# 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:** 325
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/6481 "2012-08-20T22:25:15Z")
Any chance by ‘legitimate’ he meant someone who was raped (whether date-, marital-, forceable-, etc.) rather than someone who is merely claiming to have been raped in order to get around an abortion restriction? There is still plenty of room to pillory him for his asinine statement, but it’s possible that harping on the ‘legitimate’ thing is missing quality SRIotD for a misinterpreted sidetrack. ---
**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 20, 2012, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/6482 "2012-08-20T22:33:05Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Any chance by ‘legitimate’ he meant someone who was raped (whether date-, marital-, forceable-, etc.) rather than someone who is merely claiming to have been raped in order to get around an abortion restriction? > > There is still plenty of room to pillory him for his asinine statement, but it’s possible that harping on the ‘legitimate’ thing is missing quality SRIotD for a misinterpreted sidetrack. I’m sure that’s what he did mean, but so what? It suggests that many women are claiming to be raped in order to get abortions, and there’s not evidence, and hardly any need of it, since they can get an abortion whether or not they were raped. No, what it is is a bullshit rationalization for not even including an exemption in anti-abortion legislation for rape. Because, after all, the woman’s body will know it and spontaneously abort the fetus. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/6483 "2012-08-20T22:42:06Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I’m sure that’s what he did mean, but so what? It suggests that many women are claiming to be raped in order to get abortions, and there’s not evidence, and hardly any need of it, since they can get an abortion whether or not they were raped. > > No, what it is is a bullshit rationalization for not even including an exemption in anti-abortion legislation for rape. **Because, after all, the woman’s body will know it and spontaneously abort the fetus**. You’re right. The bold part is the career-ending, horrid, outrageous, repugnant part of the statement. It’s what got him front and center in the thread. The rest is standard thread-fodder. Not that that eases it, just that it’s ‘baseline’ crap. ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/6484 "2012-08-20T22:53:39Z")
Where do these guys pick up this kind of misinformation? I remember Newt Gingrich saying something about why women can’t serve in the military because they can’t be in the trenches for a month at a time (trench warfare?), and he seemed to think that a woman’s menstrual period was some kind of an infection. For someone who has known as many women as he has, you’d think he’d have more of a clue about women’s bodies. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/6485 "2012-08-20T22:55:36Z")
> [@a35362](#): > > For someone who has known as many women as he has, you’d think he’d have more of a clue about women’s bodies. Maybe that’s what they told him. “Sorry Newt, it’s that month of the year; see you in September.” ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/6486 "2012-08-20T23:08:36Z")
Darn you! Now I’ve got that tune in my head. “Bye-bye; so long; farewell…” ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/6487 "2012-08-21T02:27:30Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > In the female, the generative organ is subject to wild hormonal influences. In the male, the generative organ is discerning and rational, and can be relied upon for solid and responsible decisions. [QUOTE=Robin Williams] God gave men both a penis and a brain, but unfortunately not enough blood supply to run both at the same time. [/QUOTE] 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/6488 "2012-08-21T10:50:52Z")
> [@a35362](#): > > Where do these guys pick up this kind of misinformation? I remember Newt Gingrich saying something about why women can’t serve in the military because they can’t be in the trenches for a month at a time (trench warfare?), and he seemed to think that a woman’s menstrual period was some kind of an infection. > > For someone who has known as many women as he has, you’d think he’d have more of a clue about women’s bodies. Pro life and pro-family groups. As usual, a small group of the religious feel like ‘it’s OK to lie in the service of a greater good.’ Akin was a board member of Missouri Right To Life. They and the Susan B Anthony List (another anti abortion group) have both sent out public messages of support to Akin. The Family Research Council and their Pac support Akin and said it was a “gotcha” question. “‘God’s Little Shield’: A Short History Of The False No-Pregnancy-From-Rape Theory”: [http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/08/akin-not-the-first-a-short-history-of-the-false-no-pregnancy-from-rape-theory.php?ref=fpa](http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/08/akin-not-the-first-a-short-history-of-the-false-no-pregnancy-from-rape-theory.php?ref=fpa) ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/6489 "2012-08-21T11:08:06Z")
> [@Ca3799](#): > > Pro life and pro-family groups. As usual, a small group of the religious feel like 'it’s OK to lie in the service of a greater good. Another one they push whenever possible is, “abortion causes breast cancer”. ---
**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 21, 2012, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/6490 "2012-08-21T14:10:21Z")
Apparently they’re going to be building their entire campaign on a quote taken out of context. If by “This” they mean a vast military, the Department of Homeland Security with airport pat downs, support for church run schools while suppressing science teaching and critical thinking, Patriot Act no warrant searches, and Gitmo, what’s not to like? ---
**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:** [August 21, 2012, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/6491 "2012-08-21T14:14:21Z")
People will probably assume they mean Tampa, and laugh. ---
**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:** [August 21, 2012, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/6492 "2012-08-21T14:22:12Z")
> [@BigAppleBucky](#): > > Apparently they’re going to be building their entire campaign on a quote taken out of context. All the Dems have to do is play that Starship song a couple of times and any gravitas it may have had goes right out the window. ---
**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:** [August 21, 2012, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/6493 "2012-08-21T14:29:25Z")
Apparently they hope to achieve some sort of Pyramid Power type effect by [surrounding their candidate with the proper feng shui](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/20/us/politics/romney-campaign-works-feverishly-to-project-relaxed-image.html?_r=1): > [@](#): > > The campaign aides are determined to overcome perceptions that Mr. Romney is stiff, aloof and distant. So they have built one of the most intricate set pieces ever designed for a convention — a $2.5 million Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired theatrical stage. From its dark-wood finish to the brightly glowing high-resolution screens in the rafters that look like skylights, every aspect of the stage has been designed to convey warmth, approachability and openness. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/6494 "2012-08-21T14:31:43Z")
> [@BigAppleBucky](#): > > Apparently they’re going to be building their entire campaign on a quote taken out of context. > > If by “This” they mean a vast military, the Department of Homeland Security with airport pat downs, support for church run schools while suppressing science teaching and critical thinking, Patriot Act no warrant searches, and Gitmo, what’s not to like? It’s even easier than that for the Dems to bitchslap their slogan to hell: I see a Democratic ad campaign called “They Built This:” They Built This: (shots of neighborhoods of foreclosed homes) They Built This: (shots of war-ravaged Iraq) They Built This: (shots of Enron building and similar) Closing tagline: Does America really need them to build more of that? NOTE TO DEMOCRATIC CAMPAIGNS: You can use this, but I want credit for it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/6495 "2012-08-21T14:35:41Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > Apparently they hope to achieve some sort of Pyramid Power type effect by [surrounding their candidate with the proper feng shui](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/20/us/politics/romney-campaign-works-feverishly-to-project-relaxed-image.html?_r=1): Did the Republicans learn anything from [their last foray into multimedia image-making?](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1961604/) ---
**Author:** ![LeeshaJoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@LeeshaJoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LeeshaJoy)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/6496 "2012-08-21T14:47:39Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > All the Dems have to do is play that Starship song a couple of times and any gravitas it may have had goes right out the window. Do they even need to actually play it? Raise your hand if you _didn’t_ immediately have the song going through your head the moment you read “We Built This.” ---
**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:** [August 21, 2012, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/6497 "2012-08-21T15:00:47Z")
> [@LeeshaJoy](#): > > Do they even need to actually play it? Raise your hand if you _didn’t_ immediately have the song going through your head the moment you read “We Built This.” It’s been going through my head for like an hour and I couldn’t figure out why until just now. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/6498 "2012-08-21T15:25:11Z")
> [@LeeshaJoy](#): > > Do they even need to actually play it? Raise your hand if you _didn’t_ immediately have the song going through your head the moment you read “We Built This.” Thanks to **BigAppleBucky** I’m going to have that stupid song in my head all day. But yeah, to **Snowboarder Bo** ’s point, that slogan is easily exploitable. Let’s see if the Dems take advantage of it. ---
**Author:** ![gamerunknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6bbea6/32.png) [@gamerunknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gamerunknown)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/6499 "2012-08-21T15:30:51Z")
I’m sure the Republicans will come up with an objective test to determine whether or not a woman has a traditional foetus. > [@BigAppleBucky](#): > > “We Built This” is to be the theme of the RNC convention Storm’s a comin’. Or so I hear. We built this, our liberal attitude towards homosexuality tore it down? ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/6500 "2012-08-21T15:35:00Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > Apparently they hope to achieve some sort of Pyramid Power type effect by [surrounding their candidate with the proper feng shui](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/20/us/politics/romney-campaign-works-feverishly-to-project-relaxed-image.html?_r=1): they really need to stop trying to make Romney human. He’s not and the transparent attempts to make it so just make it worse. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=324) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=326)