# Is there currently any sane, intellectual leadership in the Republican party? If so, who? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 25, 2010, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-currently-any-sane-intellectual-leadership-in-the-republican-party-if-so-who/533768 "2010-03-25T17:23:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-currently-any-sane-intellectual-leadership-in-the-republican-party-if-so-who/533768/61 "2010-03-26T01:38:58Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > Or…someone on the left fired a shot… Nah, Cantor is lying about the incident:[Bullet that hit Cantor office was randomly fired](http://www2.godanriver.com/gdr/news/state_regional/article/bullet_that_hit_cantor_office_was_randomly_fired/19378/) > [@](#): > > Richmond police said in a news release that the bullet had been fired into the air around 1 a.m. Tuesday. It finished its random arc back to earth at a sharp downward trajectory, breaking a window pane on the bottom floor of the two-story brick building where Cantor’s campaign leases the top floor. > > The spent bullet hit the floor about one foot inside the shattered pane. No one was in the building at the time. A police investigation has yielded no suspects. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-currently-any-sane-intellectual-leadership-in-the-republican-party-if-so-who/533768/62 "2010-03-26T01:59:27Z")
Orrin Hatch is currently getting a [rating](http://www.votesmart.org/issue_rating_category.php?can_id=53352&type=category&category=17)of 80 percent from the American Conservative Forum and 87 percent from the Eagle Forum, and he’s starting to look pretty good to me. Heaven help us. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-currently-any-sane-intellectual-leadership-in-the-republican-party-if-so-who/533768/63 "2010-03-26T02:11:33Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > Nah, Cantor is lying about the incident:[Bullet that hit Cantor office was randomly fired](http://www2.godanriver.com/gdr/news/state_regional/article/bullet_that_hit_cantor_office_was_randomly_fired/19378/) He’s _lying_? What makes you think he was lying rather than just mistaken. Think about it, before the investigation was done, isn’t it more likely that a bullet that finds its way into a prominent congressman’s window made its way there intentionally? Especially in light of the threat he and other congressmen did receive? I’m glad the investigation turned out as it did, but “lying”? Come on, now… ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-currently-any-sane-intellectual-leadership-in-the-republican-party-if-so-who/533768/64 "2010-03-26T02:22:00Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > He’s _lying_? What makes you think he was lying rather than just mistaken. Think about it, before the investigation was done, isn’t it more likely that a bullet that finds its way into a prominent congressman’s window made its way there intentionally? Especially in light of the threat he and other congressmen did receive? I’m glad the investigation turned out as it did, but “lying”? Come on, now… What threats have Cantor been getting? I must have missed the memo when he switched to Democrat ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-currently-any-sane-intellectual-leadership-in-the-republican-party-if-so-who/533768/65 "2010-03-26T02:42:57Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > What threats have Cantor been getting? I must have missed the memo when he switched to Democrat Not following you here. Or are you of the mind that only Dems get threats? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-currently-any-sane-intellectual-leadership-in-the-republican-party-if-so-who/533768/66 "2010-03-26T02:44:19Z")
The bullet went through the glass only, about as much energy of impact as you might expect if the bullet were thrown underhand by a girl. Hence, it is reasonable to assume that the bullet was not fired at the window. Sheesh, don’t you guys ever watch any TV? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-currently-any-sane-intellectual-leadership-in-the-republican-party-if-so-who/533768/67 "2010-03-26T02:45:03Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > Think about it, before the investigation was done, isn’t it more likely that a bullet that finds its way into a prominent congressman’s window made its way there intentionally? It wasn’t his office, though. It hit the lower floor of a two-story building on which Cantor leases the top floor. He appears to be fudging the truth about that part, and I’m sure he knows where his own offices are. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-currently-any-sane-intellectual-leadership-in-the-republican-party-if-so-who/533768/68 "2010-03-26T02:47:36Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > Not following you here. Or are you of the mind that only Dems get threats? They certainly get more death threats than Republicans do. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-currently-any-sane-intellectual-leadership-in-the-republican-party-if-so-who/533768/69 "2010-03-26T02:50:05Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > It wasn’t his office, though. It hit the lower floor of a two-story building on which Cantor leases the top floor. He appears to be fudging the truth about that part, and I’m sure he knows where his own offices are. So, his immediate response should have been, “Oh, a bullet came into the building where I have my office, right when other congressmen and I have had threats made, and a brick was thrown through one’s window—must be a random bullet. You know like those random bullets that hit neighboring buildings about once a week.” Sure. That makes perfect sense. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-currently-any-sane-intellectual-leadership-in-the-republican-party-if-so-who/533768/70 "2010-03-26T02:51:35Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > They certainly get more death threats than Republicans do. But that’s because they’re more deserving of them. Sheeze, can’t you even figure out the easy ones? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-currently-any-sane-intellectual-leadership-in-the-republican-party-if-so-who/533768/71 "2010-03-26T02:56:48Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > But that’s because they’re more deserving of them. > > Sheeze, can’t you even figure out the easy ones? Don’t be silly. It’s because the Republicans, unlike the Democrats have spent decades leaning more and more on fanatics. Most of the Left who are fanatic enough to send death threats are about as likely to hate Democrats as Republicans, whereas that kind of fanatic is what most of the Republican base and much of the leadership actually are; why would they send death threats to themselves? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-currently-any-sane-intellectual-leadership-in-the-republican-party-if-so-who/533768/72 "2010-03-26T02:58:42Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > So, his immediate response should have been, “Oh, a bullet came into the building where I have my office, right when other congressmen and I have had threats made, and a brick was thrown through one’s window—must be a random bullet. You know like those random bullets that hit neighboring buildings about once a week.” > > Sure. That makes perfect sense. The shot hit the window - not his window, mind you - at 1 a.m. Tuesday. Even though it wasn’t his office, I can understand if he was suspicious at the time. But he didn’t tell anybody about this until today. And he didn’t say a bullet hit a building where he has an office, he said a bullet was fired through a window of his office. Seems to me he was overstating it long after the fact to make it sound like he was on par with the Democrats, and thus had standing to criticize their reaction to death threats. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-currently-any-sane-intellectual-leadership-in-the-republican-party-if-so-who/533768/73 "2010-03-26T02:59:53Z")
> [@JoelUpchurch](#): > > In terms of who is in Congress now, I think Lamar Alexander is inoffensive and among governors and and ex-governors… This month, Lamar Alexander refused to distance himself from either the John Birch Society or the Tea Partiers - even the extreme elements of the Tea Party Movement. He advocated “Starting over again”, on the [Affordable Care Act](http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2010/03/whats-in-the-affordable-care-act.php) whose basic structure was advocated by the Heritage Foundation in the early 1990s and Mitt Romney in 2004-2008. Lamar advocated purchase of insurance across state lines, which would make the health insurance industry a lot like the credit card industry: they go to Delaware or South Dakota where the regulation is mildest. [Interview](http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/03/political-players-sen-alexander-embraces-the-tea-party/37014/). A mild tone of voice doesn’t make a moderate politician: even Bill Kristol can paste a phony grin on his face. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-currently-any-sane-intellectual-leadership-in-the-republican-party-if-so-who/533768/74 "2010-03-26T03:00:16Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Don’t be silly. It’s because the Republicans, unlike the Democrats have spent decades leaning more and more on fanatics. Most of the Left who are fanatic enough to send death threats are about as likely to hate Democrats as Republicans, whereas that kind of fanatic is what most of the Republican base and much of the leadership actually are; why would they send death threats to themselves? So, what you’re saying is that the right-wing fanatics are smarter than the left-wing fanatics? Makes sense, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-currently-any-sane-intellectual-leadership-in-the-republican-party-if-so-who/533768/75 "2010-03-26T03:11:53Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > He’s _lying_? What makes you think he was lying rather than just mistaken.. Because it’s to his benefit to lie. If he’s not lying, let him apologize for foisting bullshit on us. Of course, like GWB, he won’t. He’ll just let his ‘mistake’ fester. That’s dishonorable, and dishonorable people _lie_ when it’s to their advantage to lie. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-currently-any-sane-intellectual-leadership-in-the-republican-party-if-so-who/533768/76 "2010-03-26T03:23:05Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > But that’s because they’re more deserving of them. > > Sheeze, can’t you even figure out the easy ones? This is supposed to be sarcasm, right? Because otherwise suggesting that the Democrats deserve to be threatened with death is really kind of an answer for the OP. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-currently-any-sane-intellectual-leadership-in-the-republican-party-if-so-who/533768/77 "2010-03-26T04:00:14Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > Because it’s to his benefit to lie. > If he’s not lying, let him apologize for foisting bullshit on us. > Of course, like GWB, he won’t. > He’ll just let his ‘mistake’ fester. > That’s dishonorable, and dishonorable people _lie_ when it’s to their advantage to lie. And how do you feel about people who hurl accusations of lying with any proof that they both 1. spoke an untruth, and 2. did so knowingly ? How would you characterize such individuals? ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-currently-any-sane-intellectual-leadership-in-the-republican-party-if-so-who/533768/78 "2010-03-26T04:03:54Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > This is supposed to be sarcasm, right? Because otherwise suggesting that the Democrats deserve to be threatened with death is really kind of an answer for the OP. Well, all I can say is if Democrats are so joke challenged, I may have to remove my comment out of the joke column. And just in case you’re still having a problem: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-currently-any-sane-intellectual-leadership-in-the-republican-party-if-so-who/533768/79 "2010-03-26T04:07:28Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > How would you characterize such individuals? In this case, probably Correct. Tell you what, you find me Cantor’s retraction, and if it’s not a weaselly piece of crap, I’ll think a better of the man. As far as I can tell, there’s nothing to his credit out there tonight. Perhaps tomorrow will be his day to shine? ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-currently-any-sane-intellectual-leadership-in-the-republican-party-if-so-who/533768/80 "2010-03-26T04:21:34Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > In this case, probably Correct. > Tell you what, you find me Cantor’s retraction, and if it’s not a weaselly piece of crap, I’ll think a better of the man. > As far as I can tell, there’s nothing to his credit out there tonight. Perhaps tomorrow will be his day to shine? So, you get to label someone a liar, then they’re free to prove you wrong. Do I have that about right, Oh Magnanimous One? By the way, I just saw a clip of him from either earlier today or yesterday I assume. He mentioned that he had been threatened _while he’s been a congressman_. Which may or may not be the quote you’re referring to. If not, can you point me to it? Also, I’ve heard people refer to their office building as their “office” tons of times. But I look forward to seeing what has you so upset. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-currently-any-sane-intellectual-leadership-in-the-republican-party-if-so-who/533768.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-currently-any-sane-intellectual-leadership-in-the-republican-party-if-so-who/533768.md?page=5)