# 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:** 165
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2026, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/3281 "2026-02-17T16:55:06Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Over 80% of career ICE field leadership has been fired, Think about that number for a second. Remember how bad you thought ICE may have been before and just after Trump took power? Well, 80% of their “field leadership” were apparently _not bad enough_ for Trump, et al. ---
**Author:** ![Nightaudit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nightaudit/32/17181_2.png) [@Nightaudit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightaudit)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2026, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/3282 "2026-02-17T18:53:35Z")
Or give them the most exciting ride that they have ever had… can you use a Gulgstream for zero gravity training? Or does the T tail make them prone to deep stalls? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2026, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/3283 "2026-02-17T18:59:19Z")
Note that the plane in question is a Boeing 737-8 Max. (And that seems _way_ too large to use as a corporate jet. As a passenger jet, it can have 138 to 204 passengers.) Plus how embarrassing to have a tantrum over your _blankie_? Edited to add, this may be the most famous security blanket since the one carried by Linus in _The Peanuts_. ---
**Author:** ![dougrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@dougrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougrb)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2026, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/3284 "2026-02-17T21:50:26Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I don’t know if he can even legally spend money he would take in for a campaign. He’s buying his own book and handing them out. > **[Deranged Trump Ally Blows Half His Campaign Cash on Own Book](https://www.thedailybeast.com/deranged-donald-trump-ally-mike-lindell-blows-half-his-campaign-cash-on-own-book/)** > > Pillow man Mike Lindell is handing out copies of his book, “What Are the Odds? From Crack Addict to CEO,” instead of campaign flyers in his bid for Minnesota governor. ---
**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:** [February 17, 2026, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/3285 "2026-02-17T21:59:13Z")
> [@dougrb](#): > > He’s buying his own book and handing them out. Okay… I guess that’s a choice. ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2026, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/3286 "2026-02-17T22:04:56Z")
And paying himself royalties in the process, no doubt. Or maybe the royalties will go to an LLC that owns the rights, and that will buy a big house in Florida with the proceeds, so that Lindell can avoid collections actions. You’d think the Federal Elections Commission might have a rule against that kind of self-dealing… of course, does the FEC have jurisdiction over a Minnesota election? ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2026, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/3287 "2026-02-17T22:08:00Z")
It’s almost schadenfreude, with his hapless donors presumably wanting political results from their donations, but instead getting grifted. ---
**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:** [February 17, 2026, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/3288 "2026-02-17T22:22:15Z")
> [@SunUp](#): > > And paying himself royalties in the process, no doubt. If he gets 20-30 cents for the $20 he spent on a book that he gave away, it doesn’t sound like that great of a money-making scheme, if that’s what the goal is here. My guess is that someone convinced him (or he convinced himself) that his book is so great, it’s the best way to sway people to vote for him. That getting the book in the hands of people will mean its information will spread virally and allow him to win the election. Either way, it seems like he’s throwing money away. I think the only folks profiting are whoever he bought the books from. > [@SunUp](#): > > You’d think the Federal Elections Commission might have a rule against that kind of self-dealing… of course, does the FEC have jurisdiction over a Minnesota election? No, only federal elections. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2026, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/3289 "2026-02-17T22:33:43Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > If he gets 20-30 cents for the $20 he spent on a book that he gave away, it doesn’t sound like that great of a money-making scheme, if that’s what the goal is here. He’s self published, so any ‘sale’ would be about losing less money than he already has rather than actively profit seeking. I guess the math works out the same but it’s different psychologically. I would guess that many states would also have similar election finance laws for state offices. They might want to wait until after the primaries, though, for appearances. Not that I think he stands any actual chance of winning the nomination. ---
**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:** [February 17, 2026, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/3290 "2026-02-17T22:44:58Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > I would guess that many states would also have similar election finance laws for state offices. They might want to wait until after the primaries, though, for appearances. Not that I think he stands any actual chance of winning the nomination. I was looking into this. As long as he can argue that it’s being used for campaign purposes, it’s probably legal. For example, if you own a construction business, and you pay your own company with campaign funds to build a stage for a campaign event, as long as your company is being paid “fair market value” then it’s okay. You also need to track that expenditure and file the proper paperwork. But legally, there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s not like that money is going right in your pocket; you need to spend it on materials, pay off your workers, take work away from any other projects you have going on, etc. Sure, as owner you will profit, but no more than you would if you were doing that same work for anyone else. Book sales are a bit different, but I think the same idea applies. As long as he’s buying the books for the regular $20 list price, and those books are being given out to potential voters as a way to campaign, it’s probably legal. And he’ll profit a bit. But not a lot. As far as I know, typical royalties for an author are 10% for a paperback, and 10-15% for a hardback book. So that means 10-15% of that $187,000 back to him, so anywhere between $18,700-28,050. Not nothing, but not a massive slush fund. And he owes millions of dollars. I just don’t see that this is a good move, but then again, this is a guy who has been digging a deeper and deeper hole for himself for years, so we really shouldn’t expect any good moves. ---
**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:** [February 17, 2026, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/3291 "2026-02-17T23:06:38Z")
I see Lindell’s moves as just a way to convert donations into personal cash at very poor exchange rate. I wonder what the vig is on conventional money laundering like organized criminals use? But if people will donate millions, then why not waste 90% of it and pocket 10%? Better to pocket more of course, but if 10% is all you can get, well, it’s money you couldn’t have stolen any other way. And best of all, it’s legal stealing. ---
**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:** [February 17, 2026, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/3292 "2026-02-17T23:18:31Z")
> [@Tatterdemalion](#): > > I wonder, is there any more information on the Coast Guard pilot who was allegedly fired for forgetting Kristie Noem’s blanket? This isn’t such information, but instead an explanation for existing tensions between Noem and the Coast Guard (that I came across today)– > [@](#): > > … The tensions between Noem and the only branch of the U.S. military overseen by DHS stem from some early decisions she made that rankled Coast Guard officials, including a verbal directive to shift Coast Guard resources from a search-and-rescue mission to find a missing service member, the sources said. > …The tension between some Coast Guard officials and Noem began after a 23-year-old Coast Guardsman went overboard into the Pacific Ocean from the cutter Waesche on Feb. 4 last year, shortly after the Senate confirmed Noem into her role, according to the two U.S. officials, the Coast Guard official and the former Coast Guard official. > > The Coast Guard had surged ships and aircraft to the Pacific to find the guardsman. Hours into the search, Noem learned that a Coast Guard C-130 that was supposed to fly detained migrants from California to Texas was among the aircraft over the Pacific looking for the missing guardsman, and she intervened, according to the two U.S. officials and the Coast Guard official. > > Noem verbally instructed the acting commandant of the Coast Guard, Adm. Kevin Lunday, to pull the plane off the search-and-rescue mission so it would not miss the immigrant flight… > **[Noem's use of Coast Guard resources strains her relationship with the...](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/noems-use-coast-guard-resources-strains-relationship-military-branch-s-rcna258904)** > > Some early decisions by the homeland security secretary, including to divert Coast Guard resources from a search-and-rescue mission to the deportation of immigrants, set the tone early. ---
**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:** [February 17, 2026, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/3293 "2026-02-17T23:19:57Z")
Well we sure know where her priorities are. Supporting the troops for sure! ---
**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:** [February 18, 2026, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/3294 "2026-02-18T00:30:32Z")
A yellow what now? > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mf3jeuseu72a)** > > Mike Rounds says Republicans just want to make you show your document with a yellow star in order to vote ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/3295 "2026-02-18T00:38:12Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > And he’ll profit a bit. But not a lot It’s self published, so he gets the publisher’s share as well, so a bit more than a regular author would get. But I suspect it’s really about making sure the copies get sold at all. if it was a normal book deal with some conservative outlet interested in fleecing some rubes, he’d make a small amount of money per sale while the publishing house took the risk of fronting the costs. But in this case, if the books aren’t selling, as the publisher, he’s personally out the cost of producing them in the first place. Since his campaign is paying, he’s using donor cash to cover his dumb investment in his own book. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/3296 "2026-02-18T00:41:56Z")
To clarify for the sake of those who don’t want to follow that link, Mike Rounds, a Republican senator from South Dakota, favors voter ID laws, under which voters would have to show ID, such as a Real ID driver’s license. (And the Real ID licenses are marked with a five-pointed yellow star to distinguish them from non-Real ID licenses.) ---
**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:** [February 18, 2026, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/3297 "2026-02-18T00:47:22Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > (And the Real ID licenses are marked with a five-pointed yellow star to distinguish them from non-Real ID licenses.) Here’s an example. [![](https://flyfrompti.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Gold-Star-1.png) ](https://flyfrompti.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Gold-Star-1.png) It’s circled in red. He’s not proposing they add a “yellow star”, he’s describing what a Real ID looks like. Right now me and my family do not have Real IDs. We have passports, which you can use in place of a Real ID (so far), such as for air travel. And it gives the additional benefit of being useful for traveling internationally, as we used when we went to Mexico years ago. If I need Real ID on top of all that, that’s a pretty significant cost to vote. Which, as I think has been pointed out on this board, is a poll tax and is illegal. The “yellow star” comment doesn’t mean anything, it’s not a Nazi reference. It’s a nonsense “gotcha”, and trolling from Aaron Rupar. What _does_ matter is requiring expensive enhanced ID for a right granted to citizens by law. ---
**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:** [February 18, 2026, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/3298 "2026-02-18T00:54:52Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > (And the Real ID licenses are marked with a five-pointed yellow star to distinguish them from non-Real ID licenses.) Not all of them. My WA EDL, which is a Real ID, has a flag on it instead. Oregon has a white star in a black circle. California has a white star on a golden bear. Saying “yellow star” was a blatant gaffe, if not a dog whistle. ---
**Author:** ![dougrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@dougrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougrb)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/3299 "2026-02-18T01:10:46Z")
> [@dougrb](#): > > He’s buying his own book and handing them out. When I posted that link 3 hours ago there were 11 used ones on Amazon. Now there’s 25 ranging from $0.79 -$7.00. New ones are $3.99 paperback. ---
**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:** [February 18, 2026, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/3300 "2026-02-18T01:30:10Z")
Enough states do use a gold star on Real IDs (FL & MO are two such I’ve carried in my own wallet) that I’m having a hard time seeing this as anything but a dumb assumption on the dumbass congresscritter’s part that since his state uses gold stars, all 50 do. After all, the gold star of Nazi fame was a mark of the other, the folks to be first shunned, then captured, then exterminated. Conversely, the (mistakenly assumed universal) gold star of Real ID identifies the good guys. The real citizens really entitled to really vote. The ones ICE won’t round up and ~~deport~~ execute. A poorly chosen and ignorant turn of phrase? Sure. A dog whistle? IMO nope. Sometimes a dumb comment is just a dumb comment. Not part of an evil plot. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678.md?page=164) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678.md?page=166)