# 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:** 747
**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:** [May 29, 2014, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/14921 "2014-05-29T17:18:41Z")
> [@](#): > > Remember, kids: Leadership that blows off warnings before your capital and metropolis get attacked is strong; leadership that gives the guy responsible some high-velocity lead poisoning is weak! In fairness, he’s only counting from when he ripped the heart from a 12 year old girl’s chest to replace his own. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/14922 "2014-05-29T17:24:46Z")
Is that why he has been recently spotted wearing a “Team Edward” T-shirt? ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/14923 "2014-05-29T19:19:43Z")
Somewhat random, but it made me laugh (and I wish I’d stopped for a picture) Latest crop of election signs on the corner contains one that reads: \*\*BARRON FOR CORONER [COLOR=“Red”]Saving Lives[/COLOR] \*\* Yes, of course he’s a Republican, this _is_ South Carolina after all… ---
**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:** [May 29, 2014, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/14924 "2014-05-29T20:03:11Z")
Taking that Pro-Life stance seriously ---
**Author:** ![John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_stamos_left_ear/32/3198_2.png) [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Stamos_Left_Ear)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/14925 "2014-05-29T20:33:09Z")
Ok please please please please please post a picture of that sign. ---
**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:** [May 29, 2014, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/14926 "2014-05-29T20:47:55Z")
> [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](#): > > Ok please please please please please post a picture of that sign. Here’s his [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/CoronerBarron?hc_location=timeline) page. ---
**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:** [May 29, 2014, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/14927 "2014-05-29T20:55:31Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Here’s his [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/CoronerBarron?hc_location=timeline) page. [Screenshot.](http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w197/runnerpat/BarronCoroner_zps9b9c46ac.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/14928 "2014-05-29T21:04:56Z")
Well, the sign I saw was a bit different than this but hey, it’s the best I can do on short notice 😃 > **[South Carolina coroner candidate runs on platform of ‘saving lives’](https://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/south-carolina-coroner-candidate-runs-platform-saving-lives-180746304.html)** > > It's not unusual for a politician to make promises and then fail to deliver on them. But one local candidate in Lexington, South Carolina, appears to have put a new spin on hyperbole. Frank Barron is running to be Lexington's coroner, an elected... ---
**Author:** ![hotflungwok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@hotflungwok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hotflungwok)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/14929 "2014-05-29T21:15:47Z")
That just means he’s admitting that he’s really bad at being a coroner. Seriously, surgery on dead people. What the worst thing that can happen? “It was awful honey, today I gained one on the table.” ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/14930 "2014-05-29T21:20:27Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > “Former Vice President Dick Cheney blasted President Obama as the weakest president of his lifetime on Wednesday” Actually, I think “weakest” as far as Cheney is concerned just means “least likely to take advice from Dick Cheney”. ---
**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:** [May 29, 2014, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/14931 "2014-05-29T21:45:02Z")
> [@saje](#): > > Somewhat random, but it made me laugh (and I wish I’d stopped for a picture) > > Latest crop of election signs on the corner contains one that reads: > > \*\*BARRON FOR CORONER > [COLOR=“Red”]Saving Lives[/COLOR] > \*\* > > Yes, of course he’s a Republican, this _is_ South Carolina after all… Coroner is one of the positions that should not be subject to election, IMO. Too technical for lay voters to determine which person might do the best job. In NY I believe it’s a civil service position, but when I lived in Wisconsin I used to write in Ed Gein. You could say he had experience carving up bodies. > **[Ed Gein](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Gein)** > > This is an accepted version of this page > > > Edward Theodore Gein (/ɡiːn/ GEEN; August 27, 1906 – July 26, 1984), also known as the Butcher of Plainfield or the Plainfield Ghoul, was an American murderer, suspected serial killer and body snatcher. Gein's crimes, committed around his hometown of Plainfield, Wisconsin, gathered widespread notoriety in 1957 after authorities discovered that he had exhumed corpses from local graveyards and fashioned keepsakes from their bones and skin. He also confes... ---
**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:** [May 29, 2014, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/14932 "2014-05-29T21:50:27Z")
> [@BigAppleBucky](#): > > Coroner is one of the positions that should not be subject to election, IMO. Too technical for lay voters to determine which person might do the best job. > > In NY I believe it’s a civil service position, but when I lived in Wisconsin I used to write in Ed Gein. You could say he had experience carving up bodies. > > [Ed Gein - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Gein) But wouldn’t it be a conflict of interest if he’s a supplier? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Greenjeans](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.greenjeans/32/551_2.png) [@Mr.Greenjeans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Greenjeans)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/14933 "2014-05-29T22:15:22Z")
It would make it easy to determine the cause of death. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/14934 "2014-05-29T23:09:34Z")
> [@BigAppleBucky](#): > > Coroner is one of the positions that should not be subject to election, IMO. Too technical for lay voters to determine which person might do the best job. Eh. Plenty of people are too dumb, ill-informed, partisan or insane to determine which person might do the best job as mayor, sheriff, head of school board, President or blackboard monitor too. They still get to vote on it. Beautiful curse of democracy. ---
**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:** [May 29, 2014, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/14935 "2014-05-29T23:38:11Z")
The American Family Association has [a snit fit](http://afa.net/Detail.aspx?id=2147546163) over the issuance of a Harvey Milk stamp, and they ain’t gonna take it lying down. To The Batshitmobile! > [@](#): > > What you can do… > > 1. Refuse to accept the Harvey Milk stamp if offered by your local post office. Instead, ask for a stamp of the United States flag. > > 2. Refuse to accept mail at your home or business if it is postmarked with the Harvey Milk stamp. Simply write 'Return to Sender" on the envelope and tell your postman you won’t accept it. Good news if you owe money to one of these doofi or otherwise have some obligation to send them some object or communication when you’d rather not… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/14936 "2014-05-30T00:39:19Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > Eh. Plenty of people are too dumb, ill-informed, partisan or insane to determine which person might do the best job as mayor, sheriff, head of school board, President or blackboard monitor too. They still get to vote on it. Beautiful curse of democracy. OK, let’s accept that it’s an elected position…but is there any reason why it should be a partisan election? “Frank Barron … Republican for Coroner” – makes as much sense as Republican for Dogcatcher. ---
**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:** [May 30, 2014, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/14937 "2014-05-30T00:51:09Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > OK, let’s accept that it’s an elected position…but is there any reason why it should be a partisan election? “Frank Barron … Republican for Coroner” – makes as much sense as Republican for Dogcatcher. Purebred dogs will be returned to their owners. Mongrels will meet the fate they deserve. ---
**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:** [May 30, 2014, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/14938 "2014-05-30T00:57:06Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > OK, let’s accept that it’s an elected position…but is there any reason why it should be a partisan election? “Frank Barron … Republican for Coroner” – makes as much sense as Republican for Dogcatcher. Well, if a position involves science, do you want the current crop of Republicans do be in charge of it? I’m not sure I do. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/14939 "2014-05-30T01:13:13Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > OK, let’s accept that it’s an elected position…but is there any reason why it should be a partisan election? “Frank Barron … Republican for Coroner” – makes as much sense as Republican for Dogcatcher. Why should any election be partisan ? He thinks it’ll net him more votes than it’ll cost him. He might be right about that, too, in these head-desk-interface-promoting times in American politics and social discourse. It’s not stupid anyway. Cynical as hell ? Sure. Then again, you ever met an idealistic mortician ? 🙂 ---
**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:** [May 30, 2014, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/14940 "2014-05-30T02:12:28Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > Why should any election be partisan ? He thinks it’ll net him more votes than it’ll cost him. He might be right about that, too, in these head-desk-interface-promoting times in American politics and social discourse. It’s not stupid anyway. Cynical as hell ? Sure. Political parties make sense for those positions that have a role in setting policy. I may not agree with a party, or with the battle lines that are drawn between the two (major) parties, but the concept makes sense. Voters want to know what policies the candidate will enact if he’s elected. I don’t know what policies a coroner can enact, though. Is there a specifically Republican way of handling a dead body[sup]\*[/sup], or does the job of coroner have aspects beyond just the best practices of handling, examining, and accounting for the dead? - Don’t go there. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=746) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=748)