# 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:** 1852
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2018, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/37022 "2018-03-15T20:36:53Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > A candidate for a seat in the Maine House is not very high profile. To the Party, this guy might be like a pimple on the ankle. If they ignore him, maybe he will fade into obscurity. > [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > No. He’ll be elected and be responsible for shaping policy in the state house in Maine. He’s running unopposed. Hold the phone. [A challenger arises.](https://www.pressherald.com/2018/03/15/florida-teen-leader-denounces-leslie-gibson-as-a-hate-loving-politician/) ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2018, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/37023 "2018-03-16T00:13:58Z")
> [@Punoqllads](#): > > Meghan McCain had [a few words](https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/15/mccain-cheney-spar-over-torture-465532) for Ms. Cheney after the latter accused folks of “slander[ing] the brave men & women who carried out this crucial program”: > I don’t know if McCain dropped the mic afterwards. That’s awesome. Just awesome. ---
**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:** [March 16, 2018, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/37024 "2018-03-16T22:22:34Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > [‘Skinhead lesbian’: GOP candidate attacks Parkland teen Emma Gonzalez](https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/skinhead-lesbian-gop-candidate-attacks-parkland-teen-emma-gonzalez-n856311) > > > [@](#): > > > > A Republican candidate for the Maine House of Representatives has used Twitter to attack two students who survived a mass shooting at a Florida high school, calling one of them, who is openly bisexual, a “skinhead lesbian” and the other a “bald-faced liar.” > > > > “There is nothing about this skinhead lesbian that impresses me and there is nothing that she has to say unless you’re frothing at the mouth moonbat,” Leslie Gibson wrote about 18-year-old Emma Gonzalez, one of the most visible student activists to emerge from the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which left 17 people dead. Buh-bye, Leslie: [Beleaguered Leslie Gibson abandons state House race, seeks ‘peace and quiet’](http://www.sunjournal.com/beleaguered-gibson-abandons-state-house-race-seeks-peace-and-quiet/) ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2018, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/37025 "2018-03-17T00:02:51Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > [Beleaguered Leslie Gibson abandons state House race, seeks ‘peace and quiet’](http://www.sunjournal.com/beleaguered-gibson-abandons-state-house-race-seeks-peace-and-quiet/) > [@](#): > > Gibson had been cruising toward an unopposed election in the district, which includes Sabattus and Greene. But his comments stirred both Martin and Democrat Eryn Gilchrist to join the contest. Ha! Sounds like all the idiot had to do was keep his mouth shut and the seat would have been his. I don’t know what Gilchrist’s chances are, but that would be sweet if she wins. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2018, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/37026 "2018-03-17T00:07:18Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > Buh-bye, Leslie: > > [Beleaguered Leslie Gibson abandons state House race, seeks ‘peace and quiet’](http://www.sunjournal.com/beleaguered-gibson-abandons-state-house-race-seeks-peace-and-quiet/) And best of all, Eryn Gilchrist filed her papers to run against him as a Democrat, so now \*she’s \*running unopposed. ETA: Well, fuck, she isn’t. But even so, it’s not a one horse race anymore. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2018, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/37027 "2018-03-17T02:29:45Z")
Michael Flynn is campaigning for California Congressional Candidate. > **[Michael Flynn campaigning for California congressional candidate](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/michael-flynn-campaigning-california-congressional-candidate/story?id=53806246)** > > ABC News has learned Lt. General Michael Flynn is expected to attend an event tonight for California Congressional Candidate Omar Navarro. He’s being welcomed quite warmly by those in attendance. I just can’t even believe this. I feel like I’m living in bizarro world. ---
**Author:** ![CannyDan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cannydan/32/548_2.png) [@CannyDan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CannyDan)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2018, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/37028 "2018-03-17T03:27:52Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > Hey, I just realized something: If you turned 18 in 1968, you’ll turn 68 this year! Exactly my situation! Hmmmmm… I don’t _feel_ all that ancient. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2018, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/37029 "2018-03-17T03:28:01Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > Buh-bye, Leslie: > > [Beleaguered Leslie Gibson abandons state House race, seeks ‘peace and quiet’](http://www.sunjournal.com/beleaguered-gibson-abandons-state-house-race-seeks-peace-and-quiet/) Who smashed Gibson? Gonzalez smashed Gibson. ---
**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:** [March 17, 2018, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/37030 "2018-03-17T19:01:59Z")
[Alabama sheriff pockets $750,000 in “excess” food funds from county jail](http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2018/03/etowah_sheriff_pocketed_over_7.html) > [@](#): > > Many Alabama sheriffs contend that the practice of keeping “excess” inmate-feeding funds for themselves is legal under a state law passed before World War II. Yet in a number of counties including Jefferson and Montgomery, any money allocated to sheriffs for feeding inmates that is not used for that purpose is instead turned over to the county government. > > Entrekin reported on forms he filed with the Alabama Ethics Commission that he made “more than $250,000” each of the past three years via the inmate-feeding funds. > > Tom Albritton, executive director of the ethics commission, said via email that the state does not require public officials to disclose exactly how much more income they received from a single source beyond the $250,000 threshold, which he said is “specifically set in the statute.” > > Meanwhile, Entrekin’s annual salary as sheriff is $93,178.80, according to Jeff Little, human resources director for the Etowah County Commission. > > … > > Entrekin and his wife Karen - who worked for years as a probation officer and met her husband in the Etowah County Sheriff’s Office, according to a profile by the Alabama Republican Party that described the sheriff as a “rising Republican star” - own several properties in Etowah County and two others in Orange Beach. If Etowah County, Alabama sounds familiar, it is Judge Roy Moore’s old stomping grounds. Nice folks down there. ---
**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:** [March 17, 2018, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/37031 "2018-03-17T19:27:04Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > [Alabama sheriff pockets $750,000 in “excess” food funds from county jail](http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2018/03/etowah_sheriff_pocketed_over_7.html)If Etowah County, Alabama sounds familiar, it is Judge Roy Moore’s old stomping grounds. Nice folks down there. You put this in the stupid republican idea thread, not the evil republican idea thread, but, since we apparently don’t have one of those. It’s smart, really. Here’s money that can either be used to feed prisoners, or buy me a new boat. Can you really tell me that you’d rather feed prisoners than have the better part of a million dollars? What is stupid is that this is allowed. If prisoners are too cushy in their diet, and it is decided to cut back o the expense of feeding them, then that money should stay in the taxpayer’s wallets (or go to roads or bridges or something). If you personally profit from reducing the quality of someone else’s life, then what are you going to do? ---
**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:** [March 17, 2018, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/37032 "2018-03-17T19:41:14Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > You put this in the stupid republican idea thread, not the evil republican idea thread, but, since we apparently don’t have one of those.… We [actually do](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=770286) (“malicious” is the same as “evil”), but it has not been getting much action. I think most of want to give them at least some BotD – and really, the end result of stupidity is barely distinguishable from the end result of malice. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2018, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/37033 "2018-03-17T19:43:12Z")
Good gravy! I first read that as $250,000, but it’s three times that! ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2018, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/37034 "2018-03-17T19:44:23Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > We [actually do](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=770286) (“malicious” is the same as “evil”), but it has not been getting much action. I think most of want to give them at least some BotD – and really, the end result of stupidity is barely distinguishable from the end result of malice. Hanlon’s razor (updated for the 20-teens): “Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity… unless there is a long and broad history of malice.” ---
**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:** [March 17, 2018, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/37035 "2018-03-17T19:53:39Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > What is stupid is that this is allowed. If prisoners are too cushy in their diet, and it is decided to cut back o the expense of feeding them, then that money should stay in the taxpayer’s wallets (or go to roads or bridges or something). If you personally profit from reducing the quality of someone else’s life, then what are you going to do? You have to realize that this is a LEO running a pokey. If he lets that get used out in the community, life will get cushier for the citizens, which means there will be less crime, which means the budget for his Metal Motel will get reduced, leaving him with less money for him to embezzle. For his own personal interest, he did exactly the right thing. Except for the being found out part. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2018, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/37036 "2018-03-17T20:12:11Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > You have to realize that this is a LEO running a pokey. If he lets that get used out in the community, life will get cushier for the citizens, which means there will be less crime, which means the budget for his Metal Motel will get reduced, leaving him with less money for him to embezzle. For his own personal interest, he did exactly the right thing. **Except for the being found out part**. I’m not so sure that in today’s GOP, this is bad for him. On the contrary, it could make him the one man in America who could succeed Trump! I mean, what’s not to like for the real kingmakers–the Kochs et al? The guy has demonstrated that he’ll go along to get along and that he’s motivated by cash, and utterly unencumbered by scruples. He’s their dream candidate. ---
**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:** [March 17, 2018, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/37037 "2018-03-17T20:39:17Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > We [actually do](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=770286) (“malicious” is the same as “evil”), but it has not been getting much action. I think most of want to give them at least some BotD – and really, the end result of stupidity is barely distinguishable from the end result of malice. Evil is greed untempered by empathy. ---
**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:** [March 17, 2018, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/37038 "2018-03-17T22:08:59Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > Evil is greed untempered by empathy. Evil is characterized by pursuit of power (which is closely related to greed). Without some form of power over others, evil is not possible, so it must be the crucial factor. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2018, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/37039 "2018-03-17T22:15:57Z")
We don’t put criminals in prison to reform them, we put them there because we hate them. We don’t even pray for them, because we figure Jesus hates them too. ---
**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:** [March 17, 2018, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/37040 "2018-03-17T22:25:15Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > We don’t put criminals in prison to reform them, we put them there because we hate them. We don’t even pray for them, because we figure Jesus hates them too. That does seem to be the case. And then we find more ways of criminalizing behaviors and people, to throw more people into prison for us to hate. ---
**Author:** ![MacCat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maccat/32/216_2.png) [@MacCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacCat)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2018, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/37041 "2018-03-17T22:36:47Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > That does seem to be the case. And then we find more ways of criminalizing behaviors and people, to throw more people into prison for us to hate. _And_ there’s money to be made. Win Win! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=1851) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=1853)