Brian Greene, Asshole of the Day for February 4, 2015

How long will it take before people understand that consent is required to have sex and that it is not enough that "they didn't say no"? And to that end, unconscious people can never, ever consent. A few months back it was CeeLo who didn't get this, and now it's a Utah state legislator.

Rep. Brian Greene is trying keep a law in Utah from defining sex with an unconscious person as being rape:

Frankly I don't even know how it matters whether the rapist is aware of whether the person is unconscious-- if the person you're having sex with is unconscious and you can't be bothered to notice, then that's rape too in my book.

But back to his main assertion that in a marriage that it could be OK to have sex with an unconscious person and therefore not be rape. How could it possibly matter? So what if you're married? It's not like the marriage vows include a line about allowing sex while unconscious. Getting married doesn't mean a lifetime of rape.

But Rep. Greene, I guess he doesn't care about wives consenting to sex. He's more worried that some husband might get charged with rape for forcing himself on an unconscious wife. And for that, he is the Asshole of the Day.

It is Brian Greene's first time as Asshole of the Day, but one of many for saying horrible things about rape.

Full story: Talking Points Memo

Photo via Salt Lake Tribune

Rick Brattin, Asshole of the Day for December 17, 2014

by TeaPartyCat (Follow @TeaPartyCat)

Republicans clutch the pearls and cry foul every time someone suggests there is a war on women. But, if they are so in tune with the needs of women, why is there a neverending parade of Republicans who say awful things about rape and are always trying to limit women's access to abortion and contraception?

Today's episode of Republicans being assholes about rape and abortion comes from Missouri, where State Rep. Rick Brattin thinks men ought to get a say in whether women can get abortions:

Yes, he really does say "legitimate rape". It would seem that once you're explaining what you mean by "legitimate rape", maybe you should reconsider your argument, but not for him. He just keeps on going.

Now there are two objectionable things here-- the consent of the father, and his views on rape-- so let's take them one at a time.

Legitimate Rape. He asserts that if it really is a rape, you have to be able to prove it. This assumes that if you can't prove it, it isn't legitimately a rape. But when there only witnesses are the rapist and the rape victim, proof isn't going to be perfect every time. Yes, there is some physical evidence, but what if it isn't conclusive or there isn't enough of it? Then, according to this asshole, it's not legitimate. The legal standard of proof is such that we err on the side of the presumption of innocence. But his standard here will be to err on the side of not believing there was a rape. And the clock is ticking on getting this abortion, so if you can't prove it fast enough, you're still stuck with the rapist's baby!

Consent of the Father. I suppose it sounds nice to say that men should get a say in whether the baby comes to term, but it's a false fairness. Women don't get an option in whether they or the man carries the baby to term, so giving the man more say in what happens without giving the woman more options is just one more burden on her. But I suspect that Brattin really doesn't care about the woman. He wants to outlaw abortions, and if he can't, then harassing women will do for now.

So, for giving women more burdens without giving them more options, along with his lack of empathy for rape victims, Rep. Rick Brattin is the Asshole of the Day.

It is Rick Brattin's first time as Asshole of the Day.

Full story: Mother Jones

Asshole of the Day for November 19, 2014

Asshole of the Day, November 19, 2014: Don Lemon

by GirlGetALife (Follow @GirlGetALife)

We feel like we keep repeating ourselves, but here goes nothing: when someone tells you they’ve been raped, the only acceptable comments are:

Your advice is not needed at a time like this, especially when said advice has an accusatory tone. CNN wonder boy Don Lemon obviously doesn’t read this blog - if he did, maybe he wouldn’t have put his foot in his mouth during a recent interview with a woman who says comedian (and scolder of low-income African-Americans) Bill Cosby raped her.

Lemon was questioning the woman about the details of the rape and wondered why she didn’t do more to avoid being assaulted.

"You — you know, there are ways not to perform oral sex if you didn’t want to do it."

Thanks, Don…this is exactly what women need: tips from a man on how to not get raped.

Never mind that the woman was stoned - all 15 of Cosby’s alleged victims say he drugged them before he raped them. Forget that she was probably scared beyond comprehension. And let’s ignore the fact that she probably had to separate her mind from her body just to get through the attack.

Those things don’t matter because, as Lemon reminded us, there are some things women can do to prevent rape.

We’ll stop short of calling Lemon’s questions victim blaming. You can decide on that.

But, consider this: if you were mugged, and some snooty TV host asked you why you didn’t fight the guy (gal) who snatched your purse…how would you feel? Would you like it if the cops asked you what you did to prevent your car from being stolen?

Rape victims, unlike victims of other crimes, are repeatedly asked to explain their actions leading up to, during and after the assault. There is still this persistent belief that what a victim wore, what they drank, whether or not they fought back or whether or not they immediately told someone about what happened are indicators of ‘real rape’.

Lemon’s question plays right into that thinking.

Of course, he apologized - we’re sure he wants to keep his job. It probably pays well.

Too bad apologies don’t mean much to us - we’re still naming Don Lemon Asshole of the Day.

This is Don Lemon’s first time as Asshole of the Day.

Teddy Harris, Asshole of the Day for November 12, 2014

by TeaPartyCat (Follow @TeaPartyCat)

Abortion is protected by the Constitution, at least for now. But apparently the Constitution doesn't matter when you're trying to avoid drama according to Rossville Mayor Teddy Harris:

I guess it’s too dramatic allowing women to exercise their constitutionally protected rights. 

Of course there's no evidence out there that he is avoiding the "drama" of letting people exercise their 2nd Amendment rights, because, well, you know, those rights are for men. Macho men. 

Look, protecting rights is hard. It's messy. Especially things like free speech or privacy. Finding the right balance between the public good and the individual right is difficult. But we don't just throw away people's rights to avoid "drama". But Mayor Harris thinks that's a good reason, and for that, he is the Asshole of the Day.

It is Teddy Harris's first time being named Asshole of the Day.

Full story: Talking Points Memo and Chattanooga News

Cory Gardner, Asshole of the Day for October 1, 2014

by TeaPartyCat (Follow @TeaPartyCat)

Personhood bills and amendments are designed to give clumps of fertilized cells in a woman's uterus the same rights that fully-realized humans have, with the purpose being to make all abortion illegal, as well as many forms of contraception. For example, the Personhood bill that was introduced in Congress in 2013 says:

So, as you might imagine, something as extreme as giving clumps of cells the same rights as the woman that is carrying them, and thereby taking away control over that woman's body from her is unpopular with a lot of voters. Which is how we get to the point where Rep. Cory Gardner denies he's ever supported a Personhood bill, to the point of claiming it doesn't even exist:

But of course there is a federal personhood bill. He is a co-sponsor of it!

He has not renounced his cosponsoring of the bill; he merely wants to pretend it doesn't exist until he can win this Senate election in Colorado. He wants people to vote for him as a reasonable, non-extremist, except he won't walk away from that extremism. Guess what he'll do when he gets to Washington?

So, for pretending a bill he co-sponsored doesn't exist, Cory Gardner is the Asshole of the Day.

It is Cory Gardner's first time as Asshole of the Day.

Full story: Talking Points Memo.

PS: If you're as outraged as we are by politicians pretending they aren't the extremists they have shown themselves to be in the past, give this a read: Is Extremism Not A Character Issue?

Greg Gutfeld, Asshole of the Day for September 25, 2014

by TeaPartyCat (Follow @TeaPartyCat)

Republicans tell us there is no War On Women, and in fact just this week Ann Romney said that accusations of Republicans War on Women were "ridiculous" and "offensive". I guess she is ignorant of all the restrictions on birth control and abortion Republicans have pushed through the last few years, as well as their ongoing opposition to the Violence Against Women Act and equal pay laws.

Or maybe she just doesn't watch Fox News. Because if she had, she would have seen two male hosts mock a female pilot that a female host was praising:

Even their co-host wondered "why did they ruin my thing?" after.

Yes, we ask, why can't these men restrain themselves from shitting on a woman's achievement in an area that women have historically been excluded from? Why do they feel that on air on Fox News they can do this?

Because they completely lack any empathy for the struggles of women, or frankly anyone less fortunate than their white male asses. Their only point of view is their own.

It is reassuring that not only did Guilfoyle express her frustration with them but also that later so did Greta Van Susteren. We can only hope that someone breaks through and these two assholes think twice before doing it again. But it's Fox News, so we're not hopeful.

Now there were two assholes here, but we don't give out group awards. Of the two, Greg Gutfeld was first and his comment played on sexist stereotypes as well, so it he is the Asshole of the Day.

It is Greg Gutfeld's first time as Asshole of the Day, but one of many, many Fox News personalities to be featured here.

Full story: Talking Points Memo.

NOTE: This story was updated after readers pointed out that it's Gutfeld, not Gutfield, which was misspelled in Talking Points Memo, and which I picked up without noticing.

Rush Limbaugh, Asshole of the Day for September 16, 2014

by TeaPartyCat (Follow @TeaPartyCat)

Colleges are finally starting to tighten rules on sexual assault and rape, though certainly not as much or as fast as they should. And while many people consider less rape to be a good thing, there are those who come to its defense, especially on college campuses. For example, back in June George Will derided studies about the prevalence of rape on college campuses by calling rape victims liars.

But George Will is not alone in decrying attempts to stop rape on college campuses. Yesterday Rush Limbaugh explained how new rules at Ohio State violate his own beliefs about what is and isn't rape:

"Why do you think permission every step of the way?" To ask this question is to just not care about consent. To not care whether the other person wants to have sex with you. So they kissed you, so you think you can ignore them now saying no and go all the way? That's what Rush is crying over.

As I mentioned when CeeLo was named Asshole of the Day for saying it's not rape if they're asleep, focusing on whether there is a no is the wrong discussion. Rather than "did she say no?", we should teach people that they should only have sex with people who want to have sex with them, just like we do with everything else. Amanda Marcotte pointed out that someone has to have permission to come into your house, with her basic argument being that it's not OK unless the homeowner says no in a certain clear way. You're just not allowed to barge in, so you shouldn't be allowed to force yourself on someone sexually unless they tell you no-- they have to invite you. And an invitation to sex, just like an invitation into their house, is revokable. They can change their mind and ask you to leave. If they invite you into the living room, you aren't allowed to barge into their bedroom unless they lead you there or tell you that you can. Why is it so hard for people to understand that the same rules should apply to sex?

Probably because they don't want to. They don't think it's wrong to have sex with people who don't want to have sex with them. They don't think it's wrong to take more from someone than that person is willing to give.

Look, the rules around rape won't trip up anyone who is focused on only having sex with people who want to have sex with them. But Rush Limbaugh doesn't care-- he feels entitled to sex with women, and wants to keep them from expressing that they don't want to have sex with him, because then he thinks it's OK. And he thinks all men should be so entitled. And for that, he is the Asshole of the Day.

It is Rush Limbaugh's seventh time as Asshole of the Day. Previous wins were for

Full story: Talking Points Memo.

Ben Carson, Asshole of the Day for September 9, 2014

by TeaPartyCat (Follow @TeaPartyCat)

The Ray Rice video has revealed a few assholes. First was Stephen A. Smith suggesting on ESPN that women should try really hard not to get beaten. Then yesterday Fox & Friends was laughing it up about domestic violence.

And now we have Dr. Ben Carson, who is traveling the country, possibly preparing to run for president, who sees the Ray Rice video and then... defends Ray Rice:

Why is his first reaction to think about the abuser? Remember this isn't an innocent until proven guilty situation. Nothing is denied. The tape is clear.

And why does his heart not go out to the victim?

The way Dr. Carson considers that the fact that Rice's wife married him after this somehow makes it any less criminal or less awful shows how little Carson knows about domestic violence. Maybe he should read 19 #WhyIStayed Tweets That Everyone Needs to See to get a sense of why domestic abuse victims stay. It's hard to read those, or any other stories of domestic violence and come to the conclusion that staying somehow exonerates the abuser.

But Dr. Carson doesn't care about any of that. His first instinct is to side with the rich and powerful man being demonized for well-documented abuse. And for that, he is the Asshole of the Day.

It is Dr. Carson's fourth time as Asshole of the Day. Previous wins were for

Full story: Mediaite.

Fox & Friends says they take domestic violence seriously. We call Bullshit.

Like many, we called out Fox & Friends yesterday for joking about domestic violence, naming ringleader Steve Doocy Asshole of the Day for it:

This morning they said on air:

HuffPo posted the quote under the headline 'Fox & Friends' Spends All Of 13 Seconds Addressing Horrible Ray Rice Comments, which about sums it up.

Sorry, Fox & Friends, we're not buying it. You joked and laughed. It will take more than 13 seconds for you to convince us you think domestic violence is serious. But of course if you were to discuss it more than that, you might have to point out all the Republicans who blocked the renewal of the Violence Against Women Act for so long. The ones who appear on your show all the time.

Photo source: https://www.facebook.com/foxandfriends

Steve Doocy, Asshole of the Day for September 8, 2014

by TeaPartyCat (Follow @TeaPartyCat)

When the video of Ray Rice assaulting his wife in the elevator first surfaced, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith suggested that women should try really hard not to get beaten. As though it's anyone's fault that someone beats them. ESPN suspended him, we named him Asshole of the Day. And hoped people would stop saying stupid things like this.

But then TMZ released the video today and it was a new opportunity for stupid comments, this time over at Fox & Friends:

Look, assholes, domestic violence is no joking matter. And laughing at the victim is pretty ugly.

And to Steve Doocy's first point, it doesn't matter whether she married him after this happened-- that doesn't excuse it or make it legal. But I suspect his point is to laugh at the victim for marrying Rice.

The really offensive part is where he says the message is to take the stairs, where there's no camera. Because then the domestic violence goes unrecorded. Even as a joke, this is way over the line. And that is why Steve Doocy is the Asshole of the Day.

It is Steve Doocy's first time as Asshole of the Day, joining a long line of assholes featured here from Fox News.

Full story: Raw Story.

UPDATE: Fox & Friends claims they do take domestic violence seriously. For about 13 seconds. We're not buying it.

CeeLo Green, Asshole of the Day for September 3, 2014

by TeaPartyCat (Follow @TeaPartyCat)

Last night CeeLo Green was defending himself against accusations of rape and sounded a lot like Todd Akin when he tweeted:

“Really been raped” sounds a lot like “legitimate rape”. And I noted that they each had different reasons for narrowing the definition of rape, but they were engaged in the same bullshit. Since tweeting that, CeeLo deleted the tweets, deleted his Twitter, restored his Twitter, and tweeted a short apology. But forced apologies aren't worth much, and there's no hint that he really understands why his reasoning is wrong, only that he's sorry he said it (maybe).

Now Green wasn’t even charged with rape, but the assertion is out there, so he feels he must defend what he’s accused of:

This case and CeeLo’s defense goes to the real heart of many debates about rape these days-- guys like CeeLo, along with their defenders over on Fox News, such as George Will, think that it’s not rape unless there’s a very clear no. That is, they aren’t focused on consent, but on protest. But that just ignores all the time that the person is incapacitated or under threat not to protest. The absence of protest is not consent. Consent must be a positive act, and without it, you’re in rape territory.

Amanda Marcotte at Raw Story explained this very well in July under the headline Instead of asking, “Did she say no?”, we should start asking, “Did she want to have sex?”

So, just as it’s not OK to rob someone’s house while they are asleep, it’s not OK to violate their person because they are asleep or too sleepy or drunk to put up a fight. But CeeLo thinks there's a difference between the two, and for that he is the Asshole of the Day.

It is CeeLo Green's first time as Asshole of the Day, but one of many for saying horrible things about rape.

Full story: Buzzfeed.

CeeLo Green is starting to sound a lot like Todd Akin

Behold how they both try to split hairs on rape to suit their own purposes.

Todd Akin redefines rape so he doesn't sound like a heartless monster for forcing raped women to carry their rapist's baby:

CeeLo Green redefines rape so that it doesn't include what he's accused of:

Photo source: 

https://twitter.com/toddakin

https://twitter.com/CeeLoGreen

Phyllis Schlafly, Asshole of the Day for September 2, 2014

by TeaPartyCat (Follow @TeaPartyCat)

Every now and then the GOP will try to hide their war on women by pushing front and center a woman who is also happy to do so. Last summer during Rick Perry's push to restrict abortion under the guise of protecting women's health (despite there being no exception to save the life of the mother), they trotted out Rep. Jody Laubenberg who justified the lack of exception for rape by claiming "rape kits prevent pregnancy", instead of that they are merely to gather evidence of the crime of rape. Last week I satirized this as

And of course one woman has relished her role in trying to keep women oppressed for almost 40 years-- Phyllis Schlafly. And over the weekend, she spoke out and claimed that rape and domestic violence are the fault of single, career women:

She starts by identifying that women are less likely to marry men who commit violence against them, which should adequately explain why domestic violence is more common among unmarried women. That makes sense and we can all agree on that. I've even made that exact same argument in June when Bradford Wilcox blamed single moms for the sexual abuse of their daughters.

But rather than stick with the wisdom of women to explain these differences, she goes the other direction and assumes that in marriage women calm men down so that they are no longer interested in hurting women. Thus women who haven't married are the real culprits here. It's important to note how ridiculous this is-- where many conservatives will blame a woman for her own rape because of what she was wearing, etc., Schlafly is blaming all single women (and especially career women) for all the rapes and domestic violence in the world.

Another point here is that she assumes that domestic violence and rape are part of the nature of single men. To her men are all monsters, but that's OK, because that's how God made them. It's not their fault-- women are supposed to fix that, and if not, well, that's the woman's fault.

So, for blaming single women for domestic violence and rape, Phyllis Schlafly is the Asshole of the Day.

It is Phyllis Schlafly’s second time as Asshole of the Day. Her previous win was for saying the best way to help women is to pay men even more or women will never get married.

Full story: Right Wing Watch.

Todd Akin, Asshole of the Day for July 10, 2014

by TeaPartyCat (Follow @TeaPartyCat)

We didn't start Asshole of the Day until May 2013, so we missed Todd Akin the first time around. But he's back, and he has a book, and God help us all, it sort of sounds like he might run again.

Back in 2013 he said:

But apparently the criticism he faced for that, which helped to derail his senate campaign, was not enough. Rather than just slink away, he wants to talk about it again 2 years later. He rescinds his apology and says he was right all along:

But of course Todd Akin is wrong, wrong, wrong. As we pointed out last year when we named Rep. Trent Franks as Asshole of the Day for claiming “the incidence of rape resulting in pregnancy is very low.”, women do get pregnant from rape. Lots of them. It's not a small number-- 30,000 women get pregnant by rape each year:

And why does it matter that Todd Akin is wrong about this? And why does he keep saying that rape somehow magically prevents pregnancy? Because majorities of Americans have consistently supported abortion as an option in cases of rape. But guys like Todd Akin want to outlaw abortion in every case, so to get people to go along, they have to convince people that they aren't forcing rape victims to carry and raise rape babies. And the way some of them do it is by coming up with cockamamie arguments that raped women don't get pregnant because then there doesn't need to be any exception. That's why.

Which is also why Akin is suggesting that some rapes aren't legitimate-- because by defining legitimate rapes as so horrible the woman's body is so stressed it doesn't become pregnant, then he's defined away all those other women as not being legitimately raped.

It's horrible and offensive that Akin made this argument to start, and even more offensive that he's still making it now. But make no mistake-- this is the argument that he's making with all his "legitimate rape" and "stress prevents pregnancy" bullshit. He's doing it to hide how he wants to compel rape victims to bear their rapist's baby. And for that, he is Asshole of the Day.

It is Todd Akin's first time as Asshole of the Day.

Full story: Mother Jones

Dr. Ben Carson, Asshole of the Day for July 1, 2014

by TeaPartyCat (Follow @TeaPartyCat)

Yesterday the Supreme Court decided that Hobby Lobby had corporate religious rights which were infringed by having to cover drugs that it felt (erroneously) were causing abortions. The reasoning was tortured and limited in ridiculous ways, and we named Justice Alito Asshole of the Day for it, in part because it pretends that corporations have religious rights like people do.

But of course that court case won't end the debate about abortion. There's still plenty of hyperbole where opponents compare abortion, and sometimes even contraception, to the Holocaust. And they keep searching for more and more outrageous comparisons to fire up supporters and dismiss critics.

And in that vein, we hear Dr. Ben Carson make this odd comparison:

Yes, Dr. Carson is now comparing abortion to human sacrifice.

Human sacrifice is a religious ritual to appease some god to spare the lives of others. Comparing it to abortion makes no sense except as another way to condemn and marginalize those women who need it and the people who support their right to access it. There is no call to god in abortion. There is no authority who is sacrificing the woman to a volcano or angry god-- it is the woman's choice, sometimes in consultation with her doctor. It is not forced.

So, for comparing abortion to human sacrifice, Dr. Ben Carson is the Asshole of the Day.

It is Dr. Carson's third time as Asshole of the Day. Previous wins were for claiming that the same marriage rights he himself enjoys are “extra rights” that gays are not entitled to and claiming Obamacare did more damage to America than 9/11.

Full story: Raw Story

Justice Samuel Alito, Asshole of the Day for June 30, 2014

by TeaPartyCat (Follow @TeaPartyCat)

The Supreme Court finally decided the Hobby Lobby case today. We highlighted Hobby Lobby CEO David Green previously when it came out that he sued for the right to deny his employees contraceptive care as part of his company's health insurance, even though the very same birth control methods he opposes on religious grounds are part of his investment portfolio. Others pointed out at the time as well that he opposes his employees getting birth control because he believes (incorrectly) that they are really forms of abortion, while he buys all his materials from China, the country which for 30 years has told its citizens to abort any baby after their first.

And the Supreme Court decided that even though Hobby Lobby is a for-profit corporation, that corporations are people and have religious rights, and so the company can deny its employees contraception on those grounds. Justice Alito wrote the majority opinion which explains that:

This is really something. So Alito has given corporations the rights to have religious beliefs (something they did not have previously), and then he limits the decision here to contraception. Other forms of medicine are still allowed to be imposed on religious people, including corporations, just not contraception if the employer decides that they think (even though medical science contradicts them) that it's abortifacient. But religious objections to other things don't matter. It's almost like he's saying that it's OK to deny science and medicine if it oppresses women, but not if religion is used to hide other nefarious purposes, like say deciding they can't get a blood transfusion or vaccine which might affect men too.

So, for giving employers a religious right to meddle in the affairs of women's health and medicine, Justice Alito is the Asshole of the Day.

It is Justice Alito's first time as Asshole of the Day, though not the first Supreme Court justice to be featured here-- that honor belongs to Justice Scalia.

Full story: Right Wing Watch

Mark Meadows, Asshole of the Day for June 20, 2014

by TeaPartyCat (Follow @TeaPartyCat)

Obamacare's website is fixed and it exceeded the original projections for enrollment in the first year. The insurance companies who participated and plan to participate next year aren't raising prices astronomically. It's working. It could be better, but Republicans aren't interested in negotiating fixes, only full repeal.

And while Republicans won't admit that their predictions of gloom and doom were wrong, they just keep moving on to new accusations and negatives with no perspective of whether they were wrong in the past. They don't care. In a very insightful post, which I recommend you read, Jon Chait compares Republican critiques of Obamacare to vegetarian reviews of a rib joint. Since they are ideologically opposed to subsidized or standardized or regulated insurance, they will always harp on something because it can't work. He concludes by saying

And that's where we are. Which is how you get things like Congressman Mark Meadows complaining that insurance shouldn't cover maternity care:

This is offensive. Yes, you're 50 and you and your wife don't expect to have any more kids. But so what? You were both born of woman. You did not spring from the Earth one day. And if we're going to have health insurance, then shouldn't it include something that is so basic that it will effect every baby born henceforth? Do we only make laws for the living and not for the future?

And if you take his argument at face value, there are plenty of things that health insurance covers that only effect older people, but they are included. How do I know I'll grow to 50 or 60? Maybe I'll die. So why should my health insurance premiums this month or this year include things like dementia and heart disease? I'll pay those in my premiums when I'm 50 thank you. That's what he's saying. And once everyone's doing that, then it's not insurance, it's just pay as you go. If that's what he wants, then say it-- say you don't want insurance in America. But you don't, do you. You just keep harping at the problems or drawbacks of insurance, and offer no real plan that works.

So, for suggesting that since he's too old to need maternity care that it shouldn't be included in insurance, Mark Meadows is the Asshole of the Day.

It is Mark Meadow's first time as Asshole of the Day, though one of many for on the topic of Obamacare.

Full story: Think Progress