Boehner U.S. Constitution FAIL

[Elphaba]

It's always nice to have your copy of the Constitution with you to quote from.

YouTube - GOP Rep. John Boehner U.S. Constitution Quote FAIL.flv

Elphaba

[Just_A_Guy]

Ouch.

[Loudmouth_Mormon]

Yeah, the concept of the incredibly bright scholarly powerful career politician, rarely finds itself enshrined in an actual person.

We measure how 'good' a politician you are, by your ability to garner votes, form coalitions, raise money, and get stuff done. You don't have to be incredibly bright to be a good politician.

Then there are folks like VP Quayle, who really was a genuine smart person, but was so lame in front of a microphone, he'll go down in history for all the dumb stuff he said out loud.

LM

[talisyn]

Did you see the 2 guys behind him laughing?

[bytebear]

The only issue I have with posts like this is when it is one sided. That is where I have a big problem with mainstream media. There are YouTube clips of Obama saying there are 57 states in the Union, among other equally cringable quotes. So, people say stupid incorrect things. In the scheme of things, saying the Constitution instead of the Declaration of Independence is pretty minor. Far more so than adding seven states to the union. The question is, are we treating both sides fairly in our acknowledgment and assessment of what they say? Do you think CNN did a similar story on Obama's flub? And if they did, was it in such a condescending and demeaning tone? This story says a lot more about CNN than it does about Boehner.

[talisyn]

So..link the youtube vid where Obama says there are 57 states, I'd laugh at that one too

As for the Constitution and Declaration of Independence mix-up, I'd say that's a pretty big goof, considering the 2 documents have 2 different purposes and target audience. I will give him this though, the Declaration of Independence starts out a lot prettier ^^

[Mahone]

BBC News | UK | Minister's maths mistake

That link serves two purposes. One to remind me of how much the BBC website has changed since 1998, and secondly because this thread reminded me of a well publicised mistake in January of 1998 when the UK minister for education was asked to answer a basic multiplication question by a journalist while attempting to promote the need for better numeracy skills to be taught in schools. He was asked to multiply 8 by 7 and his answer was 54.

[bytebear]

Originally Posted by talisyn

So..link the youtube vid where Obama says there are 57 states, I'd laugh at that one too

YouTube - Obama Claims He's Visited 57 States

Originally Posted by talisyn

As for the Constitution and Declaration of Independence mix-up, I'd say that's a pretty big goof, considering the 2 documents have 2 different purposes and target audience. I will give him this though, the Declaration of Independence starts out a lot prettier ^^

Not really. Both are pretty interchangeable as founding documents of the United States. I can easily see someone meaning to say one and say the other. I am just pointing out the hypocritical inconsistency of CNN in their coverage of such instances.

[talisyn]

I totally disagree lol. They are not interchangable. One lists problems with England, and the other is the guidelines for the government of the USA.

[bytebear]

Originally Posted by talisyn

I totally disagree lol. They are not interchangable. One lists problems with England, and the other is the guidelines for the government of the USA.

I didn't say they were interchangeable as to content. What I said was it would be easy to have a slip of the tongue and say "constitution" when you meant "declaration" and vice versa. And again, how do you address the biased coverage by CNN?