# 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:** 1825
**Author:** ![computergeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e56c9b/32.png) [@computergeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/computergeek)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2018, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/36482 "2018-02-04T11:02:35Z")
This memo business keeps getting stupider and stupider. The Republicans, at least the right wing ones, seem to be trying to shoot their foot off trying to keep Trump from being properly investigated. I’m wondering, has Congressman Nunes always been this stupid and clumsy, or did he lose major I.Q. points once he came into Trump’s orbit? Who the heck thinks Carter Page is some innocent lamb targeted by the mean FBI? Page keeps making it hard to think of him as some innocent man unfairly targeted, especially since he thinks we should be buddy buddy with the Russians, who are just the most innocent of folks ---
**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:** [February 4, 2018, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/36483 "2018-02-04T22:29:16Z")
The only Republican candidate for the Illinois 3rd Congressional district is a Holocaust denier, white supremacist, anti-Semite. > **[Holocaust denier, activist anti-Semite files again for Chicago-area House seat](https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/2019/12/2/20992050/holocaust-denier-arthur-jones-candidate-republican-primary-3rd-congressional-district)** > > Arthur Jones won the GOP nomination for the 3rd Congressional District in 2018 because no other Republican was on the primary ballot. This time, however, he will face competition in the March primary. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2018, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/36484 "2018-02-04T22:38:36Z")
Dang, if I lived there I’d file for the seat as a Republican and simply use the tag line “The Sane One”. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2018, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/36485 "2018-02-05T13:40:36Z")
I hate Illinois Nazis. Hey, somebody had to say that. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2018, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/36486 "2018-02-05T17:40:15Z")
Look, just treat all Republicans as being hopeless addicts and follow a bit of advice; [https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/​t​he-ecstasy-surrender/201508/6-strategi​es-communicate-anger-addicts](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/%E2%80%8Bt%E2%80%8Bhe-ecstasy-surrender/201508/6-strategi%E2%80%8Bes-communicate-anger-addicts) [https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/​c​ulture-shrink/201508/angers-allure-are​-you-addicted-anger](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/%E2%80%8Bc%E2%80%8Bulture-shrink/201508/angers-allure-are%E2%80%8B-you-addicted-anger) [http://angermentor.com/secrets-of-ang​e​r-addiction-and-why-rage-feels-real-da​mn-good](http://angermentor.com/secrets-of-ang%E2%80%8Be%E2%80%8Br-addiction-and-why-rage-feels-real-da%E2%80%8Bmn-good) ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2018, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/36487 "2018-02-05T18:26:55Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > [https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/​t​he-ecstasy-surrender/201508/6-strategi​es-communicate-anger-addicts](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/%E2%80%8Bt%E2%80%8Bhe-ecstasy-surrender/201508/6-strategi%E2%80%8Bes-communicate-anger-addicts) > > [https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/​c​ulture-shrink/201508/angers-allure-are​-you-addicted-anger](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/%E2%80%8Bc%E2%80%8Bulture-shrink/201508/angers-allure-are%E2%80%8B-you-addicted-anger) I get ‘Page not found’ for both of these links. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2018, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/36488 "2018-02-05T18:29:27Z")
[How bizarre. You’re right, but when I click on the exact same link from google, it goes to the page. Let me test something. First one [URL=“[https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/culture-shrink/201508/angers-allure-are-you-addicted-anger](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/culture-shrink/201508/angers-allure-are-you-addicted-anger)”]here]([6 Strategies to Communicate With Anger Addicts | Psychology Today](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-ecstasy-surrender/201508/6-strategies-communicate-anger-addicts)). Other one [here](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-ecstasy-surrender/201508/6-strategies-communicate-anger-addicts) Ok, try those. They worked for me in testing. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2018, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/36489 "2018-02-05T18:45:44Z")
> [@computergeek](#): > > This memo business keeps getting stupider and stupider. The Republicans, at least the right wing ones, seem to be trying to shoot their foot off trying to keep Trump from being properly investigated. I’m wondering, has Congressman Nunes always been this stupid and clumsy, or did he lose major I.Q. points once he came into Trump’s orbit? Who the heck thinks Carter Page is some innocent lamb targeted by the mean FBI? Page keeps making it hard to think of him as some innocent man unfairly targeted, especially since he thinks we should be buddy buddy with the Russians, who are just the most innocent of folks I particularly enjoyed a “Morning Joe” (who seems to be working overtime to try and make us forget the time way back when when Joe’s lips couldn’t be removed from Donald’s butt if you used the Jaws of Life[tm]) segment intercutting breathless Republican flacks hyperventilating about the “scandal” revealed by the memo with clips of Geraldo Rivera’s breathless exploration of Al Capone’s vault. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2018, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/36490 "2018-02-05T19:13:39Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > I hate Illinois Nazis. > > Hey, somebody had to say that. Just Illinois? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2018, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/36491 "2018-02-05T19:27:51Z")
[Movie quote.](https://www.google.com/search?source=hp&ei=HrB4WtmTJdGn5gKcl4ugCg&q=youtube+blues+brothers+i+hate+illinois+nazis&oq=youtube+blues+brothers+illi&gs_l=psy-ab.1.1.0j0i22i30k1.1099.8911.0.11142.40.28.2.0.0.0.457.3464.0j7j6j1j1.15.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..25.15.2913.0..35i39k1j0i131k1j0i131i20i264k1j0i20i264k1j0i13k1j0i13i10k1j0i10k1.0.v8AIOU9AG0w) ---
**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:** [February 6, 2018, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/36492 "2018-02-06T04:12:46Z")
Ivanka and Lil Marco Rubio are working on a paid family leave program which would take money out of people’s social security accounts, thus forcing them to have to postpone retirement. > **[Ivanka, Rubio find a new project: Paid family leave](https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/04/rubio-ivanka-trump-family-leave-385050)** > > Can the duo pining for a softer side of Republicanism win over the GOP? ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/36493 "2018-02-06T04:16:33Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Ivanka and Lil Marco Rubio are working on a paid family leave program which would take money out of people’s social security accounts, thus forcing them to have to postpone retirement. > [https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/04/rubio-ivanka-trump-family-leave-385050](https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/04/rubio-ivanka-trump-family-leave-385050) There’s another name for that: three-card monte. ---
**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:** [February 6, 2018, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/36494 "2018-02-06T06:21:02Z")
Waitaminnit. Isn’t that exactly how Social Security DOESN’T work? All the Social Security money we pay in, goes into a pool that is used to pay out current benefits. There’s no account with your name on it and a dollar value in it that will be used to pay your benefits. Your account DOES have information about your work history and some salary history, which is used to compute the amount of your monthly benefits. But that will be the same for everyone with similar work and salary history. Isn’t that correct? ETA: Okay, I skimmed the article. The proposal doesn’t exactly work quite the way **Rick Kitchen** described it. ---
**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:** [February 6, 2018, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/36495 "2018-02-06T06:47:05Z")
So you take a month of leave when you have a child. You get – whatever your current SS allocation would be. Then, thirty or forty years later, you have to put off retirement by a month. The benefit you did not draw will have accumulated value, so you are trading a month of higher income for a month of lower income. Sounds kind of scammy. ---
**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:** [February 6, 2018, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/36496 "2018-02-06T16:30:57Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Ivanka and Lil Marco Rubio are working on a paid family leave program which would take money out of people’s social security accounts, thus forcing them to have to postpone retirement. > [https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/04/rubio-ivanka-trump-family-leave-385050](https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/04/rubio-ivanka-trump-family-leave-385050) Sooooo basically they’ve found a way of turning paid family leave into loaned family leave. Gotta admit, that’s new and inventive. Money quote from the article : > [@The Rubester](#): > > I think there will be significant initial resistance to it, because it’s just not an issue that’s been identified with the Republican Party. You don’t say. ---
**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:** [February 6, 2018, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/36497 "2018-02-06T17:08:37Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > Sooooo basically they’ve found a way of turning paid family leave into loaned family leave. Gotta admit, that’s new and inventive. The important thing is that no corporate profits are put at risk. Let’s keep things in perspective here. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/36498 "2018-02-06T18:09:37Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > So you take a month of leave when you have a child. You get – whatever your current SS allocation would be. Then, thirty or forty years later, you have to put off retirement by a month. The benefit you did not draw will have accumulated value, so you are trading a month of higher income for a month of lower income. Sounds kind of scammy. Holy fuck, they aren’t even trying to hide how scummy they are any more, are they? So…are there any Republicans here idiotic enough to say that they support this ripoff? ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/36499 "2018-02-06T18:35:02Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > So you take a month of leave when you have a child. You get – whatever your current SS allocation would be. Then, thirty or forty years later, you have to put off retirement by a month. The benefit you did not draw will have accumulated value, so you are trading a month of higher income for a month of lower income. Sounds kind of scammy. Money now is worth more than the same amount of money in the future. Suppose you took a month of leave and received a month’s Social Security benefit, thereby pushing your retirement benefits back one month. Rather than spend that money on rent and food (you’re still living with your parents, or whatever) you invest it. That investment will grow for thirty or forty years, you quit your job a month early, cash in the investment, and your SS benefits start a month later. Whether you come out ahead or not, I can’t say; depends on your investment, among other things. And this may be a bad idea for other reasons, but it’s not necessarily scammy in the way you describe. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/36500 "2018-02-06T18:52:03Z")
They can’t overturn the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s gerrymandering decision, so now a Pennsylvania state Rep. wants to impeach the Democrats on the Pennsylvania Supreme court bench: > **[Pennsylvania Republican Wants Democrats On State Supreme Court Impeached Over...](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/pennsylvania-supreme-court-impeachment_n_5a79cdb8e4b00f94fe95ade3?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009)** > > It's the latest in state GOP attacks on the court's integrity. > [@](#): > > **Pennsylvania Republican Wants Democrats On State Supreme Court Impeached Over Gerrymandering Decision** > > … > A Pennsylvania Republican is calling for the impeachment of five Democrats on the state Supreme Court who ordered lawmakers to draw a new congressional map because the current one so severely benefits the GOP that it violates the Pennsylvania constitution. > The Supreme Court gave lawmakers and Gov. Tom Wolf (D) until Feb. 15 to agree on a map and has appointed a special master to draw one up if the two parties can’t reach an agreement. In a memo to all members of the Pennsylvania House, Rep. Cris Dush (R) accused the five Democrats on the court of engaging in misbehavior for ordering the new maps and subverting the process, outlined in the constitution, by which a bill can become a law. Dush asked his fellow lawmakers to sponsor legislation to impeach the five Democratic justices and bar them from holding any office in Pennsylvania. > “The five Justices who signed this order that blatantly and clearly contradicts the plain language of the Pennsylvania Constitution, engaged in misbehavior in office,” Dush said in the memo. “Wherefore, each is guilty of an impeachable offense warranting removal from office and disqualification to hold any office or trust or profit under this Commonwealth. I would ask you to please join me in co-sponsoring this legislation.” ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/36501 "2018-02-06T20:14:54Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > The important thing is that no corporate profits are put at risk. Let’s keep things in perspective here. To be fair, it is not just big corporations that employ people that have children. Small businesses also employ people that have children and wish to take time off to care for their new member of their family. As is, it is not easy losing a significant part of your workforce for an extended period of time, but even if it were not the law, it would still be the right thing to do. Paying them for taking all that time off, though? That’s pretty expensive, and is something that would make many small businesses rather non-viable if there is not some sort of subsidy at least to help cover that payroll. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=1824) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=1826)