# 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:** 1097
**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:** [June 2, 2015, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21922 "2015-06-02T05:12:14Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > This is the same Ted Cruz who refused to vote for funding for recovery from Hurricane Sandy, right But Sandy blew into Blue states. Places that are accustomed to rain. Texas is so dry it is cracked and Red. And not full of a bunch of people who think they are better than everyone else. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21923 "2015-06-02T05:15:21Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > This is the same Ted Cruz who refused to vote for funding for recovery from Hurricane Sandy, right Relevant link: [Ted Cruz’s rainy day socialism: How a right-wing fanatic learned to stop worrying and love redistribution](http://www.salon.com/2015/05/30/ted_cruzs_rainy_day_socialism_how_a_right_wing_fanatic_learned_to_stop_worrying_and_love_redistribution/), Bob Cesca, Salon, May 30, 2015. Includes some choice words about Gov. Abbott too. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21924 "2015-06-02T12:42:44Z")
It’s old news but [here’s a page](http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/10-completely-vile-things-rick-santorum-has-said-20150528) laying out some beliefs of leading GOP intellectual Rick Santorum. We learn that he thinks [ul][li] Social Security is in trouble due to abortion. “. . . we don’t have enough workers to support the retirees. Well, a third of all the young people in America are not in America today because of abortion, because one in three pregnancies end in abortion.”[/li][li] same-sex marriage is “an issue just like 9/11. We didn’t decide we wanted to fight the war on terrorism because we wanted to. It was brought to us.”[/li][li] the American soldiers who charged the beaches of Normandy in 1944 were protecting the American healthcare system. Obamacare is a betrayal of them.[/li][li] “The undermining of the fabric of our society all comes from this right to privacy [which leads to] sodomy”[/li][li] “There’s no such thing as global warming.”[/li][/ul] Enjoy. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21925 "2015-06-02T14:24:41Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > [http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/05/31/3664206/ted-cruz-climate-change-texas-floods/I](http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/05/31/3664206/ted-cruz-climate-change-texas-floods/I) hate when they say things like this. If it’s something they don’t want discussed then they attempt to frame it as wrong or disrespectful. They try to avoid discussion at the very times when such discussion is normal and maybe even necessary. Not to mention: why is a discussion of global warming a “politicizing” discussion, and not a scientific one? sigh. That ship has sailed, and the only way to have that discussion is to win on the political front. ---
**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:** [June 2, 2015, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21926 "2015-06-02T14:34:38Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > That ship has sailed The problem is that it can now sail from downtown Amarillo. ---
**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:** [June 2, 2015, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21927 "2015-06-02T15:59:20Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > Not to mention: why is a discussion of global warming a “politicizing” discussion, and not a scientific one? sigh. That ship has sailed, and the only way to have that discussion is to win on the political front. I maintain that the political discussion should be what to do about it, not whether or not it’s real. The reality of it is a settled scientific question. From the viewpoint of conservatives, it would be in their bests interests to accept reality and then enter the debate about what to do about it. That way, they would at least have a shot at having some say in the solutions (they’d probably be most interested in market based remedies). Of course this wouldn’t be in the best interests of their fossil fuel buddies. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21928 "2015-06-02T16:40:25Z")
It used to be that the safe topic of conversation was the weather - when I was interviewing (and when I was trained to interview people), it was always, “talk about the weather. You can’t offend anybody.” Thanks, Obama. I guess the bright side to Republicans denying global warming is they haven’t declared war on it. Because you know that’s what they’ll do once they acknowledge it. And then we’ll attack the sun or something. I’m kidding, of course. We’ll attack the middle East, to take the war on global warming away from our shores. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21929 "2015-06-02T16:51:04Z")
Can Ted Cruz ever open his mouth without being wrong? His latest stupidity [QUOTE=Ted Cruz] I would point out that in the 1960s, one of the most powerful, eloquent defenders of tax cuts was John F. Kennedy. As JFK said, ‘Some men see things as they are and ask why; I see things that never were and ask why not.’ JFK would be a Republican today. There is no room for John F. Kennedy in the modern Democratic Party. [/QUOTE] Clearly JFK and Ted Cruz would be pals… ---
**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:** [June 2, 2015, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21930 "2015-06-02T17:14:12Z")
> [@boytyperanma](#): > > Can Ted Cruz ever open his mouth without being wrong? His latest stupidity > > [QUOTE=Ted CruzI would point out that in the 1960s, one of the most powerful, eloquent defenders of tax cuts was John F. Kennedy. As JFK said, ‘Some men see things as they are and ask why; I see things that never were and ask why not.’ > > JFK would be a Republican today. There is no room for John F. Kennedy in the modern Democratic Party.[/QUOTE] > > Clearly JFK and Ted Cruz would be pals… What makes it especially silly is that the quote had nothing to do with taxes. It didn’t even originate with Kennedy. It was a paraphrase of a George Bernard Shaw quote. Kennedy did say it, but not in the context of taxes. > **[Ted Cruz believes JFK 'would be a Republican today'](https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/ted-cruz-believes-jfk-would-be-republican-today-msna608806)** > > Was JFK some knee-jerk supply-sider, who'd be comfortable with contemporary Republican policies? Um, no. > [@](#): > > We can quickly dispense with some of the minor details. The “some men see things as they are” quote, for example, originated with George Bernard Shaw, not the Kennedys. What’s more, it had absolutely nothing to do with tax cuts. The speech where he said it was in Ireland and had nothing to do with US taxes. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/8ADeazX9blw/hqdefault.jpg "John F. Kennedy in Dublin, Ireland, June 28th 1963 (Part Two)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ADeazX9blw) ---
**Author:** ![rsa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@rsa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsa)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21931 "2015-06-02T17:16:28Z")
[The Myth of JFK as Supply Side Tax Cutter](http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2011/01/26/the-myth-of-jfk-as-supply-side-tax-cutter) Wow, I guess Ted wants to nearly double the top tax rate! > [@](#): > > The top marginal tax rate was 91 percent, which JFK wanted reduced to a “more sensible” 65 percent. Compare that with today’s 35 percent top rate, and ask: If supply-siders are so enamored of JFK’s tax policies, would they advocate a return to a “more sensible” 65 percent top rate? Applying Kennedy’s tax talk to the current structure, JFK biographer Robert Dallek says, is like comparing “apples and watermelons.” ---
**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:** [June 2, 2015, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21932 "2015-06-02T17:23:58Z")
Wow, I really screwed up the quoting on that post. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21933 "2015-06-02T17:35:13Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > [Nebraska governor vows to carry out executions even though the state legislature has outlawed them.](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/29/nebraska-death-penalty_n_7473494.html) It almost sounds like he’s going to do it himself, vigilante style, by dressing in black and sneaking into the prisons and taking out the condemned one by one like a video game ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21934 "2015-06-02T18:00:41Z")
The priest walks the corridor of Death Row, the harmonica stops. “Billy? It’s time, the executioner is here.” “No word from the Governor?” “He is the Governor.” ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21935 "2015-06-02T18:18:20Z")
Im in ur jail killin ur doodz. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21936 "2015-06-02T19:07:13Z")
Let’s say you’re an older, grandfatherly type Republican. Jovial, smiling, generally personable, but because you’re a Republican you have some batshit crazy beliefs. You want to stand by those beliefs but you also want to maintain that happy bullshit facade you use to stand out from the meaner Ted Cruz types shitheads in the dogpile that is the GOP primary cesspool. On the subject of Caitlyn Jenner’s recent coming out, do you pick: A) A measured response that takes into account the difficulty of identity disorder while still impressing upon your constituents that those people are wrong, misguided, and not at all what god intended but reiterate compassion for those sheep who get lost in the herd and a call to come back to god’s embrace? Or do you pick: B) [Making light of the situation by mocking her](http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/huckabee-mocks-being-transgender-in-shocking-joke/ar-BBkAqOq), showing complete ignorance on what actual real life people have to go through during transition (you don’t just say you “feel” like a different gender today and get to use a different bathroom), having utterly no empathy in a life-changingly difficult decision, and throwing in some fear mongering to boot? Why oh why do so many Republicans pick B? I swear, even if I were to fake being a Republican, I could be better fake Republican and a better person at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21937 "2015-06-02T19:09:12Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > It almost sounds like he’s going to do it himself, vigilante style, by dressing in black and sneaking into the prisons and taking out the condemned one by one like a video game “This fall on Fox… _Death_ _Penalty_ _Wish_!” ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21938 "2015-06-02T19:38:55Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > I maintain that the political discussion should be what to do about it, not whether or not it’s real. The reality of it is a settled scientific question. > > From the viewpoint of conservatives, it would be in their bests interests to accept reality and then enter the debate about what to do about it. That way, they would at least have a shot at having some say in the solutions (they’d probably be most interested in market based remedies). Of course this wouldn’t be in the best interests of their fossil fuel buddies. The problem is that the solution that the Republicans want is to watch the rest of the world bake and drown from the air conditioned Ocean front high rises that they built in Orlando with short term oil profits. But this doesn’t play very well in the media. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21939 "2015-06-02T19:50:58Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > “This fall on Fox… _Death_ _Penalty_ _Wish_!” No, I’m thinking that concept can much better be exploited in game-show format: _Who Wants to Live?_ Think of the ratings! ---
**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:** [June 2, 2015, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21940 "2015-06-02T20:01:18Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > No, I’m thinking that concept can much better be exploited in game-show format: _Who Wants to Live?_ Think of the ratings! “… _and with a record low of only 800 points, Tom, you come in last_ …” Whereupon Tom drops from site behind his console, treating the viewers to agonized screams that slowly trail off into strange gurgles. In the studio audience, nine people jump to their feet, yelling with joy and high-fiving, as one is heard to shout “finally”. ---
**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:** [June 2, 2015, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21941 "2015-06-02T20:36:17Z")
Santorum thinks that the Pope should stay out of the climate change debate and leave the issue to the scientists. Um, aren’t the Republicans the ones who keep saying they aren’t scientists? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=1096) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=1098)