Ladies and Gentlemen, may I introduce to you the Congressman from Kentucky, Rep. Thomas Massie.
The video is a five minute interaction between Sec. John Kerry and Rep. Massie. In the conversation, Massie does not understand that a political science degree is a liberal arts discipline. He points out, correctly, that the average atmospheric CO2 level has been far higher, including during the age of mammals. But, he does not understand that CO2 levels were significantly higher is because of geologic activity millions of years ago.
The most shocking part is that Massie thinks he totally owned Kerry during the exchange. How does a man this stupid manage to get into a position of authority?
I’m not sure the party that keeps re-electing Hank Johnson to GA-4 has a lot of moral high ground from which to sneer at the stupidity of other parties’ voters.
Wait a minute. Massie has advanced degrees from MIT yet does not understand varying carbon levels in geologic timeframes? Seriously?
So you’re saying that what we may have here is an MIT engineer scoffing at a Yalie’s liberal arts degree having the word “science” but not being a real science?
I did not look into Massie’s credentials, I admit. I am stunned to hear that he has such a prestigious education. Did he maybe hit his head on the way to the committee room?
I gather the main objection to Johnson is a ‘Guam tipping over’ remark, and the concept that the remark was serious and literal (and therefore the product of stupidity) is held or dismissed according to party lines. I further gather that Johnson has had health problems which, before being resolved, resulted in some slowness of speech.
But on the GOP side we have the aforementioned Louie Gohmert, Massie, and so many others, past and present: Paul Broun, Devin Nunes, Todd Akin, Jim DeMint, Michelle Bachmann, Steve King…what an embarrassment of riches! Tales are still told of the astonishing dim-bulbery of Dan Quayle. Heck, of the four last GOP Presidents, only one had a reputation for having made it into that third-digit range of IQ.
Of course there is a lot of subjectivity in these assessments, but how many Republicans would want to bet cash on the outcome of an impartial administration of a reliable IQ test to the current Congress–specifically, on the mean-score-by party?
Nah, actually, we’re pretty good. You can tell, because we can post some new bit of jaw-dropping stupidity from Republicans pretty much every day, and you still have to go back almost a decade for your counter.
Have there been a lot of stories eaten up by left wingers how Hank Johnson said really dumb things, but his followers are led to believe that those stupid comments are actually Mr. Johnson totally owning some conservative?
I guess I could have posted Maxine asking the bank CEOs about student loan programs the other day, about a decade after the federal government took over student lending, but Johnson’s concern about Guam capsizing is such a classic moment in history that I couldn’t resist.
He probably does understand, but he believes, correctly, that his constituents don’t, and will think that his obvious sophistry is actually a cogent argument.
Like, even in the area where you* try to slam Waters, it turns out that the GOP’s leader in this area is far more of a fuckin moron.
I’m far from saying our side is perfect. There are some mustard stains on our suits. But your side treats hogshit like Scrooge McDuck treats gold coins.
[off-topic] When I’m referring to the electoral college I often write “51 states”, mostly to save keystrokes but partly to see if some yokel will need to post a Gotcha stupitimus!
Potus is responsible, and receives reports, for Puerto Rico, Guam, and other non-states as well as the 50 states. I wonder if they add up to 57 separate polities altogether and Obama was using a shorthand.
Yeah, this is a “you’re not a real scientist, hur hur, shut up” moment. Of course the distinguished gentleman would mind his words if addressing a straight science Ph.D. who would instead be accused of being a cloudheaded theoritician who doesn’t actually make and fix things people use.
There’s at least 57 polities that participate in the Democratic primaries: 50 states, DC, 5 unincorporated territories and Americans Abroad. But I’ve always seen Barry’s “57 states” as just an honest brainfart after an exhausting stretch of campaigning rather.