Back in 2008, everybody knew that if Obama was elected that some of America’s right wing would come unhinged. But I don’t know if we really expected the types of people who would become right wing mouthpieces. We should have; we had early examples during the election. People like Joe the Plumber, who is the epitome of some kind of identity politics, yet isn’t named Joe and isn’t really a plumber.
As we approach the next election, the examples are worse. Chuck Norris? Seriously? Seriously seriously?
But somehow the worst is Victoria Jackson. She’s just so … baffling. She’s playing a ditzy blonde character while ranting about Tea Party talking points. Is she joking? Is she serious?
Julia Sweeny, who has apparently been a target of Jackson’s, believes that she’s serious. Or to put it another way, “She’s not Andy Kaufman,” so she’s not yanking the audiences’ chain. She wants the laughs she gets from her “dumb blond” character, but also believes the opinions that character is spouting.
Sweeny considers how counterproductive Jackson’s style is:
To me it would be like, like if there was a “comedian” who’s character was a Marxist-Leninist. He wears a beard and small round glasses and all black and he says things like: The Government should own all the land! People should not be allowed to own any money! Free Enterprise should be stopped!
And then he has a soap box that he carries around with him, and he puts it out there – and it even says “Soap Box” on it, and he gets on top of it and yells and gesticulates like a cartoon of communism.
And he’s on talk shows and everyone laughs at how nutty he is.
Only he really believes what he’s saying. He may be somewhat confused about why people are laughing. But he doesn’t care enough to analyze it, he really just wants the laughs. He hears the laughs, and he’ll happily take the laughs.
Now, wouldn’t you have a certain contempt for this person?
That makes Jackson sound like she’s desperate for the attention, not matter what kind of attention. But in playing both self-mocking comedian and pundit at once, she’s doing more damage to her side than anything else. Which, of course, means that I hope she keeps it up.
An Indiana Senate panel has approved a bill that would allow creationism to be taught in Indiana’s public schools.
The Times of Munster reported that the Republican-controlled Senate Education Committee voted 8-2 Wednesday to send the legislation to the full Senate despite pleas from scientists and religious leaders to keep religion out of science classrooms.
The bill allows schools to authorize “the teaching of various theories concerning the origin of life” and specifically mentions “creation science” as one such theory. Creationism is the belief that the Earth and its creatures were created by a deity.
Purdue University professor of chemistry John Staver told the panel evolution is the only theory of life’s origins that relies on scientific investigations. He says creationism “is unquestionably a statement of a specific religion.”
Every now and then, Snopes debunks some rumor about horrible things that are being done with aborted fetuses. Apparently, there’s a politician in Oklahoma who believes these stories. From KRMG:
You might think this is a story out of ‘The Onion’ but it is a real story.
An Oklahoma lawmaker files a bill to ban the making and selling of food or products that use aborted human fetuses.
State Senator Ralph Shortey says he’s done research and found reports that companies have used stem cells in the research and development of food.
This is the first I’ve heard of stem cells being used for food R&D. Usually it’s something about how fetuses are being used to make gelatine, or about how some restaurant in part of the world we don’t like is serving grilled fetuses as an appetizer.
The lawmaker that represents Oklahoma County couldn’t give any specific examples. [...]
A number of food makers have denied the claims.
Big surprise there.
Over at Dangerous Minds, Richard Metzger did some checking about Senator Shortey:
Also in 2012, Shortey introduced a bill seeking a public vote on amending the Oklahoma Constitution to abolish the Court of Criminal Appeals. In the past he’s introduced measures to deny citizenship to babies born to illegals and an amendment to a bill that would have allowed legislators to carry firearms anywhere, including government buildings. If you’ve seen any video footage of this guy, he’s as dumb as fucking rock.
You do know how this moron got into office, don’t you? It’s simple: He ran and more people voted for him than his opponent.
Not long before dropping out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination, Rick Perry decided to defend his skepticism of climate change by playing the Galileo Gambit:
The science is not settled on this. The idea that we would put Americans’ economy at jeopardy based on scientific theory that’s not settled yet to me is just nonsense. Just because you have a group of scientists who stood up and said here is the fact. Galileo got outvoted for a spell.
There’s been a lot backlash. In one response, Corey Robin dredged up one of the most painful examples of the Galileo Gambit in American history. This is a quote from Alexander Stephens, vice president of the Confederate States of America, and his famous Cornerstone Speech. This was delivered in Savannah, Georgia, shortly before hostilities began:
As I have stated, the truth of this principle may be slow in development, as all truths are and ever have been, in the various branches of science. It was so with the principles announced by Galileo it was so with Adam Smith and his principles of political economy. It was so with Harvey, and his theory of the circulation of the blood. It is stated that not a single one of the medical profession, living at the time of the announcement of the truths made by him, admitted them. Now, they are universally acknowledged. May we not, therefore, look with confidence to the ultimate universal acknowledgment of the truths upon which our system rests?
Any guesses which principle Stephens was talking about? Any guesses at all? It’s the same principle which Stephens declared was the cornerstone of the Confederate government:
Our new Government is founded upon exactly the opposite ideas; its foundations are laid, its cornerstone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery, subordination to the superior race, is his natural and normal condition.
I could wish that this had discredited the Galileo Gambit for American politicians, but sadly that is not the case.
Because it’s important to teach one 
