# 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:** 200
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/3981 "2011-12-21T16:43:31Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > I would love to visit some of these assholes in 20 or 30 years, when gay marriage is legal nationwide and ask them what they would have told themselves if they could travel back in time. Would they be like George Wallace and say it was a mistake? Or keep to their ignorance? Depends on whether or not they’re running for office. ---
**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:** [December 21, 2011, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/3982 "2011-12-21T16:46:49Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I shouldn’t be surprised by this, but I was… stunned, that a politician would give such an answer in this day and age. Very likely Bachmann, Perry and Santorum would have pretty much the same answer. While part of me is outraged, another part of me admires his honesty. ---
**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:** [December 21, 2011, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/3983 "2011-12-21T16:54:09Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > I would love to visit some of these assholes in 20 or 30 years, when gay marriage is legal nationwide and ask them what they would have told themselves if they could travel back in time. Would they be like George Wallace and say it was a mistake? Or keep to their ignorance? There’s a third option. In 30 years, we’ll have all new problems to be grappling with as a nation, they can just blame gay marriage. Ooh, maybe it’ll be global warming. If the planet is undeniably warmer in 30 years, they can just say gay marriage caused it. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/3984 "2011-12-21T17:03:28Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > There’s a third option. In 30 years, we’ll have all new problems to be grappling with as a nation, they can just blame gay marriage. Ooh, maybe it’ll be global warming. If the planet is undeniably warmer in 30 years, they can just say gay marriage caused it. No more so than you can have candidates today blaming all social ills on interracial marriage. It’s all fine and dandy to say that doing X would cause society’s collapse, but when X happens and society keeps on keeping on, it’s a lot harder to blame all your troubles on it without sounding like an out of touch crank. ---
**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:** [December 21, 2011, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/3985 "2011-12-21T17:04:16Z")
Since when have Republican electoral candidates not sounded like out of touch cranks? ---
**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:** [December 21, 2011, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/3986 "2011-12-21T17:14:02Z")
Are they really out of touch cranks, or merely pandering to the out-of-touch-crank bloc among voters? ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/3987 "2011-12-21T17:28:12Z")
I’m of two minds about Gingrich’s comments. If you read the transcript, it seems like he’s saying he can’t be all things and if gay marriage is your most important issue (pro gay marriage, that is) you should vote for Obama. That actually strikes me as a pretty reasonable thing to say, that you have to figure out what your defining issues are and choose the candidate that fills them. It’s surprising coming from a pol, but I don’t think it has to be insulting. ---
**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:** [December 21, 2011, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/3988 "2011-12-21T17:32:34Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > I’m of two minds about Gingrich’s comments. If you read the transcript, it seems like he’s saying he can’t be all things and if gay marriage is your most important issue (pro gay marriage, that is) you should vote for Obama. That actually strikes me as a pretty reasonable thing to say, that you have to figure out what your defining issues are and choose the candidate that fills them. > > It’s surprising coming from a pol, but I don’t think it has to be insulting. It could also mean “if I’m elected president of this country, I’m only going to look out for the civil rights of some of its citizens”, which could certainly be considered insulting if you’re not among the privileged group. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/3989 "2011-12-21T17:35:48Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > It could also mean “if I’m elected president of this country, I’m only going to look out for the civil rights of some of its citizens”, which could certainly be considered insulting if you’re not among the privileged group. Well, yes, but that’s why if you want those civil rights for all, we don’t vote for the jackass. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/3990 "2011-12-21T17:44:59Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > It could also mean “if I’m elected president of this country, I’m only going to look out for the civil rights of some of its citizens”, which could certainly be considered insulting if you’re not among the privileged group. Staying with **jsgoddess** ’ benefit-of-the-doubt reading: “If I’m elected president of this country, my priorities will be ordered differently than yours, but that is irrelevant—I’m elected president, you should be much more worried about the resultant zombie apocalypse, swarms of locusts, hellfire conflagration, and extinction of the sun.” ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/3991 "2011-12-21T18:05:26Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Staying with **jsgoddess** ’ benefit-of-the-doubt reading: > > “If I’m elected president of this country, my priorities will be ordered differently than yours, but that is irrelevant—I’m elected president, you should be much more worried about the resultant zombie apocalypse, swarms of locusts, hellfire conflagration, and extinction of the sun.” It’s TRUE! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/3992 "2011-12-21T18:34:32Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > There’s a third option. In 30 years, we’ll have all new problems to be grappling with as a nation, they can just blame gay marriage. Ooh, maybe it’ll be global warming. If the planet is undeniably warmer in 30 years, they can just say gay marriage caused it. Cause gay sex is hot? 😃 > [@jsgoddess](#): > > I’m of two minds about Gingrich’s comments. If you read the transcript, it seems like he’s saying he can’t be all things and if gay marriage is your most important issue (pro gay marriage, that is) you should vote for Obama. That actually strikes me as a pretty reasonable thing to say, that you have to figure out what your defining issues are and choose the candidate that fills them. > > It’s surprising coming from a pol, but I don’t think it has to be insulting. I think that’s a reasonable assumption if we’re talking about a reasonable person on a reasonable issue. But this isn’t a pork barrel pet project of a tiny minority, gay marriage is rightly lumped into the whole civil rights movement, the unbroken continuum stretching from racial equality, to gender, to sexual orientation. Its like saying “My top issue is the deficit, I can’t worry about murder and rape right now”. If that is what Gingrich really believes, then Og help us all if he’s ever in any position of power again ---
**Author:** ![xenophon41](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xenophon41/32/253_2.png) [@xenophon41](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xenophon41)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/3993 "2011-12-21T18:53:18Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > Its like saying “My top issue is the deficit, I can’t worry about murder and rape right now”. If that is what Gingrich really believes, then Og help us all if he’s ever in any position of power again What Gingrich seems to be saying isn’t “vote for someone who cares about your pet issue”, it’s “if you’re a single issue voter you should vote for the candidate whose views most closely align with yours on that issue.” And clearly, Newton Gingrich’s views on civil rights for non-heterosexual non-white non-Christians don’t align closely with, well, anyone in those particular groups, or even most het-white-Christians. Him being a faulty douche nozzle, and stuff. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/3994 "2011-12-21T19:54:13Z")
This isn’t ‘evil Republican idea of the day,’ it’s ‘\*Stupid \*Republican Idea of the day.’ Telling the gay guy to vote for Obama was brilliant. He lost a few gay votes that may have voted for Newt in the Iowa caucus (literally, like, 3), but he just got a couple hundred Iowan homophobes who were undecided. And he appeared to be forthright - non-calculating. Plus he didn’t take the bait of the gay guy’s gotcha question. The man is amoral, but not stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/3995 "2011-12-21T20:22:26Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > I’m of two minds about Gingrich’s comments. If you read the transcript, it seems like he’s saying he can’t be all things and if gay marriage is your most important issue (pro gay marriage, that is) you should vote for Obama. That actually strikes me as a pretty reasonable thing to say, that you have to figure out what your defining issues are and choose the candidate that fills them… How do you get to this interpretation. Is there another “transcript”? The relevant portion of the link says this: > [@](#): > > “I asked him if he’s elected, how does he plan to engage gay Americans. How are we to support him? And he told me to support Obama,” said Arnold. […] > “When you ask somebody a question and you expect them to support all Americans and have everyone’s general interest,” Arnold said. “It’s a little bit frustrating and disheartening when you’re told to support the other side. That he doesn’t need your support. Arnold never asked Newt to do anything for gays, for a “gay agenda”, or anything else. He asked how gays could engage and support Newt. Newt could have asked him to volunteer for the campaign, to just vote for him, or a dozen other things. But he chose to say what he said, which is a complete and utter rejection of Arnold as someone who can contribute anything of value to someone like Newt. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/3996 "2011-12-21T21:19:14Z")
Rick Santorum announces in Iowa that he’s “[for income inequality](http://caucuses.desmoinesregister.com/2011/12/20/im-for-income-inequality-santorum-says/).” Who knows if this will prove to be a stupid thing to say, though. ---
**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:** [December 21, 2011, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/3997 "2011-12-21T21:30:45Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > Rick Santorum announces in Iowa that he’s “[for income inequality](http://caucuses.desmoinesregister.com/2011/12/20/im-for-income-inequality-santorum-says/).” > > Who knows if this will prove to be a stupid thing to say, though. Well he did say that he’s OK with income inequality, as long as there is equality of opportunity, so that’s not quite as bad as one might think. The really dumb part was when he unveiled his plan to increase equality of opportunity for blue collar and lower income workers - to give them a fair shot at a good life, as he put it. His plan? Lower taxes and fewer regulations for American companies. Ya, Rick, that’s going to work just swell. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/3998 "2011-12-21T21:44:18Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > His plan? Lower taxes and fewer regulations for American companies. Ya, Rick, that’s going to work just swell. The Republicans are like a choir that only knows one song. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/3999 "2011-12-21T21:50:02Z")
> [@bup](#): > > This isn’t ‘evil Republican idea of the day,’ it’s ‘\*Stupid \*Republican Idea of the day.’ > > Telling the gay guy to vote for Obama was brilliant. He lost a few gay votes that may have voted for Newt in the Iowa caucus (literally, like, 3), but he just got a couple hundred Iowan homophobes who were undecided. > > And he appeared to be forthright - non-calculating. Plus he didn’t take the bait of the gay guy’s gotcha question. > > The man is amoral, but not stupid. How is that a gotcha question? The guy had an issue and he asked Newt his opinion. If you think that he went into it hoping Newt would put his foot in his mouth, there’s a lot of things Newt could have said that wasn’t an asinine rejection of a voter What’s with all the gotcha answers? I suspect people know that there’s no conspiracy or attempt to smear any of these Republicans. _They’re doing it themselves_ ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/4000 "2011-12-21T22:36:21Z")
Yet another closeted family-values Republican outed: > **[Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos](https://ca.news.yahoo.com/)** > > Latest news coverage, email, free stock quotes, live scores and video are just the beginning. Discover more every day at Yahoo! > [@](#): > > A Mississippi mayor’s purchase at a Toronto sex store with public money has pushed him to reveal he is gay, a Tennessee newspaper reported. > > Southaven Mayor Greg Davis’ expense receipts showed that he spent $67 of taxpayers’ funds at Priape in Toronto, as well as thousands of dollars on liquor and expensive dinners, the Commercial Appeal newspaper reported. He had the doubly stupid idea of using taxpayer money to purchase gay porn. I count it as a two fer’. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=199) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=201)