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[elfs]

The RNC backtracks on civil unions

Despite both Bushes and Dick Cheney all saying they were fine with states experimenting with civil unions as a way of blunting the gay marriage conversation, RNC chairman Michael Steele announced yesterday that discussing civil unions was "crazy," and added, "Why would we backslide on a core, founding value of this country?"

So much for Steele's promise for a "beyond cutting-edge" transformation of the Republican brand.

Obama vs. McCain: Obama Wins Again

This is just for fun: At a meeting to discuss budgetary issues, Senator John McCain noted in the budgetary breakdown for the Pentagon an allocation for a new Marine One, the president's helicopter. He said to the President, "We all know that the cost overruns, your helicopter is now going to cost as much as Air Force One. I don't think that there's any more graphic demonstration of how good ideas have cost taxpayers enormous amount of money." McCain apparently expected a defensive response. Instead, Obama responded:

I've already talked to Gates about a thorough review of the helicopter situation. The helicopter I have now seems perfectly adequate to me. Of course, I've never had a helicopter before. So, you know, maybe — maybe I've been deprived and I didn't know it. But I think it is an example of the procurement process gone amuck, and we're going to have to fix it.

Jonathan Chait says this is what makes Obama appealing: he completely absorbed and deflected McCain's attempt to once again jab at the rival to whom he lost by agreeing with him and co-opting McCain into reviewing the military budget, line-by-line.

Now, whether or not McCain cares enough about his honor to stick to the position that some cutting of military spending might be in order, is a question for historians and the people of Arizona.

"We support Andrew Wakefield"

And it would be funny if it weren't so damn sad and frustrating. For those coming to the party late, Andrew Wakefield was the research scientist who published a research paper that seemed to demonstrate a link between MMR vaccinations (measles, mumps, rubella) and autism. It was Wakefield's work, more than any other, that has led to vaccination levels as low as 60% in some counties in the UK and the return of measles, a sometimes fatal disease even in young children, to "endemic levels."

It now turns out that not only were more children put at risk of death versus the risk of autism because of Wakefield's work, but Wakefield is now being investigated for sloppy research and possible fraud in relation to his initial data. Wakefield also never revealed two serious conflicts of interest: he was being paid by a vaccine-injury lawfirm, and he was working with another pharmaceutical group to market a "much safer" (and much less effective) single agent measles vaccine. Orac wrote, "If I passionatedly believed that the MMR vaccine causes autism or, even worse, caused autism in my child, I would be feeling very betrayed right now. In fact, I'd turn on Wakefield like a wild boar."

But that's not what's happening. No, the "autism community" is rallying around Wakefield, claiming that he's a victim of "Big Pharma" and it's all a smear campaign against a brave soul who spoke truth to power. Orac has a good laugh at AutismOne's "Petition In Support of Andy Wakefield."

Sam Brownback criticizes fellow Senators for being "bad Catholics."

Senator Sam Brownback goes after Sens. Edward Kennedy, John Kerry, Barbara Mikulski, Robert Menendez, Patty Murray, Maria Cantwell and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, describing them as not "real Catholics," of whom Sam Brownback is the true voice, and decrying them for their support of Democratic positions on abortion. Brownback's own staff have decried the letter as unseen and unapproved by anyone in his office.

Wait, a senator needs his staff's approval before he opens his mouth? That's a new one.

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Comments

[doodlesthegreat.livejournal.com]

Why's it so strange a senator needs his staff's approval to speak? We just had eight years of a president with the same issues...

[lucky-otter.livejournal.com]

I'm completely unsurprised by the response of the woo community to the outing of Andrew Wakefield as a fraud. Of course they support him - they've committed huge amounts of energy to spreading the belief that vaccines cause autism and to avoiding autism. Doing otherwise would require them to admit that they were wrong and have been lead down a dangerous road by their mistake.

It's similar to the Gambler's Fallacy.

[pieforeveryone.livejournal.com]

Cognitive Dissonance also applies here. People are forced to choose between believing either "I have harmed my children" or "Wakefield is being persecuted". Since the former directly and irrefutably conflicts with "I am a good person", the latter is much easier to swallow. If the less distasteful choice is even slightly plausible, it takes a really unusual sort of person to believe the former. (Not to mention a really admirable sort!)

[duskwuff.livejournal.com]

Of course, I've never had a helicopter before. So, you know, maybe — maybe I've been deprived and I didn't know it.

A president with a working sense of humor... now THIS is "change I can believe in". :)

[gromm.livejournal.com]

It's one of the things I've learned from watching The Great Debaters. He's using humour against his opponent as a debating tactic.

[duskwuff.livejournal.com]

Not only is it an effective tactic, but it's also a heck of a lot of fun to watch!

[radven.livejournal.com]

Wow. I am blown away at how Obama handled this.

I can't even imagine what McCain would be like if he had won.

[emeric1120.livejournal.com]

Did you notice that today McCain is decrying cutting anything from the military budget?

Ah, politicians... They can talk out of both sides of their mouth faster than the rest of us can through the middle. (With apologies to RAH.)

[(Anonymous)]

Re: the civil union thing, I am having a lot of trouble understanding why the GOP has decided to double down on social conservatism instead of trying to move more toward the center. Embracing the religious right didn't work for them in 2008, and things are only going to get worse for them as more older voters die and more younger voters come of age.

It's baffling and more than a little disappointing. I would like to see a Republican party I could get behind (or, hell, even a Libertarian party that toned down the crazy by about 80%). As it is, I'm for the most part stuck with the Democrats, even though I don't agree with a lot of their policies, just because they're the only ones who aren't overtly hostile to people who use their brains.

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