Michele Bachmann said this morning that the HPV vaccination Rick Perry had mandated in an executive order as governor of Texas could potentially cause mental retardation in children.
“I had a mother last night come up to me here in Tampa, Fla., after the debate,” Bachmann said on the Today show this morning. “She told me that her little daughter took that vaccine, that injection, and she suffered from mental retardation thereafter. It can have very dangerous side effects. The mother was crying when she came up to me last night. I didn’t know who she was before the debate. This is a very real concern and people have to draw their own conclusions.”
Bachmann repeated her “crony capitalism” charge, saying it was “very clear that crony capitalism could have likely been the cause because the governor’s former chief of staff was the chief lobbyist for this drug company.”
“Rather than putting it before hearings and before legislature the governor chose by himself unilaterally, to sign an executive order and put through the requirement that all innocent little 12-year-old girls or 11-year-old girls in the state of Texas would be forced by the government to take an injection of what could potentially be a very dangerous drug,” Bachmann said.
She added that “you can’t abuse executive authority with executive orders” because “there is no second chance for these little girls if there are any dangerous consequences to their bodies or for their parents.”
Last night she was shrill and silly. Today she falls into self-parody. Maybe she can run as an independent on a junk science fusion ticket with John Edwards. That might be the best career option remaining open to her. This culminates the most dramatic crash and burn in American politics since Howard Dean.
Advocate for little girls sounds about right. Always nice to see someone throw out an unsubstantiated claim and then tell you to make your own "conclusions". What in the heck is that?
What about vaccines causing Autism, Ms. Bachmann? Some parents make that claim, but medical studies have found no link between the two.
She's crashing and burning before our eyes. It was bound to happen sometime, I just didn't think it would be this soon. She's always been a lightweight with a microphone, a legend in her own mind.
This is getting sad. Bachmann is going all Jenny McCarthy, and for what? Primary votes? The whole thing smacks of desperation. Is there ANY evidence, aside from this mystery woman after the debate, that the HPV vaccine causes mental retardation?
If Bachmann is taking that charge and running with it without research or facts to back it up, she should be ashamed of herself.
What about parental opt-OUT does Michelle Bachman not get?
And Rick Santorium piping up with how it should have been an opt-IN to be quite honest just sounded like hair-splitting to my ears.
If I am a parent who takes responsibility for my child's welfare, and I see a vaccine they want my little girl to take and it contains an opt-out, then I am going to do my homework to decide what is best for my daughter.
On this issue what happened to the loud shouts for personal responsibility? Very convenient to lose that aspect when it is the stick you want to beat Pinata Perry with.
Have you never had a kid in public school? Not all notices make their way home to the parents. There are many ways--with opt-out only--for the kid to get the shot without you getting your chance to consider it. The difference between opt-out and opt-in is huge. But, beyond that, this shot could be offered at local clinics, not in a heavy-handed way as per Perry...
Gardisil is a very painful injection and totally unneeded with proper behavior...can't say that about polio, measles, or even hepatitis. Hooray for Bachmann! This is crony capitalism at its worst. Money for everyone and the girls are guinea pigs. Perry is a stuffed suit and an incoherent stumbling bumbling one at that.
Gardisil also requires booster shots which means injecting 10-12 year olds is almost pointless unless you concede they are going to be sexually active in their teenage years.
Unprotected Sex. Not sure how common this is among 11 yr olds.
Also,it doesn't protect against all HPV viruses and it isn't clear how long it protects. Or how common other threats like HIV are.
And I saw one of the trial researchers for this has questioned its utility since the reported adverse reactions are of the same order as the number of cancer cases.
I agree that this is getting overblown, but there were real reasons for delaying a mandate on this. But another vaccine was in the pipeline so delay would have cost the company a chunk of change.
Politicians scared of losing are so sad. Between this silliness and Romney's Democrat-lite attacks on Perry's SS position, it's rapidly becoming Perry's race to lose. The sooner he locks it up the better.
Is there ANY vaccine -- any medication, for that matter -- that doesn't have some number of adverse outcomes? Bachmann's zero tolerance policy for side effects would seem to preclude most medical treatments.
Goofy Michele again. Just when you think she might be getting some traction with a good debate performance, she goes on TV and makes a fool of herself. Perry can be grateful for his opponents, or at least one of them.
Bachmann is unelectable, IMO, and sometimes downright wacky. But if Perry loses a debate to her, how's he gonna beat Barry?
Debating an empty chair might be tougher than debating Perry, unless he steps up his game. The economy may be so bad that Barry can't win no matter what. But I'd like to see better performances from Perry just in case.
One more thing. I agree that debates can't swing an election that's not pretty close to begin with.
Reagan stunk in his first 1984 debate against Mondale and improved only marginally in the second. But the election was so far out of hand that it made no real difference...though the polls did narrow after the first debate.
But in a closer race like 1980 the one debate made a very real, measurable difference. The race was close going into the debate with a narrow edge for Reagan at most.
Then Jimmah went out there and goofed with the Amy reply and a generally peevish, unpresidential performance. Reagan clobbered him with the better-off-than-four-years-ago? line. The race rapidly widened into a blowout. But it could have gone the other way if Reagan had bombed as bad as Carter.
I just don't want to worry about debates against Obama. If the economy stays really bad, any kind of competent performance by the GOP challenger in the debates will do. But I'm starting to worry about Perry's competence.
Last night she was shrill and silly. Today she falls into self-parody. Maybe she can run as an independent on a junk science fusion ticket with John Edwards. That might be the best career option remaining open to her. This culminates the most dramatic crash and burn in American politics since Howard Dean.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseShe's done.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSeriously? Why is Rep. Bachmann still considered a contender in this race? If she is, Kyrie eleison.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAdvocate for little girls sounds about right. Always nice to see someone throw out an unsubstantiated claim and then tell you to make your own "conclusions". What in the heck is that?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWhat about vaccines causing Autism, Ms. Bachmann? Some parents make that claim, but medical studies have found no link between the two.
She's crashing and burning before our eyes. It was bound to happen sometime, I just didn't think it would be this soon. She's always been a lightweight with a microphone, a legend in her own mind.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThis is getting sad. Bachmann is going all Jenny McCarthy, and for what? Primary votes? The whole thing smacks of desperation. Is there ANY evidence, aside from this mystery woman after the debate, that the HPV vaccine causes mental retardation?
If Bachmann is taking that charge and running with it without research or facts to back it up, she should be ashamed of herself.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWhat about parental opt-OUT does Michelle Bachman not get?
And Rick Santorium piping up with how it should have been an opt-IN to be quite honest just sounded like hair-splitting to my ears.
If I am a parent who takes responsibility for my child's welfare, and I see a vaccine they want my little girl to take and it contains an opt-out, then I am going to do my homework to decide what is best for my daughter.
On this issue what happened to the loud shouts for personal responsibility? Very convenient to lose that aspect when it is the stick you want to beat Pinata Perry with.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"What about parental opt-OUT does Michelle Bachman not get?"
The part where it devastates her argument.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseExcellent comment!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseHave you never had a kid in public school? Not all notices make their way home to the parents. There are many ways--with opt-out only--for the kid to get the shot without you getting your chance to consider it. The difference between opt-out and opt-in is huge. But, beyond that, this shot could be offered at local clinics, not in a heavy-handed way as per Perry...
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI went to the doctor the other day and he said some guy told him the Flu vaccine killed his dog, but I had to make my own conclusions.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseGardisil is a very painful injection and totally unneeded with proper behavior...can't say that about polio, measles, or even hepatitis. Hooray for Bachmann! This is crony capitalism at its worst. Money for everyone and the girls are guinea pigs. Perry is a stuffed suit and an incoherent stumbling bumbling one at that.
Gardisil also requires booster shots which means injecting 10-12 year olds is almost pointless unless you concede they are going to be sexually active in their teenage years.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSo we should put teen girls at risk of cervical cancer because it offends your sensibilities that they might have sex?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseUnprotected Sex. Not sure how common this is among 11 yr olds.
Also,it doesn't protect against all HPV viruses and it isn't clear how long it protects. Or how common other threats like HIV are.
And I saw one of the trial researchers for this has questioned its utility since the reported adverse reactions are of the same order as the number of cancer cases.
I agree that this is getting overblown, but there were real reasons for delaying a mandate on this. But another vaccine was in the pipeline so delay would have cost the company a chunk of change.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbusePoliticians scared of losing are so sad. Between this silliness and Romney's Democrat-lite attacks on Perry's SS position, it's rapidly becoming Perry's race to lose. The sooner he locks it up the better.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIs there ANY vaccine -- any medication, for that matter -- that doesn't have some number of adverse outcomes? Bachmann's zero tolerance policy for side effects would seem to preclude most medical treatments.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseGoofy Michele again. Just when you think she might be getting some traction with a good debate performance, she goes on TV and makes a fool of herself. Perry can be grateful for his opponents, or at least one of them.
Bachmann is unelectable, IMO, and sometimes downright wacky. But if Perry loses a debate to her, how's he gonna beat Barry?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseHe's going to beat Barry because electoral success as nothing to do with debating and because Obama can't debate and empty chair.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseDebating an empty chair might be tougher than debating Perry, unless he steps up his game. The economy may be so bad that Barry can't win no matter what. But I'd like to see better performances from Perry just in case.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseOne more thing. I agree that debates can't swing an election that's not pretty close to begin with.
Reagan stunk in his first 1984 debate against Mondale and improved only marginally in the second. But the election was so far out of hand that it made no real difference...though the polls did narrow after the first debate.
But in a closer race like 1980 the one debate made a very real, measurable difference. The race was close going into the debate with a narrow edge for Reagan at most.
Then Jimmah went out there and goofed with the Amy reply and a generally peevish, unpresidential performance. Reagan clobbered him with the better-off-than-four-years-ago? line. The race rapidly widened into a blowout. But it could have gone the other way if Reagan had bombed as bad as Carter.
I just don't want to worry about debates against Obama. If the economy stays really bad, any kind of competent performance by the GOP challenger in the debates will do. But I'm starting to worry about Perry's competence.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse