# NEW Stupid Republican Idea of the Day (Part 4) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 22, 2025, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678 "2025-02-22T21:08:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 140
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/2781 "2026-01-11T03:28:58Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I mean, it’s a weird sort of charisma. Obviously it doesn’t work on everyone, and in fact has the exact opposite effect on some of us. But on the people it does work on, it works amazingly well. How? I have no idea. The only way I can describe it is that he has such a desire - no, _craving_ - for respect and admiration, and he is so attuned to the - for lack of a better term - _ids_ of people around him. And when he uses those gifts to feed people what they want, some who hear him think “Well, he may not be telling the truth, but he is at least working hard to be on my side.” And for a depressingly large number of people, that seems to be enough. And so he gets the attention that he mistakes for that respect and admiration, yet he like an addict craves even more, and there ends up being a horrid positive feedback effect that gets us to where we are right now. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/2782 "2026-01-11T04:02:06Z")
He has what Terry Prachett (RIP) called “charisn’tma.” ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/2783 "2026-01-11T04:43:02Z")
> [@OttoDaFe](#): > > “If you can’t dazzle 'em with brilliance, baffle 'em with bullshit.” The Orange Peril can’t do the first — at least, for anyone with the intelligence Og gave mayonnaise — but he does the second quite well for an appallingly large segment of the populace. _"What if your hinges all are rusting?_ _What if, in fact, you’re just disgusting?_ _Razzle dazzle 'em and they’ll never catch wise"_ The above are lyrics from the play/movie Chicago. It could be [The Arsehole’s Anthem](https://www.allmusicals.com/lyrics/chicago/razzledazzle.htm#google_vignette) ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/2784 "2026-01-11T07:38:45Z")
> [@OttoDaFe](#): > > I don’t see this ending well for Bannon. You make this sound like it’s a bad thing. Now if only we could get the MAGAts to drag down Miller as well. Vance would be the cherry on top. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/2785 "2026-01-11T08:19:08Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > Now if only we could get the MAGAts to drag down Miller as well. Vance would be the cherry on top. I hope the fighters behind the scenes are working to go hard at herr miller. Magats are all repugnant but he’s especially vile because he sincerely believes the shite he spews. His wife seems like a real nut bag too, so I welcome seeing her undoing almost as much. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/2786 "2026-01-11T13:03:23Z")
The current criminal regime & the adjacent MAGAt-sphere influencers such as Bannon broadly consist of two groups. I’ll call them the clowns and the operators. - The clowns, of which trump is #1, are there to rile up and entertain the masses. They’re evil, but mostly in intent, not in capability. - The operators are the guys mostly behind the scenes, although miller is one, who are systematically installing Project 2025 fascism while the clowns distract the rubes, the conventional political apparatus, and the mainstream media. Bannon is a clown, and one of the more dangerous ones. The people we really need to stop though, are the operators. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/2787 "2026-01-11T13:37:57Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > and we’ve seen … a Trump smartphone No we haven’t. Two weeks. Always two weeks. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/2788 "2026-01-11T13:42:37Z")
No he has TDS. As do all MAGA’. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/2789 "2026-01-11T17:40:07Z")
Another Stephen Miller clip just dropped [https://i.imgur.com/oI8RSpS.mp4](https://i.imgur.com/oI8RSpS.mp4) ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/2790 "2026-01-11T19:25:08Z")
Trump has charisma the way an ugly person is attractive. I’ve seen so many celebrities described as handsome, sexy, beautiful, that I think are plain at best if not just ugly. The reason is because it’s subjective. I don’t get it but others do. The same goes for Trump and charisma. You don’t find him charismatic because you’re not susceptible. But millions of others are. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/2791 "2026-01-11T20:03:30Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Another Stephen Miller clip just dropped Am I bad to hope he experiences some of this respect personally? ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/2792 "2026-01-11T23:59:05Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I mean, it’s a weird sort of charisma. Obviously it doesn’t work on everyone, and in fact has the exact opposite effect on some of us. But on the people it does work on, it works amazingly well. How? One clue is the many DT fans who embraced the message “DADDY’S HOME” on his 2024 election. There was lots of supplemental crowing about how now the Libruls would be Getting Theirs, etc. In other words: some proportion of humanity is **pro-authoritarian**. They crave the All-Father\* who will take care of them, make their decisions, and pat them on the head with approval when they are obedient. The fact that Donald is about the furthest thing possible from being an All-Father----he’s more of an All-Toddler----is irrelevant, because those fans have bought the _image_. And the image is of the Guy In Charge. . . \*The mere fact that humans have come up with a term like “All-Father” pretty much tells you that a chunk of the species never wants to grow up, but instead hopes to be taken care of for life. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2026, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/2793 "2026-01-12T00:01:42Z")
That’s part of it, sure. But lots of people have tried to tap into that authoritarian energy, and the vast majority of them never manage to use it to get elected President. There’s something about Trump that makes him really good at tapping into that. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2026, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/2794 "2026-01-12T00:07:12Z")
Being affected by Trump’s “charisma” is like the gene for cilantro tasting like soap. Either you have it, or you don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2026, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/2795 "2026-01-12T00:27:42Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Being affected by Trump’s “charisma” is like the gene for cilantro tasting like soap. Either you have it, or you don’t. . That’s funny—but it might also be true. Researchers into authoritarianism have speculated that there’s a genetic component. For example, here’s one study (not paywalled) – > [@](#): > > Political attitudes are predicted by the key ideological variables of right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) and social dominance orientation (SDO), as well as some of the Big Five personality traits. Past research indicates that personality and ideological traits are correlated for genetic reasons. … [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jopy.12921](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jopy.12921) ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2026, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/2796 "2026-01-12T00:45:06Z")
Capitalism is when the government tells businesses what they’re allowed to sell, right? > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mc5uwtvvgu2o)** > > RFK Jr: "One of the things we're doing is Brooke Rollins is requiring that any facility, and store that accepts food stamps will have to double the amount of whole food that is now available to recipients. So that will change the marketplace around... ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2026, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/2797 "2026-01-12T01:10:03Z")
What the fuck does “double the amount of whole food that is now available” even mean??? ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2026, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/2798 "2026-01-12T01:22:46Z")
You’re no longer allowed to sell half slices of Kraft cheese food in those plastic wrappers. You must sell WHOLE slices. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2026, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/2799 "2026-01-12T01:22:54Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > What the fuck does “double the amount of whole food that is now available” even mean?? And does whale head count as “whole” food? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2026, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/2800 "2026-01-12T01:25:21Z")
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