# 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:** 1604
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2017, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/32062 "2017-01-01T16:58:35Z")
Tony Sinclair wrote: "Thanks for ruining my New Year’s Eve. " Sorry, Tony. ---
**Author:** ![OldOlds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a3d4f5/32.png) [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2017, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/32063 "2017-01-01T17:24:25Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Close. His sister is an actual Federal Judge. That’s who he will nominate. > > From her wikipedia page; > > \*\*Maryanne Trump Barry \*\*(formerly Desmond; born April 5, 1937) is a senior judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Her younger brother is President-elect of the United States Donald Trump. Fine with me. At 80 she won’t last long. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/32064 "2017-01-03T03:36:52Z")
No chance we’re gonna be needing an [ethics committee](http://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/02/us/politics/with-no-warning-house-republicans-vote-to-hobble-independent-ethics-office.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news) moving forward. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/32065 "2017-01-03T04:56:02Z")
First thing we do, we kill all the watchdogs.-Paraphrasing Shakespeare. ---
**Author:** ![BigAppleBucky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigapplebucky/32/178_2.png) [@BigAppleBucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigAppleBucky)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/32066 "2017-01-03T17:30:36Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > No chance we’re gonna be needing an [ethics committee](http://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/02/us/politics/with-no-warning-house-republicans-vote-to-hobble-independent-ethics-office.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news) moving forward. From that front page rightmost column piece: > [@](#): > > WASHINGTON — House Republicans, overriding their top leaders, voted on Monday to significantly curtail the power of an independent ethics office set up in 2008 in the aftermath of corruption scandals that sent three members of Congress to jail. > > The move to effectively kill the Office of Congressional Ethics was not made public until late Monday, when Representative Robert W. Goodlatte, Republican of Virginia and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, announced that the House Republican Conference had approved the change. There was no advance notice or debate on the measure. Pulling their worst tricks in secret. Typical Republicans. Just as in Wisconsin. The Party of Pepe is like a group of monkeys. One or two of them around are kind of cute, but when there’s a mob of them they start throwing shit all over everything. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/32067 "2017-01-03T17:31:33Z")
They bailed. Its all over the news. ---
**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:** [January 3, 2017, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/32068 "2017-01-03T18:02:33Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > They bailed. Its all over the news. Whada ya know? You can’t fool all the people all the time. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Truman\_Burbank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@Truman\_Burbank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truman_Burbank)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/32069 "2017-01-03T18:38:53Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > They bailed. Its all over the news. Today, the Republicans, now in the majority, began to enact their carefully considered agenda… ---
**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:** [January 3, 2017, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/32070 "2017-01-03T19:06:02Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > They bailed. Its all over the news. Trump even joined in, Tweeting to criticize the plan. Just after his blonde spokesmodel was defending it on TV… ---
**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:** [January 3, 2017, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/32071 "2017-01-03T19:10:04Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > Trump even joined in, Tweeting to criticize the plan. Just after his blonde spokesmodel was defending it on TV… He criticized the timing. He has no problem with the gutting. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/32072 "2017-01-03T19:34:25Z")
> [@](#): > > House Republicans abruptly reversed themselves Tuesday under pressure from President-elect Donald Trump and dropped plans to gut an independent congressional ethics board. Trump rides in on his white horse to save the day! ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/32073 "2017-01-03T19:39:20Z")
Yeah, Trump twitterated 'em. Good. although while doing it he added, “even though it’s unfair.” Why is the ethics board unfair? Because it’s always Repubs with no ethics? ---
**Author:** ![PigArcher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bcef8e/32.png) [@PigArcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PigArcher)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/32074 "2017-01-03T21:17:13Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > He criticized the timing. He has no problem with the gutting. They will slip it through quietly sometime in the next 6 months. Calling it now. ---
**Author:** ![Calico\_Jack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calico_jack/32/7320_2.png) [@Calico\_Jack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calico_Jack)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/32075 "2017-01-03T21:19:01Z")
The idea that progressives are either stupid or evil, instead of both at once. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![PigArcher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bcef8e/32.png) [@PigArcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PigArcher)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/32076 "2017-01-03T21:25:11Z")
> [@Calico\_Jack](#): > > The idea that progressives are either stupid or evil, instead of both at once. 🙂 You really do think you’re clever, don’t you? ---
**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 3, 2017, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/32077 "2017-01-03T21:30:43Z")
The head of the North Carolina Environmental Agency, who thinks there’s too much environmental protection going on, was worried about being fired by the new Democratic governor, so he gave himself a civil service job that the Governor can’t fire, and stepped down from his political position. [https://thinkprogress.org/nc-regulator-holds-on-for-one-more-term-f51d19031827#.sp3uzotmr](https://thinkprogress.org/nc-regulator-holds-on-for-one-more-term-f51d19031827#.sp3uzotmr) ---
**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:** [January 3, 2017, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/32078 "2017-01-03T21:52:00Z")
> [@PigArcher](#): > > You really do think you’re clever, don’t you? He may someday learn how to construct sentences so that they. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/32079 "2017-01-03T21:55:38Z")
Aren’t so disjointed. ---
**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:** [January 3, 2017, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/32080 "2017-01-03T22:31:50Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Yeah, Trump twitterated 'em. Good. although while doing it he added, “even though it’s unfair.” Why is the ethics board unfair? Because it’s always Repubs with no ethics? The board was originally created because of two Republicans who were convicted of bribery in the Abramoff scandal \*and \*one Democrat. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/32081 "2017-01-03T22:59:44Z")
Power corrupts, it is true, but corruption often follows after power. For the recent times, ambitious scoundrels have gravitated to the Republican Party, because that’s where the opportunity was. > [@](#): > > …It’s still possible for an American to make a fortune on his own.” “Sure—provided somebody tells him when he’s young enough that there is a Money River, that there’s nothing fair about it, that he had damn well better forget about hard work and the merit system and honesty and all that crap, and get to where the river is. ‘Go where the rich and the powerful are,’ I’d tell him, ‘and learn their ways. They can be flattered and they can be scared. Please them enormously or scare them enormously, and one moonless night they will put their fingers to their lips, warning you not to make a sound. And they will lead you through the dark to the widest, deepest river of wealth ever known to man. You’ll be shown your place on the riverbank, and handed a bucket all your own. Slurp as much as you want, but try to keep the racket of your slurping down. A poor man might hear.”… ― Kurt Vonnegut, _God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=1603) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=1605)