GQ: How old do you think the Earth is?Marco Rubio is supposed to be a Catholic himself, isn't he? Nice to see that he's really to renege his own religion and embrace a most un-Catholic literalist reading of the Bible in order to get those sweet, sweet Evangelical votes...
Marco Rubio: I'm not a scientist, man. I can tell you what recorded history says, I can tell you what the Bible says, but I think that's a dispute amongst theologians...
Politics is just a charisma-off right now, and I don't see a democratic candidate emerging this cycle who's got enough of itThe dems will nominate a sane white guy and they will win.
I have no difficulty believing you'll find many, many people who don't know how old the earth is, but I bet that a lot of those people would be confident that scientists know.In fact, I myself may very well be one of those people. I want to say "five billion years", but I don't know for sure without looking it up. Maybe it's four billion. I don't know. I do know that science has figured it out.
Our knowledge of the age of the Earth (4.6 Billion) depends on our understanding of the basic principles of Physics, Chemistry, and Geology. Most our economic growth depends on our understanding of the principles of Physics, Chemistry, and Geology.A = Our knowledge of the age of the earth
But here’s what you should realize: when Rubio says that the question of the Earth’s age “has zero to do with how our economy is going to grow”, he’s dead wrong. For one thing, science and technology education has a lot to do with our future productivity — and how are you going to have effective science education if schools have to give equal time to the views of fundamentalist Christians?posted by tonycpsu at 11:45 AM on November 19, 2012 [7 favorites]
More broadly, the attitude that discounts any amount of evidence — and boy, do we have lots of evidence on the age of the planet! — if it conflicts with prejudices is not an attitude consistent with effective policy. If you’re going to ignore what geologists say if you don’t like its implications, what are the chances that you’ll take sensible advice on monetary and fiscal policy? After all, we’ve just seen how Republicans deal with research reports that undermine their faith in the magic of tax cuts: they try to suppress the reports.
On the other hand, opposing gay marriage is important, despite its irrelevance to the economy, because 'a significant percentage of Americans feel very strongly about this issue.'
Marco Rubio: I'm not a scientist, man. I can tell you what recorded history says, I can tell you what the Bible says, but I think that's a dispute amongst theologians and I think it has nothing to do with the gross domestic product or economic growth of the United States. I think the age of the universe has zero to do with how our economy is going to grow. I'm not a scientist. I don't think I'm qualified to answer a question like that.Translation: Liberals who ask these sorts of questions are more interested in trivial matters than the important issues.
At the end of the day, I think there are multiple theories out there on how the universe was created and I think this is a country where people should have the opportunity to teach them all. I think parents should be able to teach their kids what their faith says, what science says.Translation: I am an open-minded person interested in a diversity of opinions. Why are "liberals" always so close-minded and afraid of debate?
Whether the Earth was created in 7 days, or 7 actual eras, I'm not sure we'll ever be able to answer that. It's one of the great mysteries.Translation: {dogwhistle} I know the code the liberals don't. Secretly I'm on your side{/dogwhistle}
Rubio said there also could be activity in the legislature by evolution proponents who wish to remove the theory compromise language. "I think there's still going to be folks out there talking about this - on both sides. ... I think this will be a battle that will go on for quite some time," he said.I agree with those who've said he's just doing all of this to pander to the religious right, but that doesn't make it any less dangerous. This guy seems like one hell of a political operator, and I hope the Democrats have a plan to deal with him as he tries to burnish his moderate credentials while still appealing to the hard right base of the party.
The "crux" of the disagreement, according Rubio, is "whether what a parent teaches their children at home should be mocked and derided and undone at the public school level. It goes to the fundamental core of who is ultimately, primarily responsible for the upbringing of children. Is it your public education system or is it your parents?"
Rubio added, "And for me, personally, I don't want a school system that teaches kids that what they're learning at home is wrong."
Rubio, a Cuban-American, made a comparison to the strategy employed by the Communist Party in Cuba where schools encouraged children to turn in parents who criticized Fidel Castro.
"Of course, I'm not equating the evolution people with Fidel Castro," he quickly added, while noting that undermining the family and the church were key means the Communist Party used to gain control in Cuba.
"In order to impose their totalitarian regime, they destroyed the family; they destroyed the faith links that existed in that society," he said.
It is time for America’s health care system to emphasize coordination and continuity of care, patient-centeredness, and prevention.He does clearly want and believe that more "alternative" medicines should be approved:
And it is time to adopt an integrative approach that takes advantage of the very best scientifically based medicines and therapies, whether conventional or alternative.
This is about giving people the pragmatic alternatives they want, while ending discrimination against practitioners of scientifically based alternative health care.
One of the purposes of this center was to investigate and validate alternative approaches. Quite frankly, I must say publicly that it has fallen short. It think quite frankly that in this center and in the office previously before it, most of its focus has been on disproving things rather than seeking out and approving.So it's worth keeping an eye on him because he's showing a bias there. But it's not even in the same league of science-ignorance as Sen. Jim Inhofe: "Inhofe often repeats his claim that human influenced climate change is a hoax and impossible because 'God’s still up there.'"
Pat Robertson is turning heads with a 700 Club segment this week in which the televangelist apparently recommended that Christians stop trying to harmonize Genesis with mainstream paleontological and geological historyWelp.
During the interview, Rubio was asked how old he thinks the Earth is. And his response began with:posted by davidjmcgee at 2:06 PM on December 6, 2012
"I’m not a scientist, man."
OK. Hold on, sparky, don’t freak out yet. Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt. That’s not necessarily the beginning of an outrageously stupid answer, because he might follow it up with, "But some people actually ARE scientists, and they all say 4.5 billion years old, so I’ll defer to them because they know what they’re talking about and I’m a moron."
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Recent image of Sen Marco Rubio
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:30 AM on November 19, 2012 [18 favorites]