Yesterday was the birthday of the first Republican president, Abraham Lincoln; and the birthday of Charles Darwin, who revolutionized the whole way that we look at the biological world.
The Party of Lincoln – Today
Origin of the Species was published in 1859, and the controversy over Darwin’s “men are descended from monkeys” nonsense spilled over in the vitriol of the South towards Lincoln, who was often p0rtrayed as an ape or a monkey.
Get it? Lincoln was descended from “a ape” and obviously the NEEEE groes was descended from monkeys. It was endemic in Southern political cartoons of the day. Back then, the South didn’t appreciate Darwin NOR Lincoln.
And now, the modern Republican party doesn’t “get” either Lincoln NOR Darwin.
Check this out from Gallup, 2007 [emphasis added]:
June 11, 2007
Majority of Republicans Doubt Theory of Evolution
More Americans accept theory of creationism than evolutionby Frank Newport
GALLUP NEWS SERVICEPRINCETON, NJ — The majority of Republicans in the United States do not believe the theory of evolution is true and do not believe that humans evolved over millions of years from less advanced forms of life. This suggests that when three Republican presidential candidates at a May debate stated they did not believe in evolution, they were generally in sync with the bulk of the rank-and-file Republicans whose nomination they are seeking to obtain.
Independents and Democrats are more likely than Republicans to believe in the theory of evolution….
And here’s the lovely picture.
Well, them whats don’t want to evolve are welcome to it, but stop plugging the passes for rest of we’uns what do.
I ain’t descended from no stoopid mud ball. That’s just dumb.
In this world of sin and sorrow, there is
always something to be thankful for;
as for me, I rejoice that
I am not a Republican.
– H. L. Mencken
Courage.
Well, there it is–graphic proof that the majority of Republicans are morons. As for me, for as long as I continue to see abundant evidence of evolution in progress, I have no choice but to believe in evolution.
But this begs the question, does the lack of belief in one thing trigger an automatic belief in its opposite? If so, then it stands to reason that a majority of Republicans believe in devolution, and ample evidence suggests they practice it every chance they get (and that they’re getting really, really good at it).
At least Mencken had a worthy reason to rejoice.
Phil:
Well, certainly in that case they practice what they preach. One of the rare instances, note.
Republicans don’t believe in the Theory of Evolution because they haven’t evolved.
What are you talking about? Republiklans are the most evolved of the phylum Nematoda. (And yes, they’re one of the 15,000 mentioned.)