# 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:** 207
**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:** [April 23, 2026, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4121 "2026-04-23T22:30:10Z")
Couldn’t a United States Senator simply check out a copy of The Atlantic Monthly magazine from the Library of Congress? Or does he not have a library card? ---
**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:** [April 23, 2026, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4122 "2026-04-23T22:35:42Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Couldn’t a United States Senator simply check out a copy of The Atlantic Monthly magazine from the Library of Congress? In the clip, the interviewer literally offers to lend him her account and he still tries to play it off. ---
**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:** [April 23, 2026, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4123 "2026-04-23T22:35:47Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Couldn’t a United States Senator simply check out a copy of The Atlantic Monthly magazine from the Library of Congress? I’m not sure how that works. But _The Atlantic_ does let people access a few articles free (they have a ‘30 days free’ deal), and if Kennedy has already reached that limit, then maybe he really should subscribe. (It’s not cheap–about $80. But as has been noted, Kennedy is a multi-millionaire.) ---
**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:** [April 23, 2026, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4124 "2026-04-23T22:40:36Z")
I have _no_ idea what the process is normally, but I assume there is some way that a Member of the House or the Senate can read an article or book without needing to pay. In short, Senator Kennedy is clearly using the paywall as an excuse to claim he’s not read the claims. ---
**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:** [April 23, 2026, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4125 "2026-04-23T22:54:32Z")
I call that strategy “implausible deniability”. ---
**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:** [April 23, 2026, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4126 "2026-04-23T23:05:21Z")
Whole lotta implausible _everything_ in this regime. ---
**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:** [April 23, 2026, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4127 "2026-04-23T23:06:19Z")
Would Senator John Kennedy be so concerned about paywalls if the article supported his beliefs? ---
**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:** [April 23, 2026, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4128 "2026-04-23T23:11:19Z")
Wow! That changes _everything!_ What imbeciles inhabit our halls of power. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4129 "2026-04-23T23:20:52Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I call that strategy “implausible deniability”. I call it “He’s too fucking stupid to have any idea what the hell is going on”. Not sure if that works in court. ---
**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:** [April 23, 2026, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4130 "2026-04-23T23:24:56Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > I call it “He’s too fucking stupid to have any idea what the hell is going on”. Kennedy’s entire public persona is literally just Phil Hartman’s “Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer” character applied to politics. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4131 "2026-04-23T23:27:35Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Kennedy’s entire public persona is literally just Phil Hartman’s “Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer” character applied to politics. But I don’t believe he’s acting. It’s not a ‘public persona’. He’s a moron, just like his ‘boss’. ---
**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:** [April 23, 2026, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4132 "2026-04-23T23:28:52Z")
Waaay too much heroin during college; that shit leaves a mark. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4133 "2026-04-23T23:31:01Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Or you could make the change all at once, as did [Sweden](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dagen_H). And set it to music. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Z6mv7VY8YLA/maxresdefault.jpg ""Håll dej till höger, Svensson" (Keep to the right, Svensson) - Swedish Propaganda Song") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6mv7VY8YLA) ---
**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:** [April 23, 2026, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4134 "2026-04-23T23:33:56Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > But I don’t believe he’s acting. It’s not a ‘public persona’. He’s a moron, just like his ‘boss’. From what I’ve read, he didn’t used to do this “I say, son, I’m just a simple country lawyer” routine pre-Trump. It’s an affectation to appeal to the maga crowd. He was a Democrat up until 2007. ---
**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:** [April 24, 2026, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4135 "2026-04-24T00:39:14Z")
Has anyone checked the Appalachian Trail yet? ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2026, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4136 "2026-04-24T05:07:18Z")
😏😁🤔😯 Bravo. ---
**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:** [April 24, 2026, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4137 "2026-04-24T21:08:40Z")
Former candidate for Missouri Secretary of State Valentina Gomez wants to invade the UK in boats with “current and former US military.” Good luck. > **[MSN](https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/insight/banned-us-influencer-vows-to-reach-uk-by-boat/gm-GM0E45F416?gemSnapshotKey=GM0E45F416-snapshot-37)** ---
**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:** [April 24, 2026, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4138 "2026-04-24T21:33:08Z")
She’s a delusional, bigoted megalomaniac. No wonder she finds Trump so relatable. ---
**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:** [April 24, 2026, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4139 "2026-04-24T21:39:51Z")
I lived in MO for ~20 years. There’s a lot of that there. And not just in government. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2026, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4140 "2026-04-25T10:23:08Z")
She thinks she’s going to “get free luxury accommodation”? Oh please let her try… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678.md?page=206) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678.md?page=208)