# Stupid Republican idea of the day
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897
**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:** 250
### Author:  [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2012, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/4981 "2012-04-01T12:46:10Z")
What? People actually \*pay \*to read that crap?
Frothymix almost finished saying “government nigger”, no reasonable doubt.
BTW, got your [“Don’t Re-Nig in 2012” bumper sticker](http://newsone.com/nation/afisher/obama-dont-renege/) yet?
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### Author:  [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2012, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/4982 "2012-04-01T12:56:11Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#):
>
> Frothymix almost finished saying “government nigger”, no reasonable doubt.
Yeah, I’m finding **Baz744** and **Kimstu** ’s arguments pretty persuasive. I had never heard that phrase before.
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### Author:  [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2012, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/4983 "2012-04-01T13:02:48Z")
> [@C3](#):
>
> Yeah, I’m finding **Baz744** and **Kimstu** ’s arguments pretty persuasive. I had never heard that phrase before.
Our society has done a pretty good job of “disappearing” phrases like that, and the original version of “eeny-meeny-miney-moe”. Maybe TOO good a job, since it allows dogwhistles like this to work when the majority of the population no longer remembers or ever knew the original versions but the crypto-racists that the dogwhistlers are courting do remember them.
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### Author:  [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2012, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/4984 "2012-04-01T15:50:39Z")
> [@septimus](#):
>
> The [Wall St. Journal](http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303816504577312361540817878.html) has taken up Santorum’s anti-education cause:
To be accurate, the Wall St. Journal has _reported_ that the California Association of Scholars, a division of the National Association of Scholars (NAS) has taken up Santorum’s anti-education clause.
And something tells me that the [National Association of Scholars](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Association_of_Scholars) is not a recent convert to the “all lib’rals are eeevil” schtick:
> [@](#):
>
> The National Association of Scholars (NAS) is a non-profit organization in the United States that opposes multiculturalism and affirmative action and seeks to counter what it considers a “liberal bias” in academia.
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### Author:  [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2012, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/4985 "2012-04-01T15:51:30Z")
> [@septimus](#):
>
> Or, perhaps readers need to first prove they’re stupid before being allowed to read the article. :dubious: )
> [@ElvisL1ves](#):
>
> What? People actually \*pay \*to read that crap?
O’m glad someone got my joke. 😉
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### Author:  [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2012, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/4986 "2012-04-01T16:23:02Z")
> [@](#):
>
> The politicization of higher education by activist professors and compliant university administrators deprives students of the opportunity to acquire knowledge and refine their minds. It also erodes the nation’s civic cohesion and its ability to preserve the institutions that undergird democracy in America.
I wonder what some of those institutions are, if colleges aren’t.
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### Author:  [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2012, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/4987 "2012-04-01T16:36:46Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#):
>
> And something tells me that the [National Association of Scholars](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Association_of_Scholars) is not a recent convert to the “all lib’rals are eeevil” schtick:
The [CAS is actually pretty upfront about their rather less than apolitical views](http://web.mac.com/calscholars/Site/Home.html):
> [@](#):
>
> The CAS works to strengthen the integrity of scholarship and teaching, persuaded that only through an informed understanding of the Western intellectual heritage and of the realities of the contemporary world can citizen and scholar be equipped to sustain our civilization’s achievements. In light of these objectives, we are deeply concerned about perspectives within the academy that reflexively denigrate the values and institutions of our society.
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### Author:  [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2012, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/4988 "2012-04-03T05:40:44Z")
The gift that keeps on giving, Rick Santorum, claimed in a speech:
[QUOTE=The frothy mixture of lube and fecal matter that is sometimes the by-product of anal sex]
I was just reading something last night from the state of California. And that the California universities – I think it’s seven or eight of the California system of universities don’t even teach an American history course. It’s not even available to be taught.
[/QUOTE]
As [numerous](http://wonkette.com/468800/rick-santorum-seven-or-eight-california-state-schools-dont-teach-american-history) sites [that can](http://www.dailycal.org/2012/04/02/santorum-california-universities-dont-teach-american-history/) actually [check on-line](http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/04/02/santorum-claims-seven-or-eight-university-of-california-campuses-dont-teach-american-history/) course listings [noted](http://thinkprogress.org/education/2012/04/02/456547/santorum-uc-american-history/?mobile=nc):
[QUOTE=Think Progress]
…of the 10 UC system schools, just one (San Francisco) doesn’t offer American history courses. But that’s because it doesn’t offer any humanities courses at all — it’s a medical school.
[/QUOTE]
The stupid is powerful in this one.
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### Author:  [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2012, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/4989 "2012-04-03T08:00:55Z")
Obviously, Rick Santorum meant the REAL American history, where great omniscient slave owning white men fought tirelessly to end slavery and to permanently mate religion with government?
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### Author:  [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2012, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/4990 "2012-04-03T10:31:57Z")
> [@rogerbox](#):
>
> Obviously, Rick Santorum meant the REAL American history, where great omniscient slave owning white men fought tirelessly to end slavery and to permanently mate religion with government?
As opposed to the one where [Mitt Romney never said any of those liberal things](http://www.theonion.com/video/romney-to-travel-back-in-time-to-kill-liberal-vers,27788/). 😉
BTW, I liked this bit about the CAS website:
> [@](#):
>
> The CAS works to strengthen the integrity of scholarship and teaching, persuaded that only **through an informed understanding** of the Western intellectual heritage and of the realities of the contemporary world can citizen and scholar be equipped to sustain our civilization’s achievements.
An “informed understanding” being “the version **we** tell you, and no other”, of course.
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### Author:  [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2012, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/4991 "2012-04-03T11:38:42Z")
> [@Gyrate](#):
>
> BTW, I liked this bit about the CAS website:An “informed understanding” being “the version **we** tell you, and no other”, of course.
Of course. It’s similar to the Catholic concept of an “informed conscience”, where “informed” means “in line with Catholic morality on all points”.
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### Author:  [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2012, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/4992 "2012-04-03T12:18:36Z")
> [@gaffa](#):
>
> The gift that keeps on giving, Rick Santorum, claimed in a speech:
>
> [QUOTE=The frothy mixture of lube and fecal matter that is sometimes the by-product of anal sex]
> I was just reading something last night from the state of California. And that the California universities – I think it’s seven or eight of the California system of universities don’t even teach an American history course. It’s not even available to be taught.
As [numerous](http://wonkette.com/468800/rick-santorum-seven-or-eight-california-state-schools-dont-teach-american-history) sites [that can](http://www.dailycal.org/2012/04/02/santorum-california-universities-dont-teach-american-history/) actually [check on-line](http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/04/02/santorum-claims-seven-or-eight-university-of-california-campuses-dont-teach-american-history/) course listings [noted](http://thinkprogress.org/education/2012/04/02/456547/santorum-uc-american-history/?mobile=nc):
[QUOTE=Think Progress]
…of the 10 UC system schools, just one (San Francisco) doesn’t offer American history courses. But that’s because it doesn’t offer any humanities courses at all — it’s a medical school.
[/QUOTE]
The stupid is powerful in this one.
[/QUOTE]
But he’s speaking from the heart.
That makes it not a lie.
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### Author:  [@gamerunknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gamerunknown)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2012, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/4993 "2012-04-03T13:10:42Z")
In regard to the Onion video:
Since when is giving tax money to large corporations a liberal policy? Is “liberal” now defined as anything the Democratic party as a whole\* supports?
- Since the other example of a liberal policy is gay marriage (which Obama doesn’t support) and there are elements of the party (read: Sanders) that opposed the bailouts.
I know it’s silly semantics to argue over an Onion video (the last bastion of truth) but if they’re parodying it, the sentiment has to be expressed elsewhere.
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### Author:  [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2012, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/4994 "2012-04-03T13:22:12Z")
> [@gaffa](#):
>
> The gift that keeps on giving, Rick Santorum, claimed in a speech:
>
> As [numerous](http://wonkette.com/468800/rick-santorum-seven-or-eight-california-state-schools-dont-teach-american-history) sites [that can](http://www.dailycal.org/2012/04/02/santorum-california-universities-dont-teach-american-history/) actually [check on-line](http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/04/02/santorum-claims-seven-or-eight-university-of-california-campuses-dont-teach-american-history/) course listings [noted](http://thinkprogress.org/education/2012/04/02/456547/santorum-uc-american-history/?mobile=nc):
>
> The stupid is powerful in this one.
Rachel Maddow was talking about this yesterday, and I wondered if he meant the Cal State system rather than the UC system. So, out of curiosity, I looked up the history catalog for [Cal State Fullerton](http://www.fullerton.edu/catalog/pdf/Depts_Finance-History.pdf#HISTORY_COURSES) and [Cal State Sacramento](http://catalog.csus.edu/current/programs/hist.html) and it appears that they do offer history courses. Who knows, though, maybe one of the other 15-odd campuses don’t. :dubious:
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2012, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/4995 "2012-04-03T14:05:56Z")
All of them do, to my knowledge. It’s part of the general education requirement for all undergraduate degrees.
Just once I’d like a reporter to call Santorum on his bullshit on an open mike.
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### Author:  [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2012, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/4996 "2012-04-03T14:40:03Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#):
>
> Rachel Maddow was talking about this yesterday, and I wondered if he meant the Cal State system rather than the UC system. So, out of curiosity, I looked up the history catalog for [Cal State Fullerton](http://www.fullerton.edu/catalog/pdf/Depts_Finance-History.pdf#HISTORY_COURSES) and [Cal State Sacramento](http://catalog.csus.edu/current/programs/hist.html) and it appears that they do offer history courses. Who knows, though, maybe one of the other 15-odd campuses don’t. :dubious:
No, she was talking about the UC system. She had a map up showing them and she mentioned several specific ones by name. In fact, UC San Francisco doesn’t have any history courses at all because it’s a medical school, but all the other schools do have US history courses.
It’s just Santorum being Santorum. He believes anything he reads by any right wing lunatic.
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### Author:  [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2012, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/4997 "2012-04-03T15:21:48Z")
My girlfriend (at the time) got a degree in American History from that bastion of radicalism, UC Berkeley. Barbara Tuchman spoke at her department’s commencement.
So: well, duh.
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### Author:  [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2012, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/4998 "2012-04-03T15:28:08Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#):
>
> It’s just Santorum being Santorum. He believes anything he reads by any right wing lunatic.
I don’t think so. I think that he IS the right wing lunatic that simply makes shit up, and then everyone else believes HIM.
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### Author:  [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2012, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/4999 "2012-04-03T16:37:34Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#):
>
> But he’s speaking from the heart.
The heart…that’s the organ _without_ synapses?
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### Author:  [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2012, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/5000 "2012-04-03T16:41:05Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#):
>
> No, she was talking about the UC system. She had a map up showing them and she mentioned several specific ones by name. In fact, UC San Francisco doesn’t have any history courses at all because it’s a medical school, but all the other schools do have US history courses.
>
> It’s just Santorum being Santorum. He believes anything he reads by any right wing lunatic.
I know what _she_ was talking about. As I said, I watched the show. I’m saying it wasn’t entirely clear what _Santorum_ was talking about, hence “he”: it could have been either the UC or CSU system. Santorum’s not from California; he may very well not know that California maintains a two-tier university system. I didn’t until somebody explained it in the GD thread about tuition inflation a few months back.
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