# 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:** 187
**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:** [November 13, 2011, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/3721 "2011-11-13T23:14:38Z")
Michele Bachmann says America should be less socialist… [like China](http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/11/bachmann-america-should-be-more-like-china.php). > [@](#): > > “The ‘Great Society’ has not worked and it’s put us into the modern welfare state,” she said. “If you look at China, they don’t have food stamps. If you look at China, they’re in a very different situation. They save for their own retirement security…They don’t have the modern welfare state and China’s growing. And so what I would do is look at the programs that LBJ gave us with the Great Society and they’d be gone.” ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2011, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/3722 "2011-11-14T00:55:03Z")
Wow. Republican stupidity has reached a new low. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2011, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/3723 "2011-11-14T00:55:59Z")
> [@Knorf](#): > > Wow. Republican stupidity has reached a new low. You say that NOW… ---
**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:** [November 14, 2011, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/3724 "2011-11-14T06:55:48Z")
It basically hits a new low every time one of them opens their mouths. I’m honestly shocked that ANYONE takes them seriously nowadays. ---
**Author:** ![legalsnugs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/45deac/32.png) [@legalsnugs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/legalsnugs)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2011, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/3725 "2011-11-14T14:34:14Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Michele Bachmann says America should be less socialist… [like China](http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/11/bachmann-america-should-be-more-like-china.php). She also mentioned that China doesn’t have AFDC (Aid for Families with Dependent Children). She is just too stupid/unaware/ignorant to know that neither does the U.S., that it was ended in the mid-1990s (15 YEARS ago) and replaced with the more restrictive TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families). ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2011, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/3726 "2011-11-14T17:43:22Z")
Bachmann is in a tizzy because someone from CBS News accidentally included someone from her campaign in the to: list of an email about not inviting her on to an interview show. Was it because she is a moron? N. Was it because she is psycho? No. It was because she is considered irrelevant for polling in single digits. This is the new definition of liberal media bias. (Of course she got plenty of coverage when she was polling well.) She might want to blame Republicans, not CBS. ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2011, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/3727 "2011-11-14T19:02:13Z")
Bachmann’s complaint about the CBS email wasn’t about the invitation to the show, really (she was invited, but the email basically said to keep the invite “loose” and to try to find someone more relevant). Her campaign’s argument was that it showed CBS’ “bias” against her and was evidence that she was treated unfairly at Saturday’s debate, which was co-sponsored by CBS. What I found funny in the whole thing was that John Dickerson, the reporter who hit “reply all” to the email instead of keeping his thoughts in-house, had been hired THAT MORNING by CBS. This was his first day on the job. Poor John Dickerson. (I really, really like Dickerson, by the way, and I highly recommend the Slate Political Gabfest podcast that he co-hosts.) ---
**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:** [November 15, 2011, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/3728 "2011-11-15T19:02:17Z")
[http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/11/15/130321/perrys-proposes-to-uproot-all.html](http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/11/15/130321/perrys-proposes-to-uproot-all.html) He’s going “uproot all 3 branches of government”. Damn, that sounds good. Who needs all them damned judges, and legislators, and executive types? ---
**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:** [November 15, 2011, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/3729 "2011-11-15T20:19:57Z")
> [@](#): > > (Reform) will also address “lifetime federal judges” who “rewrite our laws from the bench,” he said. So is he going to impeach some of the Supreme Court? Or get rid of it in its entirety? ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/3730 "2011-11-15T21:13:04Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > So is he going to impeach some of the Supreme Court? Or get rid of it in its entirety? I guess in theory, you could go to either a Missouri Plan or just keep reappointing them every, say, 5 years or so. I’d like to see the last one in action though. You thought the Congressional approval system was backlogged now, wait until every Federal Judge is sitting on the sidelines waiting for the filibusters to end. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/3731 "2011-11-15T22:39:13Z")
“The eternal wisdom of the Founding Fathers can never be reversed! We need to get back to the original intent of the Constitution! A Christian God guided the hands of those who designed our divinely inspired system of government, which must never be threatened, except that we have to get rid of appointed judges. Whoever thought of lifetime appointments for jurists was probably some crack-smoking ACLU hippie type. Not a NASCAR watching Founding Father, that’s for sure.” ---
**Author:** ![Mekhazzio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b38774/32.png) [@Mekhazzio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mekhazzio)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/3732 "2011-11-15T23:42:33Z")
> [@Truman\_Burbank](#): > > [http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/11/15/130321/perrys-proposes-to-uproot-all.html](http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/11/15/130321/perrys-proposes-to-uproot-all.html) > > He’s going “uproot all 3 branches of government”. So the judicial, the legislative, and the … … … EPA? ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/3733 "2011-11-15T23:47:53Z")
Stupid Repub idea of the day…Newt Gingrich. Even the Repubs are getting a clue on Cain. It is not easy ti get through to them because they become believers. Which apparently precludes criticizing your Repub leaders. ---
**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:** [November 16, 2011, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/3734 "2011-11-16T11:44:57Z")
Herman Cain on Libya: [“I’ve got all this stuff twirling around in my head.”](http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2011/nov/15/herman-cain-libya-video?newsfeed=true) [Herman Cain on Herman Cain on Libya](http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/15/herman-cain-libya-blunder-doubt): > [@](#): > > “I didn’t say anything wrong … but the fact I didn’t answer immediately – I’m going to be honest with you, that is silly. That is silly,” Cain told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. > > “I call it flyspecking every word, every phrase; and now they are flyspecking my pauses. But I guess since they can’t legitimately attack my ideas, they will attack word and pauses. I’m kind of flattered that my pauses are so important somebody wants to make a story out of it.” Yeah, Herman, it’s all about the pause and not about the clear and incisive answer you gave after the pause. That’s what people are making a fuss over. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/3735 "2011-11-16T16:05:39Z")
Floundering. Never a good sign. ---
**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:** [November 16, 2011, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/3736 "2011-11-16T16:22:18Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Yeah, Herman, it’s all about the pause and not about the clear and incisive answer you gave after the pause. That’s what people are making a fuss over. What did he eventually say about Libya? I was out in the kitchen getting crumbs and bits of food out of the round, brown, straw mat that the teapot goes on. ---
**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:** [November 16, 2011, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/3737 "2011-11-16T16:47:22Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > What did he eventually say about Libya? It sort of boiled down to: “Obama was wrong but if Obama was wrong then leaving Khaddafy in power was good which is wrong so Obama was right but Obama must be wrong and PLEASE EXPLAIN… NORMAN, CO-ORDINATE…” ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/3738 "2011-11-16T17:04:33Z")
He lifted a semi-plausible complaint from fairly early on, that no one clearly knew who the opposition to Ghadafi were. Why, who knows, they might all be Islamic radicals. You may recall, Ghadafi himself tried to play that tune by suggesting that his opposition was comprised of Al Queda and like minded sorts. The insinuation is that we had inadvertently assisted our enemies. He further implied that he _might_ have acted differently, but his actions would have been informed by more thorough intelligence, since he would have gone to the trouble to consult our intelligence services, and gained the benefit of their definitive information. Some people have suggested that this is an excellent point, directly touching on President Obama’s arrogant refusal to consult expert opinion. Curiously, these tend to be the same people who say that a Godfather’s Pizza is tastier than a Tombstone Frozen Cow Patty. ---
**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:** [November 16, 2011, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/3739 "2011-11-16T17:40:18Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > He further implied that he _might_ have acted differently, but his actions would have been informed by more thorough intelligence, since he would have gone to the trouble to consult our intelligence services, and gained the benefit of their definitive information. Presidents and Former Presidents get Intelligence Briefings every morning. I learned this from watching **West Wing**. The guy never watched **West Wing**?? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/3740 "2011-11-16T17:49:38Z")
I think he boycotted the show because the product placement concession (for the scenes where people are eating pizza during all-nighters in the Sit Room) all went to Papa John’s. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=186) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=188)