# 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:** 567
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/11321 "2013-10-21T19:07:29Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > And to think that this dunderhead was one of the few acting human during the debates in the Senate, he even debunked many Republican talking points against immigration reform. So now after showing his constituency that he cared about the immigrants he is now willing to toss them under the bus just because the Republicans were dissed. I wonder if there is some GOP mandate that it’s members must take their turn saying dumb things. Maybe some sort of round-robin system and Rubio’s number was next and he has to take one for the team? And if so, I wonder if they would feed him the line or if he gets to use his creativity and come up with his own dumb line. ---
**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:** [October 21, 2013, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/11322 "2013-10-21T19:09:38Z")
> [@Death\_of\_Rats](#): > > Please God, let them nominate him for 2016. 😃 I’ll be satisfied if he just runs and lasts through most of the debates. He will pull all the rest of the candidates into the “Severely Conservative!” trap Romney fell into. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/11323 "2013-10-21T21:39:43Z")
> [@Death\_of\_Rats](#): > > Fortunately, Sen. Ted “The Crazy Canuck” Cruz Heh, on the Ed Show (MSNBC) right now, they have a graphic of him in a Mountie uniform, with the caption, “Teddy Do-Wrong,” an homage to Dudley Do-Right on the old Bullwinkle show. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/11324 "2013-10-21T21:52:01Z")
And then there’s this business about wanting to get rid of the 17th Amendment so as to prevent people from electing senators. [Talk of repealing 17th Amendment invades lieutenant governor race](http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/article/Talk-of-repealing-17th-Amendment-invades-4901939.php?cmpid=btfpm&t=a211fb87aefff79964) ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/11325 "2013-10-21T23:27:28Z")
Anti-17th Amendment gabble has been a staple of certain elements of the right for a long time. Weird how they hate strong central governments…but want to give more power to strong central state governments. I’ve heard several of these people argue that the 17th transformed America: we’re no longer a Republic, we’re now a Strict Democracy. Well, no, that’s wrong, and also stupid. All we did was remove one level of representation. Senators now represent us, and no longer represent our representatives in the state house. These are the people who are in favor of activist judges…when the judges rule their way…and opposed to activist judges…when the judges rule against them. They are in favor of majority rights of the citizens…when that majority favors them…and against it…when it doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/11326 "2013-10-22T00:04:55Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > Anti-17th Amendment gabble has been a staple of certain elements of the right for a long time. Weird how they hate strong central governments…but want to give more power to strong central state governments. Well, they can’t gerrymander the Senate without changing the state lines. Next best thing is to gerrymander the districts within a state, then have the representatives of those districts elect the senators. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/11327 "2013-10-22T00:59:04Z")
I believe **Robot Arm** has a reasonable hypothesis in regards to senatorial elections. Gerrymandering appears to have become a preferred electoral strategy for the GOP. One can only hope that such manipulations will eventually backfire. But, district apportionment is a complex issue, and one person’s gerrymandered district is another’s properly distributed slice of the electorate. In the end, it all depends upon whose ox is being gored. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/11328 "2013-10-22T01:49:48Z")
> [@Gagundathar](#): > > One can only hope that such manipulations will eventually backfire. Sam Wang’s analysis is interesting. He points out that in order to gerrymander, you end up consolidating your opponents’ supporters into safe districts and spreading your own supporters out more thinly. And apparently Republicans included independents as de facto Republicans. That’s smart, until it isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/11329 "2013-10-22T04:46:55Z")
> [@Gagundathar](#): > > … In the end, it all depends upon whose ox is being gored. Sure, democracy is sloppy, can’t hardly be any other way. Say the state of Missisaw has 16 representatives and 10 million people. If the election breaks such that the Republicorns get ten thousand more votes than the Demitasse Party, _maybe_ theres an uneven break, maybe nine to seven. But under the same numbers, no way the Republicorns end up with a twelve to four advantage. The machinery of manifesting the popular will should not be allowed to overwhelm the popular will. That ensuckens dead donkey balls. ---
**Author:** ![DrumBum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e79b87/32.png) [@DrumBum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrumBum)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/11330 "2013-10-22T12:30:48Z")
A Texas politician has a new spin on the topic of secession. His idea is to [expel blue states](http://www.usatoday.com/story/onpolitics/2013/10/11/jerry-patterson-texas-liberal-states-secede/2966519/) from the US. > [@](#): > > “I’m in favor of expulsion,” Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson told the Associated Press. “New York, California — and there’s some good people in New York and California — but their legislatures’ aren’t representing them.” I’m sure there are many good people in Texas that are not being represented by their legislators but this evidently does not trouble him. The article also says Mr. Patterson never leaves home without .22 pistol in his boot. There has got to be a “shot himself in the foot” joke somewhere. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/11331 "2013-10-22T15:01:20Z")
[Class action lawsuit against homosexuality](http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/10/18/tea-party-leader-proposes-class-action-lawsuit-against-homosexuality/) anyone? ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/11332 "2013-10-22T18:24:56Z")
> [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](#): > > [Class action lawsuit against homosexuality](http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/10/18/tea-party-leader-proposes-class-action-lawsuit-against-homosexuality/) anyone? Pssst: [Post #11283](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=16771035&postcount=11283). (Different link, same story.) ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/11333 "2013-10-22T18:49:34Z")
Yep. Manufacturers of teh gay should be held accountable. Or, cut right to the chase - file a suit against AIDS. ---
**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:** [October 22, 2013, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/11334 "2013-10-22T19:06:21Z")
> [@bup](#): > > Yep. Manufacturers of teh gay should be held accountable. > > Or, cut right to the chase - file a suit against AIDS. Oh, who to sue, who to sue … ? The eternal American question. I would sue the doctora for allowing gay people with AIDS to keep living. Big Pharma for the same, and for not producing a vaccine. The defense industry for not developing Gaydar. The police for not arresting gays Shit, may as well sue God as well, for the deign flaw. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/11335 "2013-10-22T20:09:26Z")
nnn ---
**Author:** ![enomaj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/59ef9b/32.png) [@enomaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enomaj)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/11336 "2013-10-22T20:23:03Z")
> **[Is the Republican party's effort to win black voters just skin-deep? |...](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/18/republican-party-minority-voters-skindeep)** > > Crystal Wright: After Romney's loss in 2012, the RNC made great play of wooing minorities. Erika Harold exposes how thin that commitment is Erika Harold, Black Republican, being stonewalled because she’s running against an incumbent. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/11337 "2013-10-22T20:40:20Z")
> [@enomaj](#): > > [Is the Republican party's effort to win black voters just skin-deep? | Crystal Wright | The Guardian](http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/18/republican-party-minority-voters-skindeep) > > Erika Harold, Black Republican, being stonewalled **because she’s running against an incumbent.** Emphasis added. Since the party gave some discretion to release database records to those challenging the incumbent, I’d like to know how often they exercised that discretion—or if this is much more of a ‘what the fuck are you doing, challenging the incumbent?’ and less ‘what the fuck are you doing, being black?’. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/11338 "2013-10-22T21:23:37Z")
> [@Knorf](#): > > Where’s William Shatner when you need him? Are you saying that Palin is actually an alien chick that Captain Kirk needs to bone in order to keep her from exploding with pent-up sexual desires? Because if so, I would totally believe that! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/11339 "2013-10-22T21:25:38Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > You got this backwards. Put her in a swimsuit but render her unable to speak. Ball gag. It’s the only way … ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/11340 "2013-10-22T21:37:53Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > Ball gag. It’s the only way … [Deja](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=13880267&postcount=24) [vu.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=13880277&postcount=26) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=566) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=568)