# 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:** 759
**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:** [June 11, 2014, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/15161 "2014-06-11T16:51:10Z")
> [@](#): > > No one who wants votes is willing to call a spade a spade. > [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > … I know the saying predates the slur, but in this context, it’s about as tone deaf as it’s possible to be. I must disagree. Reasonable minds may differ, but IMO saying it’s ok to stone gays to death is considerably _more_ tone deaf than “calling a spade a spade.” ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/15162 "2014-06-11T16:55:28Z")
No, I think Esk hears the tone perfectly well. ---
**Author:** ![Askthepizzaguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askthepizzaguy/32/9405_2.png) [@Askthepizzaguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askthepizzaguy)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/15163 "2014-06-11T17:19:16Z")
To be fair, my life is pathetic. I enjoy words like teanderthal. There’s just something about the revolutionary “new” idea that cutting spending on social programs and cutting taxes even more will make everything all better that just forces uncontrollable laughter out of me. You can watch these principles at work at the local level. What happens to communities already experiencing economic hardships, high unemployment, and require assistance, who suddenly stop getting such assistance? Magic, of course. Housing prices skyrocket, jobs are created everywhere, and businesses on the brink of collapse suddenly find themselves with tons of new customers who can afford their products. It’s true, it actually happened this one time. It works in Sim City. Just lower all taxes to zero and cut all services, and watch your community blossom. Roads fall into disrepair, schools no longer have students graduating, crime goes unchecked, fires rage, and you get a bunch of factory workers with poor health who die at 35, with an IQ of 35. Welcome to Republicantown, the freest place on earth. You’ll definitely have jobs! All the McDonald’s, coal plants, and paper factories you could ever want, as far as the eye can see. What’s really funny is these folks are so scared of turning us into China, that they endorse policies that turn us into China. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/15164 "2014-06-11T17:21:06Z")
> [@andros](#): > > No, I think Esk hears the tone perfectly well. Exactly. By “tone deaf” I mean saying something that you have no idea is incredibly offensive. There’s no question that what Esk said was more offensive, but it wasn’t tone deaf at all. ---
**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:** [June 11, 2014, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/15165 "2014-06-11T17:32:04Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > Exactly. By “tone deaf” I mean saying something that you have no idea is incredibly offensive. There’s no question that what Esk said was more offensive, but it wasn’t tone deaf at all. After you’ve just said it’s tone deaf, it’s now not tone deaf? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/15166 "2014-06-11T17:51:30Z")
> [@Askthepizzaguy](#): > > It works in Sim City. Just lower all taxes to zero and cut all services, and watch your community blossom. Roads fall into disrepair, schools no longer have students graduating, crime goes unchecked, fires rage, and you get a bunch of factory workers with poor health who die at 35, with an IQ of 35. Welcome to Republicantown, the freest place on earth. I dunno, Pottersville looked kinda fun to live in. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/15167 "2014-06-11T17:59:01Z")
Republicans, going back to “Dewey Wins”, would seem to need a new pollster organization instead of the circle jerk they have going now. And speaking of endearing names, what can I call myself as a former Republican/conservative who would’t touch the current crop of dishonest, craven, pandering group of jackholes who hijacked the party? I’m not a RINO - they left me. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/15168 "2014-06-11T18:00:56Z")
> [@Askthepizzaguy](#): > > What’s really funny is these folks are so scared of turning us into China, that they endorse policies that turn us into China. Why do you appear to act surprised? Clearly they studied well under that last guy: Clear Skies Initiative, Healthy Forests Initiative, War on Terror, No Child Left Behind, those guys made a habit, perhaps even strategy, of giving names to programs that meant the exact opposite of what they actually accomplished. This has obviously become SOP for the Republicans and the Tealusional. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/15169 "2014-06-11T18:09:25Z")
> [@smithsb](#): > > And speaking of endearing names, what can I call myself as a former Republican/conservative who would’t touch the current crop of dishonest, craven, pandering group of jackholes who hijacked the party? May I suggest … “Democrat”? ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/15170 "2014-06-11T18:11:21Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > After you’ve just said it’s tone deaf, it’s now not tone deaf? I don’t believe SpoilerVirgin was talking about Esk at all, unless his alter ego is the Johnston fella. ---
**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:** [June 11, 2014, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/15171 "2014-06-11T19:21:16Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > May I suggest … “Democrat”? An excellent suggestion. There won’t be much culture shock for \*\*smithbs \*\*at all, since both parties are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Wall Street. ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/15172 "2014-06-11T20:52:42Z")
> [@Locrian](#): > > I’m still not understanding why these derps chose Tea Party as a designation in the first place. Didn’t the Boston Tea Party want taxes on the tea? Overthrowing the OTHER (overseas) government? Bringing MORE US government against a bigger one? Do they root for Man U in football matches on the pitch? 😃 > [@Kobal2](#): > > Yes and no. The spark for the Tea Party was the Tea Act, which exempted the East India Company from paying export taxes on tea sold in the colonies. The real problem there was that Americans were now buying their tea from the Dutch (because English tea was heretofore taxed) and making a killing reselling it in the colonies at a healthy mark-up. The prospect of cheap English tea flooding in once more threatened their profit margins in a big way. > > Ostensibly however, the protest was marketed as griping against the protectionist tea tax itself, deemed INTOLERABLE (when it barely affected the colonies themselves while all but bankrupting the EIC and England). > > Yup, corporations and their bottom line fucking with useful idiots and steering the course of the country since before day one. It’s really quite fitting that the Tea Party picked that symbol for itself. I half-suspect some Koch flunky picked it themselves for the delightful irony and have been mighty pleased with themselves ever since. You don’t really believe they were smart enough for that, do you? Hell no. The reality is that it’s not “The Tea Party,” but “The TEA Party,” TEA standing for Taxed Enough Already. Then they decided to associate themselves with a historical event they _thought_ supported their cause because it was, like, a revolution — people standing up to government, you know. Except of course they were utterly ignorant as to what the Boston Tea Party was really all about, because, well, they’re utterly ignorant about all historical fact. > [@a35362](#): > > I picture **Shayna** pacing, rubbing her hands together making plans, while lightning crackles outside the window… 🆒😉 Mwuaaaaaaaahahahahahaha > [@Steve\_MB](#): > > I wasn’t aware that **Shayna** was a professional pollster who commands $75k fees. If I had, I certainly would have held her to the same standard as Mr McLaughlin. If I had been, I’d have told Cantor his internal polls were as stupid and off-track as Mittens’ internal polls were. I may only have been partially right about _why_, but at least I wouldn’t have been stupid enough to have passed them off as accurate, that’s for sure. I still stand by my contention that Democrats absolutely made a difference in this race. Perhaps not _all_ the difference, but a substantial enough one to have skewed the polling gap. > [@smithsb](#): > > And speaking of endearing names, what can I call myself as a former Republican/conservative who would’t touch the current crop of dishonest, craven, pandering group of jackholes who hijacked the party? I’m not a RINO - they left me. > [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > May I suggest … “Democrat”? Exactly. If you were a Republican for [any of these 15 reasons](http://www.winningwordsproject.com/15_reasons_conservatives_should_vote_for_democrats), you’ve actually been a Democrat all along and just voting for the wrong party. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/15173 "2014-06-11T21:08:01Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > After you’ve just said it’s tone deaf, it’s now not tone deaf? > [@Statement by Oklahoma House candidate Scott Esk](#): > > “I think we would be totally in the right” to stone gay people to death. This statement is incredibly offensive, but he knows exactly what he is saying, so it’s not tone deaf. > [@Statement by Indiana House candidate John Johnston](#): > > No one has the guts to just let them wither and die. No one who wants votes is willing to call a spade a spade. This statement is incredibly offensive; however it is unlikely that Johnston _intended_ the “call a spade a spade” part, in which the expression used existed before the word “spade” became a racial slur, to be offensive. Since he was presumably deaf to the tone of this part of his remark, and how it amplifies the offensiveness of his prior statements, I found it to be about as tone deaf as it’s possible to be. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/15174 "2014-06-11T21:35:49Z")
I think there’s a little extra sauce on that, it also implies that the speaker is a no-nonsense, hard-headed realist who disdains any pretense at political correctness. Men who’s wives have sex with them while fantasizing about Wilford Brimley. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2014, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/15175 "2014-06-12T05:13:39Z")
> [@smithsb](#): > > Republicans, going back to “Dewey Wins”, would seem to need a new pollster organization instead of the circle jerk they have going now. > > And speaking of endearing names, what can I call myself as a former Republican/conservative who would’t touch the current crop of dishonest, craven, pandering group of jackholes who hijacked the party? I’m not a RINO - they left me. Bull Moose? The GOP is run by [del]Bourbon Democrats[/del] [del]Boll Weevils[/del] [del]the Slave Party?[/del] RINO’s now anyway. ---
**Author:** ![DrumBum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e79b87/32.png) [@DrumBum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrumBum)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2014, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/15176 "2014-06-12T11:54:57Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > Teahadists? Are you for real? How many hours of your pathetic lives do you people waste thinking up cutesy-poo bullshit like that? While **Clothahump** and I are on different sides of the political spectrum I feel he is correct. Calling the Tea Party groups names is childish and adds nothing to the debate. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2014, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/15177 "2014-06-12T13:07:13Z")
> [@DrumBum](#): > > While **Clothahump** and I are on different sides of the political spectrum I feel he is correct. Calling the Tea Party groups names is childish and adds nothing to the debate. What the hell is there to debate? Their very name was chosen out of ignorance, and they have maintained that same level of ignorance throughout, reinforced by wide swatches of stupidity and hatred. We often change up what we call them because calling them “assholes” all the time gets to be monotonous after awhile. ---
**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:** [June 12, 2014, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/15178 "2014-06-12T13:14:37Z")
> [@DrumBum](#): > > While **Clothahump** and I are on different sides of the political spectrum I feel he is correct. Calling the Tea Party groups names is childish and adds nothing to the debate. You presuppose that there is a debate to be had. You can’t debate with the insane. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2014, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/15179 "2014-06-12T13:16:37Z")
The Tea Party adds nothing to the debate, so… ---
**Author:** ![xenophon41](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xenophon41/32/253_2.png) [@xenophon41](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xenophon41)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2014, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/15180 "2014-06-12T13:31:11Z")
> [@DrumBum](#): > > Calling the Tea Party groups names is childish and adds nothing to the debate. But… so what? A political _debate_ is what you have when there can be disagreement between reasonable parties about the merits of a platform, ideology, policy prescription or what-have-you. Have we not quite gone beyond the point of “reasonable” disagreement? As a matter of plain fact, did not the TP astroturfing **begin** , if not entirely disconnected from “reason”, deliberately and resolutely independent of evidence-based analysis? The Tea Party people have no respect for reasonable debate; their political axioms are their stone-carved Truths, unassailable through rational investigative processes such as debate or research. Look, the purpose of childish name-calling and other types of simplistic ridicule has always been to socially delegitimize a group (or a concept, or a type of behavior, etc.) that is considered (by the name-callers) to be culturally undesirable. It is an arguably healthier response to repugnant politics than outrage and violence, but regardless of ethical merits the “childishness” of name-calling is sort of beside the point, isn’t it? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=758) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=760)