If a Republican who aspires to national office can't understand plain English, should they be allowed to even run, much less be elected? That's the question I asked when I heard about Iowa's Senate candidate Joni Ernst calling the UCSB shootings an "unfortunate accident."

There's nothing accidental about a rage-filled asshole with a few semi-automatic weapons picking off women standing on a sidewalk. Nothing accidental about that at all. It's a wanton act of premeditated murder, enabled by the NRA and gun nuts across this nation. Ernst whitewashed it to pander to her bloodthirsty keepers, and now she needs to own it and be disqualified from ever holding national office.

During the debate, a viewer questioned whether she would change her ad which shows Ernst on a firing range promising to unload on Obamacare. TPM:

The moderator then asked Ernst if she would change the ad or its timing in light of the UCSB shooting.

"I would not -- no. This unfortunate accident happened after the ad, but it does highlight that I want to get rid of, repeal, and replace Bruce Braley’s Obamacare," Ernst replied, referring to a Democratic Senate candidate. "And it also shows that I am a strong supporter of the Second Amendment. That is a fundamental right."

It was no accident, and the fact that she would minimize the shooting at the same time she's telling Iowans to die and die quickly should forever disqualify her from holding any national office, period.