Patterico's Pontifications

10/14/2007

Democrats {Heart} NASCAR

Filed under: Politics — DRJ @ 5:22 pm



[Guest post by DRJ]

It’s old news now – anything that happened a couple of days ago is old news on the internet – but I want to mention the Democrats’ recent pronouncements regarding vaccinations (they’re for them) and NASCAR fans (also for them, but apparently only when vaccinated).

It all started last month when a staff-member for a Democratic Congressman from Mississippi recommended vaccinations for staffers visiting Alabama’s Talladega Superspeedway and North Carolina’s Lowe’s Motor Speedway:

“In an e-mail, a staffer who works for committee chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., noted an ”unusual need for whomever attending to be vaccinated against hepatitis A and B,” as well as ”the more normal things — tetanus, diphtheria, and of course, seasonal influenza.

The note didn’t explain why the committee saw such concern. It didn’t mention NASCAR or the races at the tracks at all. But the implication was enough to draw a snarky complaint from Republican Rep. Robin Hayes, whose district includes Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

I have never heard of immunizations for domestic travel, and … I feel compelled to ask why the heck the committee feels that immunizations are needed to travel to my hometown,” wrote Hayes.”

(Of course, this immediately made me wonder when snarky complaints are appropriate — it it okay when the target is New York or California but not Alabama or North Carolina?)

The article continued by quoting a NC physician’s advice that “everyone should be up to date on standard vaccinations” but there’s no need for special NASCAR vaccinations. Lowe’s Motor Speedway President just found the incident laughable.

I’d like to add one last piece of advice for the traveling staffers. Remember: Don’t drink the water.

— DRJ

36 Responses to “Democrats {Heart} NASCAR”

  1. Well, as I understand it, you get Hepatitis A from sharing drinking vessels, and Hepatitis B is an STD. Tetanus is contracted through wounds. Diphtheria and flu from close quarters.

    So it seems reasonable to me that these staffers are gonna be hanging out in bars, passing around bottles, and picking up strange ladies and consequently getting into fights with their boyfriends. If there’s a more likely explanation, I haven’t heard it yet.

    nk (1083a4)

  2. I started to reverse your analogy….then decided against it….

    Someone with some preconceived notions about the South, NASCAR, and probably some other things decided to open their mouth….

    Being from the South, it happens all the time…and we get a good laugh….

    Of course, all those Democrat staffers would love to come to the French Quarter…..

    reff (4e3fcd)

  3. nk #1:

    That explanation works for me.

    EW1(SG) (84e813)

  4. I saw a recent show about Doctors Without Borders treating patients in Mississippi.

    For some of their patients, it was their first trip to a doctor.

    alphie (99bc18)

  5. The rates for all those diseases are a hell of lot higher in Washington DC than they are in Alabama and North Carolina. DC has a lower life expectancy than any state.

    Glen Wishard (b1987d)

  6. To be fair to Bennie Thompson, I don’t think they have NASCAR in Mississippi, at least no tracks are listed. He may be worried about his staff, to the extent there are any minorities, mixing with the beer swilling, tobacco chewing, country music loving, red neck, patriotic fans of the most popular spectator sport in America. I mean NBC wanted to dress people up as Muslims and mix with NASCAR fans just a few years ago to provoke bigoted reactions. Then again, I could be totally wrong, but some of these liberal stereotypes die long and hard deaths.

    daleyrocks (906622)

  7. most popular spectator sport in America

    I think that be football, by a wide margin.

    Surely they have football in Mississippi, daley.

    alphie (99bc18)

  8. 1> and were the people in Mississippi who had never seen a Dr living anywhere near a college football progam.
    2> and that has WHAT to do with vaccinations before visiting a NASCAR event?
    3> I bet someone down South was struck by lightning in the past few days. Clearly then, by Alphie logic, the staffers should wear lightning rods on their heads.

    buzz (5612a5)

  9. Do they advise getting vaccinated prior to attending NAACP events or open-border demonstrations? How about getting shots prior to going to an ethnic restaurant?

    It is amazing what comes out the minds of these superior beings also known as Democrats. We are lucky they consent to being our overlords.

    Perfect Sense (b6ec8c)

  10. He also should have mentioned the Berlitz phrase book.

    The reality is probably someone who has never paid attention to racing, and only knows that many fans like to congregate on the infield, and therefore presumed more than the usual amount of crowding and possibility of contagion. At least, that’s the only semi rational idea that could produce this.

    Comment 5: I’m fairly certain that Congressional staffers rarely venture into the parts of DC where high mortality rates are a feature of life, unless it’s to get their next batch of drugs from the friendly street vendor.

    kishnevi (536c5b)

  11. I saw a recent show about Doctors Without Borders treating patients in Mississippi. For some of their patients, it was their first trip to a doctor.

    Sounds like BS. Spending money in Mississippi, where the poor have access to health care thru various welfare program would be an incredible waste of resources for Doctor’s Without Borders. Or it might be a French publicity stunt. If so, rather than in Mississippi, they should have spent the money saving the 15,000 elderly Frenchmen who died in a heatwave due to the lack of air conditioning.

    In any event, Doctors Without Borders’ website does not list any work in the USA, much less Mississippi.

    Back on topic: Do Doctor’s Without Borders recommend getting vaccinations before attending NASCAR events?

    Perfect Sense (b6ec8c)

  12. alphie, I teach school in the New Orleans area…and we have kids who have never been to a doctor…and we are no where near the Mississippi Delta….

    In fact, we have one of the state’s largest hospitals within 4 miles by car from my school…we also have 100% children’s health care, several of our schools have health clinics, we have parish health clinics that cater to the poor….

    And, we still have kids who have never been to a doctor…..the last one they saw slapped them….

    So, the relevance of your ridiculously bigoted comment???

    Of course, you won’t answer….

    reff (4e3fcd)

  13. Actually, according to that article, they weren’t just visiting the racing tracks, they were visiting health facilities:

    It started last month, when an official with the House Committee on Homeland Security suggested that staff aides get immunizations before visiting health facilities at Alabama’s Talladega Superspeedway and North Carolina’s Lowe’s Motor Speedway, where the Bank of America 500 was run Saturday.

    From another article:

    The four aides were asked to explore public health issues at events involving large gatherings, such as how law enforcement and medical personnel would respond to an act of terrorism or other emergency. Lawmakers weren’t part of the trip.

    The staffers traveled to Talladega last weekend, and are scheduled to be at Lowe’s Motor Speedway this weekend.

    Thompson said the immunizations are commonly recommended for people working in hospitals, holding centers and similar locations.

    “Since committee staff members are visiting hospital and other health-care facilities available at or near these venues, including areas where groups of people are detained before being transferred to other off-site facilities, I believe that the recommendation (not requirement) that our congressional staff receive these same immunizations was sound,” Thompson said in a letter responding to Hayes issued Wednesday.

    “I am sure you would agree that providing immunizations to personnel involved in public safety is good public health policy, and there is no need to exclude staff from taking the preventative measures that the public health community recommends — regardless of why and where mass gatherings are taking place,” Thompson said in the letter.

    Charlotte Observer

    Itsme (85caba)

  14. Alphie, I can tell you know nothing about NASCAR, you elitist swine.

    daleyrocks (906622)

  15. Itsme,

    In the interest of full disclosure, let’s add this paragraph from the NY Times’ article I linked above:

    “Thompson responded to Hayes that such immunizations are [sic] ‘are recommended for public safety professionals working in areas such as hospitals, holding areas and similar locations.’ But the staffers were only scheduled to visit a few health care facilities — not work at them.

    DRJ (74c23b)

  16. Itsme #13,

    Your explanation is certainly reasonable but is it more likely than mine? 😉

    nk (6e4f93)

  17. That is true. But we agree then, that the immunizations really had nothing to do with the fact that they were at or near NASCAR tracks.

    It looks like they had a few other items on the itinerary as well:

    Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson of Mississippi said he never meant to offend or scare anyone about health risks at the races. The measure was advised to provide congressional staff with the same disease protection first responders get, especially as they head out on a series of fact-finding missions around the country.

    “It’s not about whether the people have shots. … Our staffs as they go forward will be going into sterile areas, they will be working in public health facilities, they will be talking to many holding facilities where criminals are being held….

    “The NASCAR event is just one date, but after that they will be doing a number of things,” said Thompson, adding that the World Series and Super Bowl are two other mass gatherings that are going to be researched for readiness.

    Fox News

    Itsme (85caba)

  18. Well NK, I notice that the Repub staffers turned down the innoculations, but the Dem staffers took ’em up on it. 😉

    Itsme (85caba)

  19. PS, #17 was to DRJ.

    Itsme (85caba)

  20. Well, yeah, the Republican staffers are good clean-living boys that have no need of them. 😉

    nk (6e4f93)

  21. And girls.

    Itsme (85caba)

  22. I think ridicule is the way to go here. Our Congresscritters do way too much in finding solutions to non-existent problems and answers to questions nobody asked.

    nk (6e4f93)

  23. Maybe people should be immunized before hanging out with Congresscritters.

    Itsme (85caba)

  24. Itsme,

    I don’t agree this had nothing to do with NASCAR. My understanding of the reason for the trip was to inspect health facilities related to large public events. In this case they chose health facilities related to NASCAR events.

    However, we can agree that citizens need the immunizations more than Congresscritters.

    DRJ (6201a5)

  25. Well DRJ, it also included health facilities related to the Super Bowl, the World Series, and Lollapalloza. The reason for the shots was because it involved various sorts of health facilities, not the locations.

    Itsme (85caba)

  26. Elitest swine, daley?

    I used to watch NASCAR back before the cars became moving Viagra billboards.

    Now I watch more proletarian racing series.

    alphie (99bc18)

  27. #7 Alphie-the crowd at any football game wouldn,t half fill any NASCAR stadium. They also believe in God and country and the American way. It may sound corny to you but if I was a politician, I would rank them right below NRA types as people that i didn’t want to piss off.

    Hazy (c36902)

  28. How many NASCAR races are there, Hazy?

    How many football games?

    Do the math.

    How could you piss off folks who think its fun to stare at a car covered in Viagra ads drive around in circles for hours, btw?

    alphie (99bc18)

  29. ~7:

    I think that be football [sic], by a wide margin.

    That you don’t think is quite apparent. And by a wide margin.

    EW1(SG) (84e813)

  30. Please, please someone make some T-shirts saying:

    Democrats must be vaccinated before being permitted entry to Nascar events.
    We need protection!

    Corky Boyd (a8cc75)

  31. I could never understand the appeal of Formula One racing, where the average cost per team to run a season is ~$200 million.

    Where is the fan connection? At no time in your life will you realistically be able to touch, much less sit in and drive an F1 race.

    At least stock car racing developed out of watching your friends race their souped-up rides on Sunday afternoons. Is it simply because it is “European” and thus on a higher plane? I don’t really watch NASCAR, but it seems to me that left turns are left turns, regardless of what continent the events are on.

    And anyone that hates racing/time trials must be bored stiff during the Summer Olympics.

    Techie (c003f1)

  32. A NASCOR event is better then going to some demacratic bray in or one of those boring awards shows

    krazy kagu (5006b4)

  33. I wonder what the lapdog media would say if a Republican Chairman had issued this warning last year before the staff went to an NBA game and health facilities. Wanna bet the screaming of racism would be front page for days?

    Democrats can do this stuff because they know the press will cover for them.

    Ken Hahn (7742d5)

  34. Alpho’s been spreading his love round Mississippi to unsuspecting gerbil overs? Maybe in San Francisco where all gerbil lovers go but Mississippi? Much more likely Alpho is talking about Christopher Street in NYC.

    Thomas Jackson (bf83e0)

  35. Ken Hahn #34:

    Democrats can do this stuff because they know the press will cover for them.

    In what way?

    Itsme (7d820e)


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