Stupid Republican idea of the day

[Fear Itself]

Republican proposes cutting funding for Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965:

Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.) introduced an amendment to cut all funding for enforcement of a part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 intended to prevent racial discrimination. The provision, Section 5, requires a number of states and counties, mostly in the South, to receive federal approval before changing their election laws.

“I know firsthand how onerous this law is," Broun said.

Broun was quickly taken to the woodshed by civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), who denounced he amendment from the floor of the House

"It's shameful that you would come here tonight and say to the Department of Justice that you must not use one penny, one cent, one dime, one dollar to carry out the mandate of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act."

“People died for the right to vote -- friends of mine, colleagues of mine,” Lewis said. "I speak out against this amendment."

Broun withdrew the amendment.

[elucidator]

Police found a battered body in a local woodshed today. The victim is described as an utter asshole, approximately three inches tall....

[Boyo Jim]

Well, so he wasn't totally stupid. Just mainly.

[Euphonious Polemic]

Originally Posted by mhendo

I tend to agree about this.

My main problem with Romney in this case is not what he did as a teenager; it's the way that he's handling the issue now.

Absolutely agree.

[Knorf]

Originally Posted by mhendo

I tend to agree about this.

My main problem with Romney in this case is not what he did as a teenager; it's the way that he's handling the issue now.

And I think there are a lot of far more compelling reasons to have problems with Romney for president than what he did as a teenager or even how he's been handling it.

[Fear Itself]

Originally Posted by Knorf

And I think there are a lot of far more compelling reasons to have problems with Romney for president than what he did as a teenager or even how he's been handling it.

Sure there are. Fortunately, there is room for all of them in Mitt's permanent record.

[The Devil's Grandmother]

Republicans would like to have less data on which to make decisions. They're sponsoring a new bill to reduce the census. No need for pesky facts! They just get in the way.

[gamerunknown]

Who wants to put money on this woman being a Democrat?

[Fear Itself]

Sen. Rand Paul opines on the President's views on same sex marriage:

"The president recently weighed in on marriage and you know he said his views were evolving on marriage," the Kentucky Republican said at Iowa's Faith and Freedom Coalition meeting.

"Call me cynical, but I wasn't sure his views on marriage could get any gayer."

I thought libertarians supported same sex marriage?

[Lobohan]

Originally Posted by Fear Itself

Sen. Rand Paul opines on the President's views on same sex marriage:I thought libertarians supported same sex marriage?

The Pauls are Christians, so the invisible hand is holding a rosary.

[Polycarp]

Originally Posted by Lobohan

The Pauls are Christians, so the invisible hand is holding a rosary.

That's not a rosary~

[Lobohan]

Originally Posted by Polycarp

That's not a rosary~

Easy mistake to make. <--NSFW

[Jack Batty]

Originally Posted by gamerunknown

Who wants to put money on this woman being a Democrat?

I am a huge fan of that guy sitting behind her.

[Batfish]

Ronulans stirring the shit.

Maybe not a Republican stupid idea but it's certainly fun to point and laugh.

[jasg]

I offer up this one... The US Navy has had their "Green Fleet" initiative blocked by the Republicans.

"In its report on next year’s Pentagon budget, the House Armed Services Committee banned the Defense Department from making or buying an alternative fuel that costs more than a “traditional fossil fuel.” It’s a standard that may be almost impossible to meet, energy experts believe; there’s almost no way the tiny, experimental biofuel industry can hope to compete on price with the massive, century-old fossil fuels business.

Committee Republicans, like Rep. Randy Forbes, insist this isn’t an attempt to kill off military biofuels before they have a chance to start. “Now, look, I love green energy,” he said in February. “It’s a matter of priorities.”

But if the measure becomes law, it would make it all-but-inconceivable for the Pentagon to buy the renewable fuels. It would likely scuttle one of the top priorities of Navy Secretary Ray Mabus. And it might very well suffocate the gasping biofuel industry, which was looking to the Pentagon to help it survive."

[Kobal2]

Originally Posted by jasg

Committee Republicans, like Rep. Randy Forbes, insist this isn’t an attempt to kill off military biofuels before they have a chance to start. “Now, look, I love green energy,” he said in February.

"My best friend is a green energy", he continued. "Still, you have to admit, these energies are not like us, are they ?"

[Jenaroph]

This is a fun one:

Republican New Hampshire state legislator shouts "Sieg Heil" during session, gets thrown out of the chamber, has to have a committee formed to "convince him" before he apologizes appropriately - and the kicker at the end of the article, the party chairman holds the incident up as an example of DEMOCRATS being "partisan."

[Balance]

Originally Posted by Jenaroph

This is a fun one:

Republican New Hampshire state legislator shouts "Sieg Heil" during session, gets thrown out of the chamber, has to have a committee formed to "convince him" before he apologizes appropriately - and the kicker at the end of the article, the party chairman holds the incident up as an example of DEMOCRATS being "partisan."

So, a Republican House Speaker kicks out a Republican legislator...and somehow the Democrats were at fault?

[jsgoddess]

Originally Posted by Balance

So, a Republican House Speaker kicks out a Republican legislator...and somehow the Democrats were at fault?

I blame me.

[Euphonious Polemic]

Originally Posted by Balance

So, a Republican House Speaker kicks out a Republican legislator...and somehow the Democrats were at fault?

It's a classic bully line:

"Well, I wouldn't have had to punch him if he hadn't been looking all weird and everything. It's all his fault. Little weirdo."

[Bosstone]

Originally Posted by Euphonious Polemic

It's a classic bully line:

"Well, I wouldn't have had to punch him if he hadn't been looking all weird and everything. It's all his fault. Little weirdo."

That's the weird thing, though.

A Republican spazzed out at another Republican. The Republicans got all offended and insulted (rightly so, I think).

Other than the voting to allow the spaz Republican to make an apology, only Republicans were involved in every step of the way. But for some folks, it's anathema to criticize their own side. So a random Republican who was not involved in the initial spaz-out made a snarky remark about Democrat partisanship during the voting.

[Kimstu]

Originally Posted by Bosstone

That's the weird thing, though.

A Republican spazzed out at another Republican. The Republicans got all offended and insulted (rightly so, I think).

Other than the voting to allow the spaz Republican to make an apology, only Republicans were involved in every step of the way. But for some folks, it's anathema to criticize their own side. So a random Republican who was not involved in the initial spaz-out made a snarky remark about Democrat partisanship during the voting.

Get this: he snarked the Democrats because it was Democratic lawmakers who defended the spazzing-out Republican's right to say what he said:

The House debate over Vaillancourt's comments elicited strong reactions on both sides of the aisle, with Democrats defending the lawmaker while Republicans described Vaillancourt's Nazi reference as offensive to the people of the Granite State. [...]

One Democratic member said that Vaillancourt's statement was only a German phrase. "All he said was victory in German," the lawmaker said. [...]

New Hampshire Republican Party Chairman Wayne McDonald released a statement Tuesday afternoon praising House Speaker William O'Brien's decision to seek an apology from Vaillancourt and placed blame with Democrats.

"Especially in the face of such a reprehensible and inappropriate remark, it's my hope that the House could be united in resolving such an offensive comment," McDonald said. "Democrats often talk about the sharp partisanship in Concord, and today Rep. [Terie] Norelli's decision to divide along party lines Speaker O'Brien's efforts to seek an apology from Rep. Vaillancourt prove once again that it's her Democrat party that is responsible for the partisanship."

In other words, the Democrats kept their panties sufficiently untwisted to vote against demanding a formal apology from the offending Republican before letting him back in the chamber, and the Republican party chairman decided to try to make that the focus of the outrage.

Not "One of our guys acted like a rude aggressive asshole to another one of our guys in a legislative session". Not "Our guys couldn't keep proper order in the session they were leading".

But rather "Your guys were insufficiently angry and punitive about our guy being a rude aggressive asshole in a legislative session! You nasty PARTISANS you!!!"


ETA: Oh, and get this:

CORRECTION: This story has been updated to reflect that Rep. Steve Vaillancourt is a Republican not a Democrat.

Nooooooo comment.

[BigAppleBucky]

http://www.bostonherald.com/track/in...&position=also

Scott Fitzgerald, Republican - State Senate majority leader in Wisconsin aside from claiming the little woman opposing him in his recall election was the tool of her husband or the unions, decided the Drop Kick Murphys would be good walk up music to use at the state Republican convention.

Dropkicks’ main man Ken Casey said:

“We find it ironic and ridiculous that one of Scott Walker’s cronies is using our song,” Casey told the Track. “We hate everything the guy stands for.”

Why an extreme rightwing nut would use music from a truly lefty band is almost beyond comprehension.

Try this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=d8sRTWySo4A

Back to Fitz' comment on his opponent:
http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/loc...9bb2963f4.html

For the record, Fitzgerald said he doesn't buy Compas' Pollyanna image. He knows some people are painting the race as a David-vs.-Goliath contest. But Fitzgerald said he thinks her husband is one of the main forces behind her campaign, as well as unions and protest groups.

"I don't for one minute believe she is the organizing force behind this whole thing," he said.

When told of Fitzgerald's statement, Compas was audibly stunned.

"That is pretty insulting, but it does seem in keeping with his general views on women," she said. "He doesn't seem to have a lot of respect for them. That's OK; he can keep underestimating me."

Here is Campas's brilliant reply:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO3FW...ature=youtu.be

[waterj2]

Aw, it was just “Shipping Up To Boston.” I was hoping he'd gone way back into the Dropkicks' past and went for “Which Side Are You On?”

[elucidator]

Never forget the first time I heard Reagan use Springsteen's Born in the USA for inspirational music. Jaw dropped into lap.

[Euphonious Polemic]

Originally Posted by Bosstone

That's the weird thing, though.

A Republican spazzed out at another Republican. The Republicans got all offended and insulted (rightly so, I think).

Other than the voting to allow the spaz Republican to make an apology, only Republicans were involved in every step of the way. But for some folks, it's anathema to criticize their own side. So a random Republican who was not involved in the initial spaz-out made a snarky remark about Democrat partisanship during the voting.

OK, that is truly strange...

[Manduck]

Originally Posted by Euphonious Polemic

OK, that is truly strange...

I'm wondering if the article got the parties reversed throughout, not just Vaillancourt. Then it would make more sense.

[Bosstone]

Originally Posted by Manduck

I'm wondering if the article got the parties reversed throughout, not just Vaillancourt. Then it would make more sense.

Well, it's not as if these guys are difficult to look up.

Vaillancourt (the Sieg Heil dude): Republican
O'Brien (the guy who got Sieg Heiled): Republican
Kingsbury (the vet pissed off at the Sieg Heil): Republican
MacDonald (the one angry about partisanship): Republican
Norelli (the one blamed for being partisan): Democrat

I suppose it's possible the actual players reported are wrong, but that's going a little far, I think.

Okay, they kind of were difficult to look up. I had to cross-reference the Wikipedia list with the NH HoR website to make sure the info was accurate.

[Balance]

Originally Posted by Euphonious Polemic

OK, that is truly strange...

I tried to read between the lines, and this is what I came up with:

The Republicans were trying to push through another voter suppression law. This one originally allowed student ID to be used, but a committee had added an amendment further restricting the types of ID allowed.

Vaillancourt didn't like something about what was being done. The article doesn't go into what it was, but he wanted to talk about the whole committee discussion, not just what they put in their report. The Speaker, O'Brien, forbade him to talk about it, which pissed off Vaillancourt enough to say "Sieg Heil"; from the context, I would guess this was sarcasm, mocking O'Brien as a dictator crushing dissent. Since he wasn't being a good little lockstep soldier, O'Brien kicked him out.

Debate broke out over O'Brien's action, and over letting Vaillancourt back in. The Democrats came down on Vaillancourt's side. Ostensibly, they did so on the (not unreasonable) grounds that O'Brien overreacted and violated Vaillancourt's First Amendment rights; it's also possible that Vaillancourt was actually on their side, or at least indirectly helping them, in fighting the amendment.

I could be completely off-base, of course, but it seems possible that the Republican who yelled "Sieg Heil" was trying to take a principled stand against his own caucus, and got frustrated enough at their obstructionism to express it in a politically foolish way, which they are using to smear him. Oh, and they're taking a nonsensical swipe at the Democrats out of sheer reflex.

[Manduck]

Originally Posted by Bosstone

Well, it's not as if these guys are difficult to look up.

Vaillancourt (the Sieg Heil dude): Republican
O'Brien (the guy who got Sieg Heiled): Republican
Kingsbury (the vet pissed off at the Sieg Heil): Republican
MacDonald (the one angry about partisanship): Republican
Norelli (the one blamed for being partisan): Democrat

I suppose it's possible the actual players reported are wrong, but that's going a little far, I think.

Okay, they kind of were difficult to look up. I had to cross-reference the Wikipedia list with the NH HoR website to make sure the info was accurate.

No fair using Google!

[Buck Godot]

Originally Posted by gamerunknown

Who wants to put money on this woman being a Democrat?

Access to the video appears to have been removed from Youtube. Can anyone post a brief description?

[Really Not All That Bright]

While I think the use of the phrase to poke fun at the speaker is amusing, I can't really blame the other Pubs for kicking him out. I certainly can't blame anyone for shitting on the Dem who said "he just used a German phrase."

[Ludovic]

Originally Posted by waterj2

Aw, it was just “Shipping Up To Boston.” I was hoping he'd gone way back into the Dropkicks' past and went for “Which Side Are You On?”

Or "Do or Die".

[Jenaroph]

Originally Posted by Really Not All That Bright

While I think the use of the phrase to poke fun at the speaker is amusing, I can't really blame the other Pubs for kicking him out. I certainly can't blame anyone for shitting on the Dem who said "he just used a German phrase."

Yeah, I'd probably want to shit on that Democrat myself.

But it ain't "partisanship" that's the problem there. It's just plain old "idiotic to the point of offensiveness."

[Gyrate]

Originally Posted by Buck Godot

Access to the video appears to have been removed from Youtube. Can anyone post a brief description?

IIRC that was the (literally) crazy Nebraska woman who went on a creative rant about gay people at a council meeting.

The "He just used a german phrase" comment reminds me of Sideshow Bob's parole hearing where it is revealed he has "Die Bart Die" tattooed on his chest. He claims it's German, whereupon one person remarks "no one who speaks German could ever be evil".

[Really Not All That Bright]

Originally Posted by Ludovic

Or "Do or Die".

For a Republican candidate, Barroom Hero seems apropos.

[Steve MB]

Originally Posted by Gyrate

IIRC that was the (literally) crazy Nebraska woman who went on a creative rant about gay people at a council meeting.

Yeesh, it's like somebody put Sarah Palin, Boomhauer from King of the Hill, and the South Park version of Johnnie Cochran and set it on "scramble".

[septimus]

These are from Thisweek Flipbook (or something like that -- I lost the link).

(1) A Wisconsin man was hospitalized after trying to stop his wife from voting for a Democrat to replace Republican Gov. Scott Walker. Jeffrey Radle, a Walker supporter, jumped in front of wife Amanda's Dodge Durango to block her from going to the polls to select a recall-vote opponent. He suffered head and back injuries. "These crazy liberal nuts are always pulling this crap," said Radle's brother, Mike, also a Walker supporter.
...
(22) In Laurens County, S.C., Republican candidates must henceforth sign a pledge that they did not or will not have sex before marriage, are not gay, and will not watch pornography. The pledge — approved unanimously by the GOP executive committee — contains 24 other moral requirements that chairman Bobby Smith says are "essential to try and protect the party's reputation."

[Jack Batty]

I will not believe those aren't made up without cites. Not that I'm some hard-nosed evidence junkie, but ... really? No ... fucking really?

Those sound straight out of The Onion.

[Balance]

Originally Posted by Jack Batty

I will not believe those aren't made up without cites. Not that I'm some hard-nosed evidence junkie, but ... really? No ... fucking really?

Those sound straight out of The Onion.

Here you go, for the first one, at least: http://www.jsonline.com/news/wiscons...150697635.html

She tried to drive around him, and he jumped in front of the moving vehicle and got hit. And his brother calls her a "crazy liberal nut". First, the guy is a knuckle-dragging piece of shit for trying to physically restrain his wife from exercising her right to vote. Second, he's an utter lunatic for diving in front of a moving SUV.

Oh, here's a link for the other one: http://www.thestate.com/2012/03/06/2...ks-purity.html

Even the state GOP leaders think it's stupid.

[Ludovic]

Originally Posted by Balance

Here you go, for the first one, at least: http://www.jsonline.com/news/wiscons...150697635.html

She tried to drive around him, and he jumped in front of the moving vehicle and got hit. And his brother calls her a "crazy liberal nut". First, the guy is a knuckle-dragging piece of shit for trying to physically restrain his wife from exercising her right to vote. Second, he's an utter lunatic for diving in front of a moving SUV.

Oh, here's a link for the other one: http://www.thestate.com/2012/03/06/2...ks-purity.html

Even the state GOP leaders think it's stupid.

The brother's quote indeed seems like something out of The Onion (Like the classic "why do all those f**** keep s****ing my d***?") However, it seems that the brother was asked what his position on the recall was, rather than on the accident. It was just placed in the article in a way that implied that he was talking about the accident rather than about the recall in general. Of course, since the paper didn't repeat the reporter's question, at this point I don't know the question he was responding to.

[Boyo Jim]

Good for her!

[septimus]

Originally Posted by Jack Batty

I will not believe those aren't made up without cites. Not that I'm some hard-nosed evidence junkie, but ... really? No ... fucking really?

Those sound straight out of The Onion.

I found the link I followed. (Firefox History to the Rescue!)

The above links to an article about Romney, which might be fun in its own right. (It includes a video of him "losing his cool" with a radio talk show host.) The quotes I posted are from items 1 and 22 of Today's FlipBook: Only in America linked to from the right-side bar on the above page.

(I'd never heard of theweek.com and it might be similar to The Onion for all I know. )

[commasense]

Originally Posted by septimus

(I'd never heard of theweek.com and it might be similar to The Onion for all I know. )

No, it's a reputable digest of news from media from all around the world. It does little reporting of its own, but accurately summarizes reports from other mainstream newspapers, TV networks, and Web sites. It is not a parody site like The Onion. (I subscribe to the print edition of The Week.)

[Gangster Octopus]

In order to provide balance I think I should give some time to a Republican who has some genuinely smart ideas about possibly achieving peace in the Middle East

Rep. Joe Pitts (R-Pa.) is seeing his foreign policy credentials come under fire after calling for Middle East peace negotiations between deceased Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who has been in a coma since 2006.

[Bosstone]

Well, you have to admit, those are two men who will never argue with each other.

[Punoqllads]

"Sharon and Arafat were unavailable for comment." -- Times of Israel

[jayjay]

Well, of course it's my congresscritter...Joe's an ass. I'm hardly surprised he's a dumbass.

[Voyager]

Originally Posted by Bosstone

Well, you have to admit, those are two men who will never argue with each other.

And each are smarter than the Pitts.

[Clothahump]

Originally Posted by The Devil's Grandmother

Republicans would like to have less data on which to make decisions. They're sponsoring a new bill to reduce the census. No need for pesky facts! They just get in the way.

What part of this is difficult to understand?

Republicans, acknowledging its usefulness, attacked the survey as an unconstitutional invasion of privacy, arguing that the government has no business knowing how many flush toilets someone has, for instance.

They are exactly right and kudos to them for doing this.