Sarah Palin on Autism and the Fruit Fly

October 24, 2008 Gov. Sarah Palin delivered her first policy speech as the GOP vice presidential nominee, outlining her plan for funding the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. If elected, she proposed directing billions of dollars to the program and stated it could be funded by eliminating wasteful government spending.

During the speech, she spoke of her nephew, who has autism. She also lambasted earmark spending, including a research project using fruit flies [audio included]. She might not have known that the fruit fly is proving instrumental in the study of developmental disorders, such as autism.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Sarah
• Palin
• fruit
• fly
• flies
• autism
• special
• needs
• IDEA
• political
• commercial
• hypocrisy
• earmark
• UNC
• chapel
• hill
• neurexin

[Kyles45Angel]

it wasn't an earmark petaining to fruitfly and autism research Palin was refering to. Do some research.

[BarackDocs]

True, but you've missed the point. Maligning fruit flies in a policy speech on developmental disorders made Gov. Palin seem uninformed.

The earmark she referred to was a $211,000 California-sponsored agricultural research project investigating methods to battle the devastating effects of fruit flies on olive plants. To olive growers in our nation's most populous state, this science is invaluable.

"I kid you not."

[Weirdo10o4]

No the bugs smarter.

[honeegrrl]

That's giving her too much credit. The fruit fly is actually smarter. Sarah Palin has the brain of a fairy and fairies do not exist.

[HawthornWitch]

While I can appreciate she WANTS to help with autism research the lady is an idiot.

[LAMetalhead]

Sarah Palin is the updated version of a Know-Nothing.

[TheWhatever41]

keep working mindless U.S citizen,...just nobody get sick!

[BrightEyesAtheist]

It's not the change he promised, but it's some change none the less. I'll take that over Bush any day of the week. He's just a little nicer than the old boss hahahaha

[rayf815]

I don't like Palin, I think she is an idiot yet I also think Obama is a bumbling dumbfuck who sounds like a stuttering goof if he doesn't have a teleprompter. Feel sorry for everybody who bought his "change" bullshit hook line and sinker. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

[BrightEyesAtheist]

You're right, she didn't know. Funny thing is, as a candidate she should know before she speaks.

[skibum184]

Haha... are you kidding me?

It has nothing to do with having the "general knowledge" to know the connection..

It has to do with her paramount ignorance to discredit something she knows nothing about.

Thank god for Obama making it.. If Mc C got in, he'd croak in the first year, and then we end up with her ignorance running the nation.

We dodged a bullet there

[NeedsEvidence]

Thanks for illustrating the problem with unscientific America. A (vice) presidential candidate has to do homework before making bolt statements about funding science projects. Fruit fly research is the backbone of genetic research, as every high school student should know. There is no excuse for ridiculing an entire science branch on the basis of zero knowledge. Epic fail, Palin.

We need more science clips like these. And no, the video clip does not contain hatred. Projection from your side?

[rayf815]

Wasted your time on that video. To think any candidate should know an austim and fruit fly connection is a stretch.

I doubt any candidate knew that. I am a huge proponent of autism research, spend a lot of free time advocating for Autism Speaks and work with families to have their children treated by DAN doctors.

I would have given any candidate a pass on that faux pas..

I wish this video was made more for you wanting research of the disease autism instead of your hatred of a candidate.

[Kyles45Angel]

I don't get my news for Fox news. IF you think more abortion and more socialism makes the world better thats on you. I work for my money. I don't go around looking for governement hand outs. I assure you many more will available according to his new socialist plan hes trying pass.