Saturday's Paul Krugman Read

Paul Krugman opines on the missing link between the world of science and rationality and the dinosaur-riding-Jeebus party (in the shape of Sen. Marco "Polo!" Rubio (Not A Scientist, Man - FL)):

"Earlier this week, GQ magazine published an interview with Senator Marco Rubio, whom many consider a contender for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, in which Mr. Rubio was asked how old the earth is. After declaring 'I’m not a scientist, man,' the senator went into desperate evasive action, ending with the declaration that 'it’s one of the great mysteries.'

"It’s funny stuff, and conservatives would like us to forget about it as soon as possible. Hey, they say, he was just pandering to likely voters in the 2016 Republican primaries — a claim that for some reason is supposed to comfort us.

"But we shouldn’t let go that easily. Reading Mr. Rubio’s interview is like driving through a deeply eroded canyon; all at once, you can clearly see what lies below the superficial landscape. Like striated rock beds that speak of deep time, his inability to acknowledge scientific evidence speaks of the anti-rational mind-set that has taken over his political party."

With a base in denial about global climate change, evolution and, um, simple math, it's no wonder comers like Rubio are desperate to gloss over the fact that his party for the most part exists in a 19th Century time-warp.