How dumb do you have to be to ask a dumb question? In support, apparently, of your efforts to deny global warming? What about not even understanding the answer? And then how about bragging on the Twitter that because the answer "puzzles" you, you must have "stumped" the Secretary of Energy, Nobel Laureate in Physics Steven Chu? And then posting a video clip, complete with bonus fancy introductory graphic, on your own YouTube channel to document the whole mess?
Ladies and gentleman, Representative Joe Barton (Robviously -- TXof course).
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Afterthought: One possible line of defense for Barton: plate tectonics would have no meaning to someone who thinks the Earth is only 6000 years old. I don't know that he's a Young Earth Creationist, but it's a thought.
Or maybe, just maybe, there were other thoughts swirling through Barton's mind between Barton's ears. According to the campaign finance watchdogs at OpenSecrets.org: Anadarko Petroleum, ExxonMobil, Energy Future Holdings Corp, Suez SA, Tenaska, Devon Energy, and American Electric Power were respectively 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 12th, and 13th on the list of his top contributors last year. Thus proving that the myth of global warming is a liberal conspiracy. Or something like that.
But back to the original point: were I one of his benefactors, I don't think that video clip would make me do anything but cringe. And the thought that Barton thinks it makes him look good …
Not since Michele Bachmann demanded of Tim Geithner "where in the Constitution" it says that Congress has the right to authorize funds (Article I, Sec. 8, if you're keeping score) have I imagined someone being asked a question that would come so close to making him collapse into hysterical laughter. To his credit, Chu kept it to a snicker.
[Added] More Barton at the bottom of this post.
3 comments:
no kidding. i was pretty dumbfounded by that question myself, and he seemed so proud of himself. i was hoping i could comment and tell him how stupid he looked but he's not stupid enough to allow comments.
You could always send him a message on Twitter (@RepJoeBarton).
And if you want to kick it old school, there's his official contact page, where an email interface and phone numbers live.
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