# 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:** 2187
**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 17, 2020, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43729 "2020-03-17T19:26:18Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Was he the one who called himself a farmer because he had a tenth of an acre of land? Nah, that’s Devin Nunes. ---
**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 17, 2020, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43730 "2020-03-17T19:27:57Z")
Kid Rock refuses to shut down his Nashville bar despite an order from the mayor. He says he’ll only shut it down if he gets an order from the governor. I’m sure it has absolutely nothing to do with the mayor being a Democrat and the governor a Republican. > **[Coronavirus shutdowns: Kid Rock's Nashville bar to remain open despite...](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/coronavirus-kid-rock-nashville-bar-remain-open-215225753.html)** > > Kid Rock's Nashville bar won't shut down after mayor's mandate — is that legal? ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43731 "2020-03-17T20:14:37Z")
Personally, I think if you go in that three story tacky-assed monstrosity, you deserve whatever you catch. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43732 "2020-03-17T20:48:00Z")
Although his party affiliation is not mentioned in the story, tell me this Kentucky Knucklehead isn’t a Republican: (CNN)A Kentucky [novel coronavirus patient](https://www.cnn.com/specials/asia/coronavirus-outbreak-intl-hnk) checked himself out of the hospital against medical advice. So to prevent him from spreading the virus, officials are [surrounding his house to keep him there](https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/16/politics/trump-administration-nationwide-curfew-coronavirus/index.html). The 53-year-old man in Nelson County refused to quarantine himself after testing positive for Covid-19, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said. Nelson County officials [“forced an isolation”](http://www.cnn.com/2020/03/17/health/coronavirus-quarantine-grocery-list-drayer-wellness/index.html) on the man, one of the first 20 confirmed Covid-19 cases in the state. > **[A coronavirus patient refused to quarantine, so deputies are surrounding his...](https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/17/us/kentucky-refused-quarantine-coronavirus-trnd/index.html)** > > A Kentucky novel coronavirus patient checked himself out of the hospital against medical advice. So to prevent him from spreading the virus, officials are surrounding his house to keep him there. ---
**Author:** ![Slight\_Off\_Hand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@Slight\_Off\_Hand](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slight_Off_Hand)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43733 "2020-03-17T20:55:35Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Kid Rock refuses to shut down his Nashville bar despite an order from the mayor. He says he’ll only shut it down if he gets an order from the governor. I’m sure it has absolutely nothing to do with the mayor being a Democrat and the governor a Republican. > [Kid Rock's Nashville bar won't shut down amid coronavirus concerns](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/coronavirus-kid-rock-nashville-bar-remain-open-215225753.html) Steve Smith, the co-owner, is the one refusing to shut down the bar. As per the linked story, Kid Rock has yet to weigh in. ---
**Author:** ![Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundane_super_hero/32/6304_2.png) [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43734 "2020-03-17T21:43:40Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Nah, that’s Devin Nunes. Moo…? ---
**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 17, 2020, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43735 "2020-03-17T22:46:29Z")
Moscow Mitch’s campaign manager [complains](https://www.kentucky.com/news/politics-government/article241231726.html) that it is “tasteless and shameful” for challenger Amy McGrath to run “negative political advertising” about Moscow Mitch (i.e. advertising describing Moscow Mitch’s record of Moscow Mitchiness) during the coronavirus epidemic. In fairness, I must note that Moscow Mitch is something of an authority on being [tasteless and shameful](https://images.dailykos.com/images/704121/story_image/McConnellGraveyard.png). ---
**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:** [March 17, 2020, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43736 "2020-03-17T23:25:00Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > Personally, I think if you go in that three story tacky-assed monstrosity, you deserve whatever you catch. Aesthetics notwithstanding, the thought of putting money directly into kidrock’s pocket has about as much appeal as changing the nuge’s saggy nam diaper. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43737 "2020-03-17T23:43:54Z")
Does anyone here speak Newtish? Can you explain this logic? > [@Newt Gingrich](#): > > A reporter asked me today why conservatives were initially so skeptical of the threat of the coronavirus. I tried to explain that one of the dangerous consequences of having a totally dishonest left wing news media was that most Americans discounted their hysteria as phony. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2020, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43738 "2020-03-18T01:39:39Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Kid Rock refuses to shut down his Nashville bar despite an order from the mayor. He says he’ll only shut it down if he gets an order from the governor. I’m sure it has absolutely nothing to do with the mayor being a Democrat and the governor a Republican. > [Kid Rock's Nashville bar won't shut down amid coronavirus concerns](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/coronavirus-kid-rock-nashville-bar-remain-open-215225753.html) > [@Steve Smith - co-owner](#): > > “We appreciate the efforts of Mayor Cooper to combat the COVID-19 virus, but unless there’s a statewide mandate that directs all bars and restaurants to be closed, the request made by Mayor Cooper is unconstitutional as he is targeting a select group of businesses,” he said in a statement. Uhm, if your argument was correct, then a mandate from the governor would be equally as unconstitutional for the same exact reason. :smack: Oh hey, after just one day Smith got so much push-back that he changed his mind. [Kid rock’s bar is closing due to coronavirus](https://www.vulture.com/2020/03/kid-rocks-bar-is-closing-due-to-coronavirus.html) ---
**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 18, 2020, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43739 "2020-03-18T01:58:47Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > If Individual-ONE were to somehow manage to cancel the election in November, his term would then end on January 20th at noon. There is no provision in the Constitution for extending the term of the President, so his legal authority would be null and void, as would be that of the Congress (as of the 3rd). It would be a Constitutional crisis, which would have to be resolved by, well, probably chaos and disorder. Or Vlad. > [@eschereal](#): > > Well, I do find > **Amendment XIV** §2 > … But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for President and Vice President of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the Executive and Judicial officers of a State, or the members of the Legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such State, being twenty-one years of age12, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion, or other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such State. > > So, while an election is not _per se_ mandated, not having one would be somewhat problematic. A state that bypasses its electorate to choose electors would theoretically lose representation in Congress. All this assumes that if Trump and/or his enablers violate the Constitution, Someone or Something will, you know, _stop_ them. So far Trump has been violating the Constitution left, right, and sideways. _ **And no one is stopping him**._ Who, exactly, is going to enforce a 14th-Amendment-related penalty (as to amount of representation in Congress) against states that abridge the right to vote for electors? Republicans have been attacking the 14th for years, anyway. So now they’re going to put themselves out to enforce it? I don’t mean to be persnickety. But all the online talk to the effect that ‘_elections will go on as usual in November because Constitution_’ are just wildly, extravagantly optimistic. The GOP will do whatever they figure they can get away with–Constitution be (figuratively or perhaps even literally) damned. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2020, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43740 "2020-03-18T12:20:46Z")
> [@jasg](#): > > Does anyone here speak Newtish? Can you explain this logic? I actually understand what he’s saying because we generally apply the same standards to Trump. We never believe what he says. The difference is that we have good reason not to and Newt and his Republican friends are just stupid. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2020, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43741 "2020-03-18T12:46:31Z")
North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest (who happens to be running against current Governor Roy Cooper in the upcoming election) says the governor [doesn’t have the authority to order restaurant closures](https://www.wral.com/lt-governor-questions-validity-of-governor-s-nc-restaurant-ban/19016721/), despite the fact that even the current occupant of the White House is telling people not to gather in groups greater than 10. ---
**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 18, 2020, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43742 "2020-03-18T13:26:07Z")
> [@WolfpackJeep](#): > > North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest (who happens to be running against current Governor Roy Cooper in the upcoming election) says the governor [doesn’t have the authority to order restaurant closures](https://www.wral.com/lt-governor-questions-validity-of-governor-s-nc-restaurant-ban/19016721/), despite the fact that even the current occupant of the White House is telling people not to gather in groups greater than 10. To be fair, the fact that Orangeanus Deploricus tells people to do something doesn’t indicate that it’s legal or constitutional – if anything, it’s a contra-indication. That said, anyone with even a passing familiarity with state police power would find Forest’s position dubious at best. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2020, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43743 "2020-03-18T15:40:21Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Duncan Hunter sentenced to eleven months in jail. > [Former California Rep. Duncan Hunter Sentenced To 11 Months In Prison In Campaign Finance Case](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/skbaer/duncan-hunter-sentencing) […]Hunter blamed the misuse of funds on his wife, who had served as his campaign manager. “Honey, I just threw you under the bus.” ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2020, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43744 "2020-03-18T16:15:04Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Although his party affiliation is not mentioned in the story, tell me this Kentucky Knucklehead isn’t a Republican: > (CNN)A Kentucky [novel coronavirus patient](https://www.cnn.com/specials/asia/coronavirus-outbreak-intl-hnk) checked himself out of the hospital against medical advice. So to prevent him from spreading the virus, officials are [surrounding his house to keep him there](https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/16/politics/trump-administration-nationwide-curfew-coronavirus/index.html). > > The 53-year-old man in Nelson County refused to quarantine himself after testing positive for Covid-19, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said. > Nelson County officials [“forced an isolation”](http://www.cnn.com/2020/03/17/health/coronavirus-quarantine-grocery-list-drayer-wellness/index.html) on the man, one of the first 20 confirmed Covid-19 cases in the state. > > [https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/17/us/kentucky-refused-quarantine-coronavirus-trnd/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/17/us/kentucky-refused-quarantine-coronavirus-trnd/index.html) I assume that this guy is going to be presented with a bill for all of this? ---
**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:** [March 18, 2020, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43745 "2020-03-18T20:35:01Z")
This is likely the most racist thing I’ve heard a Republican say since this morning: > [@](#): > > “China is to blame because the culture where people eat bats & snakes & dogs & things like that, these viruses are transmitted from the animal to the people and that’s why China has been the source of a lot of these viruses like SARS, like MERS, the Swine Flu.” > ---
**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:** [March 18, 2020, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43746 "2020-03-18T21:25:42Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > All this assumes that if Trump and/or his enablers violate the Constitution, Someone or Something will, you know, _stop_ them. > > So far Trump has been violating the Constitution left, right, and sideways. _ **And no one is stopping him**._ > > Who, exactly, is going to enforce a 14th-Amendment-related penalty (as to amount of representation in Congress) against states that abridge the right to vote for electors? Republicans have been attacking the 14th for years, anyway. So now they’re going to put themselves out to enforce it? > I don’t mean to be persnickety. But all the online talk to the effect that ‘_elections will go on as usual in November because Constitution_’ are just wildly, extravagantly optimistic. The GOP will do whatever they figure they can get away with–Constitution be (figuratively or perhaps even literally) damned. So far, people have been more or less keeping him within the lines. Of course, if he wangles some kind of excuse to stay in the WH, the SCotUS will most likely hand him a 5-4 favorable ruling. However, if the situation gets out of hand, if there is a great deal of social/economic turmoil over the next few months, the opposition could well exceed the limits of the Republican Shell Game. Right now, we are kind of in uncharted territory – no one in a position of any weight has any real memories of what the GD, or even in large part WWII, was like. If this pandemic situation leads to a lot of instability, we could see him completely lose control of the military, in which case an actual coup situation might develop, and no one can guess what would be on the other side of that. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2020, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43747 "2020-03-18T22:33:55Z")
[quote=“Defensive\_Indifference, post:43745, topic:490897”] This is likely the most racist thing I’ve heard a Republican say since this morning: > [@](#): > > “China is to blame because the culture where people eat bats & snakes & dogs & things like that, these viruses are transmitted from the animal to the people and that’s why China has been the source of a lot of these viruses like SARS, like MERS, the Swine Flu.” > > [https://twitter.com/thehill/status/1240364608390606850](https://twitter.com/thehill/status/1240364608390606850) Wow, I didn’t know that China was in the Middle East. Learn something new everyday! ---
**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 18, 2020, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/43748 "2020-03-18T22:48:03Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > I don’t know if there are enough GOP controlled state houses to pull it off, but the various states could (using Covid-19 as an excuse) cancel the presidential vote and just appoint whoever they want to be their electors. I got interested and asked the question: If 1. the presidential election was cancelled 2. the Electoral College would still meet and elect the President 3. the Governor of each state selected the EC members for that state, and 4. each Governor selected only members who would vote for his/her party’s candidate (Admittedly, a lot of shaky assumptions.) Who would win the Presidency? Answer: The Democratic candidate. While only 24 states have Democratic governors, they account for 288 EC members. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=2186) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=2188)