Archive for the 'Dumb Things Said By Smart People' Category

Gloria Steinem’s Shameful McCain POW Comment

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Dumb Things Said By Smart People, Hillary, McCain, Partisan Hacks, Texas

She was stumping for Hillary in Texas and I can’t imagine she will be again any time soon. Of course, Hillary’s campaign may be over soon so this may be a complete non issue. At the very least, Hillary should denounce AND reject the following. From New York Observer: “Suppose John McCain had been Joan [...]

March 2nd, 2008 | Permalink| 10 Comments »

Mark Penn: Red State Democrats? Insignificant!!!

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Democrats, Dumb Things Said By Smart People

This one is a gem… “Could we possibly have a nominee who hasn’t won any of the significant states — outside of Illinois?” Chief Strategist Mark Penn said. “That raises some serious questions about Sen. Obama.” At last count, Hill has won 13 states (including Michigan and Florida, which technically shouldn’t count) and Obama has [...]

February 14th, 2008 | Permalink| 8 Comments »

Candidates Cleaning House

By Sydney | Related entries in 2008 Election, Dumb Things Said By Smart People, Elections, News

Lately, I’ve been reading a series of AP stories comparing the candidates’ personal habits. Today, it’s unfinished house chores. Again, these probably don’t say very much about where the candidates stand on the issues, but they’re fun nonetheless. DEMOCRATS: Delaware Sen. Joe Biden: â€Â?Maintaining shrubberyâ€Â? New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton: â€Â?Organizing my closetsâ€Â? Connecticut [...]

May 13th, 2007 | Permalink| 2 Comments »

Dear John McCain,

By Dennis Sanders | Related entries in 2008 Election, Dumb Things Said By Smart People, General Politics

Dear Senator, So, I see that you tinkering with your campaign after getting reports that you aren’t raising so much money as your GOP rivals. When I heard about this, I had hoped you were going to announce that you would return to your so-called maverick status in 2000. Alas, what I learned was that [...]

April 9th, 2007 | Permalink| 3 Comments »

Romney Invokes Castro Saying?

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Dumb Things Said By Smart People

Now, one can say “Woops” in this type of situation, but how in the hell did he say the exact thing that Castro usually says? Woops… People chuckled when presidential candidate Mitt Romney, a Mormon raised in Michigan and elected in Massachusetts, bungled the names of Cuban-American politicians during a recent speech in Miami. But [...]

March 19th, 2007 | Permalink| 3 Comments »

McCain’s Troubling HIV Answer

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Dumb Things Said By Smart People, Money, Science, Sexuality, Social Programs, The World

He was on his bus answering a question about whether our government should spend money to provide condoms in Africa. And then the reporter asked him an excruciatingly simple question. You will be amazed… Q: Do you think contraceptives help stop the spread of HIV?â€Â? Mr. McCain: (Long pause) “You’ve stumped me.â€Â? Q: “I mean, [...]

March 18th, 2007 | Permalink| 28 Comments »

Ruh-roh

By Sean Aqui | Related entries in Dumb Things Said By Smart People, Foreign Policy, News, The War On Terrorism, The World

Meet Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, the incoming chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. Nice guy, by all accounts quite smart and hard working. And stunningly ignorant. Al Qaeda is what, I asked, Sunni or Shia? “Al Qaeda, they have both,� Reyes said. “You’re talking about predominately?� “Sure,� I said, not knowing what else to say. “Predominantly [...]

December 10th, 2006 | Permalink| 8 Comments »

Maverick No More?

By Dennis Sanders | Related entries in Dumb Things Said By Smart People

I know I’ll probably get a ton of mail saying I’m an idiot to believe in John McCain or any Republican for that matter. Whatever. But I am sad that McCain wants the Presidency so bad that he would stoop to this: To quote Andrew Sullivan, it breaks my heart.

November 3rd, 2006 | Permalink| 14 Comments »

Centrist Dems To Kerry: Apologize Dummy

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Dumb Things Said By Smart People, Elections

First, Claire McCaskill: Claire McCaskill’s campaign called on Sen. John Kerry to apologize for a “botched joke” he made on Monday. “[McCaskill] said it’s a dumb thing to say and he should apologize,” said McCaskill spokeswoman Adrainne Marsh. Then from Harold Ford, Jon Tester and Ben Cardin: “Whatever the intent, Senator Kerry was wrong to [...]

November 1st, 2006 | Permalink| 1 Comment »

John Kerry, Please Go Away

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Dumb Things Said By Smart People

And please, for everybody’s sake, just shut up. From Captain Ed come a few sage questions… Will Ned Lamont repudiate Kerry’s words? Will Bob Casey, Jr dispute his mentor’s characterization of our military as a junkyard for goldbricking idiots? Will Benjamin Cardin affirm that soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines don’t have what it takes to [...]

October 31st, 2006 | Permalink| 18 Comments »

They Just Can’t Resist.

By amba | Related entries in Dumb Things Said By Smart People, Elections, General Politics

Sure enough, Obama is “considering” the presidency. The only fun thing about that is thinking about the heartburn it must be giving Hillary.

October 23rd, 2006 | Permalink| 3 Comments »

Reading; who needs it?

By Sean Aqui | Related entries in Bad Decisions, Dumb Things Said By Smart People, Education, Ideas, News, Technology

In case any of you despair about the workers who will be supporting you in retirement: Educational doomsayers are again up in arms at a new adult literacy study showing that less than 5 percent of college graduates can read a complex book and extrapolate from it. The obsessive measurement of long-form literacy is once [...]

September 14th, 2006 | Permalink| 3 Comments »

Condi Uses Slavery Against War Critics?

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Dumb Things Said By Smart People, History, War

Listen, I don’t think we should pull out of Iraq, but I realize why more and more people are clamoring for it. And unfortunately, a recent strategy of the administration is to try and group those who want us to leave Iraq with the Nazi appeasers of yesterday. Not to be outdone, Condi joins the [...]

September 6th, 2006 | Permalink| 16 Comments »

Padilla gets access to classified documents

By Sean Aqui | Related entries in Dumb Things Said By Smart People, Law, The War On Terrorism

Jose Padilla, the alleged “dirty bomber” who was held for three years as an “enemy combatant”, has been given permission to personally view classified documents so he can plan a defense in his upcoming trial. I was all set to write an interesting post about the tension between security and defendant rights in terrorism cases, [...]

July 13th, 2006 | Permalink| No Comments »

Whaaaaaa!!!!

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Dumb Things Said By Smart People

Do you hear that? It’s the sound of an adult crying over nothing. So yes, the following is exceedingly superficial, but that’s sort of the point. Lee Seigel just penned one of the most asinine editorials I’ve read in quite some time. The topic? Baseball caps. And I don’t even wear baseball caps! In particular, [...]

June 30th, 2006 | Permalink| 9 Comments »

Gay Marriage IS an Important Issue

By Dennis Sanders | Related entries in Bad Decisions, Dumb Things Said By Smart People

With no big surprise, the Senate rejected cloture on a vote for a constitutional amendment to ban same sex marriage. During this whole debate, I keep hearing people who are against the ban that this is a distracting issue and that government should focus on more important issues like immigration or health care. I’d like [...]

June 7th, 2006 | Permalink| 8 Comments »

Dean and Gays

By Callimachus | Related entries in Dumb Things Said By Smart People, General Politics, Sexuality

So if John McCain took heat from moderates for going to Liberty University, what punishment ought to be meted out to Howard Dean for his appearance on the “700 Club?” A natural political step, courting an important segment of the voting population, keeping the party’s doors open to everyone. Yes, yes, but what he said [...]

May 18th, 2006 | Permalink| 15 Comments »

JK Quotes TJ

By Callimachus | Related entries in Dumb Things Said By Smart People, General Politics, History

Not. JFK has been sent to the dunce’s stool — again — this time for quoting Thomas Jefferson in praise of dissent — with a quote nobody has ever found in Jefferson’s actual writings. Eh, I’m willing to give him a pass for this. A great many quotes attributed to the Founders or to Lincoln [...]

May 8th, 2006 | Permalink| No Comments »

Nor Easter

By Callimachus | Related entries in Bad Decisions, Dumb Things Said By Smart People, Religion

From the Associated Press: A small Easter display was removed from the City Hall lobby on Wednesday out of concern that it would offend non-Christians. The display – a cloth Easter bunny, pastel-colored eggs and a sign with the words “Happy Easter’’ – was put up by a City Council secretary. They were not purchased [...]

March 28th, 2006 | Permalink| 13 Comments »

Port Authority

By Callimachus | Related entries in Dumb Things Said By Smart People, In The News, The War On Terrorism, The World

I’m agreeing with Tim F. that the panic over Arabs running our ports is an over-reaction. I’ve said that from the start. It would seem the Bush Administration held the high ground here: Can you imagine the outrage if it had been the federal government that said, “Hey, we can’t let a bunch of A-rabs [...]

February 22nd, 2006 | Permalink| 7 Comments »