Governor Jindal certainly has it right when he suggests the
Republican Party has been the Stupid Party, whether he is the person to make it
less stupid is questionable as he signed a controversial law permitting the
teaching of creationism in Louisiana schools. But it seems clear to me that the
Republican Party has been pretty stupid of late.
Consider a Republican attempt in Arizona to forbid a rape
victim from having an abortion because that would be “tampering with evidence.”
Or how about the Tennessee Republican who wants to cut family welfare benefits
by 30% if their child does not do well in school? And of course there are “nullification”
efforts going on in several states that would make enforcement of Federal laws
a felony (I guess they never heard of the Civil War). And don’t forget the
claim that silencers for guns are useful because they protect children’s
hearing, and perhaps the greatest and most stupid comment ever, “If slaves had
been given guns from the beginning perhaps there would have been no slavery.”
Nor should we forget to mention the claim that in “legitimate rapes” the female
body had mechanism to prevent pregnancy, or that if a baby is the result of a
rape it must have been “God’s will.”
These are only a few of the most recent stupid comments
coming out of the mouths of Republicans. I think they are merely in the best
tradition of the Republican tradition of stupid comments. The Republican Party
has not always been the Stupid Party. I’m sure history would give us many
examples of Republican stupidity, but I doubt there has been any extended
period of time for Republican stupidity that would rival the past roughly forty
years. I think it is convenient to begin with Ronald Reagan when reviewing the question
of Republican stupidity. Surely his absurd claim that “Government is the problem”
should be seen as one of the most stupid claims (as well as the most damaging)
of all time. And of course Reagan was known for other stupid remarks as well, “If
you’ve seen one Redwood you’ve seen ‘em all,” and etc.
President George W. Bush was certainly known for stupid
remarks, far too many to quote here, but a couple of the best:
"I just want you to know that, when we
talk about war, we're really talking about peace." --Washington, D.C. June
18
Our enemies are innovative and resourceful,
and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and
our people, and neither do we." --Washington, D.C., Aug. 5,
Rarely is the question asked: Is our
children learning?" --Florence, South Carolina, Jan. 11, 2000
You might argue these are all merely slips
of the tongue but I think if you take all of the Bushisms together they are
revealing of an underlying at least mild form of retardation.
Of course many of the well known
Republicans in recent years have said things every bit as stupid as Bush. Sarah
Palin, for example:
"As Putin rears his head and comes
into the air space of the United States of America, where– where do they go?
It's Alaska. It's just right over the border." --Sarah Palin, explaining
why Alaska's proximity to Russia gives her foreign policy experience, interview
with CBS's Katie Couric, Sept. 24, 2008
Mitt Romney:
Newt Gingrich:
“The idea that a congressman would be tainted by accepting
money from private industry or private sources is essentially a socialist
argument.”
Rick Santorum:
“There are no Palestinians. All the people who live in the
West Bank are Israelis. There are no Palestinians. This is Israeli land.”
I could, of course, go on, but I think these few examples
show that, as Jindal said, some Republicans have said really stupid things and
that should change. But I don’t believe the current Republican Party can
change, stupidity has become an integral part of who and what they are. Making
completely stupid remarks is a daily routine for the likes of Republican
spokespersons like Rush Limbaugh, Hannity, and others, and apparently there is
a large audience of true believers for their stupidity. Many of them continue
to believe President Obama was not born in the U.S., that he is a socialist, he
will take away their guns, and so on. They continue to try to outlaw abortion
and contraception, protect assault weapons, try to do away with Social
Security, unemployment insurance, food stamps, steal elections, insult
minorities and Gays, and so on even though it is clear the American public is
opposed to such attempts. I think this indicates a vein of genuine stupidity in
the Republican ranks. Now they claim Obama wants to destroy their party,
apparently too stupid to realize they are destroying themselves.
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