After scoring points against Texas Gov. Rick Perry in last night’s Republican debate on the issue of Gardasil vaccinations, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann made a statement on the Fox News Channel that she was informed Gardasil caused one child’s mental retardation.
On his Tuesday radio show, Rush Limbaugh thought attacking Perry on that issue was ill-advised but admitted Perry had “goofed up” with that executive order.
“Alright, Perry goofed up by using an executive order on the Gardasil,” Limbaugh said. “There’s no question he goofed up on it instead of taking it to the Texas legislature. He’s admitted that over and over again. I think one of the reasons that Perry gets tired is that he had all the questions. He had to answer a question three or four times last night and he did it smiling.”
However, Limbaugh cautioned the candidates not to use that against Perry, particularly because there was an opt-out provision in his executive order. Bachmann, he said, may have taken her attack a little too far.
“There was an opt-out,” Limbaugh explained. “If anybody didn’t want to take it they didn’t have to… So next time I’m going to have to issue another warning. Next time – not only don’t bother with this Social Security ‘Ponzi scheme’ stuff, but forget this vaccine business. This is ending up being a giant distraction. Now I said that [Michele] Bachmann may have jumped the shark. It’s just a gut a feeling.”
Limbaugh said Bachmann should have taken her victory in last night’s debate on the Gardasil issue and left it alone after that.
“Alright, now she had scored the points in the debate,” he said. “But now this comment has become a news item for Bachmann today, rather than what she said at the debate last night. That’s what I mean by ‘jumping the shark.’ She scored the points and should have left it there.”