# House Republicans are just so...so...ugh... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 27, 2012, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-republicans-are-just-so-so-ugh/632840 "2012-08-27T17:22:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![President\_T\_Toilet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@President\_T\_Toilet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/President_T_Toilet)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-republicans-are-just-so-so-ugh/632840/81 "2012-08-29T13:44:10Z")
He could save even more time by creating an avatar that says that. Then he would only have to type one letter. Who says us Liberals aren’t efficient problem solvers? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-republicans-are-just-so-so-ugh/632840/82 "2012-08-29T13:44:23Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Can I get a rough estimate of how many bad decisions a group must make before we adopt, as a heuristic, the idea that this particular group is kind of, not to put too fine a point on it, ugh? That’s a questionable metric, since “bad decisions” are not an objective measure. I tend to agree that this particular decision is a poor one, but I am reasonably confident that if you were to list ten bad bad Republican decisions I would not agree with you that all fo them were bad. ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-republicans-are-just-so-so-ugh/632840/83 "2012-08-29T14:00:25Z")
With the Romney budget proposal there’s no way we can afford the renovation. The money has to go to the Pentagon. The cost of each new F-35 has ballooned to over $200 million. If we don’t have each and every one the security of the entire country is at risk. The Republicans don’t want to spend money on anything unless it is designed to kill people. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-republicans-are-just-so-so-ugh/632840/84 "2012-08-29T14:05:16Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > That’s a questionable metric, since “bad decisions” are not an objective measure. I tend to agree that this particular decision is a poor one, but I am reasonably confident that if you were to list ten bad bad Republican decisions I would not agree with you that all fo them were bad. Yes, but that’s not necessarily an endorsement - it could just mean that you _and_ the House Republicans are ugh. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-republicans-are-just-so-so-ugh/632840/85 "2012-08-29T14:41:54Z")
So, I take it no one actually read the article, because as I explained in post #67 the discussion you guys are having is not consistent with the facts of that article. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-republicans-are-just-so-so-ugh/632840/86 "2012-08-30T00:16:25Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > So, I take it no one actually read the article, because as I explained in post #67 the discussion you guys are having is not consistent with the facts of that article. They are not discussing the Capitol Dome or appropriations bills; they are discussing partisanship. Want some popcorn? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-republicans-are-just-so-so-ugh/632840/87 "2012-08-30T02:31:47Z")
> [@j666](#): > > They are not discussing the Capitol Dome or appropriations bills; they are discussing partisanship. > > Want some popcorn? Extra butter, please. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-republicans-are-just-so-so-ugh/632840/88 "2012-08-30T04:04:22Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > It newly amazes me every time one of the liberal herd here inveighs loudly against the Republicans for an issue that wouldn’t move their outrage meters half as much if the Democrats were the ones at fault. Do you have any other memes than this? It seems like every time you post, it’s “Obama did it too” or “Liberals also lie cheat and steal” or “If a Democrat did it, there wouldn’t be the same outrage.” The latter, especially, is fallacious since it depends on contrafactual analysis. In fact, frankly, I think it’s fallacious for being untrue: if Obama refused to release his tax statements, yes, we would be as angry as when Romney refuses to release his. Go ahead: prove otherwise… ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-republicans-are-just-so-so-ugh/632840/89 "2012-08-30T04:31:40Z")
As soon as you stop beating your wife! ---
**Author:** ![BigAppleBucky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigapplebucky/32/178_2.png) [@BigAppleBucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigAppleBucky)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-republicans-are-just-so-so-ugh/632840/90 "2012-08-30T11:11:35Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Yes, that’s true. > > But is the decision unreasonable and unprecedented? Are the House Republicans of the present the first to fail in this duty? > > In 2009, the Dome also needed repair. And the pissant Democrats didn’t want to spend a dime on it. > > In 2007, the Dome also needed repair. And the pissant Democrats didn’t want to spend a dime on it. > > In 2005, the Dome also needed repair. And the pissant Republicans didn’t want to spend a dime on it. > > In 2003, the Dome also needed repair. And the pissant Republicans didn’t want to spend a dime on it. > > In 2001, the Dome also needed repair. And the pissant Republicans didn’t want to spend a dime on it. > > Now, it’s obvious to me that the need is slightly more pressing now than it was in 2007. And in 2007, it was more pressing than it was in 2001. > > True? Or not? Just to emphasize a bit: The Republicans controlled the US House of Representatives from 1995 through the beginning of 2007. But as others have pointed out, the critical need for Dome repairs was not obvious until 2011. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-republicans-are-just-so-so-ugh/632840/91 "2012-08-30T11:30:03Z")
[/Snarky Washington Insider Voice] “Look, if the Contractors want this work done, they’re going to have to get in there and make some donations and request the job. We can’t just fund this project wihtout knowing who is going to do it and what they’ve done to deserve it. Get the right guys in there shaking the right hands and suporting the right candidates and you’ll have yourselves a deal.” [\snarky Washington Insider Voice] A project like that is a goldmine for getting in the contruction donations, and given that it’s DC, there could also be Union votes, which Republicans pretty much can’t get any other way. they are not going to just fund this and watch it go to Fair and Open Competition. Watch and learn. I sincerely hope that my disgust comes through in the tone of this post. Don’t for a moment imagine that I like this, I’m just telling it like it is. P.S. Wasn’t there scaffolding all over the Dome just a couple of years ago? Was that just them assessing the damage? Or is this something new brought on by the earthquake? I seem to recall a great pic of the workers on the scaffold watching the space shutle go by a few months ago as well. . . ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-republicans-are-just-so-so-ugh/632840/92 "2012-08-30T13:52:38Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > Do you have any other memes than this? It seems like every time you post, it’s “Obama did it too” or “Liberals also lie cheat and steal” or “If a Democrat did it, there wouldn’t be the same outrage.” The latter, especially, is fallacious since it depends on contrafactual analysis. In fact, frankly, I think it’s fallacious for being untrue: if Obama refused to release his tax statements, yes, we would be as angry as when Romney refuses to release his. Go ahead: prove otherwise… And if Obama didn’t close Guantanamo, you’d (collectively) be just as angry as when Bush didn’t close it? Cause, you know, that one I can kinda disprove. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-republicans-are-just-so-so-ugh/632840/93 "2012-08-30T14:55:39Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > And if Obama didn’t close Guantanamo, you’d (collectively) be just as angry as when Bush didn’t close it? > > Cause, you know, that one I can kinda disprove. This ploy is known as the “Ooh Shiny” argument (argumentum ad shinineum"). ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-republicans-are-just-so-so-ugh/632840/94 "2012-08-30T14:59:24Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > And if Obama didn’t close Guantanamo, you’d (collectively) be just as angry as when Bush didn’t close it? I wasn’t aware that Congress stepped in to prohibit Bush from closing Guantanamo. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-republicans-are-just-so-so-ugh/632840/95 "2012-08-30T15:05:56Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > This ploy is known as the “Ooh Shiny” argument (argumentum ad shinineum"). Not really. The claim was “It seems like every time you post, it’s “Obama did it too” or “Liberals also lie cheat and steal” or “If a Democrat did it, there wouldn’t be the same outrage.” The latter, especially, is fallacious since it depends on contrafactual analysis. In fact, frankly, I think it’s fallacious for being untrue: if Obama refused to release his tax statements, yes, we would be as angry as when Romney refuses to release his. Go ahead: prove otherwise…” So how to rebut that claim? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-republicans-are-just-so-so-ugh/632840/96 "2012-08-30T15:08:05Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > I wasn’t aware that Congress stepped in to prohibit Bush from closing Guantanamo. They didn’t. And of course, Congress did pass a bill to make it difficult for Obama to close Guantanamo… which Obama signed into law. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-republicans-are-just-so-so-ugh/632840/97 "2012-08-30T15:15:59Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Not really. The claim was “It seems like every time you post, it’s “Obama did it too” or “Liberals also lie cheat and steal” or “If a Democrat did it, there wouldn’t be the same outrage.” The latter, especially, is fallacious since it depends on contrafactual analysis. In fact, frankly, I think it’s fallacious for being untrue: if Obama refused to release his tax statements, yes, we would be as angry as when Romney refuses to release his. Go ahead: prove otherwise…” > > So how to rebut that claim? How about, if you don’t have a way of defending Republicans when they do something stupid, without dragging in stupidity on the part of Democrats some time in the past (or, hypothetical stupidity), don’t defend them. If you want a thread to highlight something stupid done by the Democrats, have at it. Maybe stop derailing threads with barely relevant sidetracks. ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-republicans-are-just-so-so-ugh/632840/98 "2012-08-30T15:40:15Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > There was a complete evaluation done in 2001 by Hantman, a Clinton appointee. [Freedom Check - Metropolis](http://www.metropolismag.com/story/20081015/freedom-check) The evaluation in your article was not about the capital dome. It was about a new visitors center. At no point in your article does it even mention the rotunda, other than to state that it is where tourists have gathered for decades. But I bet you knew that. Let me get this straight… no matter what is going on, no matter what the risk to the public is, if someone complains about the Republicans, you will say that it doesn’t matter, and the point is irrelevant, because nobody complained when the Dems were in charge? That really seems to be what you’re saying. In the brief window that the democrats were in charge they didn’t get it fixed, despite no evidence yet asserted that it was deemed a public safety until last year, and thus it is 100% their fault. That seems to be what you are saying. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-republicans-are-just-so-so-ugh/632840/99 "2012-08-30T15:52:06Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > They didn’t. And of course, Congress did pass a bill to make it difficult for Obama to close Guantanamo… which Obama signed into law. The Senate passed the amendment to prohibit the transfer of Guantanamo detainees by a vote of [90 to six](http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=1&vote=00196). If the criticism is that Obama saw that handwriting on the wall and wasn’t willing to veto a bill that included both an overwhelming rejection of his Guantanamo policy and pay raises for the troops, then fine. Obama certainly is a practical politician and not an ideologue who is unable to recognize when he’s lost a fight. It seems your criticism on this issue is, at heart, a disingenuous charge that both Obama and his supporters have failed to be single-minded zealots in pursuit of a goal that has not been successful. Sorry we haven’t lived up to your standards of being more like single-minded fringe politicians, like perhaps a Dennis Kucinich, who will pursue a cause no matter what. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-republicans-are-just-so-so-ugh/632840/100 "2012-08-30T16:15:47Z")
> [@President\_T\_Toilet](#): > > My personal theory on this is they want to keep the economy bad so they can try to win elections and then push through their insanely absurd political philosophies. Theory nothing, campaigning with the stated philosophy that government is the problem doesn’t provide a party with the incentive to make government work any better if elected. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-republicans-are-just-so-so-ugh/632840.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-republicans-are-just-so-so-ugh/632840.md?page=6)