# 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:** 26
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/501 "2009-07-17T16:07:59Z")
[RNC pulls game selling offensive items](http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/25069.html#ixzz0LWLGlgVs) > [@](#): > > A Republican National Committee online game that challenges players to spend trillions of dollars was taken down today after reports that it offered some objectionable items for sale – including sexually explicit, anti-Semitic and anti-Latino items. > … > Searching for something for your Jewish grandmother? Type in the word “Jew” and you’ll find the book “The Jews and Their Lies” for sale right next to “Cool Jew: The Ultimate Guide for Every Member of the Tribe.” > > Interested in reading about Latinos? A search on the website turns up “The Latino Threat” or, for something less ominous, “Latino Talent.” > > Read more: [http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/25069.html#ixzz0LX8Ohzuc](http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/25069.html#ixzz0LX8Ohzuc) > … > RNC spokeswoman Gail Gitcho said the website pulls its inventory from [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com), but developers didn’t realize that Amazon stocked potentially offensive items. ---
**Author:** ![Ichini\_Sanshigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/d9b06d/32.png) [@Ichini\_Sanshigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichini_Sanshigo)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/502 "2009-07-17T16:17:12Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > [RNC pulls game selling offensive items](http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/25069.html#ixzz0LWLGlgVs) Seriously? Okay, no way is this genuine. Someone has got to be trolling the RNC from the inside. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/503 "2009-07-17T16:25:16Z")
So _that’s_ why they had all those gay book titles pulled from Amazon listings. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/504 "2009-07-17T16:33:43Z")
He is, unfortunately, one of ours, but I think Zell Miller’s philosophy is closer to the Republicans, so… [Obama Needs “Gorilla Glue” Says Zell Miller](http://www.wsbtv.com/politics/20084894/detail.html) > [@](#): > > Former U.S. Sen. Zell Miller criticized President Barack Obama’s recent travels overseas, telling a group of mostly Republican lawmakers Thursday that the White House Chief of Staff needs to put “Gorilla Glue” on Obama’s chair to keep him in the Oval Office. > > “Our globe-trotting president needs to stop and take a break and quit gallivanting around,” said Miller, a Democrat well known for zinging his own party. I’m one of the few over on Daily Kos who apparently aren’t seeing this as a racist thing, even if it is, regardless, stupid. Gorilla Glue is a brand name of a fairly popular and reputedly very strong glue. I don’t necessarily think it’s a racist dogwhistle. Also, “globetrotting” meant something before the exhibition basketball team was organized. It doesn’t necessarily refer to the Harlem Globetrotters. However, I’m very much in the minority over at DKos. Does this senile rant by Miller necessarily HAVE to be interpreted racially? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/505 "2009-07-17T16:48:06Z")
We _are_ talking about the same Zell Miller who was Lester Maddox’ lieutenant governor, right? ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/506 "2009-07-17T16:50:37Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > However, I’m very much in the minority over at DKos. Does this senile rant by Miller necessarily HAVE to be interpreted racially? Yup. Anyone in this day and age who doesn’t see why those terms would be racially offensive is so willfully blind as to be by default a racist. I very much doubt that ol’ Zell, given his age and background, is anything but a fossilized relic of a time when such thoughts were mainstream and just fine. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/507 "2009-07-17T16:55:10Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > Yup. Anyone in this day and age who doesn’t see why those terms would be racially offensive is so willfully blind as to be by default a racist. I very much doubt that ol’ Zell, given his age and background, is anything but a fossilized relic of a time when such thoughts were mainstream and just fine. Really? Do you really think that I am, by default, a racist because I can see that both of those terms have legitimate and arguably overwhelming utility outside of a racist context? You know me, at least my board persona, **ETF** …do I sound like a racist in any normal context? ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/508 "2009-07-17T16:59:02Z")
I can see how it might be taken as racist, as I would have just used superglue in that context instead of a brand name, but I don’t think it necessarily is. ---
**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/509 "2009-07-17T17:01:24Z")
Another day, another asshat Republican Congressman. This one actually argued that President Obama’s mother would have probably aborted him if only abortions were paid for by the US government. [http://thinkprogress.org/2009/07/17/tiahrt-abortion-obama/](http://thinkprogress.org/2009/07/17/tiahrt-abortion-obama/) I don’t know which is more offensive: That statement or the later one that talked about the brilliant mind of Clarence Thomas. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/510 "2009-07-17T17:02:52Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > Yup. Anyone in this day and age who doesn’t see why those terms would be racially offensive is so willfully blind as to be by default a racist. I very much doubt that ol’ Zell, given his age and background, is anything but a fossilized relic of a time when such thoughts were mainstream and just fine. Miller is a bit confusing. He was a wholehearted segregationist in the sixties, but has spoken against segregation and Jim Crow many times since. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/511 "2009-07-17T17:04:00Z")
I don’t think we should assume any racist intent in the Zell Miller remarks. I never even would have made the connection between “globe-trotting,” and the Harlem Globetrotters if I hadn’t seen anyone else do it, and I give him the benefit of the doubt on “gorilla glue.” I don’t like it when Republicans selectively misinterpret things as being intentionally offensive ( remember “lipstick on a pig?”), and it’s just as bad for liberals to do it. Let’s not be so niggardly about giving others the benefit of the doubt. That exposes a big chink in our armor. Lets clean it up, and make that armor spic and span. I’m going to go eat some crackers. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/512 "2009-07-17T17:06:02Z")
> [@Frostillicus](#): > > Another day, another asshat Republican Congressman. This one actually argued that President Obama’s mother would have probably aborted him if only abortions were paid for by the US government. > > [http://thinkprogress.org/2009/07/17/tiahrt-abortion-obama/](http://thinkprogress.org/2009/07/17/tiahrt-abortion-obama/) > I don’t know which is more offensive: That statement or the later one that talked about the brilliant mind of Clarence Thomas. _Holy shit._ ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/513 "2009-07-17T17:07:14Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Really? Do you really think that I am, by default, a racist because I can see that both of those terms have legitimate and arguably overwhelming utility outside of a racist context? You know me, at least my board persona, **ETF** …do I sound like a racist in any normal context? No, you’re not, from what I know of you. And I wouldn’t expect you ever to use those terms the way Miller did, precisely because you’re not a racist. Although you can see the nonracist usage of those words, you’re sufficiently aware of their racist connotations\*\* in the pertinent context\*\* that you would never have employed them the way Zell did. From what I know of Zell Miller, for damn sure he is. Although I’ll give him the “globetrotting” – I agree that it’s a silly stretch to call that racist. The “Gorilla Glue”, though – nope, that doesn’t pass the sniff test. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/514 "2009-07-17T17:34:47Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I don’t like it when Republicans selectively misinterpret things as being intentionally offensive ( remember “lipstick on a pig?”), and it’s just as bad for liberals to do it. The funny thing is, if you analyze the metaphor, Obama was calling Palin the lipstick on the pig of McCain’s campaign. It’s almost a compliment, if you squint. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/515 "2009-07-17T17:55:35Z")
> [@Captain\_Carrot](#): > > The funny thing is, if you analyze the metaphor, Obama was calling Palin the lipstick on the pig of McCain’s campaign. It’s almost a compliment, if you squint. I think “lipstick on a pig” referred to some part of Hil’s campaign. I don’t think “Gorilla Glue” was racist, and it never even occurred to me about “globetrotting.” Check back when Zell talks about Obama skizzin’ like fried chicken in a skillet cause the new saggin’ deuces done come out. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/516 "2009-07-17T18:13:18Z")
> [@bup](#): > > I think “lipstick on a pig” referred to some part of Hil’s campaign. No, that was definitely a jab at Palin (although, as has been pointed out, she WAS the lipstick and the Republican Party was the pig) because the McCain campaign was the one doing the squealing afterward. ---
**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:** [July 17, 2009, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/517 "2009-07-17T18:28:23Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > However, I’m very much in the minority over at DKos. Does this senile rant by Miller necessarily HAVE to be interpreted racially? Add me to the chorus who don’t see this as a racist remark. The “globe trotting” link is pretty weak. And Gorilla Glue is a popular, super-duper strength glue with a cool name. Zell Miller may be a nut, but I don’t think this is a dogwhistle. Kind of a dumb statement on its own terms, though. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/518 "2009-07-17T18:47:04Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > I can see how it might be taken as racist, as I would have just used superglue in that context instead of a brand name, but I don’t think it necessarily is. Superglue doesn’t hold large things like Gorilla Glue does. Gorilla Glue has more body. It’s like Elmer’s, but strong. Think ‘Glue. Strong stuff.’ from the Blues Brothers. (Second Blues Brothers quote today! Woo!) I’m voting Zell as a moron, not a racist insofar as this. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/519 "2009-07-17T19:49:16Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > Yup. Anyone in this day and age who doesn’t see why those terms would be racially offensive is so willfully blind as to be by default a racist. I very much doubt that ol’ Zell, given his age and background, is anything but a fossilized relic of a time when such thoughts were mainstream and just fine. Bullshit. Given that “globetrotting” is a quite often used descriptor for the sort of out-of-country diplomatic work the President is doing, using that descriptor cannot possibly be seen as intentionally racist by anyone other than someone who always casts things in terms of race, regardless of context. And Gorilla Glue is also a well-known adhesive so jumping to the conclusion that Zell meant to imply the President is a “gorilla”, specifically to make a disparaging reference to his putative “race,” is more of the same. Gets quite tiring after a while. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/520 "2009-07-17T19:51:04Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Let’s not be so niggardly about giving others the benefit of the doubt. That exposes a big chink in our armor. Lets clean it up, and make that armor spic and span. I’m going to go eat some crackers. 😃 Priceless!!! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=25) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=27)