# 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:** 1256
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2015, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/25102 "2015-10-26T18:43:44Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Graham appears to have no understanding whatsoever of who makes up the Republican Party. > > Also, I never knew that Carson had tried to kill somebody. Well, he did try to get that fast food worker killed by an armed robber-- trying to stab someone is taking a more personal approach. Ooooorrrrrr-- Carson is actually insane and is having on-going delusions. Take your pick. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2015, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/25103 "2015-10-26T18:49:38Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > Isn’t it already ? I’m struggling to find a war that the US ever had to fight, as opposed to \*chose \*to fight. Even WW2 is sorta sketch on that ground as the Japanese hardly threatened the mainland - but it’s the closest I can come up with. 1812, maybe ? What a short memory you have. Saddam Hussein forced us into war by refusing to give up his WMDs. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2015, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/25104 "2015-10-26T18:55:05Z")
Panama practically spit in our face. How could we NOT go to war? ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2015, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/25105 "2015-10-26T19:00:11Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > What a short memory you have. Saddam Hussein forced us into war by refusing to give up his WMDs. Just in case anyone thought I was joking, this is from the 2003 SOTU address: [QUOTE=George W. Bush, emphasis mine:] Sending Americans into battle is the most profound decision a President can make. The technologies of war have changed; the risks and suffering of war have not. For the brave Americans who bear the risk, no victory is free from sorrow. This nation fights reluctantly, because we know the cost and we dread the days of mourning that always come. We seek peace. We strive for peace. And sometimes peace must be defended. A future lived at the mercy of terrible threats is no peace at all. \*\*If war is forced upon us, we will fight \*\*in a just cause and by just means – sparing, in every way we can, the innocent. **And if war is forced upon us, we will fight** with the full force and might of the United States military – and we will prevail. (Applause.) [/QUOTE] ---
**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:** [October 26, 2015, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/25106 "2015-10-26T19:39:08Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Panama practically spit in our face. How could we NOT go to war? And Grenada? Those bastards. I heard from someone they were totally talking smack behind our backs, and then were probably gonna get right up in our grill at some point. They needed a good smackdown, amiright? ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2015, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/25107 "2015-10-26T19:44:43Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > I’m starting the believe that they think they won’t get any press at all unless they something stupid. Fiorina hasn’t seemed to have said anything stupid for days, and look what’s happened to her. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2015, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/25108 "2015-10-26T19:56:54Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Hmm. I went and googled for it; couldn’t find a direct link to Louisiana Revised Statutes, but I did find it at [Justia:](http://law.justia.com/codes/louisiana/2011/rs/title15/rs15-1303) > How does that square with the concept that people have no right to privacy when in public? Is a journalist recording cops making an arrest violating that statute if the cops are speaking? 😕 It would appear the law pertains to ‘secretly recording’ in which case you must have consent from at least one party. If you are publicly recording it should be obvious to anyone. Reporter openly filming or a security camera with signs saying ‘you are being recorded’ The PI was trying to secretly record the conversation. If he wanted to record the goings on in a coffee shop he should have been obvious about it by actively or even passively informing people of his intent to record. It’s still not clear what charges he is facing. ---
**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:** [October 26, 2015, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/25109 "2015-10-26T20:13:52Z")
> [@boytyperanma](#): > > It’s still not clear what charges he is facing. You’ve said this twice, but I think it’s fairly clear (from the linked article) what charges they hope to bring against him: > [@](#): > > Normand told the paper there was probable cause to charge Frenzel with interception of communications. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2015, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/25110 "2015-10-26T20:22:02Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > This is why Trump’s a genius. How come _I_ never thought of borrowing a million dollars from my dad? See, that is where you fail. The trick is to borrow $1M from TRUMP’s dad! > [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > In the A Little Knowledge Is A Dangerous Thing Dept: > > [Conservative radio talk show host thinks LGBT people may use magnets to destroy the belief of the religious types that oppose them.](http://www.rawstory.com/2015/10/conservative-radio-host-freaks-out-transgender-crowd-will-use-magnets-to-suck-god-from-your-brain/#.Vigqs6SWZQ4.twitter) > > If I were to CONSIDER putting something like this in one of my stories, I’d go, “Nope, that’s a bridge too far, NOBODY would believe anyone was that stupid.” I used to like NDT and Bill Nye and Carl Sagan and Mr. Wizard for making science seem cool, but it is so much more magical when you look at science through Conservative Crazy Eyes! Suddenly, there is \*literally \*nothing science can’t do! 😃 ---
**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:** [October 26, 2015, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/25111 "2015-10-26T20:22:53Z")
> [@Death\_of\_Rats](#): > > See, that is where you fail. The trick is to borrow $1M from TRUMP’s dad! :smack: ---
**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:** [October 26, 2015, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/25112 "2015-10-26T20:36:34Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > Isn’t it already ? I’m struggling to find a war that the US ever had to fight, as opposed to \*chose \*to fight. Even WW2 is sorta sketch on that ground as the Japanese hardly threatened the mainland - but it’s the closest I can come up with. 1812, maybe ? The US started it. I mean, not the actual worldwide conflict, but the Japs were provoked into attacking Pearl Harbor. And America First fought Frankie all the way, opposing his provocative action. FDR placed an embargo on oil exports to Japan. That put a major crimp in their adventurism efforts and, in terms of international relations, was generally viewed as a hostile action. The US government was imposing restrictions on private enterprise which, given their way, almost certainly would have kept on selling lots of oil to the Japs. Because the market is amoral. Hence, the US was not literally forced into WWII, it chose to become involved. And really, the America First thing was pretty evil. If they had had no traction, if the US had become involved a year or two earlier, many, many lives would probably not have been lost. On all sides. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2015, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/25113 "2015-10-26T20:41:25Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > This is why Trump’s a genius. How come _I_ never thought of borrowing a million dollars from my dad? We can’t all be as clever and successful as Trump. After all, GWB’s dad gave him a whole company, and he still fucked it up! ---
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/25114 "2015-10-27T02:02:13Z")
> [@bup](#): > > We can’t all be as clever and successful as Trump. After all, GWB’s dad gave him a whole company, and he still fucked it up! I am not a fan of any of the Bush clan, but do you have a citation for Bush H giving him a whole company? Bush W took a bunch of investor money ( some of which came from his education trust, obviously he didn’t spend much of it, and some from his grandmother ) and set up an oil exploration company. That was merged / folded into another company which in turn folded into another company. I am not saying he was a stellar manager , but loosing money in exploration is quite easy to do, in fact it is very popular right now. George H started Zapata , which George W never ran. Zapata was rolled into penzoil and the rig division continued to cause chaos and loose money. None of which had anything to do with W as far as I know. Anyway lots of people probably a lot smarter than W have managed to loose their arse in exploration, and he was given money rather than a company. Anyways just a minor quibble over a joke although deciding to sell a bunch of shares as one of the companies was collapsing against the advice of the company lawyer was stupid, but being in a political position able to squash any release of the SEC investigation was smart, well Corrupt , but at least not stupid. ---
**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:** [October 27, 2015, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/25115 "2015-10-27T02:09:11Z")
It would be more accurate to say that Bush Sr.'s _friends_ gave W a whole company. A family friend named Philip Uzielli gave him a million dollars for a 10% stake in his basically-on-paper oil company, Arbusto, at a time when the entire company was valued at $400K. I don’t know if Senior asked him to do that or if he was just doing Senior’s kid a favor. ---
**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:** [October 27, 2015, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/25116 "2015-10-27T03:20:31Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > The US started it. I mean, not the actual worldwide conflict, but the Japs were provoked into attacking Pearl Harbor. And America First fought Frankie all the way, opposing his provocative action. > > FDR placed an embargo on oil exports to Japan. That put a major crimp in their adventurism efforts and, in terms of international relations, was generally viewed as a hostile action. The US government was imposing restrictions on private enterprise which, given their way, almost certainly would have kept on selling lots of oil to the Japs. Because the market is amoral. Hence, the US was not literally forced into WWII, it chose to become involved. Eh, that’s fodder for another thread I suppose but I think that one’s debatable. Yes, the US stopping its trade with Japan put a serious crimp in their business plan, and that was the point of course ; but it’s not like their only recourse was then to attack the US to try and take the oil by force. They could also have stopped swinging their dicks in China and quit while they were ahead. Who says they were entitled to any US oil ? Choosing \*not \*to enable a war is not becoming involved in it, it’s the opposite of choosing to be involved 🙂 (yes, yes, I know, FDR also sent the Flying Tigers and some arms shipments, but in a plausibly deniable to a 5-year old sort of way) ---
**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:** [October 27, 2015, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/25117 "2015-10-27T11:11:10Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > [Conservative radio talk show host thinks LGBT people may use magnets to destroy the belief of the religious types that oppose them.](http://www.rawstory.com/2015/10/conservative-radio-host-freaks-out-transgender-crowd-will-use-magnets-to-suck-god-from-your-brain/#.Vigqs6SWZQ4.twitter) > > If I were to CONSIDER putting something like this in one of my stories, I’d go, “Nope, that’s a bridge too far, NOBODY would believe anyone was that stupid.” Your writer’s instinct is probably correct. Right-wing radio listeners and many other Republicans ren’t your target audience; they don’t read more than 140-character tweets. Recall the recent V.P. candidate who couldn’t come up with even a single name of a magazine she read. ---
**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:** [October 27, 2015, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/25118 "2015-10-27T11:41:45Z")
Donald Trump says Muslim women wear veils [because they don’t have to put on makeup.](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-on-burqas-you-dont-have-to-put-on-make-up/) ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/25119 "2015-10-27T12:35:54Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > Your writer’s instinct is probably correct. Right-wing radio listeners and many other Republicans ren’t your target audience; they don’t read more than 140-character tweets. Recall the recent V.P. candidate who couldn’t come up with even a single name of a magazine she read. I just had this picture of gay people sneaking into churches ninja style and placing magnets on the heads of churchgoers without their knowledge, and then sneaking out before the churchgoers start standing up and saying, “Bullshit! This is all bullshit!” and stalking out. If only it were that simple. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/25120 "2015-10-27T14:46:27Z")
> [@Precambrianmollusc](#): > > I am not a fan of any of the Bush clan, but do you have a citation for Bush H giving him a whole company? A Michael Moore short video. And if you can find a more unimpeachable source than that, well, you must be some kind of freaking magic man/woman/hermaphroditic-invertebrate. ---
**Author:** ![user\_hostile](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/user_hostile/32/474_2.png) [@user\_hostile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/user_hostile)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/25121 "2015-10-27T15:02:32Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > The US started it. I mean, not the actual worldwide conflict, but the Japs were provoked into attacking Pearl Harbor. And America First fought Frankie all the way, opposing his provocative action. > > FDR placed an embargo on oil exports to Japan. That put a major crimp in their adventurism efforts and, in terms of international relations, was generally viewed as a hostile action. The US government was imposing restrictions on private enterprise which, given their way, almost certainly would have kept on selling lots of oil to the Japs. Because the market is amoral. Hence, the US was not literally forced into WWII, it chose to become involved. > > And really, the America First thing was pretty evil. If they had had no traction, if the US had become involved a year or two earlier, many, many lives would probably not have been lost. On all sides. History aside, the term “Japs” is a slur in the US. Not trying to derail the thread, BTW, just a gentle reminder. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=1255) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=1257)