JMS Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 Elected United States politicians called out for ignorant, reckless, unintelligent, illogical, or mistatements. (10) Ronald Reagan, "Trees cause as much pollution as automobiles". Reagan who didn't think much of environmentalists made this statement while President of the United States, latter claimed he was misquoted. (9) Nancy Pelosi, "Every month that we do not have an economic recovery package 500 million Americans lose their jobs" Pelosi said this in a press conference in 2009, while speaker of the house. At the time there were only 300 about million Americans in the US and only about half or 150 million were working prior to the 2008 financial meltdown. (8) Ed Koch, Mayor of NY 1978-1989. "Life is indeed precious and I believe the death penalty helps to affirm that fact." said this in an essay from 1988 on death and capital punishment affirms life. I think Koch's thesis would find agreement with many death penalty supporters, but the way he phrased it as killing people who kill people to show people who kill people that it's wrong is a little oxymoronic. (7) Mit Romney, Governor of Massachusetts 2003-2007, Second Presidential Debate. Romney is asked how he would deal with gender inequality and the pay gap between men and women Romney responds... that he keeps male and female applicants in separate binders kind of demonstrated the inequality of the sexes.... besides the image of Romney keeping binders full of women in his office. (6) Gerald Ford, President of the United States, "If Lincoln were alive today, he would be turning over in his grave". Stated during his speech explaining his pardoning of Richard Nixon. It did not reassure America. (5) Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska, "We've got to stand with our North Korean allies." A gaff machine second only to George W. Bush. This quote originates when she was campaigning for VP of the United States and trying to speak authoritatively on US foreign policy. Her campaign staff set her up with the home field advantage of an interview on the Glenn Beck show. Glen no rhode scholar he asks Palin how the US should respond to a conflict in North Korea... The rest was all Palin. (4) Al Gore, VP of the United States 1992-2000. "I took the initiative and created the internet". 1999 CNN (Wolfblitzer) interview. Gore at the time is running for President and is trying to demonstrate his achievements in office and just kind of overstates his case. What Gore meant was he was a key player in the economic and legislative origins of the internet which is true, not that he outright invented the internet. Coarse that's not what folks heard in this iconic gaff. (3) Todd Akin, "If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down." Todd Akin has everything going for him in 2012. He won the Missouri Republican State Primary against stiff competition. He looked poised to win the Senate seat in the general election against a weak democratic incumbent. His mistake, responding to a question about his strong pro life positions he came out with a statement which he would go on in future appearances to say was not a misquote but reflect his true beliefs on the topic; that the female uterus has magical properties which can prevent unwanted pregnancies after rape. even worse Akin used the term "legitimate", which his critics proposed was a "was she asking for it", litmus test. Such that if women did get pregnant, it's evidence that they were "asking for it". Todd got thumped in the general. (2) Richard Nixon, "Well, when the president does it, that means that it is not illegal". David Frost, "by definition?" Nixon, "exactly".. 1977, Frost Nixon interviews about three years after Nixon became the first and only American President to resign from office. Nixon under political pressure due to political corruption and misuse of power charges stemming from Watergate scandal and it's coverup during his administration.. (1) George W Bush.. There are like 9 or 10 you could use... (a.) National Press Conference, "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country or our people, and neither do we". (b.) National Press Conference, "The best way to defeat this enemy in the long run is to deny them the recruiting tools and the recruitments. © "Our Children is learning" Educational press conference. (d) "My opponents have misunderestimated me" (e) "I know that human beings and fish can coexist peacefully" (f) "There is an old saying in Tennessee, I know it's in Texas, probable in Tennessee. Fool Me once shame on..... shame on you... fool me.. can't get fooled again".. (g) "I think the Japanese are going to like the taste of US beef." Honorable Mentions: Dana Perino, white house press secretary, "The Cuban Missile Crisis. It had to do with Cuba and missiles, I'm pretty sure." Arnold Schwarzenegger, "I think that gay marriage is something that should be between a man and a woman." Dan Quayle, "I love California; I practically grew up in Phoenix." Jerry Brown. "We need more welfare and fewer jobs." Herman Cain, On his sexual harassment settlement.. "I know what the word agreement means, I'm not sure the difference between that and the word settlement, I knew they (his lawyers) came to an agreement, I am not sure what they called it". Bill Clinton, "It depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s0crates Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 I'll throw a couple in: Nancy Pelosi: "We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it." Rudy Giuliani: "We had no domestic attacks under Bush." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMS Posted July 19, 2016 Author Share Posted July 19, 2016 The one that made me laugh out loud was Dan Quayle. I should have moved him up. He was a river of gaffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koolblue13 Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 One of our senators a few years ago said it's impossible for a man to rape his wife, because her only job is to be ready for him to have sex. She wasn't allowed to run last cycle, but Alicia Chucky Hanson is back on the ballot. It was in ebony magazine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Harris Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 One of our senators a few years ago said it's impossible for a man to rape his wife, because her only job is to be ready for him to have sex. She wasn't allowed to run last cycle, but Alicia Chucky Hanson is back on the ballot. It was in ebony magazine Your senator forgot about having dinner ready when we get home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koolblue13 Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 Your senator forgot about having dinner ready when we get home. "But if a woman says no and he still wants something, I don’t know how you can call it rape. Maybe because I am not a ‘no’ person, I don’t know.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinsFTW Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 This one below isn't even believable in quotes. You have to watch the video to get the full comedic effect while realizing that a population of people in this country actually elected the dude: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voice_of_Reason Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 "The Internet is a bunch of tubes!" "I did not have sex with that woman, Monica Lewinski." "I am not a crook" FWIW, I think Todd Aiken is #1 on single stupidest quote of all time. Pres. W Bush gets the lifetime achievement award... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExoDus84 Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 Pres. W Bush gets the lifetime achievement award... He's definitely a worthwhile candidate for that prestigious award. He'd have stiff competition from Sarah Palin, in my view. I've never seen a politician more airheaded and clueless than Palin. Also, you could probably throw in most of what Trump has been saying this election season. He's a walking gaffe, even if it's intentional. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMS Posted July 20, 2016 Author Share Posted July 20, 2016 He's definitely a worthwhile candidate for that prestigious award. He'd have stiff competition from Sarah Palin, in my view. I've never seen a politician more airheaded and clueless than Palin. Also, you could probably throw in most of what Trump has been saying this election season. He's a walking gaffe, even if it's intentional. Trump may ultimately displace George W... Yes Palin is stiff competition, but I would direct you to investigate some of Dan Quayle utterings. He's the one who really pushes George. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voice_of_Reason Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 Trump may ultimately displace George W... Yes Palin is stiff competition, but I would direct you to investigate some of Dan Quayle utterings. He's the one who really pushes George. Didn't Quayle mis-spell potato or something? I went to preschool with one of his kids but never knew him... I still give Pres Bush 43 the lifetime achievement award, but if there was a Mount Rushmore, it would be W, Palin and Quayle for sure. I'm not sure about the 4th. Maybe trump. But I somehow put him in a different category of "stupid." Most of the things Bush, Palin or Quale said that were butcheries of the English language were slips of the tongue, an ill-conceived statement, etc. Trump isn't that. He's fully aware of what he's saying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balki1867 Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 Didn't we used to have a thread of politicians saying stupid things? Seriously though, I don't know how you stop at one Sarah Palin quote. Pretty much everything that comes out of her mouth is pure hilarity. Also, the exact Al Gore quote is, "I took the initiative in creating the internet." (https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/wp/2013/11/04/a-cautionary-tale-for-politicians-al-gore-and-the-invention-of-the-internet). This might be my liberal bias coming through, but those couple of words difference change his claim significantly. OMG, the Ted Stevens "tubes" rant was comedy gold. And just to prove I'm not completely partisan, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee also has few gems of her own. The most recent that comes to mind was when she asked whether the Mars Rover could find Neil Armstrong's flag on the Moon (a completely different celestial body). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinsmarydu Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 I think #1 is Bush's comment about insurgents in Iraq: "Bring 'em on." We've lost a couple thousand brave soldiers because of it. ****ing idiot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BornaSkinsFan83 Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 "Heckuva job Brownie" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMS Posted July 22, 2016 Author Share Posted July 22, 2016 "The Internet is a bunch of tubes!" Yeah that was Ted Stevens who was railroaded out of the Senate for corruption... Only about six months after he left Washington turns out the corruption charges weren't actually right. Think Prosecutors dropped all charges... Oh and that line, Think of the "Internet is a bunch of Tubes". Actually was pretty accurate when Ted Said it in June of 2006. You see most people who use TCP./IP or networking use it over an ethernet. Ethernet can dynamically share bandwidth over different connections so Tubes doesn't make any sense at all to these consumers.. Only when Ted made his comment one couldn't use the Ethernet protocol over a wide area network like they can today. Thus designing the backbone of the internet was literally like a series of tubes or a series of different fiber connections which ensured their could be bandwidth upstream for all the connections capacity one was selling down stream. Anyway now they do have high capacity WAN ethernet technology.. So tubes is less accurate today... So your office might purchase a T1 line, which would feed into a larger bandwidth cable and that cable had to converge to an even larger cable ( fiber line) that was the only way to unsure each line could support it's SLA (service level agreement). So the tubes statement Ted said wasn't that far off if you were dealing with the actual internet architecture and not the consumer ethernet side of the house. And of coarse Ted Stevens who came across as an oddly unaware and out of touch old guy for folks who heard his statement, actually was in a position to know this because Ted was in fact the author of the "Communications, Consumer's Choice, and Broadband Deployment Act of 2006". Which made deployment of broadband data capacity to the home a reality for a lot of the country. Basically the bill was all about funding this cascade of every larger and smaller band witch connections. Here are some of the different line types and their corresponding throughput. Here is a good synopsis by Washington Post business section. https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/post/the-internet-is-in-fact-a-series-of-tubes/2011/09/20/gIQALZwfiK_blog.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sacks 'n' Stuff Posted July 22, 2016 Share Posted July 22, 2016 In defense of President George W. Bush, I've been in TX for three weeks now and I can personally attest to the fact that, "Fool Me once shame on..... shame on you... fool me.. can't get fooled again." is the actual phrase we use here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voice_of_Reason Posted July 22, 2016 Share Posted July 22, 2016 Yeah that was Ted Stevens who was railroaded out of the Senate for corruption... Only about six months after he left Washington turns out the corruption charges weren't actually right. Think Prosecutors dropped all charges... Oh and that line, Think of the "Internet is a bunch of Tubes". Actually was pretty accurate when Ted Said it in June of 2006. Yeah, I knew it was the late, great Ted Stevens. And I really should have looked up the exact quote, which is what made it stupid: "“The internet is not a big truck. It's a series of tubes.” I mean, he's kindof right, but it's such a gross simplification of the internet. And you've got to see the video (not the mash-up music video of it, but just his original speech.) The whole thing, the way he said it and what he said, just plain stupid. The Wall Street Journal wrote, "The Internet is a Series of Tubes!" spawned a new slogan that became a rallying cry for Net neutrality advocates. ... Stevens' overly simplistic description of the Web's infrastructure made it easy for pro-neutrality activists to label the other side as old and out-of-touch." It was somewhat accurate. But still. Goes down as one of the more stupid things a politician has said. At least in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balki1867 Posted July 22, 2016 Share Posted July 22, 2016 Oh and that line, Think of the "Internet is a bunch of Tubes". Actually was pretty accurate when Ted Said it in June of 2006. The tube analogy wasn't terrible itself, but it was the most memorable part of a much larger rant that made little sense, with gems such as, "I just the other day got, an internet was sent by my staff at 10 o'clock in the morning on Friday and I got it yesterday. Why?" In his rant, he also never actually made the point you're making-- that the "tubes" tie together to larger backbones (it was sort of implied when he made the statement about people streaming 10 movies at once, but he never actually talked about WHY your neighbor's streaming activity affects you). There was a point buried in there, but the only people who understood it are people who don't need Ted Stevens explaining it to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voice_of_Reason Posted July 22, 2016 Share Posted July 22, 2016 In defense of President George W. Bush, I've been in TX for three weeks now and I can personally attest to the fact that, "Fool Me once shame on..... shame on you... fool me.. can't get fooled again." is the actual phrase we use here. Here are some little known "W" facts: He was born in Connecticut, and went to a boarding HS in Massachusetts. And then college at Yale. So, while he definitely has some Texas up-bringing, I guess our northeastern educational institutions just couldn't teach him how to say Nuclear." Or the correct use of idioms. The tube analogy wasn't terrible itself, but it was the most memorable part of a much larger rant that made little sense, with gems such as, "I just the other day got, an internet was sent by my staff at 10 o'clock in the morning on Friday and I got it yesterday. Why?" I'd forgotten the part about getting the internet. That still makes me laugh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forehead Posted July 22, 2016 Share Posted July 22, 2016 One of the best things about W was the fact that Saturday Night Live (Will Ferrell specifically) could create things for him, they made their way into the public domain, and a large group of people thought it was something W actually said because it was plausible. Strategery was probably the biggest one. I suppose the opposite of this would be Calvin Coolidge, who was notoriously tight-lipped. He was well before my time or anyone else's here, and I don't know much about him, but I had heard an anecdote about him which happens to be on his White House Profile: https://www.whitehouse.gov/1600/presidents/calvincoolidge Scroll down to the last two paragraphs. That "you lose" was a 1920's presidential mic drop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balki1867 Posted July 22, 2016 Share Posted July 22, 2016 I've always enjoyed this clip. It gets good at the 1:55 mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMS Posted July 26, 2016 Author Share Posted July 26, 2016 Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee also has few gems of her own. The most recent that comes to mind was when she asked whether the Mars Rover could find Neil Armstrong's flag on the Moon (a completely different celestial body). I read Andy Weir novel the Martian a few months ago. I was having dinner with my buddy and his wife. We were discussing the book and how much we both enjoyed it. My buddies wife asks if the story was real or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lombardi's_kid_brother Posted July 26, 2016 Share Posted July 26, 2016 Apparently, American politics started 20 years ago. I read Andy Weir novel the Martian a few months ago. I was having dinner with my buddy and his wife. We were discussing the book and how much we both enjoyed it. My buddies wife asks if the story was real or not. Who cut your steak? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinsmarydu Posted July 26, 2016 Share Posted July 26, 2016 I read Andy Weir novel the Martian a few months ago. I was having dinner with my buddy and his wife. We were discussing the book and how much we both enjoyed it. My buddies wife asks if the story was real or not. Funny...reminds me of when Mickey Mantle got his liver donation...the surgeon who performed the surgery was in a press conference and was asked, "Can you tell us about the status of the donor?" and he answered with, "You're a sports journalist, right?" I fell to the floor laughing and crying at the same time. Funny and the most ultimate "sad" for our educational system at the same time. Funny + sad = Trump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Harris Posted July 26, 2016 Share Posted July 26, 2016 So, no one answered the question, was it based on a true story or not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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