GOP: The Party Of Stupid

How long has it been since Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal said the GOP should stop being "the stupid party"?

That was only January of 2013.

Guess what happened when more recently he was asked if he believed in evolution, From Salon:

Speaking at a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor, Republican governor of Louisiana and likely future presidential candidate Bobby Jindal repeatedly dodged reporters’ attempts to get an on-the-record answer to his views on that most basic of questions — whether a force called evolution led to humanity’s present form, or whether mankind was crafted mere thousands of years ago in God’s own image.

“The reality is I’m not an evolutionary biologist,” Jindal said in response to a question from one reporter, according to TPM. “What I believe as a father and a husband is that local schools should make decisions on how they teach,” he continued, flashing some of his suddenly robust and unflinching devotion to über-federalism in all things education. “I think local school districts should make decisions about what should be taught in their classroom.”

How about they should be teaching scientific truth?

It fits with the otherwise anti-scientific stance of his party.  For example when the Pew Research Center asked about evolution, 48% (or nearly half) of Republicans abandoned science and said that humans have existed in their present form (ie did not evolve over time - with or without Divine guidance).

I guess the opening question to any Republican you meet should be, "Do you agree with science or are you a creationist?"  If only to get a feel for how much of teh crazie has infected the room.

GOP: The Stupid Party

Governor Jindal in Politico:

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal on Monday called on Republicans to “stop being the stupid party” and make a concerted effort to reach a broader swath of voters with an inclusive economic message that pre-empts efforts to caricature the GOP as the party of the rich.

In his first interview since his party’s electoral thumping last week, Jindal urged Republicans to both reject anti-intellectualism and embrace a populist-tinged reform approach that he said would mitigate what exit polls show was one of President Barack Obama’s most effective lines of attack against Mitt Romney. [Emphasis added.]

While the interview is about much more (he talks about banking reform, immigration, and how "merely being the anti-Obama party didn't work" for example) he did say:

“It is no secret we had a number of Republicans damage our brand this year with offensive, bizarre comments — enough of that,” Jindal said. “It’s not going to be the last time anyone says something stupid within our party, but it can’t be tolerated within our party. We’ve also had enough of this dumbed-down conservatism. We need to stop being simplistic, we need to trust the intelligence of the American people and we need to stop insulting the intelligence of the voters.”

Ok, then.  Perhaps if Governor Jindal wants the GOP to cease being "the stupid party" he can start with the majority of Republicans (58%, according to Gallup) who believe that "God created humans in their present form within the last 10,000 years" even though the science dates the first "modern" humans evolved about 200,000 years ago.

Or perhaps Governor Jindal could address the 57% of Republicans who don't believe there's solid evidence for Global Warming (when asked by Pew only 43% said there was solid evidence for it) if he wants the GOP to stop being "the stupid party."

Perhaps had Governor Jindal vetoed the "Louisiana Science Education Act" instead of signing it, I'd have a little more faith in his words. And what did the LSEA do? From Slate:

The act allows “supplemental textbooks and other instructional materials” to be brought into classrooms to support the “open and objective discussion” of certain “scientific theories,” including, of course, evolution. As educators who have heard such coded language before quickly realized, the act was intended to promote creationism as science.

Good going, Bobby.

Things to do before/around President Obama's Pittsburgh visit

As you all should know by now, President Barack Obama will be holding a free, public rally at CMU today (you need to already have a ticket to get in). Why not make a day of it!

Counter the Pawlenty/Jindal GOP/Romney Campaign Event

Via the Post-Gazette's Early Returns:

OK, forget all that Is-Pa-Still-A-Battleground hand-wringing: tomorrow is shaping up to be a crazy and fun day in Pittsburgh for presidential politics.  

President Obama of course is coming in for a campaign rally at CMU Friday afternoon, but Republicans are bringing in big guns of their own for a counter-rally across Oakland in the morning, starring former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal (right). The GOP/Romney campaign event is at 10 a.m. at Soldiers & Sailors Hall.

Via the AFL-CIO:

Event Details:
When: Friday, June 6, 9:15 a.m.
Where: Across from the Soldiers and Sailors Hall parking lot. 4141Fifth Avenue (OAKLAND) Pittsburgh, PA 15213



Thank You, Mr. President! We <3 Obamacare!

What: 'We'll have a large homemade banner that says, "Thank you Mr. President. We ♥ Obamacare" and lists the major pieces of the law that will make an enormously positive impact on all of our lives. We'll invite folks passing by to stop and add a thank you message or sign their name, and we'll be giving out great information about the law so folks can quickly understand what's in the law and how it helps them.'

When: Friday, June 6, 12:00pm until 3:00pm
Where: Meet near the entrance to the Morewood parking lot (on Forbes, just before the intersection of Forbes and Morewood).
Hosted By: Pennsylvania Health Access Network
More Info/RSVP: Facebook