# 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:** 1340
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2016, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/26782 "2016-01-18T23:27:34Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > [Donald Trump says that as President he would force Apple to manufacture their goods in the United Sates.](http://gizmodo.com/trump-says-he-will-force-apple-to-manufacture-in-the-us-1753626111) He knows he’s running as a Republican, right? ---
**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:** [January 18, 2016, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/26783 "2016-01-18T23:29:26Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Well, his point is to punish the poor _for being poor_ – so that they will learn to stop doing that. The poor simply need to learn how to do things smarter. For example, they need to plan better. Like Trump, they should plan to get a $200,000 gift as soon as they graduate from college. This wise planning should enable them to start a business. In addition, the poor people should plan to inherit a $200 MILLION real estate business. This should be a help to them. Really, the poor just need to plan better. ---
**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:** [January 19, 2016, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/26784 "2016-01-19T00:09:41Z")
You know all those changing weather patterns that we _thought_ were being caused by global warming? [Turns out it’s actually ISIS.](http://www.rawstory.com/2016/01/televangelist-jim-bakker-extreme-weather-patterns-are-the-spirit-of-isis-in-america/?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link) ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2016, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/26785 "2016-01-19T00:12:54Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > I bet the first thing his Secret Service detail (when he gets one) does is take it away from him. Or ask him why they are necessary any more. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2016, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/26786 "2016-01-19T00:14:39Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > [Donald Trump says that as President he would force Apple to manufacture their goods in the United Sates.](http://gizmodo.com/trump-says-he-will-force-apple-to-manufacture-in-the-us-1753626111) > > I guess he doesn’t care what the cost of those goods would be to the consumer. He’d make Apple pay for it! ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2016, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/26787 "2016-01-19T02:03:17Z")
> **[Santorum calls mass deportation a ‘gift’](https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/265981-santorum-calls-mass-deportation-a-gift/)** > > “Let’s send 6 million Mexicans, Hondurans, Guatemalans … back into their country.” Rick Santorum has a gift in store for the undocumented: deportation! Yaaaaayyyyy! ---
**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:** [January 19, 2016, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/26788 "2016-01-19T03:37:58Z")
Not a stupid idea, but an evil idea. [Jeb! wants to do away with food stamps, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and federal housing subsidies, and replace them with block grants to whatever states want to bother to go through the process of applying for the money, and then the states can decide how to use the money.](http://wonkette.com/597712/jeb-bush-rekindles-campaign-excitement-with-pledge-to-screw-the-poors) ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2016, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/26789 "2016-01-19T03:50:40Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Not a stupid idea, but an evil idea. > > [Jeb! wants to do away with food stamps, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and federal housing subsidies, and replace them with block grants to whatever states want to bother to go through the process of applying for the money, and then the states can decide how to use the money.](http://wonkette.com/597712/jeb-bush-rekindles-campaign-excitement-with-pledge-to-screw-the-poors) Jeb: Hand over the milk money, Feds. Feds: I’m afraid I can’t do that, Jeb. I’m just not sure you’ll spend it on milk. Yeah I’m sure if given the option the states won’t do something else with that money. Like give it to ‘job creators’ under the auspice they’ll employ those people in need of assistance. ---
**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:** [January 19, 2016, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/26790 "2016-01-19T10:32:59Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > He knows he’s running as a Republican, right? He’s running as a cynical populist. Insane protectionism fits right in. ---
**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:** [January 19, 2016, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/26791 "2016-01-19T12:06:38Z")
Indeed, Trump’s campaign doesn’t really align with the Republicans as much as it _dis_aligns with reality and in recent decades, the Republican Party has been more receptive to that approach. I could picture Trump running as a Democrat in the Civil Rights era and getting a similar level of support from southern whites who think he’s great because he’s “telling it like it is!” ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2016, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/26792 "2016-01-19T12:31:38Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > He’s running as a cynical populist. Insane protectionism fits right in. But telling Apple it’s not allowed to build overseas isn’t protectionism, it’s state control of private industry. I realize the Pubbies are fine with the government controlling our sex lives, but historically they’ve favored letting industry do whatever the hell it wants. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2016, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/26793 "2016-01-19T12:37:18Z")
Stupid Republican idea: always fighting the last war: [http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/01/2016-gop-primary-crazier-than-you-think-213542](http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/01/2016-gop-primary-crazier-than-you-think-213542) > [@](#): > > After the 2008 GOP primary, in which 34 states voted by February 5, Republican Party leaders concluded that the frontloaded calendar had given John McCain a too-early primary win and allowed the Obama-Clinton primary to capture a lopsided share of attention. In response, those GOP leaders pushed through new calendar rules designed to create a longer, more contested race: They encouraged states to push their primaries later, and required states voting during the first two weeks of March to agree to allocate their delegates proportionally according to the voting results, rather than in a winner-take-all fashion, making those contests far less decisive. > > Read more: [http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/01/2016-gop-primary-crazier-than-you-think-213542#ixzz3xh3kgXOg](http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/01/2016-gop-primary-crazier-than-you-think-213542#ixzz3xh3kgXOg) ---
**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:** [January 19, 2016, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/26794 "2016-01-19T14:59:48Z")
Yesterday, a group of teenagers visiting Washington’s state Capitol asked a Republican legislator to support expanded insurance coverage for birth control. The legislator’s response? [Accuse the teens of not being virgins and then lecture them on the benefits of abstinence.](http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/state-lawmaker-asks-teens-about-their-virginity/) ---
**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:** [January 19, 2016, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/26795 "2016-01-19T15:15:47Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > But telling Apple it’s not allowed to build overseas isn’t protectionism, it’s state control of private industry. I guess it depends how “telling Apple isn’t allowed to build overseas” works in practice. Legislatively it would be hella easier to pass “tax on consumer electronic products built overseas +5000%” than “the Apple corporation specifically is hereby ordered to bring its workshops back home”; but it boils down to the same thing in practice. Ultimately protectionism \*is \*state control of private industry albeit via indirect means. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2016, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/26796 "2016-01-19T16:05:02Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > I guess it depends how “telling Apple isn’t allowed to build overseas” works in practice. Legislatively it would be hella easier to pass “tax on consumer electronic products built overseas +5000%” than “the Apple corporation specifically is hereby ordered to bring its workshops back home”; but it boils down to the same thing in practice. Ultimately protectionism \*is \*state control of private industry albeit via indirect means. True, but it may only control some of them to the benefit of others (domestic manufacturers). Although in this case, there are probably no makers of phones and tablets in the U.S. at all anyway. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2016, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/26797 "2016-01-19T16:28:52Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > I guess it depends how “telling Apple isn’t allowed to build overseas” works in practice. Legislatively it would be hella easier to pass “tax on consumer electronic products built overseas +5000%” than “the Apple corporation specifically is hereby ordered to bring its workshops back home”; but it boils down to the same thing in practice. Ultimately protectionism \*is \*state control of private industry albeit via indirect means. You’re talking about this like there’s any fucking thought in Trump’s mind beyond “tell the pissed off people I’ll solve their problems magically.” There is no legislation formulating in his brain. ---
**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:** [January 19, 2016, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/26798 "2016-01-19T16:54:05Z")
> [@bup](#): > > You’re talking about this like there’s any fucking thought in Trump’s mind beyond “tell the pissed off people I’ll solve their problems magically.” > > There is no legislation formulating in his brain. Different levels of conversation 🙂 I was addressing TonySinclair about protectionism in the abstract - of course Trump doesn’t know how, intend to or even give a single flying fuck about the issue in actual practice. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2016, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/26799 "2016-01-19T17:04:45Z")
> [@bup](#): > > You’re talking about this like there’s any fucking thought in Trump’s mind beyond “tell the pissed off people I’ll solve their problems magically.” > > There is no legislation formulating in his brain. Well, maybe not, but his staff are coming up with some kind of crap to offer. They did the same thing with his “make Mexico pay for the wall” nonsense. The plan was to basically cut off all exchange of funds with Mexico, private and public, if they didn’t pony up. It’s an absurd idea that would never work, but it is an actual proposal. Trumps supporters don’t have the smarts to see how ridiculous the idea is and don’t much care. So if Trump simply says he’ll slap a 35% tarriff on Apple products coming from overseas, that’s a plan. He said the same thing about U.S. car manufacturers earlier in the campaign. He makes it sound so simple and his supporter lap it up. The possibility that nobody has done it because it’s actually not so simple, and a completely idiotic idea, never occurs to them. ---
**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:** [January 19, 2016, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/26800 "2016-01-19T17:16:26Z")
[Some Americans are pleased that Martin Luther King, Jr. endorsed Donald Trump for President.](http://www.rawstory.com/2016/01/hilarious-or-depressing-kimmel-interviews-americans-who-actually-believe-mlk-endorsed-donald-trump/) ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2016, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/26801 "2016-01-19T17:47:15Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > I dislike Rick Santorum, but that doesn’t make Dan Savage a good guy, nor somehow not a puerile bully. Now anyone named Santorum is getting that label attached to them. Savage is not a class act. What exactly do you have against what Dan Savage did? Someone’s telling him he’s like a pedophile or animal fucker, supports legislation that makes his activities in the bedroom illegal and bar him from marrying. And Dan asks his readers to make up an insulting name for him? Where’s the bad that Savage did? I really can’t see it. > [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > [Bill O’Reilly guest suggests it would have been better for the ten sailors to be held hostage by Iran forever than to apologize for wandering into their territorial waters.](http://crooksandliars.com/2016/01/fox-guest-we-d-be-better-letting-us) Bill O’Reilly hates American soldiers! You heard it here first folks! > [@Chimera](#): > > I bet the first thing his Secret Service detail (when he gets one) does is take it away from him. Is the president not allowed to carry a gun? I’m seriously asking, it sounds just plausible enough to be true but still crazy [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=1339) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=1341)