# 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:** 2041
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2019, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/40804 "2019-04-06T13:30:54Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Where’s the head explodey smiley? George Washington and Abraham Lincoln were white men. Many people do not know this. ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2019, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/40805 "2019-04-06T14:51:44Z")
I keep an eye on what Fox is up to sometimes. I tuned in last night, and I couldn’t tell you which pretty blond hostess was working the talking heads, but I was surprised at their line. They are behaving as if AOC has secured the nomination, and almost as if she is the only existing Democrat. They decry all the “young people” who want “something for nothing”, and always with “someone else’s money.” Pretty standard so far. But they went on to point out that some of the people at AOC’s rally were not merely socialists, but communists. This led into a discussion of an invented DNC platform whose central plank is literally the abolition of private property. It it an alternative reality, folks. They aren’t even going to run against the Dems (assuming Fox = GOP anymore). Nope, they are going to run against whatever is the scariest, most absurd thing they can make up. ---
**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:** [April 6, 2019, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/40806 "2019-04-06T15:40:59Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Where’s the head explodey smiley?.. [Here ya go.](https://imgur.com/HE68MhD) > [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > George Washington and Abraham Lincoln were white men. Many people do not know this. And at least one of them was President. At one time. I think. ---
**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:** [April 6, 2019, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/40807 "2019-04-06T16:54:18Z")
> [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](#): > > It it an alternative reality, folks. They aren’t even going to run against the Dems (assuming Fox = GOP anymore). Nope, they are going to run against whatever is the scariest, most absurd thing they can make up. This is nothing new. In 2008, Fox News was campaigning against Obama’s “terrorist fist jabs”. There is nothing Fox News will not stoop to. I would not be surprised to see a discussion about how the Democrats are in league with the Shape Shifting Lizard People. ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2019, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/40808 "2019-04-06T18:13:15Z")
I guess it is not exactly new, but after everything that has happened I still have the capacity for surprise. Abolish private property! Really? Are you sure Rupert Murdoch isn’t smoking crack? It would be a lot funnier if we didn’t know for a fact that millions of people take this stuff seriously. It seems so _obvious_ to me I am… surprised. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2019, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/40809 "2019-04-06T22:32:03Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > I would not be surprised to see a discussion about how the Democrats are in league with the Shape Shifting Lizard People. That’s funny. I always took them to be Libertarians. ---
**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:** [April 7, 2019, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/40810 "2019-04-07T00:09:21Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Fox “reporter” Lawrence Jones III “reporting” from the border wearing a bullet proof vest, because it’s so dangerous down there, I guess. > [https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1113964185384357893](https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1113964185384357893) He claims that the border patrol insisted he wear it. Many other news people have said that they have covered the border extensively and not been asked to wear a vest. So it is obvious: the reporter was of a darker hue, so the border patrol agents wanted him to wear it so that they could shoot at dark-skinned people, as is their wont, and not have to worry so much about it. ---
**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:** [April 7, 2019, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/40811 "2019-04-07T00:11:11Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > He claims that the border patrol insisted he wear it. Many other news people have said that they have covered the border extensively and not been asked to wear a vest. So it is obvious: the reporter was of a darker hue, so the border patrol agents wanted him to wear it so that they could shoot at dark-skinned people, as is their wont, and not have to worry so much about it. I’ve seen that being referred to as the ballistic bib. It’s not really that big, is 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:** [April 7, 2019, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/40812 "2019-04-07T00:56:14Z")
> [@Nobody](#): > > That’s funny. I always took them to be Libertarians. Lizardterians? ---
**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:** [April 7, 2019, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/40813 "2019-04-07T01:52:46Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > I’ve seen that being referred to as the ballistic bib. It’s not really that big, is it? Did you not see the picture? That thing is fucking comical. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2019, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/40814 "2019-04-07T02:06:58Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > George Washington and Abraham Lincoln were white men. Many people do not know this. You know who else was a white man? ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2019, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/40815 "2019-04-07T02:18:33Z")
> [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](#): > > They are behaving as if AOC has secured the nomination, and almost as if she is the only existing Democrat. Do they at least exhibit a sufficient grasp of reality to note that AOC, being 29 years old, is _constitutionally ineligible to be President before 2024_? ---
**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:** [April 7, 2019, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/40816 "2019-04-07T02:53:14Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Did you not see the picture? That thing is fucking comical. I did, and it was. The comment about it being a bib was right under the picture. 😃 ---
**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:** [April 7, 2019, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/40817 "2019-04-07T03:33:31Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Do they at least exhibit a sufficient grasp of reality to note that AOC, being 29 years old, is _constitutionally ineligible to be President before 2024_? Numbers can be really complicated. ---
**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:** [April 7, 2019, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/40818 "2019-04-07T07:34:41Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > I’ve seen that being referred to as the ballistic bib. It’s not really that big, is it? That’s because it’s not a bulletproof vest, it’s a plate carrier. Normally you wear a regular kevlar vest (which covers most of the torso and is supposed to stop light powered rounds, like 9mm) and you put that thing over it - slip some ceramic plates inside which only cover your most essentials and protect them from the heavier shit, like rifle rounds. The reason you can’t have ceramic plates all over is you’d become a man-turtle hybrid. In this case, the journo is all the more ridiculous that he’s only wearing the plate carrier, \*sans \*plates. So that thing is about as useful - and tactical ™ (r) (c) - as a sniper scope on a knife. ---
**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:** [April 7, 2019, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/40819 "2019-04-07T12:39:32Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > … > In this case, the journo is all the more ridiculous that he’s only wearing the plate carrier, \*sans \*plates. So that thing is about as useful - and tactical ™ (r) (c) - as a sniper scope on a knife. So he’s being a big ol’ show-off, amirite? ---
**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:** [April 7, 2019, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/40820 "2019-04-07T13:33:33Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > That’s because it’s not a bulletproof vest, it’s a plate carrier. Normally you wear a regular kevlar vest (which covers most of the torso and is supposed to stop light powered rounds, like 9mm) and you put that thing over it - slip some ceramic plates inside which only cover your most essentials and protect them from the heavier shit, like rifle rounds. The reason you can’t have ceramic plates all over is you’d become a man-turtle hybrid. > In this case, the journo is all the more ridiculous that he’s only wearing the plate carrier, \*sans \*plates. So that thing is about as useful - and tactical ™ (r) (c) - as a sniper scope on a knife. This lends plausibility to the hypothesis that it’s really more of a billboard to warn Border Enforcement Personnel against taking potshots at him just for not being white. It also serves two propaganda functions: – For the Administration, it telegraphs the message that the border is a dangerous place where terrorists potentially could come rushing across, guns blazing, at any moment. – For FAUX “News,” it gives the impression that their guy is “embedded.” ETA: BTW, I have to take issue with **Kobal** ’s use of the word “journo,” which is generally accepted as being an abbreviation for “journalist,” implying that the guy is one of those. He’s not. Journalists do journalism. ---
**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:** [April 7, 2019, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/40821 "2019-04-07T13:34:00Z")
More like deliberately sending packets of fear at people who don’t know this kind of stuff. The narrative being sold is “omg the border is so out of control that people need to wear wargear to even get close !!!”. When of course, it is not. The only interesting aspect of this gaffe is that it shows that the people pushing that narrative self-demonstrably don’t believe it themselves ; at least not enough to bear even the mild inconvenience of putting on a fucking kevlar on TV. Which just goes to show what precious little they think of their own audience. ---
**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:** [April 7, 2019, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/40822 "2019-04-07T21:18:26Z")
The former chair of the Dane County, Wisconsin Republican Party flew from Wisconsin to Florida, where she was going to catch a cruise ship to the Caribbean. Along the way between Wisconsin and Florida, her luggage went missing. Delta Airlines found it and forwarded it to the ship’s first port of call, the Cayman Islands. Unfortunately for her, Cayman Islands officials confiscated the pistol she had in her luggage and is charging her with violating their gun laws. [The Second Amendment does not apply to other countries](https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/4/7/1847452/-The-Second-Amendment-does-not-apply-to-other-countries)? ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2019, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/40823 "2019-04-07T21:46:23Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > So that thing is about as useful - and tactical ™ (r) (c) - as a sniper scope on a knife. Google, google, [sub]google[/sub] Hmmm… Off to produce a product for Trump supporters. I wonder how much I could make? I have a drawer full of butter knifes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=2040) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=2042)