• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

What's your favorite politician blunder/misspeak/"oopsy" moment??

tessaesque

Bring us a shrubbery!
DP Veteran
Joined
Apr 13, 2011
Messages
15,910
Reaction score
12,630
Location
Plano, Texas
Gender
Female
Political Leaning
Other
While reading an article about Romney and backlash from his "not concerned about the poor" statement I saw this gem:

Vice President Joe Biden chimed in with a fresh, albeit minor, flub on Monday when he misspoke during an appearance in Tallahassee, Fla., and declared that he and President Barack Obama "refuse to accept the notion that the United States' best days are ahead of us."

I know Biden probably didn't mean what he said, but I think it's pretty darned funny. So what's your favorite ":doh" moment?
 
For those who rag on Bachmann, well, at least she didn't say there were 57 states while campaigning. :mrgreen:
 
Last edited:
While reading an article about Romney and backlash from his "not concerned about the poor" statement I saw this gem:



I know Biden probably didn't mean what he said, but I think it's pretty darned funny. So what's your favorite ":doh" moment?

problably a bushism......

"Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB/GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across the country."—
 
For those who rag on Bachmann, well, at least she didn't say there were 57 states while campaigning. :mrgreen:

No, she just said that vaccines (specifically Gardisil) cause mental retardation. That's a lot more dangerous than incorrectly citing the number of states in the union.
 
lol...Bidenisms. My favorite one is where he told the guy in a wheelchair to stand up. Laughed my ass off.
 
No, she just said that vaccines (specifically Gardisil) cause mental retardation. That's a lot more dangerous than incorrectly citing the number of states in the union.

While that may be true, both gaffes are incredibly stupid. What child in "quality" public-schooling doesn't know there are currently 50 states? When a would-be president says there are 57 states, well, how incredible is that?
 
No, she just said that vaccines (specifically Gardisil) cause mental retardation. That's a lot more dangerous than incorrectly citing the number of states in the union.

Gangsta government.
 
While that may be true, both gaffes are incredibly stupid. What child in "quality" public-schooling doesn't know there are currently 50 states? When a would-be president says there are 57 states, well, how incredible is that?

There's a difference between the two gaffes. For one, Bachmann intentionally and willfully distributed incorrect information about vaccinations in her attempt to distance herself from another candidate. She made the statement as a political move. Secondly, Obama didn't use the statement about the states as a political move. He was responding to a question about the campaign trail and, most likely, meant "57 total venues in specific regions", not "57 states". Obama is a jack ass to the nth degree, but he isn't stupid.

And even if he were, I'd take math-stupid over panick-insighting liar any day.
 
A man I'm proud to call my friend. A man who will be the next President of the United States - Barack America. - Biden

Look, John's last-minute economic plan does nothing to tackle the number-one job facing the middle class, and it happens to be, as Barack says, a three-letter word: jobs. J-O-B-S, jobs. - Biden

When the stock market crashed, Franklin D. Roosevelt got on the television and didn't just talk about the, you know, the princes of greed. He said, 'Look, here's what happened- Biden.

Hillary Clinton is as qualified or more qualified than I am to be vice president of the United States of America. Quite frankly, it might have been a better pick than me. - Biden
 
A man I'm proud to call my friend. A man who will be the next President of the United States - Barack America. - Biden

Look, John's last-minute economic plan does nothing to tackle the number-one job facing the middle class, and it happens to be, as Barack says, a three-letter word: jobs. J-O-B-S, jobs. - Biden

When the stock market crashed, Franklin D. Roosevelt got on the television and didn't just talk about the, you know, the princes of greed. He said, 'Look, here's what happened- Biden.

Hillary Clinton is as qualified or more qualified than I am to be vice president of the United States of America. Quite frankly, it might have been a better pick than me. - Biden

I love the last one.

...didn't Dan Quayle have some funky one-liners, too?
 
I think Hillary wins with her comment about dodging bullets in Bosnia.
 
When the stock market crashed, Franklin D. Roosevelt got on the television and didn't just talk about the, you know, the princes of greed. He said, 'Look, here's what happened- Biden.
That was a good one.
 
I love the last one.

...didn't Dan Quayle have some funky one-liners, too?

We have a firm commitment to NATO, we are a *part* of NATO. We have a firm commitment to Europe. We are a *part* of Europe.

Welcome to President Bush, Mrs. Bush, and my fellow astronauts.

[It's] time for the human race to enter the solar system.

Mars is essentially in the same orbit... Mars is somewhat the same distance from the Sun, which is very important. We have seen pictures where there are canals, we believe, and water. If there is water, that means there is oxygen. If oxygen, that means we can breathe.

The Holocaust was an obscene period in our nation's history. I mean in this century's history. But we all lived in this century. I didn't live in this century.
 
(1) There's a difference between the two gaffes. (2) For one, Bachmann intentionally and willfully distributed incorrect information about vaccinations in her attempt to distance herself from another candidate. She made the statement as a political move. (3) Secondly, Obama didn't use the statement about the states as a political move. He was responding to a question about the campaign trail and, (4) most likely, meant "57 total venues in specific regions", not "57 states". (5) Obama is a jack ass to the nth degree, but he isn't stupid.

(6) And even if he were, I'd take math-stupid over (7) panick-insighting liar any day.

(1) Yeah, one doesn't know pharmacology and one doesn't know states.

(2) Can I see something objective regarding her supposed deceit, instead of a piece of opinion? If Bachmann stated she was deceitful, in her own words, that'd really help. With Obama's case we know he messed up because it was his own words. Without a quote from Bachmann regarding deceit, well, we just don't know. Did Bachmann say she explicitly lied in order to maneuver away from a candidate as a political move? Or are you assuming that?

(3) There wasn't any stupidity laced with supposed deceit, per se, but just stupidity in general. Sort of like the mathematician that forgets the number "8" exists.

(4) You are assuming things. Did Obama say he meant 57 regions? If so then that helps. If not, well... we have to be fair.

(5) It's funny how I said he was stupid for saying there were 50 states, and then you call Obama a jackass to the "Nth degree." Either we know things based on what can be objectively seen/heard/whatever, or we can make all the crazy insinuations/accusations we want.

(6) I don't like the thought of a math-stupid president. He only directs the country...

(7) Again, you say she's a panic-insighting liar yet you haven't produced anything objective to back that up.
 
While that may be true, both gaffes are incredibly stupid. What child in "quality" public-schooling doesn't know there are currently 50 states? When a would-be president says there are 57 states, well, how incredible is that?

one is a gaffe, the other was a dangerous statement of what she thinks is fact.
 
Found some Dan Quayle gold:

We understand the importance of having the bondage between the parent and the child.

The Holocaust was an obscene period in our nation's history. [followup] No, not our nation's, but in World War II. I mean, we all lived in this century. I didn't live in this century, but in this century's history.

I believe we are on an irreversible trend toward more freedom and democracy, but that could change.

I believe that I've made good judgments in the past, and I think I've made good judgments in the future.
 
(1) Yeah, one doesn't know pharmacology and one doesn't know states.

(2) Can I see something objective regarding her supposed deceit, instead of a piece of opinion? If Bachmann stated she was deceitful, in her own words, that'd really help. With Obama's case we know he messed up because it was his own words. Without a quote from Bachmann regarding deceit, well, we just don't know. Did Bachmann say she explicitly lied in order to maneuver away from a candidate as a political move? Or are you assuming that?

(3) There wasn't any stupidity laced with supposed deceit, per se, but just stupidity in general. Sort of like the mathematician that forgets the number "8" exists.

(4) You are assuming things. Did Obama say he meant 57 regions? If so then that helps. If not, well... we have to be fair.

(5) It's funny how I said he was stupid for saying there were 50 states, and then you call Obama a jackass to the "Nth degree." Either we know things based on what can be objectively seen/heard/whatever, or we can make all the crazy insinuations/accusations we want.


(6) I don't like the thought of a math-stupid president. He only directs the country..

(7) Again, you say she's a panic-insighting liar yet you haven't produced anything objective to back that up.

If you can't objectively see the difference between the two then you're wasting everybody's time with stupid posts. Why don't you add to the thread or disembark?
 
one is a gaffe, the other was a dangerous statement of what she thinks is fact.

Now that makes a bit more sense.

See, she could have just been stupid and not know. We don't know for sure that she lied, tbh.

Her spreading incorrect data is dangerous, but I think Obama's statement was a tad dumber. Even 3rd-grade children should know there are 50 states. :shrug:
 
If you can't objectively see the difference between the two then you're wasting everybody's time with stupid posts. Why don't you add to the thread or disembark?

Post #5, your post, was a direct challenge of my statement, so there's no need to make it seem like I started something stupid. You initiated the debate over whose gaffe was dumber.

If you don't want to debate/discuss, then don't challenge a person's post. Especially on a forum for debating politics. :shrug:
 
Further:

During the debate, Bachmann suggested that the vaccine maker, Merck & Co., used political influence to get Perry's approval for the vaccine, Gardasil. She also suggested that the vaccine might be harmful to the young girls who received it, saying, "Little girls who have a negative reaction to this potentially dangerous drug don't get a 'mulligan'" -- that is, a do-over. Bachmann received applause for her attacks.

But in subsequent interviews, Bachmann became more specific that the vaccine harmed children's health.

Here's what she said in an interview on Fox News:
"There's a woman who came up crying to me tonight after the debate. She said her daughter was given that vaccine. She told me her daughter suffered mental retardation as a result of that vaccine. There are very dangerous consequences. It's not good enough to take, quote, 'a mulligan' where you want a do-over, not when you have little children's lives at risk."
And here's what she told NBC's "Today Show":
"Well, I will tell you that I had a mother last night come up to me here in Tampa, Florida, after the debate," Bachmann said. "She told me that her little daughter took that vaccine, that injection, and she suffered from mental retardation thereafter. It can have very dangerous side effects. The mother was crying what she came up to me last night. I didn't know who she was before the debate. This is a very real concern and people have to draw their own conclusions."
So while Bachmann hedged somewhat that people can "draw their own conclusions," she still made a very clear suggestion that the vaccine can cause retardation and puts "little children's lives at risk."

When asked about the remark on Sept. 15, 2011, in San Rafael, Calif., Bachmann continued to hedge somewhat, saying, "I didn't make any statements that would indicate I'm a doctor, I'm a scientist, or making any conclusions about the drug one way or the other." She added that she was merely relaying the concerns of a woman who was "very distraught." But Bachmann turned down a chance to apologize for her earlier comments.

If she were making an honest mistake she'd have fessed up, not continued to misrepresent the information and avoid clarifying or correcting her statement. She made a very hyperbolic, dangerous claim in her efforts to smear Rick Perry and his support of the HPV vaccine. By her own statement she did not research the mother's claims but merely went on the word of one woman (allegedly) and then had the balls to make a generalized statement about the vaccine's "adverse side effects". That kind of speech is reckless and irresponsible and she should have come out with a statement apologizing and providing truthful information in its place.
 
Now that makes a bit more sense.

See, she could have just been stupid and not know. We don't know for sure that she lied, tbh.

Her spreading incorrect data is dangerous, but I think Obama's statement was a tad dumber. Even 3rd-grade children should know there are 50 states. :shrug:

i think being tired and saying 57 states is understandable, we all know HE knows how many we have.
 
But obviously, we've got to stand with our North Korean allies. - Palin

As Putin rears his head and comes into the air space of the United States of America, where– where do they go? It's Alaska. It's just right over the border. - Palin
 
Found some Dan Quayle gold:

We understand the importance of having the bondage between the parent and the child.

The Holocaust was an obscene period in our nation's history. [followup] No, not our nation's, but in World War II. I mean, we all lived in this century. I didn't live in this century, but in this century's history.

I believe we are on an irreversible trend toward more freedom and democracy, but that could change.

I believe that I've made good judgments in the past, and I think I've made good judgments in the future.

ROFLMAO i'm rollin hahaha
 
There are so many by politicians, but I think Santorum comparing homosexuality to "sex with dogs" and "man-on-boy" sex was a huge mistake. It made him seem bizarre even to some anti-gay religious people who wonder just how deeply he thinks about sex with dogs and boys.

The real gaffs were such as the brain freeze of Perry (only could remember 2 agencies) and a couple others. He went from near certain winner to blown out by actually relatively minor gaffs that had nothing to do with issues.
 
Back
Top Bottom