the funnies

Can’t Sen. Evan Bayh Turn AIDS Into a Punchline Without Everyone Getting Upset?

Apparently not. Back in 2008, there were rumors going around that Sen. Evan Bayh, the Democrat from Indiana, would be selected as Barack Obama‘s presidential running mate. He did not. But hey, let’s put him back in the news: At the 2010 Indiana Jefferson Jackson Day Dinner, Bayh made a joke about having AIDS! The Indiana Stonewall Democrats did not find it funny, and walked out.

Says Bayh during his speech:

I want to say how good it is to be home. I got into that airport and I don’t know about the rest of you but every time I fly into Indianapolis airport I look at that thing and I think to myself, “You know if it weren’t for Bart Peterson, this thing wouldn’t be here.”

[applause]

He was a great Mayor and I’m so proud of him and everybody that helped make his accomplishment possible.

So I’m walking through the airport and people were kinda being nice and making eye contact and a couple come up and say hello. This one person runs up all excited and I’m prepared to say “Hello,” and he says, “Senator Bayh! Senator Bayh!”

I said “Well, yes?” and he looked at me and said, “Do you have AIDS?”

[audible gasps]

I said, “Huh?”

He said, “Yeah. Do you have AIDS?”

I was dumbfounded. I didn’t know what to say.

He said, “I’ve got a letter I want to give you, do you have someone I can hand this to? Do you have an aide with you?”

[laughter]

So you never know what people are going to say.

[more laughter]

Many of you have asked me… You’ve got to be prepared for about anything, you know?

Okay kids, it’s now your turn to say whether the homos were overreacting, or life-threatening diseases can be turned into a punchline!

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