# Attack ads "accuse" politician of believing in evolution **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 15, 2010, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-ads-accuse-politician-of-believing-in-evolution/539517 "2010-05-15T05:14:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-ads-accuse-politician-of-believing-in-evolution/539517/101 "2010-05-18T21:44:12Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > I think there are grounds to say that most Alabama Republicans are stupid. But are they any stupider than say… Alaskan Republicans? [Alaskan creationism with boobies!](http://conservativecancer.com/sarah_palin_5.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-ads-accuse-politician-of-believing-in-evolution/539517/102 "2010-05-18T21:46:42Z")
Found [this](http://ncse.com/rncse/24/5/creationists) with a breakdown of regional creationism and biblical literalism in the middle. Not the one I remember seeing though which had more data broken down by region. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-ads-accuse-politician-of-believing-in-evolution/539517/103 "2010-05-18T22:25:43Z")
I’ll be fair. [Here’s](http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/gnxp/2010/05/the-people-arent-always-right-alabama-creationism/) an easy to read breakdown of how belief in creationism varies across regions in the U.S. While the south fairs a bit poorly, the variation is not as much as some of the prejudiced assholes such as **AClockworkMelon** would like to believe - which is my point. For example, Arkansas scores roughly equivalent to Wisconsin and Ohio. Does anybody want to claim that fucking _Wisconsin_ is part of the South? Also, we should note that only 25% of New Englanders think that “Humans evolved from animals” is “definitely true” ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-ads-accuse-politician-of-believing-in-evolution/539517/104 "2010-05-18T22:33:39Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > Also, we should note that only 25% of New Englanders think that “Humans evolved from animals” is “definitely true” Their legislating is dictated by that how? -Joe ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-ads-accuse-politician-of-believing-in-evolution/539517/105 "2010-05-18T22:45:06Z")
> [@Merijeek](#): > > Their legislating is dictated by that how? > > -Joe Just give it up people, I’m going to win this one. Anybody remember the [No Child Left Behind Act?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santorum_Amendment) > [@](#): > > the Santorum Amendment was an amendment to the 2001 education funding bill which became known as the No Child Left Behind Act, proposed by former Republican **United States Senator Rick Santorum from Pennsylvania** , which promotes the teaching of intelligent design while questioning the academic standing of evolution in U.S. public schools. Game. Set. Match. Monkey Wins! ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-ads-accuse-politician-of-believing-in-evolution/539517/106 "2010-05-18T23:00:30Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > Just give it up people, I’m going to win this one. Anybody remember the [No Child Left Behind Act?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santorum_Amendment) > Game. Set. Match. > > Monkey Wins! Pennsylvania is part of New England? ---
**Author:** ![Creole\_Tomato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@Creole\_Tomato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Creole_Tomato)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-ads-accuse-politician-of-believing-in-evolution/539517/107 "2010-05-18T23:10:05Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > In 1978 I moved from Illinois to Lafayette, complete with long hair and a strong New York accent. Never got hassled once. Cajuns are good people. As for ignorance, at the time they were still speaking an unwritten language, and had been so isolated that there were different dialects of French in towns 20 miles apart. No, South La. really is unlike any other place in the south. Different culture, different heritage, different outlook. Unfortunately, the rest of the south’s politics have made some inroads here. I find most people to be very tolerant–far more than in say Mississippi or Alabama. Still, we can’t forget that David Duke hails from a suburb of New Orleans. No region of the country is short on idiots, as far as I can tell. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-ads-accuse-politician-of-believing-in-evolution/539517/108 "2010-05-18T23:10:36Z")
**BrainGlutton** , Meh, maybe not. But which side of the Civil War did they fight on? Are you claiming Pennsylvania is part of the South or are you just being pedantic? Which is worse legislating: A primary candidate playing to idiots or a US Senator trying to take evolution out of the schools in the entire country? I’ve got to go with Pennsylvania over Alabama in that one. ---
**Author:** ![Creole\_Tomato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@Creole\_Tomato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Creole_Tomato)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-ads-accuse-politician-of-believing-in-evolution/539517/109 "2010-05-18T23:14:30Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Well I don’t think anyone mistook Kansas for being non-retarded (it’s not considered part of the south? Culturally it seems to be) I can’t tell if you’re kidding or serious. I hope it’s the former. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-ads-accuse-politician-of-believing-in-evolution/539517/110 "2010-05-18T23:22:23Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > Just give it up people, I’m going to win this one. > > … > > Game. Set. Match. > > Monkey Wins! You’ll only win if you can show a recent race for governor (or U.S. Senator) north of the Mason-Dixon line where the candidates from either the Republican or Democratic party try to outdo one another during the campaign in showing how pro-creationist they are. Or, to put this way, take the ads run by the True Republican PAC and Bradley Byrne and imagine them being run in a state outside the Deep South (e.g., Minnesota or Oregon). If you can show a place where ads of this type prove successful in helping a candidate win and don’t result in him or her getting laughed out of the race, then you can declare victory. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-ads-accuse-politician-of-believing-in-evolution/539517/111 "2010-05-18T23:30:38Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > But are they any stupider than say… Alaskan Republicans? > > [Alaskan creationism with boobies!](http://conservativecancer.com/sarah_palin_5.jpg) Saying most Alabama Republicans are stupid certainly does not rule out saying that most Republicans in some other state are stupid. It would be fun to see who wins the prize. BTW, random creationists scattered about don’t count. Philip Johnson used to teach at Berkeley - which is not a hotbed of creationism. Many of the Republicans running for the Senate and Governorship nomination are nutzos, but none of them has seen fit to declare either their creationist leanings or their love of JEEZUS too loudly. Too many Hindu and Moslem voters, perhaps. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-ads-accuse-politician-of-believing-in-evolution/539517/112 "2010-05-18T23:31:09Z")
Both of you, What the fuck are you moving the goal posts for? I give you a U.S. Senator and that’s not enough? ---
**Author:** ![kenner116](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecb155/32.png) [@kenner116](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenner116)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-ads-accuse-politician-of-believing-in-evolution/539517/113 "2010-05-18T23:43:39Z")
A _former_ U.S. Senator. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-ads-accuse-politician-of-believing-in-evolution/539517/114 "2010-05-18T23:54:05Z")
Will somebody please tell me where the goalposts are? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-ads-accuse-politician-of-believing-in-evolution/539517/115 "2010-05-19T00:14:35Z")
The goalposts started with gubernatorial candidates believing, apparently correctly, that the Republican primary electorate of their state would respond positively to the use of **“My opponent believes in evolution!”** _“No I don’t!”_ At least, that was the way it looked to me. Dunno why anyone thought it needed to drift from there. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-ads-accuse-politician-of-believing-in-evolution/539517/116 "2010-05-19T03:12:16Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > Region is fucking irrelevant. Hell, let’s do the Brits! > > [_Guardian_ link.](http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/oct/25/teach-evolution-creationism-britons) Oh, fuck. It seems my people _do_ need me. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-ads-accuse-politician-of-believing-in-evolution/539517/117 "2010-05-19T13:23:16Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > South Carolina is like the dotty old relative we Southerners used to keep locked in the attic in lieu of mental health care. Depending on how things are going, we either share a laugh over what she just said or did, or we shake our heads sadly, but we don’t take her seriously. The only things South Carolina is good for are cheap liquor, cheap gas, and fireworks. If it weren’t for those three things, I’d never step foot in that god-forsaken state. Due to some quirks of eighteenth century cartography, I would still drive through it, though. ---
**Author:** ![SweetLucy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@SweetLucy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SweetLucy)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-ads-accuse-politician-of-believing-in-evolution/539517/118 "2010-05-20T01:15:06Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > I wonder how far this will go. In the next ad, maybe he’ll be accused of accepting germ theory and denying that people get sick because of evil spirits that enter our bodies during sneezes that aren’t immediately followed by a “God bless you”. He’ll also be accused of witchcraft and heresy :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-ads-accuse-politician-of-believing-in-evolution/539517/119 "2010-05-20T01:46:40Z")
"My opponent wants to be your Senator. What my opponent isn’t telling you is that he weighs _exactly the same_…as a DUCK! ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-ads-accuse-politician-of-believing-in-evolution/539517/120 "2010-05-20T01:50:11Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > The only things South Carolina is good for are cheap liquor, cheap gas, and fireworks. If it weren’t for those three things, I’d never step foot in that god-forsaken state. > > Due to some quirks of eighteenth century cartography, I would still drive through it, though. Fortunately, those quirks made it small enough to pass through without buying gas or fireworks. I’m not entirely certain that there is any state small enough to drive through without having to stock up on liquor though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-ads-accuse-politician-of-believing-in-evolution/539517.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attack-ads-accuse-politician-of-believing-in-evolution/539517.md?page=7)