# 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:** 617
**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:** [January 9, 2014, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/12321 "2014-01-09T02:07:24Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > To be more precise, the shutdown was meant to “punish” Mark Sokolich, the _Democratic_ mayor of Fort Lee, for endorsing the _Democratic_ candidate for governor. > > Even accepting that this was a rational motive, how in the world did they think that this shutdown would hurt _Sokolich_ in any way at all? What harm did he suffer? It’s not a rational thing. Sokolich didn’t endorse Christie, therefore Sokolich’s entire city had to pay. It’s a bully mentality that says, “You don’t scratch my back, I’m gonna stick a knife in yours.” ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/12322 "2014-01-09T02:23:20Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > To be more precise, the shutdown was meant to “punish” Mark Sokolich, the _Democratic_ mayor of Fort Lee, for endorsing the _Democratic_ candidate for governor. > > Even accepting that this was a rational motive, how in the world did they think that this shutdown would hurt _Sokolich_ in any way at all? What harm did he suffer? This is why I would have never guessed this traffic-retribution accusation was actually true. I need to stop underestimating the pettiness of politicians. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/12323 "2014-01-09T03:04:06Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Yeah, politicians will force NASA to finish a structure it doesn’t need, and turn right around and slash NASA’s budget 'cause who needs stupid space stuff? “If ‘pro’ is the opposite of ‘con,’ and ‘progress’ means ‘to go forward’ . . .” ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/12324 "2014-01-09T03:12:02Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > [Stupid Tea Party Idea of the Day:](http://samuel-warde.com/2014/01/tea-party-patriots-planning-revolution/) Some kind of revolution that seems to involve “patriots” gathering in D.C. on May 16 and . . . hanging around until the government falls. 😕 They will need lots of generators to keep all those Hoverounds charged. It’s not like charging your iPad in Starbucks. And then there are all those colostomy bags… ---
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/12325 "2014-01-09T03:12:16Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > “If ‘pro’ is the opposite of ‘con,’ and ‘progress’ means ‘to go forward’ . . .” …then what is the average airspeed velocity of a coconut-laden swallow? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/12326 "2014-01-09T03:20:51Z")
Roughly thirty three feet per second as it plunges to its doom. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/12327 "2014-01-09T03:23:33Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/x8hGIF9FljM/hqdefault.jpg "North Dakota Weather Alert! Stay Inside") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8hGIF9FljM) North Dakota weatherman broadcasting from a reservation… ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/12328 "2014-01-09T03:27:05Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8hGIF9FljM](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8hGIF9FljM) > > North Dakota weatherman broadcasting from a reservation… I think he went off the reservation. ---
**Author:** ![SeldomSeen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@SeldomSeen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeldomSeen)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/12329 "2014-01-09T03:35:30Z")
Quote: > [@](#): > > Originally Posted by **BrainGlutton** > “If ‘pro’ is the opposite of ‘con,’ and ‘progress’ means ‘to go forward’ . . .” > [@Punoqllads](#): > > …then what is the average airspeed velocity of a coconut-laden swallow? Well…You put the lime in the coconut and drink it all up… ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/12330 "2014-01-09T03:45:25Z")
> [@SeldomSeen](#): > > Quote: > > Well…You put the lime in the coconut and drink it all up… And then you call the House to order! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/12331 "2014-01-09T04:20:48Z")
> [@SeldomSeen](#): > > Quote: > > Well…You put the lime in the coconut and drink it all up… Anybody here seen the fuzzy wuzzy loving cup explosion? ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/12332 "2014-01-09T04:42:10Z")
ETA: I think we missed it. ETAA: Though I think the correct response is “dum, dum, dum, dah.” > [@elucidator](#): > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8hGIF9FljM](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8hGIF9FljM) I followed the link there to “Ruben Campbell Interviewed at The SETAI Hotel in Miami Beach.” I love Latin American TV, but if there was some guy named Ruben in it I didn’t notice him. (NSFW or you if you play it in front of your wife.) ---
**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:** [January 9, 2014, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/12333 "2014-01-09T10:26:38Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > Sooo… you’re not angry that he did it, just that he didn’t keep you in the loop. _That’s_ the really fucked up bit that makes you angry and sad. Got it. Also by my count that’s no less than four denials of knowledge in two sentences. Doth the lady yadayada or what ? I jokingly wrote (somewhere else) that Christie was going to go with “I’m angry about this thing that my senior staffers did that I knew nothing about that involved shutting down the freaking GWB because at the time I was in a cave on Mars with my fingers in my ears singing LA LA LA I CAN’T HEAR YOU”, but damned if he didn’t go and say something even more ludicrous. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/12334 "2014-01-09T17:58:15Z")
> [@Mr.Miskatonic](#): > > Rush Limbaugh [pwned by a funny TV weatherman](http://www.salon.com/2014/01/08/stuff_it_limbaugh_al_roker_proves_that_the_polar_vortex_is_real/) “Polar Vortex” . . . “Polar Vortex” . . . Sorry, I’m blanking; is that a Marvel or a DC character? Or, a gay bar in Saskatoon? ---
**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:** [January 9, 2014, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/12335 "2014-01-09T18:26:19Z")
I am ASTOUNDED by the stupidity of the whole mess that Chris Christie is rolling in today. If this is indicative of the way Christie does things, the Democrats have nothing to fear from him in 2016. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/12336 "2014-01-09T18:44:45Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > I am ASTOUNDED by the stupidity of the whole mess that Chris Christie is rolling in today. If this is indicative of the way Christie does things, the Democrats have nothing to fear from him in 2016. So far, he has plausible deniability. Plus, outside a few pockets—and given a year±–this will be that thing he did a while ago that caused a traffic jam or something. ---
**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:** [January 9, 2014, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/12337 "2014-01-09T18:50:33Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > So far, he has plausible deniability. I’m not sure it is all that plausible. Supposedly, the motivation for this was because the mayor of Fort Lee refused to endorse Christie. So why would someone on his staff retaliate and not tell Christie? If someone insulted your boss, would you take revenge and then not tell the boss? Either Christie felt slighted and ordered this, or the chief of staff did it to curry favor with him. But as a wise man once said, the entire point is lost if you keep it a secret. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/12338 "2014-01-09T18:53:12Z")
Didn’t know anything about it, didn’t hear so much as a peep in his Fortress of Corpulent Solitude. Uh huh. Sure. Hugh Betcha. ---
**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:** [January 9, 2014, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/12339 "2014-01-09T18:59:07Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I’m not sure it is all that plausible. Supposedly, the motivation for this was because the mayor of Fort Lee refused to endorse Christie. So why would someone on his staff retaliate and not tell Christie? If someone insulted your boss, would you take revenge and then not tell the boss? Either Christie felt slighted and ordered this, or the chief of staff did it to curry favor with him. But as a wise man once said, the entire point is lost if you keep it a secret. I wouldn’t say it’s _im_plausible. Maybe the chief of staff thought he had some kind of deal with the mayor, and took it personally when the mayor endorsed Buono (sp?) ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/12340 "2014-01-09T19:07:58Z")
Oh, sure, but that’s the essence of plausible deniability (even if it stretches ‘pluasible’). Remember also, I was responding to the prediction that this could sink him, and that I was looking at this as an isolated peek behind the curtains. I don’t doubt that he was aware of things, but here’s how it could (_could_) play out. Christie to x: Look, you know the press has your name, and you know you’re fucked. Whatever happens to you is going to happen whether or not you point fingers. You wanna fuck with me too? You think dropping my name is going to get you anywhere? Are you willing to bet my boot up your ass that it’ll definitely sink me? Or you can shut the fuck up, take the fall, and someone will take care of you in the long run. You have anything that links me directly to this you fucking burn it. Christi to a questioning reporter: I dismissed the people who took those reprehensible actions. They were acting on their own, without my authorization or knowledge. I don’t know why they did what they did; I fired them as soon as it became clear to me that they were abusing their authority. The good people of Iowa can take it as a sign of how I’ll restore honor and integrity to the White House. Next question. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=616) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=618)