Rep Joe Barton Brags About Asking Energy Secretary Where Oil Comes From

I have to think that one of the reasons it can be difficult to get smart people to work in the government is because you regularly encounter people who are shockingly dumb, decrying efforts at educational attainment as "elitism" and wearing idiocy as a badge of honor. It's pathetic, but true. Consider this video, via Wonkette, of Energy Secretary Steven Chu's encounter with Joe Barton, Representative from Texas.

Barton basically asks Chu to take six seconds to explain HOW ALL THAT THERE OIL GOT UNDER ALASKA. Chu, who momentarily laughs, because Barton is a full grown man and...my God, this is the sort of question a CHILD would ask, the sort of question that would call upon the answerer to stare with beatific grace into the eyes of a SMALL, DUMB, CHILD, all the while attempting to remind oneself, that THIS CHILD can be taught...THIS CHILD need not wander the earth in simpleminded confusion forever and ever, ceaselessly stumbling into a crushing wind of stupidity.

So Chu explains, correctly, that oil is formed through complex geological processes. And Barton is basically like: SO HOW'D IT GIT UNDER ALASKA, ARE THERE MAGIC TEXAS OIL PUMPS. And Chu basically says, no, there's this thing called PLATE TECTONICS. And then Barton's like, "WHOA, PLATES? THAT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE WHAT JESUS WOULD DO?"

Naturally, Barton, this idiot manchild from Texas, celebrated his accomplishment on Twitter:

I seemed to have baffled the Energy Sec with basic question - Where does oil come from? Check out the video.

Yes. Please check out the video, which Barton's office uploaded to YouTube. Watch it. STARE AT IT.

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Comments

[lasublime]

I'm trying to understand, was he trying to say something about global warming - Alaska was much warmer then, to paraphrase. Was that his point? Hence his thinking that he stumped Chu, because what he is saying is that global warming is cyclical, therefore nothing to do with us?

[BowlingForRevenge]

"idiot manchild"
ABSOLUTELY spot on!

[201curzonst]

Texas should secede. I would love to see the sort of society that mental giants like Barton would create. My guess is that they would bring back trial by ordeal within a week. In fact, they could have a tourism based economy - just take visitors around in armored vehicles for 'medieval safaris'.

"And on your left, we can see some villagers ducking a suspected witch!'

[Plebean]

hahaha, hilarity at it's finest : )

[Swooning]

Oy! Watch it there, bub. Some of us thinkin' folks have to live in Texas, too, y'know.

Some of us even know where oil comes from.

Hey, I even know a few witches ;-)

[Dustee]

Yet another reason why republicans are losing everything. They love to play these gotcha games trying to look smart but having the reverse effect.

Steven Chu attempted to give him a simple answer, one that maybe that ignoramus could understand. Rep. Barton tried to make a joke out of that and it only made him look dumber.

My guess is that Rep. Barton never even heard of plate tectonics.

[WindySailor]

No he's heard of it. He thought it had something to do with washing dishes.

[karela]

I'd like to suggest that we stop bashing the state of Texas and stick to bashing the few who have earned it, i.e. Bush, Rove, the Governor of Texas and now Barton. Texas is a lovely state and I have met many lovely people there during many years of travel. I'm mid-western, but my heart would be broken if we ever lost Texas. It's part of our heritage and history just like the Liberty Bell, the Green Mountain Boys, the gold rush, the Erie Canal, wagon trains, cattle drives, ranching and farming and all that our cities have to offer. It is the diversity of our land and our people and our history that make our big, luscious, gorgeous country so wonderful. So, how about if we quit bashing one of our own and focus on the individuals who cause harm without using a general shotgun approach against our countrymen from Texas. There are ignorant people from every state, but not all people from any state are ignorant. I was born in Michigan, spent my teens in California, spent a little time in Colorado, visit family in Tennessee and vacation in Florida but the Alamo runs through my blood as much as the Declaration of Independence does. Please don't dis any part of America. I love it all with every beat of my heart.

[WindySailor]

But they want to secede and I'll be glad to see them go.

[HighInfoVoter]

The shrinking number of republicans want to secede. Those traitors deserve to be exiled, but please let we gerrymanderingly disadvantaged liberals stay.

[Jason Presser]

If Texas truly wants to be a part of this country they need to vote out their current secessionists governor and tell their citizen's like Chuck Norris that they are Americans first Texans second and its neither smart or patriotic to call for secession. This is just ignorance over the true facts of Texas joining the Union (they don't have the right to leave the Union, but do have the right to become five separate states), and in my opinion sour grapes over the Democrats taking over for their beloved conservatives. Also I believe there is quite a bit of latent racism as well, over our first African-American president. I hate to say it but the only place there I would miss would be Austin. They forget that we took their state from Mexico because we believed God gave us the right. That outdated view is still alive and well in Texas, and until they prove me wrong by getting rid of the trash they have elected to their Governor's house and some of the representatives they have sent to congress (the ones with very little intelligence, like Rep. Joe Barton for example); by voting them out of office (it doesn't have to be by a Democrat either; an independent or an intelligent republican - if one exists-will do). Until these things happen I won't give an credence to anything that comes out of Texas.

[karela]

Well, yet one more Republican jerk with no intelligence and no manners. I know he's from Texas, but was he raised in a barn? And do all Texas politicians do that ugly little George Bush smug smirk when they work hard at talking down to people? Yuck.

[gginva]

too smug to realize how nieve and stupid he is. Democrats are not right on all issues but they seem to know what they dont know and dont parade their ignorance for the world to see

[jazzman]

Chu is obviously wrong. God put the oil up there to confound scientists and trick them into believing that tectonic plates had shifted over millions of years, which of course we know didn't happen because the earth was created 6000 years ago along with Adamn and Eve and dinasours.

[Reighben Labilles]

The hubris of the that Republican rep! The formation of oil and natural gas including plate tectonics cannot be fully explained in 6 seconds. The vagueness of Chu's answer was unavoidable. Bloody rep trying to make himself look smarter by fake stumping a Nobel prize winner.

[krechsd]

I feel sorry for the decent people in Texas. You guys need to call these idiots out, or leave before they suceed.

[Dystopic]

Believe it or not, 75% of texans are good decent people. We only hear about the wingnuts.

[tiamarie]

Then why doesn't that 75% "good and decent" Texans vote OUT the crazies? Something is wrong with your calculations.

[larmar]

I say it's time for a reasonable suspicion drug test on the Republican from Texas !!

[Dystopic]

mental health evaluation. Give him an IQ test, under 75 and he can be forcibly incarcerated and sterilized

[LinkSync]

I think it was a good question.

I wasn't satisfied with the answer either.

I get the politics and even the humor of it.

But scientificly did it drift or was it made up around there? Or some of both.
I'm just say'n! I still don't know for sure.

But I agree it has no relevancy regarding clean energy.
IMHO neither does global warming.
Clean energy is what we need to do regardless of global warming.

[cdsister]

It was a very simple 6 second answer so give the man a break....N­ow for the Senator who thought he was going to "snap" on Energy Secretary Steven Chu, I can only advise remedial education. And by the way I agree, we do need clean energy even if you don't believe in global warming!

[zukervati]

"I think it was a good question." - WTF?
According to m@ro@ns like Joe Barton, and the ones who are not "sure" about the "facts" on how the oil got under the tectonic plates, let me remind them that the humans and dinosaurs roamed the earth together, only six thousand years ago. Obviously, the two species worked together to put the pipeline from Texas to Alaska and pump the oil up there, with Jesus blessing the works!

[tgd]

Thanks for the laugh!

[Reptoid]

I thought it was a very good answer. It would take someone very close to brain dead to have never heard of continental drift, but apparently Barton had not. I can't blame Chu for not making the assumption that Barton, an elected Representative, would be that uneducated - that stuff is taught in grade school.

[mikesw]

TX 6th district!

That's some "representative" you got!

[buster85]

Anyone ever notice the connection between Alaska and Texas. Their mouths are ten time as big as their brains.(ak­a- Bush and Palin).

[hollace]

This is the best advert for staying in school I have ever seen I think.....­.This is your brain on BBQ sauce and Moonshine

[Swooning]

What's truly sad is that Joe Barton has a master's degree from Purdue. Of course he did earn it over 35 years ago. Perhaps his education has worn off.

[Ondori]

I am baffled at how he thinks that he baffled the scientist lol