Tags for this video have been changed from 'rick santorum, froathy, smart people, conservatives, value voters summit, gop' to 'rick santorum, frothy, smart people, conservatives, value voters summit, gop' - edited by oohahh

Newt is a master of manipulation. The way he smoothly piles begged question upon begged question here is impressive. If you have some time and are willing to suffer mild nausea, check out the Thanksgiving Value Voters summit where Newt plays the Evangelicals like a Stradivarius and rockets to the front of the pack in the polls the next day.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Begging_the_question

Tags for this video have been changed from 'ron paul, herman cain, fox news' to 'ron paul, herman cain, fox news, values voter summit, straw poll' - edited by xxovercastxx

While his rhetoric is par for the course stupidity - Mr. Doofus has a point (even if he only steps in it accidentally).

One of the GOP's many problems is that it tries too hard to appeal to 'values voters'. I would more accurately refer to them as 'Social Conservatives'. The problem is that SoCons are (typically) single issue voters who want government to ban things they don't like. I may agree with SoCons on some issues at a personal level, but their efforts to use government as a bludgeon for social enforcement are misguided and wrong.

Abortion is a good example. SoCons want abortions banned. On a personal level I am sympathetic to the SoCon perspective that abortions are wrong except in extreme cases. But I do not support any attempt to make them illegal because that is taking away vital human freedom. If your cause is truly just (as I believe it is when discouraging abortions) then you make your case at a personal, individual level with persuasion and logic. If the person chooses a different path then that's their business.

The GOP - in an effort to court these misguided SoCons - ends up abandoning the one position that would sweep the GOP into office in perpetuity... SMALL, LIMITED GOVERNMENT. You can't claim to stand for limited government if you are always using government to control people. These days the GOP has abandoned the 'limited government' platform and tries too hard to be 'Democrat Lite' with massive spending and big government solutions. Uh Uh.

The GOP has lost its soul with that position. If the GOP would reclaim the mantle of small government, tax cuts, reduced spending, and fiscal responsibility then they'd dominate the Democrats handily and wouldn't need to chase after these SoCons special interest groups like they were playing Whack-A-Mole.

You're so right. This was hilarious. I caught part of this on TV and specifically looked for it to sift all or part.

In reply to this comment by EDD:
I sifted Prejean's BS "speech" yesterday, it's abso-freaking-lutely hilarious: http://www.videosift.com/video/Miss-California-on-self-Miss-Heaven

>> ^longde:
I see racist in the tags. "Racist" describes nothing in the video.


Nazi!

I think it's unfair to measure an entire group on the example of the worst of its members. I think that's fair to say on both sides of the aisle. This does paint hypocrisy on the "family values" party. As a "family values" voter myself, I suggest you just turn this dude over to us, and we'll take care of the rest. I daresay you won't see him in elected office ever again.

I used to work closely with a state legislature. Attended committee meetings all the time. The mics are almost always hot. They record the course of the committee meeting for posterity and possible FOIA requests, and channel the mics through the overhead speakers during the meeting so that audience members (if any) can hear.

I lost count of how often a pol would start flapping his lips only to have a trusty aide spank him upside the head while pointing to the mic. I think we should be merciful and just make that grounds for automatic recall.

I know, it may make no sense. That is because I am not a true religious values voter. Thus, I have absolutely no morality and I am ultimately destined for Hell(tm). At this juncture it is pointless for me to refrain from making fun of religion. If I stop now, I am still going to Hell(tm)

If I am to suffer an eternity being tortured by the big cloven hoofed red-guy(tm) with horns and a pitch fork, I might as well go out in an intense blaze fueled by fiery brimstone, dragged tooth an nail by Beelzebub and his Quasit army into the depths of the nine hells. I suspect the Leprechauns living in the upper levels of the underworld just below my tulip patch will laugh... teary eyed... at me, as I swoop past them when the Earth opens to claim it's luscious, juicy prize.

After the first decade, both the tortured soul and the demons must become rather bored. Rather repetitive it must be to torture the same person over and over and over again. After a while it just becomes monotonous and not unlike working for the Department of Public Works. Nowhere as exciting as teaching 'Exorcism 101' at the Vatican, or 'How To Maintain 21 Virgins And Have Sex With Them Too' as taught at so many Madrassa around the Middle East.

I suspect Hell must be quite a heavily populated place. Especially with the Earth's population increasing to FAR beyond what it was 6000 years ago. A full 6.6 billion strong! Though as the entire universe is only 6000 years old, they most certainly must have planned ahead to reserve plenty of real estate. They will be fine I am certain. Considering the Earth's diameter is quite a large 12,756.1 km. As a result, we can further calculate the Earth's Volume, which is 1,097,509,500,000,000,000,000 cubic meters. Taking that into account we have PLENTY of fire and brimstone for ALL! Plenty of room in Hell(tm) I say! At least I won't be in cramped quarters. Plenty of room for a few US military bases, and a Pentecostal Church. Demons just LOVE speaking in tongues. Being forked and all, they are quite adept at the language.

Peace.


>> ^MarineGunrock:
No, I say it because just about every one of your comments has something to do with insulting Christians - even on videos that have nothing to do with religion.
In reply to this comment by honkeytonk73:
>> ^MarineGunrock:
You really are a hateful sumbitch.
In reply to this comment by honkeytonk73:
Voter disenfranchising in the name of JEEEESUS. All for the sake of maintaining 'values voter' superiority. Christian morality at it's finest I say.


I probably should not have singled out values voters as being solely Christian. I apologize as that is wholly not fair in the least. Though those not able to speak to invisible magical friends simply have no values, so apparently they cannot be taken into consideration.
I wouldn't call myself hateful (others may and have the right to do so). Rather, I consider myself to be equally unbound by any form of deistic superstition among the hundreds which currently exist and the greater number which has existed in the past.
To elaborate, for those who have interest:
Each superstition in their own right is -entirely- correct in that they are the 'one' true faith. Everyone is correct, as it makes perfect sense. It is also politically correct to roll over and agree that everyone is equally deluded. Life is simpler that way is it not?
So now... I will now go bathe in the Lake of Fire(tm) for my sins, wherever that may be. I'll be sure to let everyone know if fire can exist in a liquid form... though I highly suspect it will be a lake of superheated plasma, rather than fire. In that case, I suspect the environment in hell is of quite high pressure.
The typical maximum pressure at which the human body can maintain life is measurable scientifically. On the other hand.. the non-corporeal 'spirit' with zero nerve endings, could potentially withstand infinite pressure. But then what would be the point? With no nerves, can one have pain? So what is the purpose of torture then? Maybe the big red horned guys just insult the damned denizens over and over again... and that is how they torture.
These are such insults I suspect I will endure in the various supposed afterlives:
"No your mother is NOT Aphrodite, I said a HERMAPHRODITE you nincompoop!"
"Your hair is as big as Tammy Fae Bakker and your eyelashes help you fly!"
"You smell like an all too lonely Arabian goat herder!"
"Your mother was a priestess of Lesbos!"
"Your real father was Pan, your momma got rammed darn good eh Mr coven hooves?"
I shall update everyone from Hell(tm) when I arrive. I hope they have broadband. Watch, one torture is to only provide a 300 baud inernet connection. Upper case text only. TRS-80 COCO!!

>> ^NordlichReiter:
>> ^honkeytonk73:
Voter disenfranchising in the name of JEEEESUS. All for the sake of maintaining 'values voter' superiority. Christian morality at it's finest I say.

Tell us how you really feel, that Women and minorities shouldn't be able to vote. The key word in your comment is superiority what makes you superior? Now I don't no if that was satire or not, but I'm gonna have to give you a big Fuck You.


Such language!

He must not be a values voter.

>> ^honkeytonk73:
Voter disenfranchising in the name of JEEEESUS. All for the sake of maintaining 'values voter' superiority. Christian morality at it's finest I say.


Tell us how you really feel, that Women and minorities shouldn't be able to vote. The key word in your comment is superiority what makes you superior? Now I don't no if that was satire or not, but I'm gonna have to give you a big Fuck You.

Voter disenfranchising in the name of JEEEESUS. All for the sake of maintaining 'values voter' superiority. Christian morality at it's finest I say.

Religious "values voters" put these punks into office.

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

Exhibit A: Time stamps for Prisonpanda's downvotes:
2008-09-17 11:28:05 Bill Maher - Christian 'Values Voters'
2008-09-17 11:27:16 Fire in the hole! - Pirates
2008-09-17 11:26:03 Diamonds - She'll pretty much have to
2008-09-17 11:24:26 Dire Straits - Telegraph Road (2 parts)

I could do more, but they are a pain to extract.

>> ^ElessarJD:
I gotta say, I'm not much of a Palin fan, but I thought she answered the questions okay.

No, she didn't. Mr. Gibson asked essentially two questions:
- Do you know what the Bush doctrine is?
- Do you agree with it?

She completely failed on the first question as it was blatantly obvious she didn't know the answer. She didn't answer the second question at all, and instead prevaricated using the typical "extremist islamofacsists want to kill you. We can't take any options off the table" line. Saying that doesn't actually mean anything, as it gives no sense whatsoever of her approach to foreign policy. She made some statements indicating that military force would only be used as a last resort, but we've heard that one before - fool me once and all that.

I feel Sarah Palin's selection as VP candidate was both foolhardy and carefully calculated. McCain's people knew he needed the diehard base to win, so they couldn't piss off "values voters" by selecting anyone pro-choice or anything but an evangelical Christian. They also needed to try to woo Hillary supporters, so they needed the VP to be completely penis-free. In that regard, Mrs. Palin is the perfect choice - the more obviously qualified republican women are (as far as I can tell) all pro-choice. The foolhardiness becomes obvious when watching this video, or looking into her qualifications with any sort of critical eye at all - she's just blatantly not a good fit for the job.

I'm not a huge fan of Obama (amongst the initial candidates from the two parties, he would have been probably my fourth or fifth choice), but he has demonstrated some qualities that make him well-suited to the office: thoughtfulness and a solid understanding of the constitution. I'll happily give that a chance after these last 7.5 years.

James Dobson, of the conservative Christian group Focus On The Family, said in 2006 regarding the child of (lesbian couple) Mary Cheney and Heather Poe:

In raising these issues, Focus on the Family does not desire to harm or insult women such as Cheney and Poe. Rather, our conviction is that birth and adoption are the purview of married heterosexual couples. Traditional marriage is God's design for the family and is rooted in biblical truth. When that divine plan is implemented, children have the best opportunity to thrive. That's why public policy as it relates to families must be based not solely on the desires of adults but rather on the needs of children and what is best for society at large.

As Crosswords already stated, Sarah Palin was specifically chosen because of her appeal to conservative family values voters. Now I'm not saying her daughter deserves criticism; she should be left alone. However Ms. Palin's stance on family values SHOULD be brought into focus because of what happened to her daughter, because abstinence-only education has been a bust. In fact look at the teen pregnancy rates of all 50 states (from 2002), red vs. blue. Do you notice an alarming trend?

Again, I'm not saying that this girl deserves criticism. However Ms. Palin certainly deserves some, because it is policies that she endorses that leads to higher teen pregnancy rates.

Teen pregnancy isn't the end of the world. Many teens go on to become wonderful parents. However most all parents across the political spectrum want to reduce teen pregnancy for good reasons:

1. Most teens aren't ready, either financially or emotionally, to be full time mothers. The same goes for the fathers.
2. Most of us want our kids to at least have a chance to go to college after high school, that way they can hopefully get better-paying jobs with their degrees.
3. Most parents would prefer not see their teenage daughters get pregnant at all, rather than see them get abortions. Even most pro-choice people prefer that. And let's face it, teens of all backgrounds, liberal to conservative, get abortions. I'm not trying to stigmatize abortion. I am pro-choice, but I'd much rather see other forms of birth-control employed first.

In conclusion: Leave the girl alone, but grill the mom about why she believes abstinence-only is so great. After 8 years of faith-based initiatives ruining our educational system (and abstinence-only education is just the tip of the faith-based iceberg), it's time for us to push back.