# 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:** 242
**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 17, 2026, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4821 "2026-06-17T22:00:56Z")
Greg Bovino visits Dracula’s tomb and declares that actually he was a good guy because he fought illegal immigrants. [![](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:4bvpe6mvl3tlfar3qxjaxcb6/bafkreiairadmtrr2vbhyesg7mn4d6s724e2btqeghqfbdqnzyfn3fofedy) ](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:4bvpe6mvl3tlfar3qxjaxcb6/bafkreiairadmtrr2vbhyesg7mn4d6s724e2btqeghqfbdqnzyfn3fofedy) ---
**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 17, 2026, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4822 "2026-06-17T22:01:51Z")
You can’t make this shit up. ---
**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 17, 2026, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4823 "2026-06-17T23:32:21Z")
Bovino: > The Prince of Walachia wasn’t some cartoon villain, he was a great hero to his people. He says this about **VLAD THE IMPALER**. [![](https://cdn.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/vlad-impaler-woodcut-portrait.jpg?width=2560&height=1440&quality=100&dpr=2) ](https://cdn.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/vlad-impaler-woodcut-portrait.jpg?width=2560&height=1440&quality=100&dpr=2) ---
**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:** [June 17, 2026, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4824 "2026-06-17T23:32:24Z")
Sometimes, the only thing standing between your civilization and the next wave of invaders is the willingness to stick them on pikes as a warning. Oh, and turn into a bat and suck their blood. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2026, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4825 "2026-06-17T23:48:52Z")
I see he ampersands a few people at the end. Does that force his post to those ampersanded? This douchebag himself threw teargas in neighborhoods on yer typical Tuesday morning. Fuck that guy. He sure stands like a tough guy, don’t he? He’s probably imagining kicking a school kid in the face. ---
**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 18, 2026, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4826 "2026-06-18T00:00:36Z")
Or maybe he’s remembering _being_ kicked in the face by a school kid. Maybe he cried in his little single bed every night and imagined being Vlad and getting back at those ~~Turks~~ kids who tormented him for being a whiny ass runt. ---
**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 18, 2026, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4827 "2026-06-18T03:20:04Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > I see he ampersands a few people at the end. Does that force his post to those ampersanded? This is an ampersand. [![](https://cdn.britannica.com/62/236062-050-CD53AE96/Ampersand-symbol.jpg) ](https://cdn.britannica.com/62/236062-050-CD53AE96/Ampersand-symbol.jpg) While this… [![](https://cdn.britannica.com/14/237814-050-138379A3/at-sign-symbol.jpg) ](https://cdn.britannica.com/14/237814-050-138379A3/at-sign-symbol.jpg) …is an “at sign”. You’d think it would have a better name than that, but it doesn’t. ☹ (Though it’s called an “arroba” in Spanish, which sounds pretty cool to me.) ---
**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:** [June 18, 2026, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4828 "2026-06-18T03:49:37Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Bovino: > > > The Prince of Walachia wasn’t some cartoon villain, he was a great hero to his people. > > He says this about **VLAD THE IMPALER**. Professional courtesy. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4829 "2026-06-18T03:57:47Z")
Hey Bovino, there’s a big difference between a literal invading army and immigrants seeking a better place to live, despite you and your ilk constantly conflating the two. ---
**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 18, 2026, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4830 "2026-06-18T04:12:41Z")
And he doesn’t even have history correct. Vlad first took the throne with the help of an army from the Ottoman Empire. In other words, **he** was the invader. ---
**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:** [June 18, 2026, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4831 "2026-06-18T04:48:47Z")
An anchor tyrant. ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4832 "2026-06-18T06:50:40Z")
[The Master Speaks](https://www.straightdope.com/21341603/did-dracula-really-exist). One incident that strikes me as relevant: > On another occasion Vlad invited the local beggars as well as the old, the sick, and the lame to a feast. Having gotten everybody drunk, he inquired, “Do you want to be without cares, lacking nothing in this world?” Sure, said the assembled multitudes. Vlad then ordered the building boarded up and set afire, killing all inside. “I did this so that no one will be poor in my realm,” he supposedly said. Reminds me of “If we don’t let the cruise ship dock, it won’t add to the COVID count.” ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4833 "2026-06-18T07:42:57Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > (Though it’s called an “arroba” in Spanish, which sounds pretty cool to me.) It’s called a “strudel” in Hebrew, which is even cooler. ---
**Author:** ![Toxgoddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Toxgoddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxgoddess)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4834 "2026-06-18T16:47:10Z")
Mmm…strudel… ---
**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 18, 2026, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4835 "2026-06-18T16:50:13Z")
I can’t think of the word “strudel” without remembering the Pillsbury Toaster Strudel kid. [![](https://mastersball.com/images/Articles/toaster-strudel-now-with-more-fruit.jpg) ](https://mastersball.com/images/Articles/toaster-strudel-now-with-more-fruit.jpg) [![](https://live.staticflickr.com/5563/15181976591_531596667d_z.jpg) ](https://live.staticflickr.com/5563/15181976591_531596667d_z.jpg) That kid always creeped me out. I was apparently not the only one. > **[Toaster Strudel Boy: Sweet Kid or Homicidal Maniac? - Reel Life With Jane](https://www.reellifewithjane.com/2014/03/pillsbury-toaster-strudel-boy-homicidal-maniac/)** > > Is the Toaster Strudel boy just a sweet kid delivering warm breakfast pastries? Or is he really a bloodthirsty killer with a secret mountain hideaway? ---
**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:** [June 18, 2026, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4836 "2026-06-18T16:54:06Z")
Just 'cause I just watched this, [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/cSsyG2pE-GY/maxresdefault.jpg "The hidden logic behind #, @, & and §") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSsyG2pE-GY) ---
**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 18, 2026, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4837 "2026-06-18T17:18:21Z")
Thanks, very informative, and he covered my favorite punctuation symbol, the pilcrow! ---
**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 18, 2026, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4838 "2026-06-18T17:30:06Z")
Immediately before coming to this thread, I was reading about the pilcrow, octothorpe, ampersand, and @ sign in the very engaging book, [_Shady Characters; The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols, and Other Typographical Marks_](https://www.amazon.com/Shady-Characters-Punctuation-Symbols-Typographical/dp/0393349721), recommended by @Exapno_Mapcase in another thread. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4839 "2026-06-18T17:34:13Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > > [@Atamasama](#): > > > > (Though it’s called an “arroba” in Spanish, which sounds pretty cool to me.) > > It’s called a “strudel” in Hebrew, which is even cooler. I was concurring that that is indeed the coolest name for the @ symbol, until I watched @crowmanyclouds’s video link a few posts after yours and discovered that the Dutch call it an “apenstaart” or “monkey tail”. Sorry, Yiddish/Hebrew, that out-cools your version. 😄 ---
**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 18, 2026, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4840 "2026-06-18T17:37:58Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > You can’t make this shit up. Wouldn’t Bovino be a dirty foreigner in Walachia? I could get behind (heh) some Vlad the Impaler treatment for him. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678.md?page=241) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678.md?page=243)