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Would Charles Darwin Have Made a Good Congressman?

Posted by Soulskill on from the descent-by-natural-election dept.

sciencehabit writes "It's a good 130 years too late to answer that question empirically, but at least symbolically Charles Darwin has won support from more than 4000 voters in the 10th congressional district of Georgia, thanks to an initiative headed by James Leebens-Mack, a plant biologist at the University of Georgia in Athens. Like many others, Leebens-Mack was deeply troubled by a speech his Congressman, Paul Broun (R-GA), gave at an Athens church in October deriding teachings on evolution, embryology, and the big bang theory as 'lies straight from the pit of Hell.' Broun, a medical doctor, is a member of the U.S. House of Representative's Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and chair of its Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight. Leebens-Mack says the 'protest vote should make it clear to future opponents that there are a lot of people in the district who are not happy with antiscience statements.'"

4 of 155 comments (clear)

  1. We can't have good people by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It all comes down to this:

    Why doesn't Leebens-Mack run against Broun himself in 2014? "I am a scientist, not a politician," he says. "I enjoy my job as a plant biologist. It would be too big a sacrifice to give that up to run for Congress."

    Who doesn't feel the same way? That's not quite rhetorical; turns out you probably know someone who doesn't agree with that. But they're also someone you probably don't like, aren't they?

    1. Re:We can't have good people by hey! · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Actually, the job of Congressman is crap; you get egoboo but you're a slave to fundraising and spend as much or more time in shabby political boiler room offices calling around begging for money as you do in your nice government office. It's stunningly degrading, and the average person wouldn't be able to stand it. You probably helps to be a major attention-hound, but it still stinks. It's much better when you get out of Congress and become a lobbyist who can afford to screen his calls.

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
  2. He would take one look at Congress . . . by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 4, Funny

    . . . and decide that humanity was not evolving, but devolving.

    --
    Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
  3. Would Isaac Newton have made a good mechanic? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Would Julius Caeser have worked out in a boy band?

    Would Abraham Lincoln have been a good NASCAR driver?

    Would Queen Victoria have been a decent haberdasher?

    These, and the question posed by the article, are all equally important.