# 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:** 2172
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43429 "2020-02-04T14:05:59Z")
> [@agzem](#): > > Student were throwing Michelle’s lunches in the garbage and going hungry. Meanwhile test scores have been declining. Coincidence? Colorless green ideas sleep furiously. Halfway back to turkey sandwich, Lindsay’s floaters wax languidly. Repent, Harlequin! ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43430 "2020-02-04T14:09:16Z")
Tick-tock, man, tick-tock. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43431 "2020-02-04T14:29:01Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Colorless green ideas sleep furiously. Halfway back to turkey sandwich, Lindsay’s floaters wax languidly. Repent, Harlequin! I’ve heard the first sentence before. Is the rest of it your invention? I’m giggling like an idiot over it. For some reason, “Repent, Harlequin” just tickles me. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43432 "2020-02-04T14:29:42Z")
I think that that one isn’t so much a lack of sense of history, as a lack of understanding of the differences between the two parties. Republicans (at least, the current ones) are all about the tribalism: An attack on someone who bears the label “Republican” is an attack on all of them, not to be tolerated. Democrats (at least, the current ones), however, don’t care about the tribe; they care about the ideals the tribe stands for. It doesn’t matter if someone bears the label, if they don’t stand for the ideals. So the Republicans thought that the Democrats would be like themselves, and rally in defense of “one of their own”. Except that they failed to realize that, to a Democrat, a segregationist isn’t “one of their own”. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43433 "2020-02-04T14:30:25Z")
“Repent Harlequin!” probably comes from the Harlan Ellison story “Repent Harlequin, said the Ticktockman” ---
**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:** [February 4, 2020, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43434 "2020-02-04T14:46:36Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I think that that one isn’t so much a lack of sense of history, as a lack of understanding of the differences between the two parties. Republicans (at least, the current ones) are all about the tribalism: An attack on someone who bears the label “Republican” is an attack on all of them, not to be tolerated. Democrats (at least, the current ones), however, don’t care about the tribe; they care about the ideals the tribe stands for. It doesn’t matter if someone bears the label, if they don’t stand for the ideals. And the tribalist Republicans struggle to grasp that Democrats are not, by and large, like that. So they assume that Democrats are going after Trump because he’s part of the other tribe, rather than because he’s an openly corrupt huckster fleecing the country for his own benefit. It probably doesn’t help that if they were to realize it, it would force them to come to grips with the fact that they’ve been defending said huckster and that the “libtards” had been right all along. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43435 "2020-02-04T15:43:25Z")
Dammit. Ninjad! ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43436 "2020-02-04T15:55:54Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > “Repent Harlequin!” probably comes from the Harlan Ellison story “Repent Harlequin, said the Ticktockman” For the sticklers, it’s _“Repent, Harlequin!” Said the Ticktockman_. Great story, and very appropriate for what the trumpeters demand in our time. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43437 "2020-02-04T16:40:11Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > For the sticklers, it’s _“Repent, Harlequin!” Said the Ticktockman_. > > Great story, and very appropriate for what the trumpeters demand in our time. > [@Andy\_L](#): > > “Repent Harlequin!” probably comes from the Harlan Ellison story “Repent Harlequin, said the Ticktockman” > [@Defensive\_Indifference](#): > > I’ve heard the first sentence before. Is the rest of it your invention? I’m giggling like an idiot over it. For some reason, “Repent, Harlequin” just tickles me. And since it has been mentioned this many times, those curious can find a .pdf copy of it here: [https://compositionawebb.pbworks.com/f/%255C'Repent,%2BHarlequin!%255C'%2BSaid%2Bthe%2BTicktockman%2Bby%2BHarlan%2BEllison.pdf](https://compositionawebb.pbworks.com/f/%255C%27Repent,%2BHarlequin!%255C%27%2BSaid%2Bthe%2BTicktockman%2Bby%2BHarlan%2BEllison.pdf) Waiting for Trump to end the SOTU tonight and walk off going mreee, mreee, mreee… ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43438 "2020-02-04T17:47:29Z")
More pedantry: it’s “mr **me** e, mr **me** e, mr **me** e, mr **me** e.” Think I’ll stock up on jellybeans, just in case. And they’ll have to pry my cardioplate out of my cold, dead hands. ---
**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:** [February 4, 2020, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43439 "2020-02-04T21:52:40Z")
Governor and Attorney General of Alaska are begging Individual 1 to grant the AG’s wife and her son green cards. > **[Alaska governor asked Trump to help attorney general bring his wife and...](https://www.adn.com/politics/2020/01/24/alaska-governor-sent-letter-asking-trump-to-help-attorney-general-bring-his-colombian-family-to-us/)** > > Gov. Dunleavy would do the same for any Alaskan in a similar situation, said Attorney General Kevin Clarkson. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2020, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43440 "2020-02-05T00:55:18Z")
> [@OttoDaFe](#): > > More pedantry: it’s “mr **me** e, mr **me** e, mr **me** e, mr **me** e.” > > Think I’ll stock up on jellybeans, just in case. And they’ll have to pry my cardioplate out of my cold, dead hands. You’d expect Trump to get it right?? Careful, or I’ll set Raoul Mitgong after you. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2020, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43441 "2020-02-05T04:38:52Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > For the sticklers, it’s _“Repent, Harlequin!” Said the Ticktockman_. Boy do I feel stupid for asking, but if I don’t ask, I’ll never learn. How does adding the comma change the sentence fragment? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2020, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43442 "2020-02-05T04:47:16Z")
> [@Defensive\_Indifference](#): > > I’ve heard the first sentence before. Is the rest of it your invention? I’m giggling like an idiot over it. For some reason, “Repent, Harlequin” just tickles me. The “halfway back to turkey sandwich” part was some word salad of my own invention, yes, but as noted, “Repent, Harlequin!” is Ellison. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2020, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43443 "2020-02-05T04:48:33Z")
> [@Nobody](#): > > Boy do I feel stupid for asking, but if I don’t ask, I’ll never learn. How does adding the comma change the sentence fragment? It clarifies that “Harlequin” is a specific individual, and that the phrase is a command. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2020, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43444 "2020-02-05T04:51:14Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > It clarifies that “Harlequin” is a specific individual, and that the phrase is a command. Well, the phrase is a command in either case, but I see what you mean about the first half. Thank you. ---
**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:** [February 5, 2020, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43445 "2020-02-05T05:00:45Z")
Right wing asshole Dave Daubenmire wants to sue the NFL for putting his eternal salvation at risk by airing the halftime show. > **[Dave Daubenmire Hopes to Sue the NFL for Putting His Eternal Salvation at...](https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/dave-daubenmire-hopes-to-sue-the-nfl-for-putting-his-eternal-salvation-at-risk-via-the-super-bowl-halftime-show/)** > > Radical right-wing activist Dave Daubenmire spent most of his "Pass The Salt Live" webcast yesterday threatening to sue the National Football League for ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2020, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43446 "2020-02-05T05:01:31Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > It clarifies that “Harlequin” is a specific individual, and that the phrase is a command. Correct. As an imperative, it is not a sentence fragment. ---
**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:** [February 5, 2020, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43447 "2020-02-05T05:17:21Z")
In a shocking turn of events that nobody could have seen coming, Susan Collins announces she will vote to acquit Individual 1. > **[Maine senators split on impeachment vote](https://wgme.com/news/local/sen-collins-announces-she-will-vote-to-acquit-president-trump)** > > PORTLAND (WGME) -- Maine's senators are split on the question of impeachment. Independent Senator Angus King says he'll vote to remove President Trump, but Senator Susan Collins says she'll vote to acquit the president. Senator Collins says she's... ---
**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:** [February 6, 2020, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43448 "2020-02-06T18:46:58Z")
Matt Gaetz has filed a formal ethics complaint against Pelosi for tearing up her copy of the SOTU speech. He also is planning on filing criminal charges. > **[Gaetz filing ethics complaint against Pelosi for ‘destroying’ Trump speech](https://thehill.com/homenews/house/481796-gaetz-files-ethics-complaint-against-pelosi-for-destroying-trump-speech/)** > > Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) announced that he is filing an ethics complaint against Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for “destroying” a copy of President Trump’s speech after his State of the Union add… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=2171) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=2173)