# 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:** 1427
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/28522 "2016-04-15T08:24:38Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Somebody said it. I don’t even know the context, I just want to feel like part of the group. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/28523 "2016-04-15T09:48:59Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > No, Sarah, Bill Nye is more of a scientist than you are, and also more of a mother than you are., and he does not even have any kids. Technically, he’s not a scientist. He does not possess an advanced degree. He has as much qualification to pontificate on climate science as Sarah Palin does. At least she’s not in favor of prosecution of those who disagree with the science. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/28524 "2016-04-15T09:54:16Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Technically, he’s not a scientist. He does not possess an advanced degree. He has as much qualification to pontificate on climate science as Sarah Palin does. At least she’s not in favor of prosecution of those who disagree with the science. You’re a real piece of shit, you know? Nye doesn’t have a science degree, but he’s far more informed, and thus qualified to discuss the science than Palin. Palin is an alpha-imbecile, in a party that’s like 40% imbecile. ---
**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:** [April 15, 2016, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/28525 "2016-04-15T10:11:55Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Have we done this one yet in this thread… > > But! A spark of sanity glimmers yet unquenched! Republican (and Christian) [Tennessee Gov. Haslam vetoes law christening Bible as official state book](http://www.rawstory.com/2016/04/tennessee-gov-haslam-vetoes-law-christening-bible-as-official-state-book/), April 14, 2016. > > … He did not mention the unconstitutionality of the bill when providing the veto, just that he felt that it trivialized what is (to him) obviously much more than a mere book. But I’m curious: How did Tennessee Democrats vote on this? ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/28526 "2016-04-15T10:41:41Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > You’re a real piece of shit, you know? > > Nye doesn’t have a science degree, but he’s far more informed, and thus qualified to discuss the science than Palin. Palin is an alpha-imbecile, in a party that’s like 40% imbecile. His knowledge of climate science comes from the same place yours does. He’s heard of the “consensus”, therefore he knows the consensus. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/28527 "2016-04-15T11:32:18Z")
How much richer in scientific knowledge our world would be if only it were filled with more Sarah Palins and **adahers** , and fewer Bill Nyes. People who work tirelessly to educate themselves on a daily basis and don’t make a habit of making utter fools of themselves by shooting their mouths off about topics they know precisely shit about. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/28528 "2016-04-15T11:35:53Z")
Now you’re making a different argument. Palin’s statement is true as far as it goes, which means that by definition it cannot be stupid. I am not making the argument that Palin is just as knowledgeable as Bill Nye. Only that her credentials regarding climate science happen to be exactly the same as his. The only person that said something stupid this week between the two of them is Bill Nye, who thinks that prosecution of people expressing their 1st amendment view is okay. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/28529 "2016-04-15T11:58:56Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > His knowledge of climate science comes from the same place yours does. He’s heard of the “consensus”, therefore he knows the consensus. You’re a stupid child. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/28530 "2016-04-15T12:09:42Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Now you’re making a different argument. Palin’s statement is true as far as it goes, which means that by definition it cannot be stupid. Well, I’m not sure I agree with that. “Hitler was kind to dogs” might be true, but it’s a stupid thing to say when someone says Hitler was a horrible man. If Bill Nye says something about climate change, it may very well be stupid to say “he’s no scientist.” ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/28531 "2016-04-15T12:14:22Z")
He’s not. He’s not a climate scientist, he’s not any type of scientist. ---
**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:** [April 15, 2016, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/28532 "2016-04-15T12:14:30Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Now you’re making a different argument. Palin’s statement is true as far as it goes, which means that by definition it cannot be stupid. “He’s a kid’s show actor…” is not a true statement. He is an engineer, which makes him far more qualified than a former weather girl and beauty queen to comment on climate change. ---
**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:** [April 15, 2016, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/28533 "2016-04-15T12:14:38Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > The only person that said something stupid this week between the two of them is Bill Nye, who thinks that prosecution of people expressing their 1st amendment view is okay. I’m sure you can provide an actual link to what Nye said with appropriate context. And I note that when you say “people” you mean “Exxon”. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/28534 "2016-04-15T12:29:59Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > “He’s a kid’s show actor…” is not a true statement. He is an engineer, which makes him far more qualified than a former weather girl and beauty queen to comment on climate change. That’s like saying a doctor is more qualified to pontificate on planetary motion than a historian. Secondly, engineers generally do not get very far on just an undergraduate degree, and of course he didn’t. He found out pretty quickly that his main talent was performance. Geez, at least someone like Carl Sagan had a postgraduate education in the sciences. Bill Nye’s science background is equivalent to any one of the systems developers who sit a few seats down from me at my job. They have a B.S., he has a B.S. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/28535 "2016-04-15T12:32:59Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > That’s like saying a doctor is more qualified to pontificate on planetary motion than a historian. No, it’s like saying that an engineer who is fairly knowledgeable about science is more qualified to pontificate on climate change, than a profoundly stupid cunt, who doesn’t read anything, ever. > [@](#): > > Secondly, engineers generally do not get very far on just an undergraduate degree, and of course he didn’t. He found out pretty quickly that his main talent was performance. > > Geez, at least someone like Carl Sagan had a postgraduate education in the sciences. Bill Nye’s science background is equivalent to any one of the systems developers who sit a few seats down from me at my job. They have a B.S., he has a B.S. You have the B.S. :rolleyes: ---
**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:** [April 15, 2016, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/28536 "2016-04-15T12:36:02Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Secondly, engineers generally do not get very far on just an undergraduate degree, and of course he didn’t. Unless you have a very high standard for success, the vast majority of engineers are successful with no more than a B.S. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/28537 "2016-04-15T12:37:15Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > No, it’s like saying that an engineer who is fairly knowledgeable about science is more qualified to pontificate on climate change, than a profoundly stupid cunt, who doesn’t read anything, ever. That much I agree with, although I’d say the same is true of Lobohan vs. Sarah Palin as well. But let’s be clear, Bill Nye is a “science enthusiast”, not a scientist. What Palin said was true. I am a “history enthusiast” and I guarantee I could get a higher score on a college level history exam than 95% of you. That does not make me a historian, nor would I feel comfortable going on TV to complain about the ignorance of people with similar backgrounds to mine. I’ll let actual historians do that. Nye should have shown similar humility. And Nye is certainly not a 1st amendment scholar. Holy crap is he ignorant on that subject. ---
**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:** [April 15, 2016, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/28538 "2016-04-15T12:46:15Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > That’s like saying a doctor is more qualified to pontificate on planetary motion than a historian. > > Secondly, engineers generally do not get very far on just an undergraduate degree, and of course he didn’t. He found out pretty quickly that his main talent was performance. > > Geez, at least someone like Carl Sagan had a postgraduate education in the sciences. Bill Nye’s science background is equivalent to any one of the systems developers who sit a few seats down from me at my job. They have a B.S., he has a B.S. Yes, many engineers become consultants for the aeronautics industry after working for Boeing. It’s the engineering equivalent of working at McDonalds. Still waiting on that Nye link. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/28539 "2016-04-15T12:48:33Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > He’s not. He’s not a climate scientist, he’s not any type of scientist. It doesn’t bother you that your mental processes are almost identical to Sarah Palin? Really? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/28540 "2016-04-15T12:50:01Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Geez, at least someone like Carl Sagan had a postgraduate education in the sciences. Bill Nye’s science background is equivalent to any one of the systems developers who sit a few seats down from me at my job. They have a B.S., he has a B.S. Carnegie Mellon [course requirements](http://coursecatalog.web.cmu.edu/carnegieinstituteoftechnology/departmentofmechanicalengineering/#curriculum) for Mechanical Engineering. [Degree requirements](http://www.cmu.edu/me/undergraduate/degree-requirements.html) > [@](#): > > ``` > (21-120) Differential and Integral Calculus > (21-122) Integration, Differential Equations and Approximation > (33-106) Physics I Engineering Students > (21-120) Differential and Integral Calculus > (21-122) Integration, Differential Equations and Approximation > (21-259) Calculus in Three Dimensions > (21-260) Differential Equations > (33-106) **Physics I Engineering Students > (33-107) Physics II Engineering Students** > (09-105) **Modern Chemistry I** > (15-110) Intro/Intermediate Programming > (24-101) Intro to Mechanical Engineering > (xx-xxx) Other Intro to Engineering course > (24-200) Machine Shop Practice > (24-202) Introduction to Computer Aided Design > (03-124) **Modern Biology Laboratory > (33-100) Basic Experimental Physics > (33-104) Experimental Physics** > (42-203) Biomedical Engineering Lab > > ``` ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/28541 "2016-04-15T12:55:55Z")
Please direct me to the climate science course. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=1426) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=1428)