Today's Happy Hopping Moron: Reince Priebus

Today's HHM award isn't quite as flaming obvious as some of our previous recipients. The core stupid is not so much in this HHM's statement directly as in the implications. In a recent interview, RNC chairman Reince Priebus said, “I think Obama’s policies have created a sense that, for whatever reason, he’s looking for guidance, as far as health care is concerned, as far as our spending is concerned, as far as these stimulus packages are concerned — he’s looking to Europe for guidance,” Priebus explained.

Since when is Mitt Romney Europe?

See, the ACA -- what they like to call "Obamacare" -- is based largely on what Massachusetts implemented under Romney, i.e. "Romneycare". The ACA derives from vintage 2006 Romney state governance repackaged to a national level. President Obama's health care policies looked directly to Romney's work in Massachusetts for guidance.

So is Mitt Romney Europe now? Or did Romney draw guidance from Europe to create Romneycare? Because if Obamacare draws guidance from Europe it must be indirectly by way of Romney.

It seems like a reasonable assumption Priebus, as the Republican chair, was trying to slam Obama. Yet his statement -- drawn to its logical conclusion -- must argue that his own party's candidate is the original culprit in this great Republican sin of "looking to Europe for guidance". We're not convinced that looking to Europe for guidance was going on here let alone that it would necessarily be a bad thing. But it's quite clear the Priebus just opened his mouth and inserted his foot to slam his own candidate with that so-called sin. Either he's mindbogglingly stupid to not understand that his own candidate would be the actual source of the "guidance". Or he's counting on his base to be so stupid that they'll not understand that if there's any Europe in the ACA it comes by way of Mitt Romney.

That either makes Reince Priebus a fool or a prince of fools counting upon their foolishness. Either way, Reince Priebus is today's Happy Hopping Moron.

Today's Happy Hopping Moron: Jesse Lee Peterson

The HHM is an equal opportunity award, not limited to white guys (i.e., all of our previous recipients). Today's HHM is the first minority recipient of the HHM title.

Jesse Lee Peterson said, "I think that one of the greatest mistakes America made was to allow women the opportunity to vote."

Need I say more? No, that's rather quite enough. But Peterson did say more; so while the above is enough on its own he'd earned the title even before saying that. And that's why today's Happy Hopping Moron is Jesse Lee Peterson.

Today's Happy Hopping Moron: Ted Cruz

Would you believe a United Nations conspiracy to eliminate the game of golf? How about one to eliminate paved roads? Of course not. That's ludicrous.

Would you believe that the Tea Party Republican candidate for Senate from Texas is leading in the polls despite having claimed not only that there was such a conspiracy but also that it was something to take seriously?

Unfortunately, you'd be correct to believe that last bit about such a Republican leading in the polls. It may be ludicrous to believe the conspiracy at all and even more ludicrous to believe that it could be a serious concern, but yet Republicans are being elected despite promoting such obviously insane notions. Tea Party Republican Ted Cruz claims that George Soros and the United Nations are actively working to rob us of our golf courses. And not just our golf courses, but also grazing pastures and paved roads. Seriously. He really says that. On his own blog. Cruz rants about the alleged, "attempts to abolish “unsustainable” environments, including golf courses, grazing pastures, and paved roads."

As Ian Millhiser put it,

"In reality, Agenda 21 is a twenty year-old non-binding resolution which speaks largely at a very high level of generality about reducing poverty and building sustainable living environments. The United States is one of 178 nations that signed onto this non-binding agenda — and we did so during the Bush Administration. So if Agenda 21 actually were a nefarious Soros plot to destroy paved roads and take away our sacred right to golf courses, it has worked very badly. Two decades after Agenda 21 was produced, Ted Cruz himself is still allowed to sell golf shirts on his website with minimal intrusion from UN peacekeepers."

Cruz is clearly a bit beyond moron and into nut-case territory. However, we don't find that to be a disqualification and so Ted Cruz is today's Happy Hopping Moron.

Today's Happy Hopping Moron: Stacey Campfield

One could reasonably enough have granted Tennessee Republican Stacey Campfield the title for being the HHM behind Tennessee's "Don't Say Gay" bill. Not content to rest on his laurels with such legislative stupidity, Campfield says, "My understanding is that it is virtually — not completely, but virtually — impossible to contract AIDS through heterosexual sex."

Campfield should work on understanding that in order to legitimately use the word "understanding" one ought to have at least some vague understanding of the subject in question. In truth, those who have an any idea what they're talking about are more likely to say something like, "HIV is unquestionably transmitted through heterosexual intercourse. Indeed, heterosexual intercourse is now responsible for 70-80% of all HIV transmissions worldwide (2)." But Campfield wouldn't want to bother with pesky things like learning the facts before speaking out his backside. His spreading of misinformation tacked on top of his record of idiotic legislation makes Stacey Campfield today's Happy Hopping Moron.

Today's Happy Hopping Moron: Niall Ferguson

He's got a long track records of spouting nonsense to his credit. He's just come from putting out a Newsweek cover story that's deservedly drawing derision for multiple obvious errors. But what clinched the spot of Today's Happy Hopping Moron for Niall Ferguson was an error that could have been forgiven if it had been committed by someone who has never claimed to have any expertise related to government or the economy. From a complete and utter layman it could have been excused. But a commentator and professor who would claim economic history among his specialties, mistaking the employment bump from the Census for an impact of the Stimulus (as he did on Bloomberg TV) tops the cake. Even despite his specialty, maybe -- just maybe -- we could have overlooked a really, really mindbogglingly stupid mistake like that if he hadn't been churning out so many errors in such public forums of late. But given that track record, congratulations to Niall for fully earning the title of Today's Happy Hopping Moron.

The identity of the Happy Hopping Moron on the right has been obscured because even he was embarrassed to be depicted next to Niall Ferguson

Today's Happy Hopping Moron: Todd Akin

Missouri Tea Party Republican Todd Akin claims he can tell whether a rape was a "legitimate rape" based on some magical, mystical -- and unspecified -- means by which he figures a woman's body will reject the rapist's sperm if it was really a rape.

Akin says, "If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down."

Akin should leave the comments on reproductive biology to those who actually have a grasp on the subject.

The identity of the Happy Hopping Moron on the right has been obscured because even he was embarrassed to be depicted next to Todd Akin

 I didn't realize it was Happy Hopping Moron Day.