Christine O'Donnell

[PlaysLikeMyung]

For those of you who don't live near enough to Delaware for her to be relevant: Christine O'Donnell is the GOP nominee for Senate, vying for Joe Biden's old seat. She is a Tea Party conservative who beat out Republican Mike Castle, whom Delaware (a largely liberal state, ironically) has voted into office consistently for the past 15 or so years.

https://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/10/19/odonnell-gets-coons-for-constitutional-law-101/

Read that. It's hilarious. I can't believe she won the nomination....

[bosk1]

Coons is a doofus. 

[Seventh Son]

So she bashes her opponent for not memorizing the entire constitution but she doesn't know the whole thing either?

[Sigz]

Coons responded by quoting the relevant text: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion."

"That's in the First Amendment?" a still skeptical O'Donnell replied

What. The. Fuck.

[zerogravityfat]

she has a graduate fellowship! which was from a conservative think tank that lasted 7 days! fuckin lol 

conservative base is so gullible.

[bosk1]

Coons responded by quoting the relevant text: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion."

"That's in the First Amendment?" a still skeptical O'Donnell replied

What. The. Fuck.

Watch the video, Sigz.  The article you are quoting misquotes Coons.  He actually misquoted the First Amendment, hence her response of "That's in the First Amendment?"  (It's right at the end of the video, and you have to turn it up because Coons starts mumbling through his response)

[Sigz]

Naturally the one time I actually pay attention to CNN they're wrong.

But watching it, I'm still not sure I buy that. He said "congress shall make no establishment of religion". Why would she ask 'that's in the first amendment?' rather than just correct him if she knew what the actual wording was?

[bosk1]

He says "government shall make no establishment of religion," which is incorrect on several levels.  As far as O'Donnell, I have no idea whether she knows what she is talking about or is a complete moron.  But I thought Coons looked like a complete idiot in the video who was fine when he was reading from his cue cards, but completely fell apart when called upon to articulate a thought of his own.

[PlaysLikeMyung]

The actual wording is this: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof

Now, to me, that says that the government can't force us to learn about Creationism because it is a religious concept. And in that case they would be 'respecting an establishment of religion'

That's just how I see it.

From a purely academic perspective, Creationism holds no scientific value, and so should not be taught in science classes. If schools want to offer a theology class, or something similar, where it can be taught as an elective, I'd have no problem with it.

[bosk1]

I disagree with your interpretation, but that aside, let's try not to go off on that tangent in this thread if at all possible.  Let's discuss O'Donnell, not our own interpretations of the Establishment Clause.

[PlaysLikeMyung]

Okay. I thought it was relevant to her comments, but yeah.

Oh, and apparently she dabbled in Witchcraft in the late nineties

[bosk1]

Yeah, I remember seeing a report on her a while back on some of that stuff, but I haven't had the time (or inclination) to really do any digging on my own to figure out whether (1) a lot of the stuff people are digging up on her now is easily explanable as either being taken out of context or things she dabbled in when she was young and stupid but would no way support now, or (2) whether she really is a clueless doofus.  With the witchcraft example, I think I recall her explanation was something along the lines of, she was dating some guy, and he took her out and they ended up dropping in on a coven meeting or something like that, and she didn't realize what it was until she was already there.  When it comes to stuff like that, I mean, who really cares?  Whatever the explanation is, just be honest about it and let's move on.  If she is lying and trying to cover it up, yeah, okay, she's not a good candidate.  If she addresses it, it just gets (or at least should get) dismissed as a lame attempt to dig up dirt.

[PlaysLikeMyung]

From the TV clips I saw, her words during the interview was that she "dabbled in witchcraft", meaning she was an active Wiccan for some time at least.

And she had some funny things to say about masturbation as well

If I can find that clip later I'll post it

[El Barto]

I think I understand your issues with the guy, Bosk, but leaving out ideological differences, it's pretty clear that he's a helluva lot sharper than this girl.  Yes, he misquoted the first amendment, but she didn't seem to have any clue what the hell it even is. 

On a side note, I watched her anti-masturbation message, and was struck by an extraordinary contradiction that she was both really hot and really ugly.  Her aversion to lustful thoughts was damn near enough to keep me from having them (but not quite).

[PlaysLikeMyung]

She looks like Sarah Palin, to an extent, which is kinda creepy

[bosk1]

Her aversion to lustful thoughts was damn near enough to keep me from having them (but not quite).

And, yeah, she might be a complete idiot.  I have no idea.  I'm just tired of conservative candidates getting shot down as morons simply because they're conservative, so I'm willing to play devil's advocate and give her the benefit of the doubt (especially when her opponent has issues the press was not willing to ackowledge).

[PlaysLikeMyung]

Her aversion to lustful thoughts was damn near enough to keep me from having them (but not quite).

And, yeah, she might be a complete idiot.  I have no idea.  I'm just tired of conservative candidates getting shot down as morons simply because they're conservative, so I'm willing to play devil's advocate and give her the benefit of the doubt (especially when her opponent has issues the press was not willing to ackowledge).

Because you live on the other side of the country I don't know how much you see of her, but since I live right next to Delaware it's all over the news.

Honestly, she is a complete idiot. It's not that she's conservative. It's because she's an idiot.

And she uses campaign money to pay her rent

[El Barto]

And, yeah, she might be a complete idiot.  I have no idea.  I'm just tired of conservative candidates getting shot down as morons simply because they're conservative, so I'm willing to play devil's advocate and give her the benefit of the doubt (especially when her opponent has issues the press was not willing to ackowledge).

Understandable.  My problem is with candidates who can only parrot party-scripted talking points.  Unfortunately, those are the conservatives that your side seems to want to stick out in front of cameras, and the reason so many of them get shot down as morons.  The last big name Republican I've seen that could actually form intelligent statements from thoughts and ideas was George H.W. Bush.  The man was a dick, but at least he could use his head.  Most of the ones to follow have been of the Sarah Palin variety who fall apart if asked a thoughtful question. 

[Perpetual Change]

I've decided that I like her personality, even if I disagree with most of her politics most likely!

"I mean, if you're masturbating then what am I here for, you know?"

I don't know, Christie! What are you here for?

 

Seriously, she seems like a decent person. In that video of her in college, she actually reminds me of some people I'm friends with. But the political side of her, and most politicians, is just ugly. I　actually hate seeing these videos of her because they've served as a reminder of the loss of humanity one needs to go through to be a politician. 

[El Barto]

Honestly, I'd consider any 27 year old who eschews all lustful thoughts and behaviors to already be devoid of humanity. 

[Perpetual Change]

Dude, she clearly doesn't. I mean, it's quite obvious in that video she was saying "I don't want to have a boyfriend who masturbates because then what am I here for?" That's very human, as is saying other silly things because you're caught up in an ideology. But most people grow out of that stuff. Unless they become politicians.

[El Barto]

The Bible says that lust in your heart is committing adultery,  you can't masturbate with lust 

She's clearly opposed to lustful thoughts.  As for her last remark, I thought it was kind of oddball.  "If he already knows what pleases himself, then why am I in the picture?"   Doesn't it seem like she's objectifying herself?

[ack44]

Are all popular female Republicans dumbdoodles?

[Perpetual Change]

I don't know, I know plenty of girls like that in college and, honestly, that kind of philosophy usually fell the the wayside as soon as a decent enough opportunity came their way. I guess I'm really just saying those videos from her past where she talks about having a boyfriend who was into wicca and asks "If he can please himself why am I here?" are a lot less demonizing to me than anything she's said as a public figure.

[El Barto]

Well, she was 27 at the time of that video.  Plus, she's still uber-religious and she's unmarried. 

Which raises another interesting point.  Either she's a liar and/or hypocrite, or she hasn't gotten her [proverbial] rocks off in 14+ years.  Either way, that makes her highly suspect in my book. 

[millahh]

In her own words:

O'Donnell on politics: "When you go into the voting booth, ask God which candidate will further the kingdom of God."
On morality: "There's only truth and not truth. You're either very good or evil."
On homosexuality: It's a "deviant sexual orientation" and symptomatic of an "identity disorder."
On China: "There is a very carefully thought-out and strategic plan to take over America. I think the Chinese government is definitely a foe."
On science: "They are doing that here in the United States. American scientific companies are cross-breeding humans and animals and coming up with mice with fully functioning human brains."
On science: "Evolution is a myth. Why aren't monkeys still evolving into humans?"
On pseudoscience: "Creationism, in essence, is believing that the world began as the Bible in Genesis says, that God created the Earth in six days, six 24-hour periods. And there is just as much, if not more, evidence supporting that."
On school violence: "We took the Bible and prayer out of public schools, and now we're having weekly shootings, practically. My point is there are consequences to our actions, and if we as a nation tolerate sin, generations to come will reap the effects."
On women in the military: "By integrating women into particularly military institutes, it cripples the readiness of our defense."
On condoms and AIDS: "To just throw a bunch of condoms over to Africa and say, 'Here, we're helping you with AIDS,' is just going to further the spread of AIDS over there."
And, of course, on masturbation: "The Bible says that lust in your heart is committing adultery. So you can't masturbate without lust."

[ReaPsTA]

In her own words:

O'Donnell on politics: "When you go into the voting booth, ask God which candidate will further the kingdom of God."
On morality: "There's only truth and not truth. You're either very good or evil."
On homosexuality: It's a "deviant sexual orientation" and symptomatic of an "identity disorder."
On China: "There is a very carefully thought-out and strategic plan to take over America. I think the Chinese government is definitely a foe."
On science: "They are doing that here in the United States. American scientific companies are cross-breeding humans and animals and coming up with mice with fully functioning human brains."
On science: "Evolution is a myth. Why aren't monkeys still evolving into humans?"
On pseudoscience: "Creationism, in essence, is believing that the world began as the Bible in Genesis says, that God created the Earth in six days, six 24-hour periods. And there is just as much, if not more, evidence supporting that."
On school violence: "We took the Bible and prayer out of public schools, and now we're having weekly shootings, practically. My point is there are consequences to our actions, and if we as a nation tolerate sin, generations to come will reap the effects."
On women in the military: "By integrating women into particularly military institutes, it cripples the readiness of our defense."
On condoms and AIDS: "To just throw a bunch of condoms over to Africa and say, 'Here, we're helping you with AIDS,' is just going to further the spread of AIDS over there."
And, of course, on masturbation: "The Bible says that lust in your heart is committing adultery. So you can't masturbate without lust."

Oh dude, that is awesome.  If I lived in Delaware, I might consider voting for her.  The Senate has no chance of actually being useful, so why not use it for unintentional comedy purposes?

[ack44]

Guess I've committed adultery today. Can't remember if it was once or twice.

[orcus116]

lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lk_5EkHYfUo&feature=player_embedded#!

[William Wallace]

Just a general observation: when it comes to defining the separation of church and state, progressives somehow instantly understand the original intent of the First Amendment. The meanings of other sections of the document have "evolved" to meet our modern needs, but that one is nice and neat. Convenient.

And shame on O' Donnell for not knowing the Constitution backwards and forwards; her lame response - "fortunately Senators don't have to memorize the Constitution" - only adds to the Tea Party's stellar reputation.

[Perpetual Change]

In her own words:

O'Donnell on politics: "When you go into the voting booth, ask God which candidate will further the kingdom of God."
On morality: "There's only truth and not truth. You're either very good or evil."
On homosexuality: It's a "deviant sexual orientation" and symptomatic of an "identity disorder."
On China: "There is a very carefully thought-out and strategic plan to take over America. I think the Chinese government is definitely a foe."
On science: "They are doing that here in the United States. American scientific companies are cross-breeding humans and animals and coming up with mice with fully functioning human brains."
On science: "Evolution is a myth. Why aren't monkeys still evolving into humans?"
On pseudoscience: "Creationism, in essence, is believing that the world began as the Bible in Genesis says, that God created the Earth in six days, six 24-hour periods. And there is just as much, if not more, evidence supporting that."
On school violence: "We took the Bible and prayer out of public schools, and now we're having weekly shootings, practically. My point is there are consequences to our actions, and if we as a nation tolerate sin, generations to come will reap the effects."
On women in the military: "By integrating women into particularly military institutes, it cripples the readiness of our defense."
On condoms and AIDS: "To just throw a bunch of condoms over to Africa and say, 'Here, we're helping you with AIDS,' is just going to further the spread of AIDS over there."
And, of course, on masturbation: "The Bible says that lust in your heart is committing adultery. So you can't masturbate without lust."

That's horrifying.  On another note, are any Republicans here actually paranoid that someone might be sabotaging their party from the inside?　I'm not a Republican (or a Democrat) but if I were I'd definitely be asking myself who keeps coming up with great ideas like Sarah Palin and Christie O'Donnel.

[PlaysLikeMyung]

The GOP is making a mistake by further backing people like O'Donnell, who are of no use to their party whatsoever. Granted, they've been keeping as much distance as possible during election season, but still. They were adamantly opposing the Tea Party-backed candidates until they became the GOP nominees, and all of a sudden they support them.

That's real smart

[El Barto]

That's horrifying.  On another note, are any Republicans here actually paranoid that someone might be sabotaging their party from the inside?　I'm not a Republican (or a Democrat) but if I were I'd definitely be asking myself who keeps coming up with great ideas like Sarah Palin and Christie O'Donnel.

When it was just the Republicans, they were great ideas.  Simple candidates appeal to simple voters who relate to them on the same level,  as well as a more enlightened group of of the Republican bloc that just wants candidates to shut up and stay out of the way.  I suspect the tea-party will find that morons aren't advantageous to them. 

[Perpetual Change]

Hm. I guess I'm a little out of touch with this election season, since I've been away and haven't been paying attention to American news. So, the tea-party actually aren't the Republican party? I'm confused. I thought one was such an obvious thinly veiled version of the other?

[PlaysLikeMyung]

Technically the Tea Party isn't a party, but they've all been running under the GOP name