2012 Political Predictions

[Conan71]

Anyone else sending Sen. McCaskill a check today?

[erfalf]

All I can say about Akin (or whatever his name is) is that there are certain things in every profession you can't do and expect to keep your job/get the job. Talking so far out of your arse as this guy did is one of them. I don't think the guy was evil or anything, just uninformed (or incorrectly informed according to him) and probably not ready for the big time yet. The pressure on these guys is enormous. Obviously even the most skilled have some pretty major gaffes from time to time, although this was pretty bad.

[Townsend]

All I can say about Akin (or whatever his name is) is that there are certain things in every profession you can't do and expect to keep your job/get the job. Talking so far out of your arse as this guy did is one of them. I don't think the guy was evil or anything, just uninformed (or incorrectly informed according to him) and probably not ready for the big time yet. The pressure on these guys is enormous. Obviously even the most skilled have some pretty major gaffes from time to time, although this was pretty bad.

"Pretty bad"?  He nuked himself and there's collateral damage spreading over his party.

But yeah, you're right.  He stepped in it.  Danced in it.  Skinny dipped in it...

[Townsend]

He's about to go on Huckabee to give his "final answer".

Who's got action?

[Townsend]

He's staying in. 

OK, so now that that's happening...what's next?

You think McCaskill is about to become famous?

[Ed W]

I read something last night that said his answer is in line with far-right anti-abortion views.  Their ideology trumps reasoning, but it goes something like this: A woman can't conceive if she's "legitimately" raped, as in it's a genuine sexual assault. If she becomes pregnant, it wasn't really a rape so she must have consented. And the child produced as a result shouldn't be aborted as a consequence of a sex act between consenting adults.

I gotta go wash my hands after typing that.

[heironymouspasparagus]

As long as you want to bring that up...again,  I'll bring up (again) that it's a shame that the Democrats cannot put up anyone better for election. (Or they would have been elected.)

I agree. 

And then they did, if election is the only criteria - Obama.   Meh....

[Townsend]

I read something last night that said his answer is in line with far-right anti-abortion views.  Their ideology trumps reasoning, but it goes something like this: A woman can't conceive if she's "legitimately" raped, as in it's a genuine sexual assault. If she becomes pregnant, it wasn't really a rape so she must have consented. And the child produced as a result shouldn't be aborted as a consequence of a sex act between consenting adults.

I gotta go wash my hands after typing that.

Heard the same thing on NPR.  Creepy as hell.

[heironymouspasparagus]

All I can say about Akin (or whatever his name is) is that there are certain things in every profession you can't do and expect to keep your job/get the job. Talking so far out of your arse as this guy did is one of them. I don't think the guy was evil or anything, just uninformed (or incorrectly informed according to him) and probably not ready for the big time yet. The pressure on these guys is enormous. Obviously even the most skilled have some pretty major gaffes from time to time, although this was pretty bad.

He is just as informed as any of the other Luddites who say that the earth is 6,000 years old.  From around 1400 AD.

This is so much more than uninformed.  This is negligently ignorant.  This is a Sarah Palin thing - only worse.

The pressure is enormous??  What a rationalization and excuse....

[nathanm]

Heard the same thing on NPR.  Creepy as hell.

It's less the creepiness that gets to me than the deliberate choice to ignore reality.

[Red Arrow]

I agree. 
And then they did, if election is the only criteria - Obama.   Meh....

If election is the only criteria as you say, then there should be no complaints about Inhofe.....

[Ed W]

If election is the only criteria as you say, then there should be no complaints about Inhofe.....

Inhofe's a lousy pilot, Red.  That alone should be enough to bar him from office.  Just sayin'.

[Hoss]

Inhofe's a lousy pilot, Red.  That alone should be enough to bar him from office.  Just sayin'.

He's not a lousy pilot, he just thought X marked the spot!   

[Red Arrow]

Inhofe's a lousy pilot, Red.  That alone should be enough to bar him from office.  Just sayin'.

In some regards, he is excellent.  Successfully landing a plane that lost it's propeller was not too shabby.  The power out part is part of every pilot's training.  The missing component and subsequent change in weight and balance could be more tricky.  He's had a few other incidents (excluding landing at an airport with a closed runway) that would indicate flying skills above the quality of lousy.  He has enough flying time that if he were truly lousy, you wouldn't be complaining about him still being a Senator.  I might even forgive him for ground looping the Stearman years ago since it has those tendencies being a taildragger with relatively tall and narrow main gear.

[Hoss]

In some regards, he is excellent.  Successfully landing a plane that lost it's propeller was not too shabby.  The power out part is part of every pilot's training.  The missing component and subsequent change in weight and balance could be more tricky.  He's had a few other incidents (excluding landing at an airport with a closed runway) that would indicate flying skills above the quality of lousy.  He has enough flying time that if he were truly lousy, you wouldn't be complaining about him still being a Senator.  I might even forgive him for ground looping the Stearman years ago since it has those tendencies being a taildragger with relatively tall and narrow main gear.

If it would have been you or me at that airport in Texas doing what he did, our paper would have been pulled.  I admit some of his skills *were* good in the past, but the incident in Texas, then his subsequent evasion of the consequences a normal pilot would have received after that incident is what really left me sour on his current ability as a pilot.  Let's not forget he's in his late 70s now.