Posted on 05/07/2009 8:00:32 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Chris Matthews apparently thinks the GOP is just one big bag of crazy.
MSNBC's "Hardball" host challenged Rep. Mike Pence (R-Indiana) on the Republican Party's commitment to addressing climate change during the May 5 broadcast. Matthews claimed to Pence that the GOP is not passionate about environmentalism because, "There are people that really are against science in your party who really do question not just the science behind the climate change but the science behind evolutionary fact, that we were taught - you and I - in our biology books. They don't accept the scientific method. They believe in belief itself."
Matthews prefaced his argument with, "There are people on your side of the argument who believe that all the prehistoric bones we've discovered in this world, all the dinosaur bones and all that stuff was somehow planted there by liberal scientists to make the case against the Bible."
Pence called Matthews' argument "an interesting straw man" and a "caricature."
Matthews then confronted Pence about evolution, "I think you believe in evolution but you're afraid to say so because your conservative constituency might find that offensive." Matthews continued harping on Pence's belief that "God created the heavens and the Earth, the seas and all that is in them" by saying, "you don't believe that, you don't, you don't take a fundamentalist view of, of the seven days of creation do you?"
Later Matthews offered unnamed "polls that show that a huge percentage of the American people don't believe in evolution ... don't believe in climate change" as proof that the GOP is not "passionately committed to science or to fighting global warming or to dealing with the scientific facts we live with."
And what would a "Hardball" broadcast be without the obligatory swipes at well-known conservatives? Matthew told Pence, "The troubled is that your, your Rush-, your Mt. Rushmore now includes Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin and these characters that don't share either your intellect or your honesty."
Wednesday's edition of "Hardball" featured another discussion of evolution, this time with former Republican presidential hopeful and representative Tom Tancredo. Matthews repeated his characterization of the Republican party as anti-science:
Let me talk to you about what I think are the extremes on this position. One extreme would be there is no God, it`s all sort of random, we all ended up here, we don`t even know why we`re here. Right? That would be a random totally secular view of everything. I don`t think you or I are at that end.
The other end would be, "It's like it's written down in the Bible, we don't have to figure out science, it's all there." And if you really get into the Bible and you're totally literal about it -- I don't want to knock anybody's belief -- you get to the point of having to deny all the fossils out there because they all pre-dated 4,000 years of written history in the Bible, back to Adam and Eve, through the prophets all the way back. And then you have -- then you get into that crazy idea, Well, there's a bunch of liberals that went around and buried all these bones in the ground to make it look like there was ancient history.
Matthews followed up this argument by saying, "Well, I don't think most people believe that. I think except the fact there were dinosaurs that were around here millions of years ago. It wasn't covered in the Bible, et cetera, et cetera."
So if Matthews doesn't think most people believe the ideas he put forth, why bring it up at all?
Right. Because it makes the GOP look crazy.
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Colleen Raezler is a research assistant at the Culture and Media Institute
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/colleen-raezler/2009/05/07/chris-matthews-portrays-gop-anti-science
The Intelligent Design site, Uncommon Descent, had this to say :
http://www.uncommondescent.com/intelligent-design/left-versus-right-science/
“This may come as a surprise to many of you, but Science, at least according to Chris Matthews, is a Democrat thing. Personally, I was unaware that there was a “deomcrat” way to do science and a “republican” way to do science. Someone might explain to me how that works. Is there a “left” scientific method and a “right” scientific method? Matthews certainly seems to think so! How ignorant and disingenous of him! (But, we’re talking about Chris Matthews here, the most misinformed commentator on the networks as far as I’m concerned)
Its worth noting how Matthews tries to build a straw man about Young Earth Creationism (YEC) and then claim that there a “many” in the Republican party who hold that view and who are “anti-science”. Matthews demonstrates admirably the left’s derision of anyone who would dare question evolution, stem cell research, global warming and who knows what else. Matthews appears clueless about the real debates in science about all these things, and ignores completely any of the moral questions involved, pretending, I guess, that they don’t even exist!
I’ll grant that Mike Pence is not exactly the best spokesperson for Science and scientific issues, but trying to tie him to YEC and Fundamentalism only shows how shallow guys like Matthew and those on the left really are. Matthews did a great job of making a fool of himself…but then, he does that almost every night. That’s why MSNBC has the lowest rating of all the news networks.”
Chris Matthews uses the “tinglie leg” method of determination ... if his leg tingles then it must be right ...
Matthews couldn’t win an argument with a shower curtain, let alone with anyone who has an IQ above room temperature.
Any conservative that goes on that show is a stupid putz.
People are being tested. One should not be embarrassed by the word of God. If you are, then have failed the test as a servant of God
Yep. And I just get a tingle up my leg knowing this :)
Why couldn’t Pence give a direct answer?
Yeah - we questioned the science behind The Population Bomb and the Club of Rome and the "science" behind the next ice age in the 70's. etc. etc. etc.
The global warming lie is about as anti-science as any fraud scheme to have come down the pike.
I second that sentiment.
Chris Matthews is an old Democratic political hack. Maybe he should discuss something important, like spending trillions of dollars we don’t have, insulting our friends, sucking up to our enemies, etc.
At this point, Hissy-fit and Olbermeister are paid to make complete fools of themselves, as there’s no other explanation.
Our hamster has more sense than these two put together.
I'm reminded of a passage in one of my favorite science books, by Timothy Ferris -- "Coming of Age in the Milky Way" -- whereby he posits about how an Atom-smasher is like taking a hammer to a Watch to see what might come flying out of it, and then asks: How did the Watch get put together in the first place?
Ferris doesn't actually say the exact word, but he alludes to it with the above question --- only God could put this intricate complex system together.
Anti-science democrats deny the scientific fact that human life begins at conception.
It’s on!!!
Now we’re getting it direct from the MSM... won’t the Evo’s on FR be proud?
Maybe they’ll get a tingle up there leg when they listen to Chris Matthews now.
But that’s not what he did. He tried to straddle the fence. Either he has faith it’s the fact or he says you know, it’s open for interpretation and further revelation.
Me:
“Chris let’s just focus on the Climate so I don’t overwhelm your intellect and to prevent you from changing subjects when your scientific knowledge fails to support your ideology.”
Chrissy Matthews portrays himself as just another little loudmouth trying to make a name for himself idiot..
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