Althouse: "American scientific companies are cross-breeding humans and animals and coming up with mice with fully functioning human brains."

September 16, 2010

"American scientific companies are cross-breeding humans and animals and coming up with mice with fully functioning human brains."

Uh oh! That's Christine O'Donnell, my dear friends.

Via Memeorandum.

ADDED: And here she is with Eddie Izzard!

127 comments:

Eric said...: Naaarf!; 9/16/10, 11:34 PM
Synova said...: "That's an exaggeration" he said.

Because the doctor on the show didn't want to get into explaining what it was an exaggeration *of* or divert into defining that a "chimera" is a human/animal hybrid.

It obviously is an inaccurate statement. But how many people who find it shocking do so because of the "silly" idea of growing human brain cells in a mouse?

"This really is about human cloning, about dignity versus commodity."

Not a bad sound bite.

Since O'Reilly insisted that human cloning could never happen in America unless all sorts of crazy was going on, I suppose he agrees about the cloning being bad. Why is he so sure that everyone irreversibly agrees about that?

I think we should clone humans. I think if we did, we'd have an easier time thinking of them *as* humans instead of lab cultures.; 9/16/10, 11:46 PM
Sprezzatura said...: She's so adorable. Shep better watch out, it looks like Fox may be getting a new star.; 9/16/10, 11:48 PM
Synova said...: Well, I'd think that Althouse would find the defense of Clinton's "screwing around" interesting in the video clip.; 9/16/10, 11:50 PM
Blair said...: In any other year this would finish her political career. This time around, she looks sane compared to the Obama Democrats.; 9/16/10, 11:51 PM
Scott M said...: LOL...this is going to be the BEST race in the country.; 9/16/10, 11:55 PM
thule222 said...: Yeah she was exaggerating. The mice have fully functioning human brain cells. Which is different.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/12/1214_051214_stem_cell.html

money quote, "Less than one-tenth of one percent of the test mice's brain cells are human."; 9/16/10, 11:56 PM
sunsong said...: She's too extreme for me. The religious right turns me off.; 9/16/10, 11:57 PM
Ann Althouse said...: She needs to get out there quickly with the "cells" part.

The idea of mice with fully functioning human brains is so ludicrous. I'm laughing just typing it.; 9/16/10, 11:57 PM
HKatz said...: Reminds me of Pinky and the Brain:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinky_and_the_Brain; 9/17/10, 12:00 AM
Anonymous said...: @Eric-

Fuck! You beat me to it... with the first comment too... good job!; 9/17/10, 12:03 AM
Sprezzatura said...: HKatz,

The lib tubes have been all over that. And, a bunch of other video of her.; 9/17/10, 12:05 AM
Skyler said...: So what's the point? The mice do have fully functional human brain cells. Sounds like something that would be very frightening to some people. Should we mock their concerns or address them like grown ups?

The difference between "fully functional brain cells" and "fully functional brains" when speaking quickly to a talk show host (especially as jerky a host as O'Reilly) is petty.

Address the issue. Is it ethical to put human brain cells in mouse brains? It's not an easy issue. Some people may have decided what they think is the best answer but many others have not.

But the left and the republicans would love to reduce the argument to mockery to protect their cabal of establishment politicians.; 9/17/10, 12:15 AM
Palladian said...: "She's too extreme for me. The religious right turns me off."

What turns you on, baby?; 9/17/10, 12:20 AM
Palladian said...: All I can think of is the South Park episode where Mrs Garrison decides she wants to be a man again and gets a lab to grow a new penis on a mouse which then escapes.; 9/17/10, 12:25 AM
sunsong said...: What turns you on, baby?

"there is a zone of liberty, a zone of protection, a line that is drawn where the individual can tell the government: Beyond this line, you may not go." - Justice Kennedy; 9/17/10, 12:25 AM
chickelit said...: Couldn't finish watching it.

That Maher guy sure can be an asshole.; 9/17/10, 12:26 AM
lucid said...: I think they should try injecting some human brain cells into O'Donnell.; 9/17/10, 12:28 AM
Anonymous said...: These things make me like O'Donnell even more. I'd vote for her. I'm not in DE, though, so I can't.

But I am in NY right now. And I can tell you that many people here think that governor primary winner Carl Palodino is just as nutty as O'Donell is being made out to be. I like him all the more for it too. Bring on the eccentrics and the oddballs! Frankly, I think they can shake up the system a little.

Anyway... why does it matter if someone said something a little off-the-wall many years ago? You could even consider it to be a good thing, demonstrating out-of-the-box, nonlinear, unconventional thinking.; 9/17/10, 12:34 AM
traditionalguy said...: Human brain cells in mice? Hmmm. That does explain why all the male GOP Presidential candidates have left the fighting of Obama's regime to a woman. But with discernment skills like O'Donnell's, she will soon be made Majority Leader of the Senate.; 9/17/10, 12:42 AM
Once written, twice... said...: ha! ha! ha! ha! Ha!!!!!; 9/17/10, 12:45 AM
Once written, twice... said...: What a Twit!!!; 9/17/10, 12:46 AM
lucid said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 9/17/10, 12:53 AM
lucid said...: as Thule222 said: "Yeah she was exaggerating. The mice have fully functioning human brain cells. Which is different."

Yes. It is sort of like the difference between clipping your fingernails and cutting off your arm.; 9/17/10, 12:56 AM
lucid said...: Did you hear the one about where O'Donnell went in for a manicure and came out a double amputee?; 9/17/10, 12:59 AM
David said...: Altogether now--The Squirrel Rights Song!; 9/17/10, 1:03 AM
traditionalguy said...: I can't wait for the Katie Couric interview. We want to know what newspapers and magazines she reads...and science fiction mags don't count.( thus ruling out any IPCC reports). But what if Palin picks her as VP nominee just to make Palin look more serious,as Obama did with Bite Me.; 9/17/10, 1:04 AM
Skyler said...: Yes, Lucid, ridicule is easy and effective.

You could also grow up and address the point she was making that inserting human brain cells inside mice brains is ethically debatable, to say the least.

I've no problem with it in principle, but many people do, and they have a legitimate point. It's a matter of weighing risks and benefits and it's plenty close enough that mocking the other view point, as you have done, is both childish and ignorant.; 9/17/10, 1:08 AM
Fred4Pres said...: Okay, this is going to be entertaining. Chrstine vs. Harry's Pet.; 9/17/10, 1:10 AM
lucid said...: @Skyler

I think my point is that she wasn't actually making a point, because what she actually said was ludicrous and incoherent. So you can't have much of a discussion with her about anything. So, apparently you think that makes her a good candidate and Senator to discuss a complex issue.

Sometimes people who seem--as best one can tell in O'Donnell's case--to share some of your points of view are nonetheless indefensible.

This is only one of many, maany things that O'Donnell has said and done that will be the object of derision.

Is that what you want for your point of view? Someone whose arguments double people over with laughter?; 9/17/10, 1:14 AM
Skyler said...: On the scale of things people say that can be laughed at, this one is not very important.; 9/17/10, 1:17 AM
chickelit said...: Eddie Izzard is a mooby!; 9/17/10, 2:03 AM
Peter Hoh said...: O'Donnell was a frequent guest on Politically Correct, if I recall correctly.

She made an impression on me. As someone said in a different thread, she was using her sex appeal to sell chasteness.

Damn those flannel shirts!; 9/17/10, 2:15 AM
Chennaul said...: I looove Eddie Lizzard,; 9/17/10, 2:22 AM
Revenant said...: It obviously is an inaccurate statement.

In the sense that "Kennedy sent spaceships to another galaxy" is an inaccurate statement.

A better description might be "wildly wrong". :); 9/17/10, 2:29 AM
XWL said...: Nothing she said in the 90s has much bearing in how she would vote in the 10s, I suspect.

So long as she sticks to a limited government approach when voting on bills, who cares what her personal beliefs or philosophy is?

We need to convince politicians that they are elected to be instruments of popular will, and punish them when they stray from that.

Should she win in November, that would prove the popular sentiment in Delaware is against unrestrained federal spending, and an ever expanding social welfare system.

Still, repealing the 17th amendment keeps on looking like a better and better idea with every election cycle.; 9/17/10, 2:38 AM
Peter Hoh said...: So long as she sticks to a limited government approach when voting on bills, who cares what her personal beliefs or philosophy is?

Her track record on promoting limited government is exactly how long?; 9/17/10, 2:39 AM
Skyler said...: "Her track record on promoting limited government is exactly how long?"

Longer than her opponent.; 9/17/10, 3:07 AM
bgates said...: Is that what you want for your point of view? Someone whose arguments double people over with laughter?

"When the stock market crashed, Franklin D. Roosevelt got on the television and didn't just talk about the, you know, the princes of greed. He said, 'Look, here's what happened,'"

"You cannot go into a 7-11 or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. Oh, I'm not joking."

“I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy. I mean, that’s a storybook, man.”

"along with France, we kicked Hezbollah out of Lebanon...."

It's really a shame it's not true about those fully functioning human brains; Joe "Gravitas" "Elder Statesman" "The Sheriff" Biden, the man who occupied the Senate seat O'Donnell is seeking for 36 years, could use one.; 9/17/10, 3:42 AM
GMay said...: But having Robert Byrd, Ted Kennedy, and guys who think Guam might capsize due to overpopulation is a strong demonstration of America's commitment to the statesmanship and intellectual superiority of our elected officials.

If she casts the right votes, I couldn't care less what stupid shit she says. She's on par with the VPOTUS when it comes to smarts, so there's that.; 9/17/10, 5:22 AM
mariner said...: They're Democrat brains.; 9/17/10, 6:17 AM
Cedarford said...: traditionalguy said...
Human brain cells in mice? Hmmm. That does explain why all the male GOP Presidential candidates have left the fighting of Obama's regime to a woman. But with discernment skills like O'Donnell's, she will soon be made Majority Leader of the Senate.

====================
Sounds like Trad Guy has a new Female Rightwing Goddess he can worship.
Yeah, bring on the rabble-rousing Bimbos. They might not know much, may have some stuff in their background that would kill any man or women applying for a job in a in a position of responsibility - but what the heck, they are cute and photogenic!!

Trad Guy is also emotionally invested in the notion that a red meat throwing conservative female politician is automatically braver and more manly than any man.

I worry he has a private shrine room to Palin and now O'Donnell where he does things new Goddess O'Donnell would strongly disapprove of.; 9/17/10, 6:24 AM
KCFleming said...: According to Rasmussen, Delaware prefers an avowed Marxist for Senator.

Would they had even the brains of a mouse.

So sure, go ahead. Laugh at the zany college student. Meanwhile, the treasury is being looted, and Obama has created more government debt than every president from Washington to Reagan put together, debt which can sink the US government into generations of decline.

Even though just weeks from now is the very last chance citizens can do anything about this, the mood is very 90s.

Have a good laugh while you can. A good, last laugh.; 9/17/10, 6:40 AM
Robert Cook said...: "...she looks sane compared to the Obama Democrats."

Some examples, please, of "Obama Democrats" (sic) who demonstrate greater extremes (or even barely approaching this level) of teh crazy?; 9/17/10, 6:45 AM
traditionalguy said...: C-4...That was a great idea, about erecting two matching goddess shrines. I can probably sell admission. At the least I can cop a CNN interview and rate an article in the NYT. I think that I will also put up empty alters dedicated to the long missing twin Gods, Mitty and Mitchy. But there is no use even trying to worship Gingrich since he already knows how I feel about him. Be happy, C-4. The coming Palin Presidency will reset US relations with Israel thus ending the current jealousy and bad will between two great Covenant based Nations.; 9/17/10, 6:47 AM
KCFleming said...: "Some examples, please, of "Obama Democrats" (sic) who demonstrate ...teh crazy?"

The ones who voted for a debt exceeding all the debt accumulated by every President since the founding combined.

But that's not the crazy part. No, they think it didn't go far enough.

But you're a communist, Cook, so I know you believe that fairy dust shit too.; 9/17/10, 6:58 AM
AllenS said...: I wonder if she even knows how many states we have.; 9/17/10, 7:03 AM
Scott M said...: Eddie Izzard is one of the best comics currently working, bar none. This was back around the "Dressed To Kill" days when he was still playing up the cross-dressing thing. Nowadays, he's more likely to be on stage in jeans and a regular shirt. Short dude too, if you have seen "My Super Ex-Girlfriend".

O'Donnell is making it easy to feel uncomfortable about her as a politician, but damn...ain't she cute n' spunky?; 9/17/10, 7:06 AM
AllenS said...: Maybe not so far fetched...

WHAT: Spring Point Project and Ryan Companies US, Inc. are breaking ground on a new biomedical research facility in New Richmond, Wisconsin on June 7. When the campus is completed in February 2007, Spring Point Project will begin producing pigs according to strict FDA guidelines to provide pig islets suitable for clinical trials, allowing those trials to begin as early as 2009.

Spring Point Project is a non-profit organization established to develop premier resource animals for clinical trials of pig islet cell transplantation. Specifically, Spring Point supports research to expedite the development of protocols for effective islet transplantation to treat diabetes. The organization will foster collaborative agreements with the University of Minnesota and its Diabetes Institute for Immunology and Transplantation. In addition to islet cell extractions, the Spring Point facilities and processes will also be of great value to academic institutions and biotech companies in need of high health pig organs and tissues for transplantation, studies, and other biomedical research

She's smarter than Obama and Biden combined.; 9/17/10, 7:06 AM
Synova said...: "But having Robert Byrd, Ted Kennedy, and guys who think Guam might capsize due to overpopulation ..."

Ha...that one was priceless, wasn't it.

And lucid, you sound like someone obsessing about Sarah Palin's uterus... you'd make a more persuasive argument if you were less hysterical.; 9/17/10, 7:15 AM
Hagar said...: The voters of Delaware knew O'Donnell quite well, since she had run twice before and also otherwise been active, and they still preferred her over Mike Castle. And more Republicans turned out (twice as many?) for this election than for any previous primary, so it was not a fluke on a bad weather day.

It's like Nevada; you might have preferred a stronger candidate, but it is what it is, and the objective now is to get her elected.; 9/17/10, 7:17 AM
Hoosier Daddy said...: Well considering the really super duper smart people that we have elected over the years have presided over the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression, maybe its time to let the crazies run the asylum.

I mean how much worse can they make it? Seriously?; 9/17/10, 7:33 AM
Hoosier Daddy said...: The idea of mice with fully functioning human brains is so ludicrous.

Why? There are a majorities of them in the House and Senate right now.; 9/17/10, 7:36 AM
Freeman Hunt said...: "Hey, Cedric."
"Hey, Geoff."
"Another day in the cages."
"Yup,"
"Did they fix your wheel?"
"I don't know. Haven't worked up the motivation to get on the thing yet this morning. The food pellets are good today though."
"Yes, they must have opened a new bag. These taste fresh, and the last bag was getting stale."
"Yes, quite."
"Cedric, do you suppose they'll ever let us eat their food?"
"No, I don't think so, Geoff."
"But we could appreciate it, couldn't we? I mean, our tongues might be different or something, I don't know, but I think we could appreciate it."
"Let it go, Geoff."
"I just think we should get more respect, that's all."
"We're mice, Geoff."
"Yeah, but so? We've got their brains. Other than that, they're no better. Weak and hairless is what they are."
"Now who's the one in the cage?"
"About that, they keep putting more complicated locks on these. Trying to keep us in forever. Why do you think that is?"
"I think it's the only way their kind deals with mice."
"No, you're wrong. I think they don't want to compete with us."
"What are you talking about?"
"We know this research just as well as they do. We could be up for these grants, these same fellowships. They don't want us taking over."
"You're a mouse, Geoff!"
"And so are you, but don't you have dreams? Don't you want out of here?"
"I think I'd like to take up accounting. Maybe do the accounting for labs like this one, specialize in it. ... But you're talking a bunch of nonsense. This is it. My life in my cage, your life in your cage, and that's it."
"I refuse to accept that! I refuse to accept a life of running mazes and then, 'Oh here. You clever mouse. How about a page of the New Yorker to line your cage today.' One page? One damned page?! And it might not even be one with a comic or a poem on it. It's usually one right out of the middle of a story, a bunch of text with no context to it. They're all so high on themselves, but they're a bunch of heartless twits! I have dreams, damn it! I have interests! I want to see things! I want to live!"
"All right, all right. Simmer down. You keep squeaking like that, and the only thing you're going to see is the inside of a biohazard bag after you annoy them too much."
"We've got to get out of here, Cedric. We're going to do it. I'm going to find a way."; 9/17/10, 7:54 AM
Freeman Hunt said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 9/17/10, 7:54 AM
Original Mike said...: The difference between "fully functional brain cells" and "fully functional brains" when speaking quickly to a talk show host (especially as jerky a host as O'Reilly) is petty.

Address the issue. Is it ethical to put human brain cells in mouse brains? It's not an easy issue. Some people may have decided what they think is the best answer but many others have not.

Yes, I think she can turn this to her advantage (let the left make a big deal of this for a day, then come back with Skyler's point) if she's smart. Of course, the question on the table is: is she smart?

I watched that whole Bill Maher thing because I thought that's where the mice brain quote was. What scared me the most was her believe that God would come to her rescue so she wouldn't have to lie to Hitler. :rollseyes:; 9/17/10, 7:55 AM
Freeman Hunt said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 9/17/10, 7:55 AM
Freeman Hunt said...: What scared me the most was her believe that God would come to her rescue so she wouldn't have to lie to Hitler. :rollseyes:

Yes, that was extremely silly. Also a misunderstanding of the prohibition against lying. You can kill to defend the lives of others, so I'm pretty sure that lying is AOK under similar circumstances.; 9/17/10, 8:11 AM
DADvocate said...: They don't have human brains, but we have some mice around here smarter than Obama.

They lying part always gets me. The 9th Commandment says, "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." It doesn't say you can't lie. It says don't lie against your neighbor.

Lying to protect yourself or protect someone else is quite acceptable in some circumstances. There are numerous examples in the Bible itself.

When I hear the "I believe if I were in that situation, God would provide ..." bit, it reminds me of the old joke of the guy in the flood.

A farmer is in Iowa during a flood. The river is overflowing, with water surrounding the farmer's home up to his front porch. As he is standing there, a boat comes up, The man in the boat says "Jump in, I'll take you to safety."

The farmer crosses his arms and says stubbornly, "Nope, I put my trust in God."

The boat goes away. The water rises to the second floor. Another boat comes up, the man says to the farmer who is now in the second story window, "Jump in, I'll save you."

The farmer again says, "Nope, I put my trust in God."

The boat goes away. Now the water is up to the roof. As The farmer stands on the roof, a helicopter comes over, and drops a ladder. The pilot yells down to the farmer "I'll save you, climb the ladder."

The farmer says "Nope, I put my trust in God."

The helicopter goes away. The water comtinues to rise and sweeps the farmer off the roof. He drowns.

The farmer goes to heaven. God sees him and says "What are you doing here?"

The farmer says "I put my trust in you and you let me down."

God says, "What do you mean, let you down? I sent you two boats and a helicopter!!!"

She sounds like a whack job to me.; 9/17/10, 8:12 AM
MadisonMan said...: The voters of Delaware knew O'Donnell quite well, since she had run twice before and also otherwise been active, and they still preferred her over Mike Castle.

The Republican Primary voters.; 9/17/10, 8:17 AM
lucid said...: @scott M

Yes she is sort of cute in a buxom mindless way.

And, if you read her interview with Bill O'Reilly about mice with human brains, she also seems to be stuck on an image of herself with her head down on the ground and her ass sticking up in the air.

But she is so dumb that it seems sort of perverse to think about her sexually.; 9/17/10, 8:17 AM
Scott M said...: Ah well. I suppose the GOP needed someone equivalent to Alvin Green in SC.; 9/17/10, 8:20 AM
lucid said...: @Synova

BTW, you should send O'Donnell a political donation. Her rent and utility bills are coming due again.; 9/17/10, 8:24 AM
garage mahal said...: TPM is going fucking nutzoid with O'Donnell. Make it stop.; 9/17/10, 8:27 AM
roesch-voltaire said...: Unfortunately this is another example where belief in one thing trumps reason or logic, and the folks that support O'Donnell seem "turned on" by this approach,
but since, as she claimed last night, her faith has matured at least they can masturbate in good conscience-- or not.; 9/17/10, 8:27 AM
Hagar said...: Yes, the Republican Primary voters; that is who vote in Republican primary elections.

That the Democrats attack Ms. O'Donnell with whatever they can think of is understandable; that Karl Rove and Dr. Krauthammer go on national TV and campaign for Mr. Coons is inexplicable.; 9/17/10, 8:29 AM
Hoosier Daddy said...: Well she seems to be about as smart as Joe O'Biden (current guy that's a heartbeat from the Presidency) so I'm not sure what the problem is here, other than she's a female.

Must be something in the water in Delaware who knows.; 9/17/10, 8:31 AM
ricpic said...: Yeah, let's keep electing tax and spend Dems and Pubbies who are so much more respectable than that kookie O'Donnel and as we all sail off the cliff and plummet toward the rocks we'll go out RESPECTABLE!..which is of course the most important thing, far more important than survival.; 9/17/10, 8:32 AM
Opus One Media said...: Blair said...
In any other year this would finish her political career. This time around, she looks sane compared to the Obama Democrats."

If this nitwit looks sane to you then we don't have a problem...YOU've got a problem.; 9/17/10, 8:34 AM
ndspinelli said...: Always trying to find something positive...I miss Martin Mull and hope to see more of him. Martin Mull is one of the smartest, funniest, people in showbiz.; 9/17/10, 8:34 AM
Peter Hoh said...: Hagar, didn't you see the news yesterday? Rove is supporting O'Donnell 100%.

The best part about the interview? Rove taking issue with the idea that he is somehow part of the Republican "establishment."; 9/17/10, 8:34 AM
Freeman Hunt said...: She said that lying thing in 1998, so, unless she reaffirms it, I won't hold that one against her. Oh the silly, far-left claptrap you could have heard me say in 1998!; 9/17/10, 8:35 AM
Hoosier Daddy said...: that Karl Rove and Dr. Krauthammer go on national TV and campaign for Mr. Coons is inexplicable.

Well both are Party first people so even if O'Donnell has an R behind her name, she's not in the 'in crowd' therefore, not acceptable.

Rove always was a fool, (Architect my ass. Yeah, he 'architected' a complete Democrat takeover of the Congress. Great job there baldy). Krauthammer is a pretty smart guy but he's still Party First. Unlike some others, I'd just as soon have a Democrat in office rather than a GOP who will simply spend spend spend. There was a time when the GOP meant fiscal responsibility. Now its just become a game of us vs them but they both play the same game.

I think it really says a lot about Castle that some no name babe who has some really questionable beliefs can not just win, but whoop the establishment candidate's ass. If that ain't a wake up call I don't know what is.; 9/17/10, 8:36 AM
Salamandyr said...: So she's a nut.

Sad to say, that still puts her ahead of someone who referred to themselves as a "bearded Marxist"; who raised taxes 3 times with a surplus! She can't say anything battier than noted Democrats Carol Moseley-Braun, Nancy Pelosi, or Al Franken.; 9/17/10, 8:37 AM
AllenS said...: "Gird your loins!"; 9/17/10, 8:37 AM
MadisonMan said...: I agree about Martin Mull.

Jasmine Guy, though, seemed very uncomfortable -- almost angry -- in that snippet.; 9/17/10, 8:38 AM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: I think mice, with fully functioning human brains, should take over our congress. Maybe they would do a better job.

Crazy still trumps economic destruction. But that's just me. ah - I just love Eddie Izzard.; 9/17/10, 8:39 AM
Hoosier Daddy said...: She can't say anything battier than noted Democrats Carol Moseley-Braun, Nancy Pelosi, or Al Franken

Or the genius who thought Guam would flip over if we added more military personnel.

That was priceless.; 9/17/10, 8:40 AM
Scott M said...: Bill Maher has rapidly gone into the same catagory as Greg Proops. Both were funny once, but have since gone off the comedy deep end. Now they just seem like angry, bitter people playing to a very specific sector of the audience.; 9/17/10, 8:41 AM
MadisonMan said...: She said that lying thing in 1998, so, unless she reaffirms it, I won't hold that one against her.

When you run for public office, your whole past is suspect. Robert Byrd would agree with me. So would Ronald Reagan.

Even if you disavow past remarks and behavior, gotcha politics -- especially on blogs -- will resurrect just about anything.; 9/17/10, 8:42 AM
Scott M said...: Crazy still trumps economic destruction. But that's just me. ah - I just love Eddie Izzard.

Yes, but do you know Jeff Vader? And which would you rather have, cake or...?; 9/17/10, 8:43 AM
Mr. Forward said...: ""American scientific companies are cross-breeding humans and animals and coming up with mice with fully functioning human brains."

That would explain Bill Maher.; 9/17/10, 8:45 AM
Big Mike said...: Well, if it's AlphaLiberal's brain cells we're talking about, I suspect they had to give the mouse a partial lobotomy to achieve that.; 9/17/10, 8:45 AM
Original Mike said...: When you run for public office, your whole past is suspect. Robert Byrd would agree with me.

Yeah, that really hurt Byrd, didn't it?

I think you disproved your own point, MM.; 9/17/10, 9:05 AM
Original Mike said...: [Coons] raised taxes 3 times with a surplus!

If that's true, O'Donnell should beat that point to death.; 9/17/10, 9:07 AM
AllenS said...: When you run for public office, your whole past is suspect.

Especially if you drive off a bridge and kill a young pregnant woman.; 9/17/10, 9:07 AM
Scott M said...: Especially if you drive off a bridge and kill a young pregnant woman.

Incorrect. If you pay off the parents and get them to sign an agreement to never sue, it becomes inconsequential. In order for that to work properly, though, you have to go back to your room and not report the drowned woman in your car until the next day. Preferably after a good breakfast and a shower.; 9/17/10, 9:11 AM
Original Mike said...: LOL, Allen.; 9/17/10, 9:11 AM
MadisonMan said...: Yeah, that really hurt Byrd, didn't it?

Time will tell if it hurts O'Donnell.; 9/17/10, 9:14 AM
Original Mike said...: Time will tell if it hurts O'Donnell.

It probably will. She's a Republican.; 9/17/10, 9:15 AM
Original Mike said...: I don't remember that Kopechne was pregnant, Allen.; 9/17/10, 9:17 AM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: O'Donnell says something stupid, years ago, and it's a big problem.
She's crazy!

Coons raised taxes 3 times, after he promised that he wouldn't.
No problem there.

Coons wrote a paper years ago extolling the virtues of his new found religion: Marxism.

Again, I'll take the crazy lady.; 9/17/10, 9:18 AM
garage mahal said...: that Karl Rove and Dr. Krauthammer go on national TV and campaign for Mr. Coons is inexplicable.

She doesn't have the right background, or pedigree. And she wants to be an Aristocratic SENATOR? She wasn't properly groomed for this! Who are her parents? Does she even know what foie gras is?

Man I hate these fucking people.; 9/17/10, 9:21 AM
DADvocate said...: I don't remember that Kopechne was pregnant,

They never checked. Probably for the reasons ScottM states.; 9/17/10, 9:23 AM
Sloanasaurus said...: I don't get it. Mike Castle and almost every democrat is just as insane to massively put this government into debt and to spend into oblivion.

Maybe she will lose, but its worth it to win the war in the long run.

We need progressives like Mike Castle to lose so that they are no longer viable candidates.

The best liberal republican candidate would be one who is all in on limiting government but has little opinion regarding social issues - i.e. a libertarians Mike Castle was not one of these. He had to go.; 9/17/10, 9:23 AM
former law student said...: In 1998, O'Donnell was so cute that even I would have listened to every naive, idealistic word that came from her virginal lips.

How unfortunate for Kathryn Jean Lopez that The Lord didn't make her hot. She could have been a GOP nominee for Senator by now.; 9/17/10, 9:26 AM
AllenS said...: Good point, Sloan

That's why I wanted the other guy from Arizona to beat McCain. If it meant that the Democrat would win the election for Senator, then so be it. Main point, get rid of these Republican senators who are doing us absolutely no good.; 9/17/10, 9:27 AM
madAsHell said...: Mice with fully functioning human brains?!?

Well then....would not the inverse be true as well? Humans with fully functioning mouse brains!!

That explains everything I've seen!

That O'Donnell woman is a genius, I tell you!! An absolute genius!; 9/17/10, 9:27 AM
Fred4Pres said...: It is a plausible theory on many in congress.

We call them Congresscritters for a reason!; 9/17/10, 9:27 AM
Scott M said...: @FLS

How unfortunate for Kathryn Jean Lopez that The Lord didn't make her hot. She could have been a GOP nominee for Senator by now.

The first party that gets Ines Sainz to run for office will not only get the hispanic vote, but also the professional football player and massive male sexual harassment in ridiculously sexual situation lobby.

Probably most 14-year-olds and fanboyz too, but they tend not to vote in large numbers because there's way to epeen a high score.; 9/17/10, 9:32 AM
Sloanasaurus said...: That's why I wanted the other guy from Arizona to beat McCain. If it meant that the Democrat would win the election for Senator, then so be it. Main point, get rid of these Republican senators who are doing us absolutely no good.

Maybe, but McCain found religion. He not only voted against all of Obama's agenda, but he campaigned on a platform of limited government. We should give these politicans a chance to change. It's my understanding that Castle voted for horrible junk like cap and trade and also campaigned about how he had brought home the bacon. Castle is far worse than McCain.; 9/17/10, 9:33 AM
Anonymous said...: I'm reminded a bit of Katherine Harris in Florida. With friends like this...; 9/17/10, 9:35 AM
Original Mike said...: It's my understanding that Castle voted for horrible junk like cap and trade

Yeah, I have to say I generally subscribe to the William F. Buckley logic of voting for the most conservative candidate that can get elected, but supporting cap and trade would have been a real problem for me if I were a Delaware voter.; 9/17/10, 9:39 AM
former law student said...: Ines Sainz

Christine O'Donnell was megacute; Ines Sainz looks sexxxy. I don't think she could sound convincingly naive, idealistic, or virginal.; 9/17/10, 9:41 AM
roa said...: Why are her comments scarier than those of a President who talks about profits/earnings ratios?; 9/17/10, 9:47 AM
Scott M said...: I don't think she could sound convincingly naive, idealistic, or virginal.

She just needs the right outfit.; 9/17/10, 9:47 AM
Original Mike said...: Why are her comments scarier than those of a President who talks about profits/earnings ratios?

He did?; 9/17/10, 9:50 AM
Hagar said...: The guy was being sarcastic about Guam tipping over, but Dennis Kucinich was apparently in earnest about having been abducted by aliens, and listening to Anthony Weiner or ma'am Senator explaining their economic theories, I do not think that Christine O'Donnell will appear remarkably out of place if she makes it to Washington.

And Mickey Kaus has apparently taken the time to look at fooferaw about O'Donnell and concluded hat if someone strung together a selected set of clips from his past on camera performances, he might well appear farther out of earth orbit than O'Donnel!; 9/17/10, 9:52 AM
knox said...: Oh the silly, far-left claptrap you could have heard me say in 1998!

LOL. Me too. I'd hate if someone had audio of some of the things I said back then.; 9/17/10, 10:05 AM
Hoosier Daddy said...: She doesn't have the right background, or pedigree. And she wants to be an Aristocratic SENATOR? She wasn't properly groomed for this! Who are her parents? Does she even know what foie gras is?

Man I hate these fucking people.

Hate breeds more hate garage. Open your heart to love and understanding and tolerance for your fellow manpersons.; 9/17/10, 10:05 AM
Original Mike said...: Oh the silly, far-left claptrap you could have heard me say in 1998!

I don't recall ever going through that phase. I guess I've always had a brain, but never had a heart ;-); 9/17/10, 10:08 AM
Scott M said...: I guess I've always had a brain, but never had a heart ;-)

Churchill would be proud.; 9/17/10, 10:10 AM
jimspice said...: Ah, the refreshing anti-intellectualism of the right. Dumb and proud of it for 5,500 years.; 9/17/10, 10:42 AM
traditionalguy said...: Christine can easily become the new Ev Dirksen of Congress for great quotable one liners, such as, "I am a man of fixed convictions, the first one of which is to always be flexible". And he said, "When a member of the House moves over to the Senate, it raises the IQ of both bodies."; 9/17/10, 10:49 AM
Phil 314 said...: Ah well. I suppose the GOP needed someone equivalent to Alvin Green in SC.

A telling comment. Each indicate how the energy and biases of a subset of the base (black voters in SC; tea party conservatives in Del) can bring the party a "problematic" candidate.

Solution: Better participation by all of the party's voters.

If you didn't vote, you can't complain

(Yes, I'm looking at you Professor); 9/17/10, 10:49 AM
Hagar said...: Looking at the famous picture of Althouse in her study and considering what we find on her blog today, is it not reasonable t presume that the Professor's views have - hm - matured in the meantime?; 9/17/10, 11:44 AM
Synova said...: "The guy was being sarcastic about Guam tipping over,.."

Was he? I saw the video. He seemed rather earnest.; 9/17/10, 12:55 PM
DADvocate said...: "The guy was being sarcastic about Guam tipping over,.."

No. He was dead serious and could have used one of those mouse brains.; 9/17/10, 1:04 PM
Phil 314 said...: Just watched the clip. Boy she just can't shut up.

And yes Eddie Izzard is the most sane of the panel.

And who invented the "panel discussion with moderator" where everyone but one (including moderator) are of one political view and then there's the lone politically-opposite foil/fool

(i.e. the View, most every Fox panel, etc.); 9/17/10, 2:46 PM
DADvocate said...: The AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO) has been running this radio commercial:

IT’S PRETTY SIMPLE.

WHILE DEMOCRATS PUSHED THROUGH A JOBS BILL THAT KEPT THE DOORS OPEN AT LOCAL SCHOOLS, HOSPITALS AND SENIOR CENTERS, REPUBLICANS VOTED TO LAY OFF HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS.

WHILE DEMOCRATS LOOKED OUT FOR US, PAYING FOR THIS BILL BY ELIMINATING CORPORATE LOOPHOLES, REPUBLICANS LOOKED OUT FOR CEOs WHO SHIPPED JOBS OVERSEAS.

IT’S A CLEAR CHOICE THIS NOVEMBER. EITHER WE OPEN DOORS TO A BETTER FUTURE, OR WE SLAM THE DOOR IN ITS FACE.

They're feeding us this bullshit when they have control of the House, Senate and Presidency, while unemployment is rampant, while poverty is increasing at record rates, while the Dems dish out money to cronies, while we're spending ourselves into debt our children won't be able to pay off and public employess living off our taxes live better than we do.

What's crazier, voting for these guys or Christine O'Donnell?; 9/17/10, 3:30 PM
roa said...: When Obama said “profit and earning ratios”:

As reported by Jake Tapper on March 3, 2009:
President Obama told Americans to take a look at investing in the stock market this afternoon, a remarkable utterance for an American president, especially as the Dow Jones Industrial Average proceeds on its course Southward.

"What you're now seeing is ... profit and earning ratios are starting to get to the point where buying stocks is a potentially good deal if you've got a long-term perspective on it," the president said on a day that trading continued to hover under 7,000.
http://bl
ogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/03/bullish-obama-s.html; 9/17/10, 4:21 PM
former law student said...: Christine's bio, from thesalt.org archived page from 2002:

She's been described as sassy, stubborn and sweet, and by those who disagree with her as "the girl you hate to love." This young woman who National Review Magazine says "blends the flare of the King James Bible with Cosmopolitan," Christine O'Donnell, shatters the stereotype about her generation.
Growing up in a large Italian-Irish family in New Jersey did more to train her for a career in public debate than all her years at Fairleigh Dickinson University. In a family where all extremes are represented, Christine developed an ability to stand firm in what she believes, without getting angry or taking disagreement personally.

As President and Founder of the generation X organization, the Savior's Alliance for Lifting the Truth (SALT), Christine continues to have a visible role in an eclectic array of arenas. From the HBO Comedy Arts Festival to the United States Congress, she is asked to speak her mind about controversial issues that most young people (especially conservatives) won't touch! JFK Jr.'s George Magazine featured Christine as a powerful young woman in Washington, DC.

Her weekly television appearances include ABC's Politically Incorrect, MTV, CNN, C-SPAN, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, CNBC, Leeza, ABC's Extra, and CBN's 700 Club. Her writings have been published in the Washington Post and Cultural Dissident, to name just a few. She is regularly quoted in print media such as USA Today, Glamour Magazine, the Associated Press and others.

Christine speaks regularly at major conferences, universities, churches and community events across the country. Harvard and American Universities are just two of the hundreds of schools that have invited Christine to speak.

These appearances generate bags full of fan mail. Most fans say they love watching Christine passionately communicate her thoughts, even when they disagree with her. Her unique combination of intellect, charm and a good sense of humor enables Christine to bring an exciting, fresh perspective to hot topics.

In her free time, Christine volunteers for a homeless ministry and tutors intercity children. She acts as a role model for young people as she encourages them to say "no" to sex, drugs, and suicide in a world that is screaming "yes."; 9/17/10, 5:16 PM
Phil 314 said...: Garage;
I take it you weren't impressed with that bio.; 9/17/10, 5:29 PM
Penny said...: Narftastic post!

Well, at least it is to me, when combined with HKatz's link and then your subsequent post on "Pinky and the Brain", which now I can say, also "in retrospect", is brilliant Althouse!

What can I say, other than I love me some hamster wheel. ;); 9/18/10, 1:36 AM
Penny said...: OK, now that being said, here's the rub...

All your commenters come at things with a different mindset, and ALL OF US correct! Sorta...

Some of us, like Eric, started off with "the funny", hence all the laughs we got from "Pinky and the Brain".

Some of us, like Synova, are more serious. What about cloning? Doesn't it make sense that our scientists evaluate the best and the worst of us and our special genes, and then experiment on mice? Isn't this what we count on our scientists to do? To think outside the box BEFORE the next "plague"?

And somewhere in between the funny and the serious...

We got ourselves some... POLITICS!; 9/18/10, 2:16 AM
Penny said...: "POLITICS!", for as fractured as it is...It's smack dab in the middle of "DROP DEAD silly" and "DEADLY serious".

You can declare yourself a Republican, a Democrat, an Independent. Maybe you want to say you are a Tea Partier, or a Third Party Candidate? It's up to you, really. Just as long as you know you are smack dab in the middle of "DROP DEAD silly" and "DEADLY serious".; 9/18/10, 3:19 AM
Penny said...: "Pleased to meet you. I'm Pinky!"

"Have you met my friend, Brain?"; 9/18/10, 3:26 AM