Politicians who are legitimately stupid rarely get elected.

[footfootfoot]

Discuss.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Unless they're sock puppets for the nefarious power brokers... It was easier, however, before the internet.

[morethanpretty]

They just act legitimately stupid?

[DanaC]

Emphasis on the 'rarely', I think. But y'know....it only takes one or two to right royally fuck up the landscape.

[Griff]

"If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down." - recently flown stupid flag

I do know smart people who put their brain through a lot of hoops to match their belief system. It isn't out of the question that politicians have to put their brains through a lot of hoops to meet their constituents dumbass beliefs.

[ZenGum]

Politicians who are legitimately brilliant also rarely get elected.

2000, dude, how was it even close???

[infinite monkey]

I don't think it's rare at all. I knew foot was alluding to this gem of a statement, but couldn't figure out any intricate cut and pasting from my phone. Again, I don't think this kind of thinking is an exception to the rule; for many it is the be-all end-all rule. And it scares the bejeebus out of me:

"First of all, from what I understand from doctors, that's really rare," Akin said of rape-induced pregnancy in an interview with KTVI. A clip of the interview was posted online by the liberal super PAC American Bridge.

"If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down," Akin continued. He did not provide an explanation for what constituted "legitimate rape."

He added: "But let's assume that maybe that didn't work or something. You know I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be on the rapist and not attacking the child."

Akin, a six-term U.S. congressman, touted his socially conservative values on the primary campaign trail, and gained the support of 2008 presidential candidate and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. He was one of the first members of Congress to join the Tea Party Caucus in 2010 and has easily won re-election in recent years.

The lawmaker raised a notable $2.2 million this cycle, as of July 18.

Akin - who sits on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee - has long held a hard-line stance on abortion. He is opposed to abortions in all circumstances, and has said he also opposes the morning after pill, which he equates to abortion.

Later, his handlers had him issue an "well I didn't mean it like THAT" statement, because he really does empathize with women who are victims of rape and abuse. Legitimate rape and legitimate abuse, whatever that is.

There are no words, except: stop the planet, I want to get off.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com...ncy/?hpt=hp_t1

[infinite monkey]

Hey, if it takes a spammer to reply to absolutely anything I say...I'll take it!

Did the spammer express outrage (or even thinly veiled disdain?) on behalf of women everywhere?

[glatt]

Hard to say. The spammer's post started off like this, and went on for several hundred similar words.

Opisu najprostszych sposobow smazenia i brykiety z glosami....

[infinite monkey]

Well heck, that's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.

In my interpretation, of course.

[BigV]

I also read the story about Akin's remarks with disbelief and horror. TWIL and I talked about it extensively yesterday. We disagreed about some parts and agreed about some parts. Both of us agree that Akin is a dumbass and that his remark is legitimately stupid. We disagree about whether or not Akin actually believes what he said the first time, "If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down". I contend that he doesn't really believe it and that it was just stupid pandering. I just find it hard to believe despite their alluring mystery, believing this statement indicates a lack of understanding about where babies come from that every ten year old I've ever met already knows. TWIL on the other hand thinks that it he's just stupid. Hard to say. I think it is clear that he's pandering--"look how hardcore I am--no abortion, no way, no how". And, though it saddens me, I think many of the people he directs such a message to may well believe his statement.

His follow up remarks, and I paraphrase: "I misspoke. Rape victims are understandably emotional, and while I have great sympathy for them I don't believe that harsh punishment is fair to the innocent child".

Misspoke? Yes, yes he did. He mistakenly spoke his thoughts when the right thing to do would have been to keep his mouth shut in range of a hot mike. I believe he believes this is the right way to think and act. Just look at his "clarification". He says he misspoke, right. But then he quickly switches to how emotional these women are and that the bad guys (assuming the rape was, you know, legitimate) should be punished but not the baby. Think of the children! No retraction, no "wow, that came out wrong, let me set the record straight", nothing like that. This is his position. It just...smacks of victim blaming to me, like he thinks there's no risk for the woman.

When I read through Google News' front page, I see news items from everywhere (well, it seems like everywhere, but how would I know?). Fox News is a very prominent name in lots of the world news and US news and political news sections, etc. In reading about this story, they were very conspicuously absent from the top thirty or forty providers of this story. I went to FoxNews.com and looked for the article. I *did* find it, but it's pretty well buried. Not something Fox's editorial and journalistic standards for important news. Unsurprising.

[monster]

Maybe he does really believe that's possible. Cognitive dissonance is a powerful thing paving the way for all sorts of strange beliefs to develop. He knows abortion is bad. He knows rape is bad. He knows that people cite rape as the most legitimate reason for abortion. So he needs to use the word legitimate and he needs to address the what if a pregnancy results from rape. Easiest option is Denial. Pretend that it doesn't. We all know humans are naturally wired for Denial. it's a great self-defence mechanism. Deny the problem exists, deny abortion is the only solution.

The stupidity perhaps lies in the not questioning/checking the soundnes of his beliefs once in a while. But so few people do that, and they can't all be stupid. Can they?

Or maybe he doesn't believe it and it's just a political maneuver. Well that's stupid too because the obvious answer would have been to get all religious about it. He's not sucking up to the people who support abortion in case of rape, he's sucking up to the extreme pro-lifers, so why not just go the religous route? works for the creationists.

But then, I think a lot of people are pretty stupid and it generally causes trouble for me when I say so, especially if I don't "know them in real life" So I now tend to just keep it shut and stay away from them, because I have a low tolerance for stupid. I may even have a stupid allergy.

[Griff]

So he is saying, if a man and a woman really love each other... it isn't legitimate rape. Where does the stork figure in?

Also a neat little assumption here is that women's work is having babies, so it doesn't really matter whose babies.

[monster]

I think the use of the word "legitimate" may be kind of smart just as long as he doesn't let himself get tricked into defining "legitimate rape", which he's successfully done so far.

Unspeakably immoral IMO, but maybe not stupid. Remember, some geniuses are evil.....

I'm finding it really hard to stay away from religion here, which will undoubtedly cause me to offend just about every body, so i think I'd better stop.

I think what this guy says does and believes is despicable, i was just rising to the challenge of the thread. And now I remember why i stay away from the politics forum.

[Griff]

Originally Posted by monster

I'm finding it really hard to stay away from religion here, which will undoubtedly cause me to offend just about every body, so i think I'd better stop.

[my teenage]Do it! You won't.[/daughters]