Michele Bachmann Claims HPV Vaccine Causes ‘Mental Retardation’

Mustang

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Jan 15, 2010
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You know, when you already have a reputation for saying things that are factually inaccurate, and you've already made a number of irresponsible (some would say crazy) comments, the best way to salvage your reputation is to be very, VERY careful and check your facts before saying something publicly, especially when you say it on camera.

But some people just never learn. At the VERY least, this reflects poorly on the GOP as a whole since it is increasingly gaining a reputation as the political party of kooks.

Michele Bachmann spoke out against the HPV vaccine this morning on The Today Show, telling Matt Lauer that following last night’s debate, a mother told her that it caused “mental retardation”.

“I will tell you that I had a mother last night come up to me here in Tampa, Fla., after the debate,” Bachmann explained. “She told me that her little daughter took that vaccine, that injection, and she suffered from mental retardation thereafter. The mother was crying when she came up to me last night. I didn’t know who she was before the debate. This is the very real concern and people have to draw their own conclusions.”

Rep. Bachmann | HPV Vaccine Causes | Mental Retardation | Mediaite
 
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crusaderfrank-albums-bachmannnnnnn-picture3856-bachman-zombies.jpg
 
You know, when you already have a reputation for saying things that are factually inaccurate, and you've already made a number of irresponsible (some would say crazy) comments, the best way to salvage your reputation is to be very, VERY careful and check your facts before saying something publicly, especially when you say it on camera.

But some people just never learn. At the VERY least, this reflects poorly on the GOP as a whole since it is increasingly gaining a reputation as the political party of kooks.

Michele Bachmann spoke out against the HPV vaccine this morning on The Today Show, telling Matt Lauer that following last night’s debate, a mother told her that it caused “mental retardation”.

“I will tell you that I had a mother last night come up to me here in Tampa, Fla., after the debate,” Bachmann explained. “She told me that her little daughter took that vaccine, that injection, and she suffered from mental retardation thereafter. The mother was crying when she came up to me last night. I didn’t know who she was before the debate. This is the very real concern and people have to draw their own conclusions.”

Rep. Bachmann | HPV Vaccine Causes | Mental Retardation | Mediaite

Did you even read what you quoted? Bachmann made no such claim. You're either quite stupid, or you're just plain dishonest, or, possibly both.
 
You know, when you already have a reputation for saying things that are factually inaccurate, and you've already made a number of irresponsible (some would say crazy) comments, the best way to salvage your reputation is to be very, VERY careful and check your facts before saying something publicly, especially when you say it on camera.

But some people just never learn. At the VERY least, this reflects poorly on the GOP as a whole since it is increasingly gaining a reputation as the political party of kooks.

Michele Bachmann spoke out against the HPV vaccine this morning on The Today Show, telling Matt Lauer that following last night’s debate, a mother told her that it caused “mental retardation”.

“I will tell you that I had a mother last night come up to me here in Tampa, Fla., after the debate,” Bachmann explained. “She told me that her little daughter took that vaccine, that injection, and she suffered from mental retardation thereafter. The mother was crying when she came up to me last night. I didn’t know who she was before the debate. This is the very real concern and people have to draw their own conclusions.”

Rep. Bachmann | HPV Vaccine Causes | Mental Retardation | Mediaite

Did you even read what you quoted? Bachmann made no such claim. You're either quite stupid, or you're just plain dishonest, or, possibly both.

Bachmann is PROMOTING the idea. She's putting it out there for public consumption. So, when Bachmann says the following:
"This is the very real concern, and people have to draw their own conclusions."
Bachmann is NOT trying to educate people. She's trying to gin up fear
 
From another part of the article:

Beyond the anecdote from the mother, Bachmann did not offer any scientific evidence to back up her claims. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the vaccine for young girls and says the shot is “safe and effective.” According to the CDC, HPV vaccines were “studied in thousands of people around the world” and “studies have found no serious side effects.”

Of course, Bachmann didn't offer any information from the CDC which would help to prevent people whose daughters received the vaccine from becoming alarmed that maybe their daughters would begin to suffer from mental retardation.

There's a lot of kooks in the world. But it's one thing when some nut with an agenda tries to gin up fear. It's another thing altogether when a public official starts to suggest that a vaccine may have dramatic side effects. But Bachmann isn't just a garden variety congresswoman. She's running for president. Consequently, she gets a LOT more attention than the average House member. It is completely irresponsible for someone in her position to promote fear when it's not warranted.

Now, if Michele Bachmann floated the idea that someone contracted AIDS from a public toilet, it would certainly create havoc. But would anyone likely face the possiblity of a fatal illness because of that kind of irresponsible remark? Not likely.

But because of Bachmann's remark about mental retardation, it IS possible that some parents may elect to opt out of the HPV vaccine when they otherwise might have permitted it. And it IS possible that some young girl could later contract cervical cancer 20 years from now.

Bachmann should issue a retraction and apologize to the public for her irresponsible statement.

What's next, I wonder
 
Did you even read what you quoted? Bachmann made no such claim. You're either quite stupid, or you're just plain dishonest, or, possibly both.

That's kinda funny... she said, and i quote that she spoke with a woman who

told me her daughter suffered mental retardation as a result [of the HPV vaccine]. There are very dangerous consequences.”

Bachmann repeated the allegation on the “Today Show” this morning, adding, “It’s 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.”

*skip*

But some conservatives are pushing back on Bachmann’s ‘mental retardation’ claim, saying the candidate went too far.

“The most charitable analysis that can be offered in this case for Bachmann is that she got duped into repeating a vaccine-scare urban legend on national television.” wrote Ed Morrissey on Hot Air today.

(even rusbot said)“Bachmann might have blown it, she might have jumped the shark,” Rush Limbaugh said on his radio show. “There’s no evidence that the vaccine causes mental retardation.”

“Michele Bachmann is overplaying her hand on this issue and it is probably going to go away,” wrote Erick Erickson on RedState.

The Weekly Standard’s John McCormack wrote that “Bachmann seemed to go off the deep end.”

Perry himself has weighed in. “You heard the same arguments about giving our children protections from some of the childhood diseases, and they were, autism was part of that,” he told NBC News. “Now we've subsequently found out that was generated and not true.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...l-retardation/2011/09/13/gIQAbJBcPK_blog.html
 
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Did you even read what you quoted? Bachmann made no such claim. You're either quite stupid, or you're just plain dishonest, or, possibly both.

That's kinda funny... she said, and i quote that she spoke with a woman who

told me her daughter suffered mental retardation as a result [of the HPV vaccine]. There are very dangerous consequences.”

Bachmann repeated the allegation on the “Today Show” this morning, adding, “It’s 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.”

*skip*

But some conservatives are pushing back on Bachmann’s ‘mental retardation’ claim, saying the candidate went too far.

“The most charitable analysis that can be offered in this case for Bachmann is that she got duped into repeating a vaccine-scare urban legend on national television.” wrote Ed Morrissey on Hot Air today.

(even rusbot said)“Bachmann might have blown it, she might have jumped the shark,” Rush Limbaugh said on his radio show. “There’s no evidence that the vaccine causes mental retardation.”

“Michele Bachmann is overplaying her hand on this issue and it is probably going to go away,” wrote Erick Erickson on RedState.

The Weekly Standard’s John McCormack wrote that “Bachmann seemed to go off the deep end.”

Perry himself has weighed in. “You heard the same arguments about giving our children protections from some of the childhood diseases, and they were, autism was part of that,” he told NBC News. “Now we've subsequently found out that was generated and not true.”

Bachmann claims HPV vaccine might cause ‘mental retardation’ - The Washington Post

It is kinda funny that you're reiterating ole boys point.
 
Did you even read what you quoted? Bachmann made no such claim. You're either quite stupid, or you're just plain dishonest, or, possibly both.

That's kinda funny... she said, and i quote that she spoke with a woman who

told me her daughter suffered mental retardation as a result [of the HPV vaccine]. There are very dangerous consequences.”

Bachmann repeated the allegation on the “Today Show” this morning, adding, “It’s 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.”

*skip*

But some conservatives are pushing back on Bachmann’s ‘mental retardation’ claim, saying the candidate went too far.

“The most charitable analysis that can be offered in this case for Bachmann is that she got duped into repeating a vaccine-scare urban legend on national television.” wrote Ed Morrissey on Hot Air today.

(even rusbot said)“Bachmann might have blown it, she might have jumped the shark,” Rush Limbaugh said on his radio show. “There’s no evidence that the vaccine causes mental retardation.”

“Michele Bachmann is overplaying her hand on this issue and it is probably going to go away,” wrote Erick Erickson on RedState.

The Weekly Standard’s John McCormack wrote that “Bachmann seemed to go off the deep end.”

Perry himself has weighed in. “You heard the same arguments about giving our children protections from some of the childhood diseases, and they were, autism was part of that,” he told NBC News. “Now we've subsequently found out that was generated and not true.”

Bachmann claims HPV vaccine might cause ‘mental retardation’ - The Washington Post

It is kinda funny that you're reiterating ole boys point.

which "old boy", bubbalah?
 
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYITD8TMvcM&feature=related]Hot Hot Hot with lyrics - YouTube[/ame]
 
I think she meant brain damage rather than mental retardation. But in either case Bachmann is a vaccine Luddite who just makes things up as she sees fit
 
Did you even read what you quoted? Bachmann made no such claim. You're either quite stupid, or you're just plain dishonest, or, possibly both.

That's kinda funny... she said, and i quote that she spoke with a woman who

told me her daughter suffered mental retardation as a result [of the HPV vaccine]. There are very dangerous consequences.”

Bachmann repeated the allegation on the “Today Show” this morning, adding, “It’s 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.”

*skip*

But some conservatives are pushing back on Bachmann’s ‘mental retardation’ claim, saying the candidate went too far.

“The most charitable analysis that can be offered in this case for Bachmann is that she got duped into repeating a vaccine-scare urban legend on national television.” wrote Ed Morrissey on Hot Air today.

(even rusbot said)“Bachmann might have blown it, she might have jumped the shark,” Rush Limbaugh said on his radio show. “There’s no evidence that the vaccine causes mental retardation.”

“Michele Bachmann is overplaying her hand on this issue and it is probably going to go away,” wrote Erick Erickson on RedState.

The Weekly Standard’s John McCormack wrote that “Bachmann seemed to go off the deep end.”

Perry himself has weighed in. “You heard the same arguments about giving our children protections from some of the childhood diseases, and they were, autism was part of that,” he told NBC News. “Now we've subsequently found out that was generated and not true.”

Bachmann claims HPV vaccine might cause ‘mental retardation’ - The Washington Post

I don't think the press should let this go. They should ask her about it again and get her to either come out and support the woman's "theory" one way or another, or refute the theory, even if all she does is publicly defer to the CDC statements about the vaccine.

It would also be interesting to meet the woman who supposedly told this story to Bachmann, assuming she even exists.
 
I think she meant brain damage rather than mental retardation. But in either case Bachmann is a vaccine Luddite who just makes things up as she sees fit

No.... the lady told her it caused mental retardation in her daughter :rolleyes: (no proof mind you)

Michelle then stupidly went and repeated it to the 1st camera that was put in her face.

Very UNpresidential if ya ask me :eusa_whistle:

Just sayin'
 
You know, when you already have a reputation for saying things that are factually inaccurate, and you've already made a number of irresponsible (some would say crazy) comments, the best way to salvage your reputation is to be very, VERY careful and check your facts before saying something publicly, especially when you say it on camera.

But some people just never learn. At the VERY least, this reflects poorly on the GOP as a whole since it is increasingly gaining a reputation as the political party of kooks.

Michele Bachmann spoke out against the HPV vaccine this morning on The Today Show, telling Matt Lauer that following last night’s debate, a mother told her that it caused “mental retardation”.

“I will tell you that I had a mother last night come up to me here in Tampa, Fla., after the debate,” Bachmann explained. “She told me that her little daughter took that vaccine, that injection, and she suffered from mental retardation thereafter. The mother was crying when she came up to me last night. I didn’t know who she was before the debate. This is the very real concern and people have to draw their own conclusions.”

Rep. Bachmann | HPV Vaccine Causes | Mental Retardation | Mediaite

Did you even read what you quoted? Bachmann made no such claim. You're either quite stupid, or you're just plain dishonest, or, possibly both.

Did you read it?
 
I think she meant brain damage rather than mental retardation. But in either case Bachmann is a vaccine Luddite who just makes things up as she sees fit

No.... the lady told her it caused mental retardation in her daughter :rolleyes: (no proof mind you)

Michelle then stupidly went and repeated it to the 1st camera that was put in her face.

Very UNpresidential if ya ask me :eusa_whistle:

Just sayin'

you presume that someone actually said that to her. i make no such presumption.

as to the rest... well, we're in agreement. but she's kind of a wack-a-doodle.
 
The person you quoted... :cuckoo:


i think he's being dishonest saying she didn't say it. i think he's parsing words in order to try to defend the ignorant lying wacko

perhaps that wasn't clear?

That was clear. Your support for your opinion disproved your point and proved his.

only to someone who thinks she didn't make the claim she made and is trying to defend the wacko.

thanks for playing. and thanks for your dishonesty.
 

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