Asshats Times Three: And, Big Surprise ... I kid ... They Are All Republicans

Look, I know that not all Democrats are doing the right thing; I know some are asshats, some cheat on their spouses, some are just plain dicks. But I cannot help that it always seems like it’s Republicans who look, act, and sound, the most stupid.

Case in point: the three-way tie for the ISBL Asshat of the Week honors.

Up there in Pennsylvania, Scott Wagner, a York County Republican ... because, of course ... and a candidate for governor, is a supporter of drilling for natural gas and does not believe in the conventional science behind global warming, saying:

“I haven’t been in a science class in a long time, but the earth moves closer to the sun every year–you know the rotation of the earth; we’re moving closer to the sun. [And] we have more people. You know, humans have warm bodies. So is heat coming off? Things are changing, but I think we are, as a society, doing the best we can.”

Yes, global warming is due to the body heat of people and the fact that the Earth is getting closer to the Sun with each passing year.

Asshat.

Joining Scott Wagner is Iowa Republican ... again, because, of course ... Representative Shannon Lundgren.

As House Republicans in Iowa debated a ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, one Democrat had a question ... revealing just how little the measure’s sponsor, the aforementioned Shannon Lundgren understood about the possible ramifications of her legislation and how little she ... yes, this Shannon is female ...cares about women who face tough choices about terminating a pregnancy even in the most difficult situations.

Representative John Forbes, the Democrat, noted that he has a pregnant daughter and asked this question:

“Worst case scenario, she talks to her doctor next Wednesday and her doctor tells her, we don’t see a heartbeat anymore in this child. Under this legislation, she would have to carry that baby until her life became endangered? Is that good medicine?”

See, the language of Lundgren’s measure defines abortion as “the termination of a human pregnancy with the intent other than to produce a live birth or to remove a dead fetus,” which suggests that the scenario Forbes described would be exempt from the abortion ban, but, again, Lundgren, the bill’s manager, did not know that. In fact, she said:

“Rep. Forbes, this bill wasn’t written for the intent to protect or govern, on the side of the woman. It was written to save babies’ lives. I would concur that — in that instance — if your daughter’s life is not in danger, that yes, she would have to carry that baby.”

Naturally, as soon as the words left her mouth everyone scrambled to say she had “misspoke” but, um, yeah, she is the manager of the bill and she has no idea how it works?

But more disgusting than the fact that she has no idea what she’s talking about is the idea that Shannon Lundgren seemed utterly unconcerned with forcing a women to carry a dead fetus to term.

Asshat.

Finally, out there in Texas ... Oy, again with Texas ... one Republican ... because, of course ... lawmaker, Representative Jodey Arrington, cited a Biblical reference to justify changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program [SNAP].

The passage in question, 2 Thessalonians 3-10 reads “if a man will not work, he shall not eat” was a rebuttal to an expert witnesses, a representative of the Jewish anti-hunger group MAZON. It’s also a standard GOP song-and-dance during debates on SNAP.

But Arrington referenced the verse in a discussion about increasing the work requirements for unemployed adults on the food stamp program because, you know, people who ask for Food Stamps just don’t want to work, they just want a hand-out ... because the Bible told the GOP so.

Asshat.

And so that’s your GOP, ladies and gentleladies ...

They believe Body Heat—not the movie starring William Hurt and Kathleen Turner—but actual, physical, human, body heat is responsible for global warming.

They believe, because they wrote the bill, that women might have to carry a dead fetus to term because abortion in any form is wrong.

They believe the Bible says we should not help the poor, or feed the hungry, but simply tell them to get to works.

Asshats of the Week ... times three.

The Intellectualist: Scott Wagner

Think Progress: Shannon Lundgren
Washington Post: Jodey Arrington