs and spread them on crackers. I think you owe the sturgeon and apology.

Ducky's here said...

Well another one bites the dust.

Scott Walker drops out and I figured him for the long haul.
Trump just sucked the oxygen out of that campaign.

I don't know how this goes but apparently you can't be too crazy to be a front runner.
Look for Cruz to make a move.

I don't know how this plays out but sanity is nowhere in sight.

Shaw Kenawe said...

"I don't know how this plays out but sanity is nowhere in sight."

The Trumpster is dissing FAUX NOOZ, and he's still using meaningless sound bites to explain what he'd do as POTUS. His schtick is getting old and boring.

Dr. Carson keeps stepping in it because he apparently doesn't know the U.S. Constitution from a recipe for S'mores. This guy wants to be president?

The Trumpster has managed to alienate Latinos, women, Muslims, POWs, and anyone with functioning brain cells. Carson won't get much further than where he is now -- he's too politically naive. And Fiorina is still taking heat for her huge mistake in claiming what she saw on those faked Planned Parenthood tapes.



Les Carpenter said...

How it goes...

Rubio
Fiorina
Cruz

Trump flames out... Bush stabilizes
Huckabee... still trying to get an appointment to talk with the God in the Sky
Carson... Slowly fades, never had the fire
Christie... Thet is always 2020, 2024
Kasich... the best in the lot, to sane for the base

Possible tickets... Rubio/Fiorina, Bush/Cruz. Hey, anything is possible in the realms of 21st century conservativedom.

The show will be entertaining for sure.

Cranston, RI said...

I guess Carson wants to fundamentally transform the U.S. if he's president by ignoring the constitution he would have to swear to uphold? The guy knows jacksh*t about constitutional law, but if anyone in the White House ever needs brain surgery while he's president, we'll have a winnah!