# 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:** 2031
**Author:** ![WillFarnaby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/willfarnaby/32/514_2.png) [@WillFarnaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillFarnaby)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2019, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/40603 "2019-03-08T14:10:15Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > So, **WillFarnaby** , you agree that people shouldn’t be allowed to force innocent kids to catch measles? If this means we should abduct children from their parents and strap them to a chair to inject them with vaccinations, that’s going to be a strong no. > [@Kimstu](#): > > This seems like an incredibly naive and ill-informed remark. Is Paul actually trying to argue that herd immunity isn’t important, and that if vaccination rates fall below herd immunity thresholds it doesn’t pose a serious health risk to people who can’t get vaccinated? Or is he just claiming that particular **existing** disease outbreaks due to low vaccination rates haven’t been conclusively shown to have harmed immunocompromised people? (Even that more restricted statement would be AFAIK wrong, though.) Idk either. Fair enough, this statement was borderline for me, but coupled with the other strong pro-vaccine statements he made, I’m not too worried. He said nothing remotely approaching what **Rick Kitchen** claimed. How surprising. ---
**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:** [March 8, 2019, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/40604 "2019-03-08T14:20:37Z")
Ah… Texas… :smack: [**Governor calling on judges scorned by voters**](http://digital.olivesoftware.com/Olive/ODN/SanAntonioExpressNews/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=SAEN%2F2019%2F03%2F08&entity=Ar00101&sk=6F191078&mode=text) > [@](#): > > AUSTIN — Gov. Greg Abbott has quietly been stocking Texas courts with Republican judges freshly rejected by voters, employing one of the strongest powers of his office to stem the erosion of the GOP’s decadeslong dominance in the state. > > In the three months since the worst election night for Texas Republicans in a generation, four of Abbott’s last six judicial appointments to fill key court vacancies have been former Republican judges who lost their 2018 races. > > One was elevated to the Texas Supreme Court just weeks after being voted out of a lower court in Houston. > > Texas is among a handful of states that hold partisan elections of judges from lower-level district courts all the way through the highest appeals courts. The ability to fill vacancies is one of the strongest tools of the governor’s office. > > Abbott’s recent appointments have stoked criticism from some Democrats that Abbott is thumbing his nose at voters. > > They’ve also questioned why Texas Republicans are sounding sudden alarms about partisan waves threatening judicial integrity. That includes Abbott, himself a former judge, who in February tweeted that the makeup of courts shouldn’t be left “to the political winds of the day.” > > Four days later, Abbott appointed Brett Busby to fill a state Supreme Court vacancy. > … We don’t want “the political winds of the day” to blow any Democrats into office. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2019, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/40605 "2019-03-08T14:25:49Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > I genuinely don’t know what’s wrong with Nickelback either. I’ve heard the jokes but they seem like a fairly forgettable bro band who had that one song I heard that one time, much like several other forgettable bro bands who had a song I heard that one time. Not sure why this one is worse. I will illustrate through example and the power of song. First, the original: [Big Wreck - Mistake](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6ZkKzEyVRc) Now, Nickelback’s effort: [Nickelback - Mistake](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAAo0KyjfYw) Nickelback’s version sounds like they’re playing a song they all know but have never rehearsed. ---
**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:** [March 8, 2019, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/40606 "2019-03-08T14:53:26Z")
> [@WillFarnaby](#): > > If this means we should abduct children from their parents and strap them to a chair to inject them with vaccinations, that’s going to be a strong no. _gasp_ Heavens! Is that what we do already? ---
**Author:** ![WillFarnaby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/willfarnaby/32/514_2.png) [@WillFarnaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillFarnaby)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2019, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/40607 "2019-03-08T17:39:59Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > _gasp_ Heavens! Is that what we do already? Of course not. There are many around here who seem to think that saying we should continue the status quo is akin to an anti-vax position. ---
**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:** [March 8, 2019, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/40608 "2019-03-08T19:30:13Z")
Jerome Corsi (with Larry Klayman as his lawyer) is suing Alex Jones for calling him “extremely mentally degraded.” > **[Conspiracists Clash as Jerome Corsi Sues Infowars’ Alex Jones](https://www.thedailybeast.com/conspiracists-clash-as-jerome-corsi-sues-infowars-alex-jones?source=articles)** > > Corsi used to work for Infowars. Now he’s warring with it. ---
**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:** [March 8, 2019, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/40609 "2019-03-08T19:37:09Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Jerome Corsi (with Larry Klayman as his lawyer) is suing Alex Jones for calling him “extremely mentally degraded.” > [Conspiracists Clash as Jerome Corsi Sues Infowars’ Alex Jones](https://www.thedailybeast.com/conspiracists-clash-as-jerome-corsi-sues-infowars-alex-jones?source=articles) I gotta ask: is it defamation if it’s true? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2019, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/40610 "2019-03-08T20:25:59Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > The right-wing/religious fundamentalist folks are quite simply, plainly, mentally ill. They are not of sound mind. There is something wrong with their wiring. > > The lunatics are allowed to freely spread their mental aberrations and tics. In the past, they yelled on street corners. Today, they have large congregations, TV and Radio shows, and in some cases entire networks at their disposal. I wonder if it has to do with religion, which can selectively degrade critical thinking skills. I was thinking about this yesterday after reading a Facebook post from a cousin of mine. She was born and raised in a red state, with a very conventional religious upbringing. Apparently a few days ago she had some car trouble and pulled over to the side of the highway. She out of her car to investigate and accidentally locked herself out of her car. Her phone was inside the car. And it took a long time before she could get anyone to stop and help her, although someone finally did. Her takeaway from this experience was that God loves her and was watching out for her. Because she put on her coat before she got out of her car. And she would typically NEVER put on her coat in that situation. She emphasized that repeatedly, although I was wondering just how often she pulled over and got out of her car to investigate car trouble. Of course, logic might indicate that God wasn’t that crazy about her, since he let her get car trouble and lock herself out of her vehicle. But she’s been so conditioned to look for only the good I’m sure that thought never crossed her mind. And although I don’t know her political affiliation, the logical inconsistencies seemed reminiscent to those of some Republicans, especially Trump supporters. ---
**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:** [March 8, 2019, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/40611 "2019-03-08T20:50:04Z")
The mayor of Lewiston, Maine has resigned after his ex-girlfriend produced racist texts he sent to her. [GOP Mayor Resigns After Racist Texts And Email Leaks Revealed By Girlfriend - TPM – Talking Points Memo](https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/gop-mayor-resigns-racist-texts-email-leaks-revealed-mistress)? ---
**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 8, 2019, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/40612 "2019-03-08T23:48:36Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > I wonder if it has to do with religion, which can selectively degrade critical thinking skills. I was thinking about this yesterday after reading a Facebook post from a cousin of mine. She was born and raised in a red state, with a very conventional religious upbringing. > > Apparently a few days ago she had some car trouble and pulled over to the side of the highway. She out of her car to investigate and accidentally locked herself out of her car. Her phone was inside the car. And it took a long time before she could get anyone to stop and help her, although someone finally did. > > Her takeaway from this experience was that God loves her and was watching out for her. Because she put on her coat before she got out of her car. And she would typically NEVER put on her coat in that situation. She emphasized that repeatedly… I would guess that most people of average-or-above intelligence, hearing that story, would smile politely. But they’d be thinking (basically) what you did—that the story of “God’s love” is rather unconvincing. The story makes God seem like a rather sadistic character: letting her forget her keys and her phone but ‘reminding her’ about the coat. Of course folks with below-average mental equipment might just take the story at face value, in much the same way that Trump fans take his pronouncements (even the self-contradicting ones). ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2019, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/40613 "2019-03-09T00:17:00Z")
> [@WillFarnaby](#): > > Of course not. There are many around here who seem to think that saying we should continue the status quo is akin to an anti-vax position. So, wait, the only way to decrease the number of vaccinated unwashed little monsters around is to _abduct them_? That’s the only possible way? No excluded middles here? Abduction or nothing? In that case let’s do it. Clearly there are a lot of kids out there who could benefit from a good abduction. ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2019, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/40614 "2019-03-09T00:46:47Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Conservative columnist calls for boycott of Girl Scout cookies because AOC was a Girl Scout. > [https://theguardiansofdemocracy.com/ocasio-cortez-mocks-right-wing-activist-calling-for-girl-scout-cookie-boycott-because-she-was-a-scout/](https://theguardiansofdemocracy.com/ocasio-cortez-mocks-right-wing-activist-calling-for-girl-scout-cookie-boycott-because-she-was-a-scout/) The columnist was already on this vindictive path long before AOC ended up on her radar. [Her real gripe is that that Girl Scouts aren’t made up of nothing but bible-thumping flag-humpers.](https://www.wnd.com/2009/03/91391/) ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2019, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/40615 "2019-03-09T02:14:36Z")
> [@begbert2](#): > > So, wait, the only way to decrease the number of vaccinated unwashed little monsters around is to _abduct them_? That’s the only possible way? No excluded middles here? Abduction or nothing? > In that case let’s do it. Clearly there are a lot of kids out there who could benefit from a good abduction. I have a van… ---
**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:** [March 9, 2019, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/40616 "2019-03-09T13:53:46Z")
[**The prospect of easier and fairer voting terrifies Republicans**](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/03/08/republicans-terrified-prospect-voting-becoming-easier-more-fair/?utm_term=.fc7be0cea96a) > [@](#): > > Today the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1, the Democrats’ political reform bill, and though Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will never allow it to be considered in the Senate, it’s still an important statement of what Democrats believe in and what they intend to do if and when they gain control of Congress and the White House, say after next year’s elections. > > The bill contains a lot of different provisions, but I want to zero in on one set: those concerning voting. > > Again and again, McConnell has asserted that this bill is nothing more than an attempt to alter the system so more Democrats can get elected. As he wrote in The Post, “Their proposal is simply a naked attempt to change the rules of American politics to benefit one party. It should be called the Democrat Politician Protection Act.” > > I’m not sure if McConnell understands what a startling admission that is on his part. > > **Because what McConnell is saying is that if our voting system were more efficient, more open and more fair, then the inevitable result would be fewer Republicans winning elections. In other words, Republican success depends on the system working in ways that restrict access to the ballot.** > … My bold. Well, we kinda knew that, but good of Mitch to come out and admit it. ---
**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 9, 2019, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/40617 "2019-03-09T17:16:20Z")
Oh, goody, a rematch… [Alabama’s Roy Moore is ‘seriously considering’ a 2020 Senate run](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/03/09/alabamas-roy-moore-is-seriously-considering-senate-run) Maybe this doesn’t belong under “stupid” ideas; there’s a case to be made that he’ll have better prospects in 2020. For instance, by then some of his girlfriends will be old enough to vote… ---
**Author:** ![Anny\_Middon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Anny\_Middon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anny_Middon)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2019, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/40618 "2019-03-09T17:32:51Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Conservative columnist calls for boycott of Girl Scout cookies because AOC was a Girl Scout. > [https://theguardiansofdemocracy.com/ocasio-cortez-mocks-right-wing-activist-calling-for-girl-scout-cookie-boycott-because-she-was-a-scout/](https://theguardiansofdemocracy.com/ocasio-cortez-mocks-right-wing-activist-calling-for-girl-scout-cookie-boycott-because-she-was-a-scout/) Someone tweeted in response to this that they really hoped that at some point AOC had bought a gun. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2019, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/40619 "2019-03-09T17:41:40Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > [**The prospect of easier and fairer voting terrifies Republicans**](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/03/08/republicans-terrified-prospect-voting-becoming-easier-more-fair/?utm_term=.fc7be0cea96a)My bold. > > Well, we kinda knew that, but good of Mitch to come out and admit it. It’s one thing the Democrats can point at next year and say “See? Look what we want to do, and look how the Republicans don’t want it to happen. If you want these policies enacted, and who doesn’t, you have to put is in the Senate and the White House.” All they need is a few dozen more decent resolutions to die in the Senate so as to give McConnell and his lot more chances to let the hoi polloi see the colour of their laces. ---
**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 9, 2019, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/40620 "2019-03-09T17:47:54Z")
> [@WillFarnaby](#): > > If this means we should abduct children from their parents and strap them to a chair to inject them with vaccinations, that’s going to be a strong no. The child abduction part is simply bullshit, and you know that. Not allowing a child to participate in large crowded events if they have not been vaccinated is not abducting them, and suggesting that that it is simply makes you look like a completely and utter moron. But, that’s not what I wanted to address. I still am not sure what the deal is on the “strapping children to tables/chairs” thing. What is that all about, is that to create some sort of emotional pleading? It is not up to the child, it is up to the parent. The child will either receive their shot while sitting calmly, or while screaming and strapped to a table, no matter how much the parent wants them to get their shot. When I got my shots as a kid, occasionally I flinched a bit. When my sister got shots, it took several nurses to hold her down. Is it wrong to strap a child to a table with parental permission in order for them to receive proper medical care, or does the 2 year old child’s wishes in this instance override that of the parents? If it is the case that the 2 year old child’s wishes do not override that of the parents, then the “strapping children” argument is completely based on trying to create emotional outrage, rather than being based in any sort of rational argument. Do you , in your uber libertarian leanings, believe that a 2 year old child is better able to make life choices than the parents of that child? > [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Conservative columnist calls for boycott of Girl Scout cookies because AOC was a Girl Scout. > [https://theguardiansofdemocracy.com/ocasio-cortez-mocks-right-wing-activist-calling-for-girl-scout-cookie-boycott-because-she-was-a-scout/](https://theguardiansofdemocracy.com/ocasio-cortez-mocks-right-wing-activist-calling-for-girl-scout-cookie-boycott-because-she-was-a-scout/) Ah, guilt by associating, always a favorite page from the republican playbook. ---
**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 9, 2019, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/40621 "2019-03-09T17:50:04Z")
> [@The\_Tooth](#): > > It’s one thing the Democrats can point at next year and say “See? Look what we want to do, and look how the Republicans don’t want it to happen. If you want these policies enacted, and who doesn’t, you have to put is in the Senate and the White House.” All they need is a few dozen more decent resolutions to die in the Senate so as to give McConnell and his lot more chances to let the hoi polloi see the colour of their laces. Unless those resolutions are to protect the rights of the voter and the security of the vote. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2019, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/40622 "2019-03-09T17:53:57Z")
“Vote for the Republicans in 2020 and you may never get the chance to vote again. We want you to vote, H.R. X proves it. They don’t want you to vote, their refusal to even consider H.R. X proves that. It’s in the interest of every American who cherishes their franchise to support us.” McConnell and his pirate crew lose if they pass such legislation, and they hand Democrats more shot for the next sortie if they don’t. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=2030) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=2032)