# 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:** 232
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2026, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4621 "2026-06-03T00:56:45Z")
I think George Santos wins the thread, and that is _not_ a good thing in this case. ---
**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:** [June 3, 2026, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4622 "2026-06-03T01:07:58Z")
Wait, the SEC is actually doing its job? Someone, quick fire them! ---
**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:** [June 3, 2026, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4623 "2026-06-03T01:31:11Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Wait, the SEC is actually doing its job? Every once in a while, the administration screws up and does something competent. Like the FBI busting up a big crypto scammer. > **[Crypto firm Goliath Ventures files for bankruptcy after CEO arrested over...](https://cryptonews.net/news/legal/32620573/)** > > Florida-based crypto firm Goliath Ventures has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection following the arrest of its chief executive, Christopher Delgado, who is facing federal charges Coffeezilla, who was helping investigate this, said in a video that he was despondent because he had no faith that Kash Patel or anyone else at the FBI would do anything, but he reported anyway. He was shocked that they swiftly acted and busted the guy and his whole organization, and he had to reluctantly give them credit. (He had been fond of saying “I guess crime is legal now” after all of the deregulation of the Trump administration.) Even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and then. ---
**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:** [June 3, 2026, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4624 "2026-06-03T01:34:52Z")
Probably the head of that crypto firm didn’t contribute any money to the Trumps. ---
**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:** [June 3, 2026, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4625 "2026-06-03T01:37:08Z")
He’s also not white. ---
**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:** [June 3, 2026, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4626 "2026-06-03T02:32:06Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Back in February, George Santos tweeted that he was going to be in attendance at the State of the Union, then placed a large bet on Kaishi AGAINST him showing up there, and skipped the event. I’ve read this three times and I don’t think I understand. How is the subject of the bet, who is in control of the outcome, allowed to participate? Did he bet under a different name? Sorry for my ignorance; I basically know what Kalshi is but in this case I’m clearly missing something. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2026, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4627 "2026-06-03T03:05:24Z")
Kalashi is governed by the FTC, making those bets technically “trades”. Trading what? Who the fuck knows. That’s why their ads say, “Trade on anything,” rather than “We made gambling legal, motherfuckers!” That’s also why Santos is being investigated for insider trading. ---
**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:** [June 3, 2026, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4628 "2026-06-03T11:15:12Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](#): > > I’ve read this three times and I don’t think I understand. How is the subject of the bet, who is in control of the outcome, allowed to participate? Did he bet under a different name? Sorry for my ignorance; I basically know what Kalshi is but in this case I’m clearly missing something. That, if I understand correctly, is a big reason why people want polymarkets (“prediction trading”) banned. You can place bets on things that you fully control the outcome of. Now, whether or not you’ll be in attendance at some event probably isn’t that big of a deal, but when you’re playing games like this with people’s lives on the line, those people tend to get annoyed. Though I do kinda like the way some people use it to…is it arbitrage betting, kinda? Where people are betting that their student loans won’t be forgiven. That way, if the loans ARE forgiven, they’re only out the money that they wagered. If they’re NOT forgiven, they can use the winnings to pay them down. John Oliver did a segment not that long ago about all of this. He can probably explain it better than I can. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ZN4njIQcSR4/maxresdefault.jpg "Prediction Markets: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN4njIQcSR4) ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2026, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4629 "2026-06-03T13:26:46Z")
Trump wants to give private companies weapons-grade plutonium. What could go wrong? > **[MSN](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/the-trump-administration-is-working-on-a-deal-to-give-weapons-grade-plutonium-to-energy-companies/ar-AA248iWj)** > DOE’s program could “help companies unlock the next level of private funding to broaden domestic nuclear fuel supplies, spur innovation on American recycling technologies, and unlock private sector funding to fuel the nation’s nuclear renaissance,” principal deputy assistant secretary of nuclear energy Mike Goff said in a statement. > > A potential plutonium deal with the Trump administration, if successful, could be a major step forward for advanced nuclear companies building small modular reactors, which are racing to obtain fuel for their power-making operations. But it could also spur concerns about nuclear proliferation, and the US cracking the door open for other countries to do the same. > > “The transfer of weapons-usable plutonium to private industry would increase the risk of nuclear weapons proliferation, including to rogue states or terrorists,” a September letter from Democratic Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Reps. Don Beyer of Virginia and John Garamendi of California reads. “The United States cannot effectively discourage other countries from using plutonium for civil purposes if we use it ourselves.” ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2026, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4630 "2026-06-03T14:49:02Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > Trump wants to give private companies weapons-grade plutonium. What could go wrong? Well, if a corporation wants to develop its own nuclear deterrent, how else will it be able to do it? ---
**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:** [June 3, 2026, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4631 "2026-06-03T15:03:53Z")
Thanks, that’ s a good explanation. So it is as stupid as it sounds ( the Santos stunt). ---
**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:** [June 3, 2026, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4632 "2026-06-03T15:06:43Z")
Polymarket probably doesn’t want people pulling stunts like that, either, because it decreases public confidence in them. If folks start thinking that every Polymarket bet is rigged, fewer people (sadly, not nobody) will gamble with them, and they’ll be getting the cut of a smaller pie. But it’s difficult for them to enforce that without governmental help, because it’s too easy to just make up a fake name for an account, or ask a friend to make the bets for you, or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2026, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4633 "2026-06-03T15:11:41Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Every once in a while, the administration screws up and does something competent. Like the FBI busting up a big crypto scammer. Must have been the Deep State. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2026, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4634 "2026-06-03T15:19:12Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](#): > > I’ve read this three times and I don’t think I understand. How is the subject of the bet, who is in control of the outcome, allowed to participate? Did he bet under a different name? Sorry for my ignorance; I basically know what Kalshi is but in this case I’m clearly missing something. I can’t find a cite on what name the bets were placed under. I have seen a cite that Santos has an account with Kalshi, which is now suspended. I assume this account was under his own name but I’m also assuming he didn’t use it when he placed bets on himself. ---
**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:** [June 3, 2026, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4635 "2026-06-03T15:25:51Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Wait, the SEC is actually doing its job? Someone, quick fire them! They’re doing a portion of their job. Whoever it was who placed trades on oil prices shortly before major Iran decisions from the Whitehouse is still in the clear. For some strange reason. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2026, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4636 "2026-06-03T16:29:22Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Tell that to Rhoda Penmark. Whenever I see tap shoes I think of her. ---
**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:** [June 3, 2026, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4637 "2026-06-03T16:39:39Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > Trump wants to give private companies weapons-grade plutonium. What could go wrong? [![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu25VcfPaUbbDmyaMvTa0Vw3Ru9-NBquMozmVdcu_oMmVHZhuhwu_FadIHwzvCzKBz3CVdvOrHpLhQjdisAX2Uv6ENT4Lt4kxUpUCSWatK9TgIIFgZhWKk-Jx8545tSjY551SO_eC2enmA/s400/Larson+-+Henderson's+have+the+bomb.jpg) ](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu25VcfPaUbbDmyaMvTa0Vw3Ru9-NBquMozmVdcu_oMmVHZhuhwu_FadIHwzvCzKBz3CVdvOrHpLhQjdisAX2Uv6ENT4Lt4kxUpUCSWatK9TgIIFgZhWKk-Jx8545tSjY551SO_eC2enmA/s400/Larson+-+Henderson's+have+the+bomb.jpg) ---
**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:** [June 3, 2026, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4638 "2026-06-03T17:02:25Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > Trump wants to give private companies weapons-grade plutonium. What could go wrong? “Hi, this is Iranco. We’ll give you a bazillion dollars for, oh, twenty kilos of plutonium.” “See!? If you’d started with this we’d both have avoided a lot of trouble.” “‘A lot’ of trouble? Not all of it?” “Well, I still needed an Epstein distraction but I would have only blockaded your ports or something instead of all those bombs.” ---
**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:** [June 3, 2026, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4639 "2026-06-03T18:09:40Z")
Someone is apparently paying MAGA influencers who have never expressed opinions about motorcycles before to declare that Harley-Davidsons are woke and gay and you should totally buy an Indian instead to prove your love for Trump. > **[Inside MAGA’s Fake Gay Motorcycle War](https://www.thebulwark.com/p/inside-maga-fake-gay-motorcycle-war-harley-davidson-freakout-indian)** > > Dunces of Anarchy. ---
**Author:** ![Running\_with\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Running\_with\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Running_with_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2026, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4640 "2026-06-03T19:15:22Z")
I’ve often wondered if that Far Side cartoon was inspired by the [Tom Lehrer song “Who’s Next”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRLON3ddZIw) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678.md?page=231) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678.md?page=233)