Discussion

• bbond :

  P.S., Gov. Tommy Thompson already apologized for suggesting it's ok for employers to fire workers just because they are gay. Think Progress has the update: http://thinkprogress.org/2007/05/04/thompson-apologizes-for-gay-remark/

  But is anyone writing about Giuliani's answer to the question about what he learned from from his dealings with the African American community while mayor of New York City? Did he really answer a question about the New York's Black community by saying you could cut crime by getting a lot of folks off welfare? Read it for yourself.

  MR. VANDEHEI: Mayor Giuliani, Bradley Winters of New York would like to know if there’s anything you learned or regret during your time as mayor in your dealings with the African-American community.

  MR. GIULIANI: There’s a great deal that I learned and a great deal that I regret during the time I was mayor, and a great deal I was very, very satisfied with.

  I tried very, very hard to treat everyone in New York City the same. We reduced crime by 67 percent. Some of the biggest beneficiaries of that would have been in the poorer neighborhoods of New York City, not necessarily the African-American community, but a lot of the communities of New York City. And I worked very, very hard to try to move hundreds of thousands of people out of welfare. I think -- we actually followed Tommy Thompson’s program, and we had the most successful welfare-to-work program in the country. We moved 600 and -- 60,000 people off welfare. And I think one of the reasons that crime is still down in New York today.

  Posted on May 4, 2007 8:38 AM

• Dan :

  that's insane.

  it's also crazy that you could see McCain hesitate, wondering if he should answer honestly or what others wanted.

  He was pissed at the question.

  But, I can't believe there are that many candidate who do not believe in evolution. And that guy closest to the camera only raised his hand after seeing others do so.

  Posted on May 4, 2007 10:52 AM

• ben :

  Yeah, and despite McCain's answer that believes in evolution, he's on the record saying that creationism should be taught in school. And he had no qualms with being the keynote speaker for The Discovery Institute, a right-wing think tank opposed to the teaching of evolution.

  Posted on May 4, 2007 11:17 AM

• dcolanduno :

  What a crock of crap. At this point in history it almost should be a REQUIREMENT for anyone that is running for president of the U.S. to actually realize that Science exists... sheesh... :(

  Posted on May 4, 2007 11:43 AM

• butte :

  I knew Republicans hated science but these are supposed to be educated people.
  If you want to see what being anti-science and learning do, look at the Middle East. As long as there was a diverse society with Christians, Pagans, and Muslims, it lead the world in science and philosophy. Once the Muslims succeeded in becoming the majority, the studies of science and philosophy died and it reverted into tribalism. Kind of reminds me of the Right Wing Evangelicals.

  As for Guiliani's statement about getting people off welfare, how in the heck do you get folks off welfare and keep them off, when corporations keep shipping decent jobs overseas, and underpaying for what jobs that are left? When the low wage worker keeps hearing the messages in the media that money is everything?
  Is it any wonder drugs and crime are rampant among blacks in the inner cities?
  Or the Reservations?
  Or among poor whites, urban and rural?
  Many crimes are the result of people believing that they have no future, that there is no decent way out.
  Among the other things this everything-for-profit society has killed, it has killed hope for far too many human beings.
  John Paul II was right in calling this the "culture of death".
  We need fair trade to replace "free" trade, equity in taxation, guaranteed health care, and a much tighter rein on the actions of corporations and their executives who are spreading this despair.
  We do not need any more anti-science Republicans, or any other kind for that matter.

  Posted on July 23, 2007 10:33 AM