# Stupid Republican idea of the day **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 26, 2009, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897 "2009-03-26T18:48:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1074
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2015, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21462 "2015-05-07T15:40:51Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > Al Iskandariyah? Al Jazeera? Al-Sham? How ign’ant is old Linds anyhoo? > > Hmm. That is interesting. > > I dunno, that’s very noncommittal and ambiguous. Miss Lindsey has always seemed kind of ambiguous. Somehow it comes as no real surprise that he is not an opponent of SSM. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2015, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21463 "2015-05-07T17:05:35Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > Did you see his rationale, though?It’s never OK to question the uniformed services? Really? As one wag said many years ago: [What, me lie](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Lai_Massacre)? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2015, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21464 "2015-05-07T17:12:45Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > I dunno, that’s very noncommittal and ambiguous. Baby steps. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2015, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21465 "2015-05-07T18:08:57Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > As one wag said many years ago: [What, me lie](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Lai_Massacre)? I thought your link was going to be to [this](http://boingboing.net/filesroot/200910160956.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2015, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21466 "2015-05-07T19:20:27Z")
[Ted Cruz is just like Joe McCarthy, and that’s a good thing, because he’s going to expose all of the Marxist Democrats who are trying to take over the country and dissolve the southern border.](http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/trevor-loudon-only-ted-cruz-can-save-america-marxists-government) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2015, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21467 "2015-05-07T19:30:47Z")
Apparently Wisconsin’s extreme Nanny-State watching out for poor people spending money on inappropriate food is going to cost them a lot of extra money: > [@](#): > > Wisconsin would have to spend millions of dollars to realize a Republican scheme to restrict how poor people shop for food, state fiscal analysts revealed Wednesday. [http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/05/07/3656326/wisconsin-food-stamps-restriction-cost-millions/](http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/05/07/3656326/wisconsin-food-stamps-restriction-cost-millions/) > [@](#): > > But at the time of that hearing, no one was able to say how much it would cost the state to implement Brooks’ idea. Now the state’s official bean counters have made their perspective on the bill publicly available, giving opponents more ammunition. > > While exact costs are impossible to guess, the analysts wrote, “costs for Wisconsin would total several million dollars.” They base that estimate on very different SNAP programs in other states that required similar overhauls of cash registers and state computer systems. The analysis notes that the expenses would be too large for existing departmental budgets to absorb, meaning that the state would have to come up with new money for implementing the grocery store constraints at a time when the state is expecting zero revenue growth and Gov. Scott Walker (R) is proposing enormous cuts to the state budget. > > One Republican defected from his colleagues after the analysis became public, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, but the Public Benefit Reform Committee still sent Brooks’ measure to the full Assembly on an 8-6 vote Wednesday. > Wisconsin has further plans to subject its SNAP families to hostility and suspicion. Walker is eager to implement drug testing for food stamps applicants, despite the fact that the roughly half-dozen states to try that idea in recent years have spent millions of dollars to find out that almost zero food stamps applicants fail drug tests. People in need of safety net programs in the state are aggravated by the idea. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2015, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21468 "2015-05-07T20:03:27Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Apparently Wisconsin’s extreme Nanny-State watching out for poor people spending money on inappropriate food is going to cost them a lot of extra money I gotta say, this part of your quote cracks me up : > [@](#): > > despite the fact that the roughly half-dozen states to try that idea in recent years have spent millions of dollars to find out that almost zero food stamps applicants fail drug tests. Note that the writer carefully does not state “almost zero […] are on drugs”. Just that they don’t fail the drug test, which is the only factual information that can actually be gathered by a drug test, especially a predictable one. “I get mine from day care” 😛 (it’s a \*The Wire \*joke) ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21469 "2015-05-08T00:05:58Z")
Could it be that Republicans’ concerns over spending are just a smokescreen for persecuting needy people? It seems like they don’t mind spending when it makes life harder for people who are struggling. “No steak for you, and we’ll spend whatever it takes to ensure that! Oh, while we’re at it we’ll reinforce the baseless stereotype that you’re a bunch of druggies, whatever the cost to do so.” ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21470 "2015-05-08T00:09:36Z")
I think I found the stupidest Republican idea ever: having GWB as one of your foreign policy advisers: > **[Jeb: George W. Bush is a top foreign policy adviser | CNN Politics](https://www.cnn.com/2015/05/07/politics/jeb-george-w-bush-adviser/index.html)** > > Jeb Bush cited his brother, former president George W. Bush, as one of his main advisers on the Middle East in a private meeting in Manhattan on Tuesday. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21471 "2015-05-08T00:20:45Z")
I think you may have broken the thread, **adaher**. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21472 "2015-05-08T00:47:24Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > I think I found the stupidest Republican idea ever: having GWB as one of your foreign policy advisers: > > [http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/07/politics/jeb-george-w-bush-adviser/index.html](http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/07/politics/jeb-george-w-bush-adviser/index.html) Of course, right now, a foreign policy advisor is of inestimable value to jeb, but I could see how he could be helpful: if I had an idea and he liked it, I would sure give it some reconsideration. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21473 "2015-05-08T00:49:16Z")
I was thinking more along the lines of asking his father, who was not actually a disaster in the foreign policy arena. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21474 "2015-05-08T03:08:33Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > I was thinking more along the lines of asking his father, who was not actually a disaster in the foreign policy arena. Iraqi Kurds and Shi’ites would beg to differ. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21475 "2015-05-08T04:18:02Z")
As a general principle, failure to intervene in a civil war isn’t usually regarded as a failure of foreign policy. Remember that when Iranians took to the streets, Obama didn’t so much as give them even moral support. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21476 "2015-05-08T04:24:53Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > As a general principle, failure to intervene in a civil war isn’t usually regarded as a failure of foreign policy. Remember that when Iranians took to the streets, Obama didn’t so much as give them even moral support. Obama also didn’t promise to support them if they took to the streets, then renege when it was no longer politically expedient to back them. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21477 "2015-05-08T04:51:07Z")
Pfft! Those are just _facts_, **Miller**. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21478 "2015-05-08T05:00:26Z")
> [@](#): > > …Obama didn’t so much as give them even moral support. Cheese Louise, just what the poor bastards needed, public support for their protests from the Great Satan! While you’re at it, why don’t you give them a nice paper cut and pour lemon juice on it? ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21479 "2015-05-08T12:33:10Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > I was thinking more along the lines of asking his father, who was not actually a disaster in the foreign policy arena. Bush Sr is quite fragile physically & his mind is beginning to wander a bit… ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21480 "2015-05-08T16:46:55Z")
**Darrell Issa: Congressman, R-Calif., Says America’s Poor Population Is ‘Envy of the World’** > **[America's poor are 'envy of the world,' says richest Congressman](https://money.cnn.com/2015/05/07/news/economy/issa-poor/)** > > Darrell Issa, the richest man in Congress, says America's poor are the envy of the world and have more opportunity to climb the economic ladder. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21481 "2015-05-08T16:58:43Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > I think I found the stupidest Republican idea ever: having GWB as one of your foreign policy advisers: > > [http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/07/politics/jeb-george-w-bush-adviser/index.html](http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/07/politics/jeb-george-w-bush-adviser/index.html) In very small defense of GWB, I believe that pretty much all of ‘his’ foreign policy was spoon-fed to him by Cheney. Either way, he’s not the go-to guy for that sort of information. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=1073) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=1075)