# 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:** 322
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/6421 "2012-08-16T15:22:49Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > After hearing her explain that 1)she doesn’t know what’s in Mitt’s tax returns and 2)there’s nothing wrong with Mitt’s tax returns and 3)releasing Mitt’s tax returns would give ammunition to his opponents, I wonder how **he** got to be the professional politician in the family. It’s Schrödinger’s Tax Returns. It can all be true simultaneously, so long as the returns are not observed. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/6422 "2012-08-16T15:39:12Z")
If there is nothing wrong with the tax returns how does that give Team Obama any ammo? Obama released his, there were no issues and Mittins got nothing from it. Somebody just opened her mouth and spilled the beans that they are hiding some big scandels. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/6423 "2012-08-16T15:42:24Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > After hearing her explain that 1)she doesn’t know what’s in Mitt’s tax returns and 2)there’s nothing wrong with Mitt’s tax returns and 3)releasing Mitt’s tax returns would give ammunition to his opponents, I wonder how **he** got to be the professional politician in the family. To be fair, (2) and (3) aren’t contradictory. IIRC, her husband’s allies have said that they expect even the most “innocent” entry in the returns to be twisted and the tiniest mistake/ambiguity inflated into a huge scandal. Now, (1) is definitely contradictory with (2). ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/6424 "2012-08-16T17:01:48Z")
I was even willing to believe they were just being willfully stubborn about the tax returns, in a “None of your business!” kind of way. But now I dunno. Better make sure that Joe Sixpack never finds out that \_\_\_\_\_. ---
**Author:** ![legalsnugs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/45deac/32.png) [@legalsnugs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/legalsnugs)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/6425 "2012-08-16T17:12:17Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > … IIRC, her husband’s allies have said that they expect even the most “innocent” entry in the returns to be twisted and the tiniest mistake/ambiguity inflated into a huge scandal… You mean like the Republicans have done with Obama’s tax returns? What? They couldn’t twist Obama’s tax return into a huge scandal, but Democrats are so underhanded and devious that they could so twist the Romneys’? Oh, suuuuuuuure. ---
**Author:** ![MacCat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maccat/32/216_2.png) [@MacCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacCat)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/6426 "2012-08-16T17:25:33Z")
> [@legalsnugs](#): > > They couldn’t twist Obama’s tax return into a huge scandal, but Democrats are so underhanded and devious that they could so twist the Romneys’? The GOPers are so much more civil than Dems, as Jon Stewart pointed out last night. > **[Stewart: 'Are Republicans Really That Blind?'](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jon-stewart-blasts-republicans-divisive-hypocrisy_n_1788870)** > > Stewart: 'Are Republicans Really That Blind?' ---
**Author:** ![BigAppleBucky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigapplebucky/32/178_2.png) [@BigAppleBucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigAppleBucky)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/6427 "2012-08-16T18:31:49Z")
> [@MacCat](#): > > The GOPers are so much more civil than Dems, as Jon Stewart pointed out last night. > > [Jon Stewart Blasts Republicans For Divisive Hypocrisy (VIDEO) | HuffPost Entertainment](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/16/jon-stewart-blasts-republicans-divisive-hypocrisy_n_1788870.html) Well worth watching. He hit it out of the park with that one. It seems the Republicans can’t deal with a tiny little bit of their own medicine. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/6428 "2012-08-16T18:40:02Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > The funny thing about Romney the WATB? [What he said about Newt Gingrich’s whining during the primaries…](http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/08/15/1120480/-Mitt-tells-himself-to-stop-whining?detail=hide) > > WARNING: Link goes to the Great Orange Satan! Engage all commie-cootie prevention protocols before clicking… To be fair, Romney was doing much of the mudslinging and very rarely was on teh receivign end of the primaries. IOW, the primaries didnt really toughen him up the way primaries usually do because he had such a money advantage that he drowned out all criticism during the primaries. > [@LavenderBlue](#): > > 😃 > > [Queen Annie tells the peasants to stop bothering her.](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/15/ann-romney-tax-returns_n_1778376.html?utm_hp_refurl=politics/) She’s almost worse than he is. Anne Romeny is approaching Theresa Heinz Kerry and Hillary Clinton levels of (un)popularity and frankly Hilalry only became that unpopular during the 96 electiopn, she did much better during the 92 election. I’m not saying she is a drag but she doesn’t help Mitt as much as Laura helped George, not by a long shot. > [@legalsnugs](#): > > You mean like the Republicans have done with Obama’s tax returns? What? They couldn’t twist Obama’s tax return into a huge scandal, but Democrats are so underhanded and devious that they could so twist the Romneys’? Oh, suuuuuuuure. To be fair, Mitt’s tax returns don’t require mudslinging to become an issue. The reason harry Reid keeps saying 10 years is because the 15% capital gains rate went into effect about 10 years ago and Mitt has probably paid less than 15% on his income the entire time. Its one thing to see a guy pay 15% on 20 million dollars one year it a different feeling to see the same guy making 20 million dollars year after year and paying less than 15% on it the entire time. It really drives home how unequitable the tax system is right now. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/6429 "2012-08-16T19:23:28Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > To be fair, Mitt’s tax returns don’t require mudslinging to become an issue. The reason harry Reid keeps saying 10 years is because the 15% capital gains rate went into effect about 10 years ago and Mitt has probably paid less than 15% on his income the entire time. Its one thing to see a guy pay 15% on 20 million dollars one year it a different feeling to see the same guy making 20 million dollars year after year and paying less than 15% on it the entire time. It really drives home how unequitable the tax system is right now. That’s it. Mitt drives people insane because he just doesn’t get that part. He pays a far lower tax rate than many people who earn much less including me. He thinks that’s fair. He thinks it’s fair to have an America where a household consisting of a nurse and a cop should pay a combined tax rate higher than someone earning hundreds of thousands of dollars more than they do. That’s a crazy delusion. I hope he loses and Obama finally has the guts and the Dem congress to raise his damned tax rate. ---
**Author:** ![MacCat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maccat/32/216_2.png) [@MacCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacCat)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/6430 "2012-08-16T19:42:27Z")
> [@LavenderBlue](#): > > He pays a far lower tax rate than many people who earn much less including me. He thinks that’s fair. I don’t know if he thinks that’s fair. They seem to dwell on it being legal. I don’t think they (Anne included) care in the slightest whether it’s fair. ---
**Author:** ![sinjin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sinjin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinjin)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/6431 "2012-08-16T21:23:30Z")
> [@Enderw24](#): > > It’s Schrödinger’s Tax Returns. > It can all be true simultaneously, so long as the returns are not observed. I like this one!🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/6432 "2012-08-16T21:39:42Z")
> [@MacCat](#): > > They seem to dwell on it being legal. And yet they get reaaaaal snippy when we want to legally change what’s legal. ---
**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:** [August 16, 2012, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/6433 "2012-08-16T21:52:41Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > And yet they get reaaaaal snippy when we want to legally change what’s legal. Because that would be hateful and divisive! And class warfare! And shit. ---
**Author:** ![Oldeb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ea666f/32.png) [@Oldeb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oldeb)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2012, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/6434 "2012-08-17T20:06:15Z")
You know what’s wrong with the Senate? [Letting people just vote for senators, that’s what!](http://articles.philly.com/2012-08-16/news/33217374_1_17th-amendment-senate-seat-senate-candidate)[Time to repeal the 17th amendment and end all this election nonsense.](http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/05/11/482815/richard-mourdock-wants-his-own-senate-race-to-be-unconstitutional/) Mourdock’s reasoning? > [@Mourdock](#): > > You know the issue of the 17th amendment is so troubling to me, our founding fathers, again those geniuses, made the point that the House of Representatives was there to represent the people. The Senate was there to represent the states. Okay, harsh for voters used to electing senators, but the state governments themselves liked the old system, right? > [@](#): > > [Between 1874 and 1912, Congress received 175 petitions from state legislatures calling for direct election of Senators. Most important, when year after year, the Senate refused to approve the proposed Seventeenth Amendment, states around the country petitioned Congress for a constitutional convention.](http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2010/11/15/176968/seventeenth-hate/) Oh. They didn’t like it either. So who does benefit from repealing the 17 amendment? > [@](#): > > The system led to rampant and blatant corruption, letting corporations and other moneyed interests effectively buy U.S. Senators Ah. People who want to buy senators at a discount price liked the old system. Well, I’m sold then. ---
**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2012, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/6435 "2012-08-17T20:06:32Z")
> [@MacCat](#): > > I don’t know if he thinks that’s fair. They seem to dwell on it being legal. I don’t think they (Anne included) care in the slightest whether it’s fair. I am pretty sure that Mitt thinks its unfair (to people like him) because he wants to cut taxes on the rich even more. ---
**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:** [August 19, 2012, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/6436 "2012-08-19T02:51:28Z")
[Geraldo claims Janet Napolitano is orchestrating a lesbian takeover of Homeland Security.](http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2012/08/17/706711/same-sex-takeover-dhs/) ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/6437 "2012-08-19T06:32:49Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > [Geraldo claims Janet Napolitano is orchestrating a lesbian takeover of Homeland Security.](http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2012/08/17/706711/same-sex-takeover-dhs/) That would be so hot ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/6438 "2012-08-19T06:41:22Z")
Yeah, I’d pay to watch. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/6439 "2012-08-19T06:49:58Z")
Janet Napolitano in lesbian porn? OK, I give. I’ll confess, I’ll sign anything you say. Just please, not that. ---
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/6440 "2012-08-19T07:49:52Z")
“Janet and the Lesbian Takeover” would make a great band name. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=321) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=323)