Outside the Beltway

Christine O’Donnell: Evolution Is A Myth, If It Weren’t Monkeys Would Still Be Evolving

Doug Mataconis
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Another Politically Incorrect appearance from Christine O’Donnell circa 1998:

Republican Senate nominee Christine O’Donnell challenged comedian Bill Maher on evolution more than a decade ago, wondering aloud about why monkeys haven’t evolved into humans.

Maher showed the brief segment from his 1990s era show “Politically Incorrect” tonight on his HBO show “Real Time.” In the Oct. 15, 1998 clip which you can watch below, O’Donnell argued with Maher and his guests.

“Evolution is a myth,” O’Donnell said as the others piped up incredulously. She repeated herself, then added

Well then why aren’t monkeys still evolving into humans?

Video:

Yes, this is from twelve years ago. And, yes, it’s not exactly a burning issue in the election or in the United States Senate. Nonetheless, the question remains — does someone who spouts pseudo-science like this belong in the United States Senate ? Ultimately, that’s up to the voters of Delaware to decide, but if it were my choice I simply cannot justify supporting this woman for any political office (and, no, that doesn’t mean I’m endorsing her opponent).

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34 responses to “Christine O’Donnell: Evolution Is A Myth, If It Weren’t Monkeys Would Still Be Evolving”

  1. Corinna Cohn Avatar
    Corinna Cohn

    Compared to the harmful, Keynesian pseudo-social science peddled by the Democrats, this sort of nonsense is relatively minor.
    What’s worse? Not believing in evolution, or believing that the economy will get better only if the government spends enough money?

  2. yarrrr Avatar
    yarrrr

    Yawn… big deal…

  3. Apphacker Avatar
    Apphacker

    Just goes to show how under-educated the vast majority of Americans are. To not find this worthy of ridicule is amazing. They haven’t a clue what science is and haven’t the mental tools required to decipher bad information from good. So they vote for idiots like this. The tea party is an embarrassment.

  4. Tano Avatar
    Tano

    What’s worse? Not believing in evolution, or believing that the economy will get better only if the government spends enough money

     
    Not believing in evolution is worse. Government stimulus is the correct way to deal with certain types of recessions. Perhaps you should read the CBO report on the effect that this stiumulus has had – the CBO being, of course, the source that Republicans relied on all year for honest numbers in the health care debate.

  5. Zelsdorf Ragshaft III Avatar
    Zelsdorf Ragshaft III

    Doug I know you are campaigning for the Marxist Coons.  I did not know you kept Coons.  1998 huh?  Could you not find anything newer?  WTF is wrong with you?

  6. john personna Avatar
    john personna

    Darn, I missed the right place to drop my monkey economics link.
     
    An agnostic might think we still have a lot of monkey in us, or He didn’t see fit to separate us far from our monkey Brethren.  Either way, we aren’t as smart as we think.

  7. some guy Avatar
    some guy

    She’s an idiot and so is anyone who votes for her.

  8. John Burgess Avatar
    John Burgess

    Perhaps not the brightest bulb in the box, but that didn’t keep Joe Biden out.
     
    OTOH, she has the estimable advantage, this election cycle, of not being a Democrat.

  9. Anon Avatar
    Anon

    The problem with these types of views in the Senate is where they run into issues such as funding for research into new antibiotics, etc. If we take O’Donnell’s words at face value, she would oppose such research, since the old antibiotics should work just as well.

  10. An Interested Party Avatar
    An Interested Party

    “OTOH, she has the estimable advantage, this election cycle, of not being a Democrat.”

    Awww…such a pity as that won’t help her to win this seat…

  11. JKB Avatar
    JKB

    …does someone who spouts pseudo-science like this belong in the United States Senate ?

    Well, the Senate and the White House have many who believe in the pseudo-science of man-made global warming.  Worse still, they are actively funding the purveyors of the myth and seeking to alter major economic influences based on the falsified research.  So a little pseudo-science diversity in the Senate would be a nice change.  Besides, it’s not like she’s proposing laws be enacted to destroy the US based on her false beliefs, like Obama and others are with AGW.

  12. narciso Avatar
    narciso

    Or wasting tax payer funds on eSCR, like McCaskill has wanted to do, when adult stem cells
    have been the real success.

  13. G.A.Phillips Avatar
    G.A.Phillips

    They haven’t a clue what science is and haven’t the mental tools required to decipher bad information from good

    Mr Science Czar, were are the billions of transformational fossils?

    What, what, you can’t find any, not even a single one?

    The religion of Evolution is an embarrassment.

  14. Grant Avatar
    Grant

    The evolution of embarrassment is religion.

  15. Richard A. van Buskirk Avatar
    Richard A. van Buskirk

    The problem is evolution is a fact.  But not as they profess, we did not evolve from Monkeys.  If we did why do we still have monkeys?  All the monkeys should have elvoved.  If you look a Darwins studies it shows evolution but only with in a species and monkeys are a species and human are another. Fish evolve within their species, birds, snakes all species learn and evolve, but they do not become a new species.  It’s like saying fish evolved to become birds, don’t believe what they tell you.

  16. JKB Avatar
    JKB

    I do love how everyone is jumping on O’Donnell as if what she said on an entertainment show where being controversial and engaging gets you invited back was the same as her issuing an academic paper.  She probably believed it at that time or she believed a much tamer version but chose to speak provocatively.  It certainly isn’t like Maher finds her assertion a damaging influence on his ratings.  I suppose Colbert would be out for any office due to the things he’s said, under oath, to a Senate committee?

  17. Anon Avatar
    Anon

    But not as they profess, we did not evolve from Monkeys.If we did why do we still have monkeys?  All the monkeys should have elvoved.

    Actually, scientists believe that apes and humans evolved from a common ancestor. Monkeys are not in the picture (monkeys are not apes). Furthermore, the ancestors from which apes and humans evolved in fact do not exist, and did indeed evolve as you postulate.

  18. Glenn Avatar
    Glenn

    …and a witch would know if evolution is a myth. What a hocus pocus bogus halloween trick. I sure hope no one thinks this person would do any good in congress. But then again perhaps she could cast a spell in the halls of government to numb the American People more so they will give up their hard-earned money more willingly.

  19. bsand_98 Avatar
    bsand_98

    HIP-HIP- HOORAY!!  It’s about time some of these morons who preach evelotion were slapped! IT IS MATHEMATICALLY IMPOSSIBLE!! Seems to me what we need most are some politicians, (and followers), who have mental higher mental capacities than your average HAMPSTER!!

  20. JR Avatar
    JR

    EVOLUTION IS THE MYTH. DARWIN RECANTED HIS OWN THEORY TOWARDS THE END OF HIS LIFE.

    iF YOU BELIEVE IN EVOLUTION YOU SHOULD HAVE A SIMPLE, AND INTELIGENT, ANSWER TO THE QUESTION: WHAT CAME FIRST, THE CHICKEN OR THE EGG? YOU CAN’T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS. A CHICKEN COUDN’T JUST HAVE EVOLVED AND THEN CHANGE THE WAY IT PROPAGATED THE SPECIES, AND THE EGG COULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED WITHOUT THE CHICKEN. NOW FOR ALL YOU DARWINISTS, APPLY THIS TO EVERY SPECIES OF PLANT AND ANIMAL ON THE PLANET. THE ODDS ARE INCREDIBLE AGAINST YOU!!!

    THERE IS A GOD!!!! 

  21. Davebo Avatar
    Davebo

    JR may well be the best argument against evolution.
    No, he didn’t make a very good argument, he is the argument.



  22. JR Avatar
    JR

    DAVEYBOY. IT’S EASY TO MAKE A DIG AT SOMEONE, BUT AS I SAID EVEN DARWIN WAS INTELLIGENT ENOUGH TO CHANGE HIS MIND. YOUR CONTROLLERS JUST DON’T TEACH THAT IN SCIENCE ANYMORE!

    THERE IS A GOD…THE DAY YOU MEET HIM WILL BE THE SADDEST DAY OF YOUR EXISTENCE IF YOU DIE IN YOUR INTELLECTUAL POVERTY!!

  23. wr Avatar
    wr

    Wow. I never believed in God, but JR convinced me. I think it must be because he typed in all capitals. That’s incredibly persuasive.

  24. Anon Avatar
    Anon

    THERE IS A GOD!!!!

    I don’t think that belief in God and belief in evolution are incompatible. There may be some (negative) correlation between belief in evolution and the Caps Lock key, though.

  25. RD Avatar
    RD

    Anyone or should I rather say most people, can change their mind, but to believe something that has massive evidence against it and still not be able to change your mind, that requires an unrepentant attitude.

  26. Emily Avatar
    Emily

    JR ^ above is a perfect example of the fanatically religious and uneducated Americans that are in this country :/ It is incredibly unfortunate.

  27. john personna Avatar
    john personna

    I don’t think that belief in God and belief in evolution are incompatible.

     
    Some (Evangelical sects?) are taught that it is evolution or God, a choice.  They express surprise that some mainstream Christian religions (for example Lutherans and Catholics) are OK with God and evolution.
     
    (Concur on caps key, or it might just be an indication that we are dealing with a youth.)

  28. G.A.Phillips Avatar
    G.A.Phillips

     NO transformational fossils NONE NO transitional fossils NONE
     

    The Religion of Evolution is an embarrassment. 

  29. Grant Avatar
    Grant

    The evolution of religion is an embarrassment.

  30. john Avatar
    john

    Al Gore “is a perfect example of the fanatically religious and uneducated Americans that are in this country :/ It is incredibly unfortunate.”

    His religion naturally being Global Warming.

  31. G.A.Phillips Avatar
    G.A.Phillips

    ***Indeed, it is the chief frustration of the fossil record that we do not have empirical evidence for sustained trends in the evolution of most complex morphological adaptations.” Stephen J. Gould and Niles Eldredge, ‘Species Selection: Its Range and Power,’ 1988, p. 19***

    LOL!!!! that’s cause there ain’t None, ZERO, nada, POOP…………..NOT any, NONE>>>>>>>>

    ***does someone who spouts pseudo-science like this belong in the United States Senate ?***

    Doug, what does qualify someone, for you to support them as a republican candidate?

    Hardly anyone believes in evolution bro….

  32. Neil Hudelson Avatar
    Neil Hudelson

    “There may be some (negative) correlation between belief in evolution and the Caps Lock key, though.”

    Anon,

    Do you mind if I steal that quote for a parody article I’m writing for a local rag? It wouldn’t be attributed…(but if anyone asks I’ll tell them where I got it).

  33. Anon Avatar
    Anon

    Do you mind if I steal that quote for a parody article I’m writing for a local rag? It wouldn’t be attributed…(but if anyone asks I’ll tell them where I got it).

    Not at all.

  34. jaron devin credle Avatar
    jaron devin credle

    Well, i’ll have you know that I was a monkey about 6 years ago. Suddenly I had an urge for what you humans call a ‘double soy vente latte’. My ambition to have this has allowed me to evolve in to well …as you can see… an intelligent homo sapien. Watch out because there are many of us, in the jungle standing a bit more upright everyday seeking the frivolous ambitions of man.

    (PS- I still throw my shit. Old habits die hard)

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