# 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:** 853
**Author:** ![Reyemile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@Reyemile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reyemile)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/17041 "2014-09-28T15:29:33Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > A lot of those people aren’t really Republicans! I’ve scanned some of those quotes for humor and irony, and several register above 500 millihicks. No Republican has registered above 200 millilhicks, evah! I think the stupidity was in not expecting this sort of response. Regardless of which side of the political spectrum you are on, you must acknowledge the incredibly partisan atmosphere of the day, as well as the [Greater Internet Fuckwad Theory](http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2004/03/19). This outcome was foreseeable to anyone with a lick of sense. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/17042 "2014-09-28T16:06:44Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > [Congresscritter wants to correct the inadequately enforced government rules against watching porn at work with a new law against watching porn on government computers.](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/in-the-loop/wp/2014/09/24/congressman-seeks-ban-to-stop-federal-employees-from-watching-porn-all-day/) Now, that can’t be right. Republicans have been telling us for years that more federal regulations are the _last_ thing we need and that everything would be fine if we just enforced the laws that are already on the books. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/17043 "2014-09-28T16:21:25Z")
> [@Reyemile](#): > > This outcome was foreseeable to anyone with a lick of sense. So the Republicans were totally blind-sided. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/17044 "2014-09-28T16:56:14Z")
I didn’t know it was a stereotype that Republicans don’t like cats and dogs. Too touchy feely? I already associated beards and tats with working class white dudes, who around here at least trend Pub, or libertarian. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/17045 "2014-09-28T18:54:45Z")
Donald Trump: “[Somebody unknown](http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/09/25/1332383/--Unblemished-Trump-blames-someone-unknown-for-his-endorsement-of-McConnell-for-Speaker?detail=facebook)” is responsible for my endorsement of Mitch McConnell for … Speaker of the House. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/17046 "2014-09-28T19:01:03Z")
Ben Carson: [If the Republicans don’t gain control of the Senate after the 2014 elections, the 2016 elections will be canceled because of the resulting anarchy](http://thinkprogress.org/election/2014/09/28/3573103/ben-carson-anarchy-election/). ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/17047 "2014-09-28T19:32:22Z")
> [@zweisamkeit](#): > > Uhhhhhhhh, excuse me, but you’ve clearly made a mistake. It’s not Eddie Munster, [it’s Joffrey Lannister](https://i.chzbgr.com/original/5363529472/9DDF1BC3/1). No no no, it’s the [cartoon Darrin.](http://www.neatorama.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/bewitched.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/17048 "2014-09-28T20:28:55Z")
_ **CARSON:** I hope that that’s not going to be the case. But certainly there’s the potential because you have to recognize that we have a **rapidly increasing national debt** ,…_ Someone should point out to him that, as a percentage of GNP, the National Debt has dropped by over 50% since Obama took office. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/17049 "2014-09-28T21:02:12Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > _ **CARSON:** I hope that that’s not going to be the case. But certainly there’s the potential because you have to recognize that we have a **rapidly increasing national debt** ,…_ > > Someone should point out to him that, as a percentage of GNP, the National Debt has dropped by over 50% since Obama took office. Just like a damn librul to use facts to confuse The American People. In local news, Monica Wehby, the Republican contender trying to unseat Senator Merkley, has decided that it’s a good idea to bow out of the most important and only statewide broadcast debate event; an event that would give her a chance to actually talk about her platform instead of allowing the Koch brothers to do it for her in their commercials. A pretty stupid move for someone who is a highly educated practicing surgeon, not to mention lagging in the polls. However, it’s just the latest in a series of missteps for Ms. Wehby, who neglected to mention the police problems she had with a former husband, and who was caught plagiarizing Karl Rove’s policy statements for her own website. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/17050 "2014-09-28T23:51:35Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > _ **CARSON:** I hope that that’s not going to be the case. But certainly there’s the potential because you have to recognize that we have a **rapidly increasing national debt** ,…_ > > Someone should point out to him that, as a percentage of GNP, the National Debt has dropped by over 50% since Obama took office. National debt is increasing. You mean the deficit. Carson’s smarter and more accomplished than 99.9% of the people currently in government. His name should not even be mentioned in a stupid Republican thread. Surgeons kill patients when they ignore facts. Carson may have been the best surgeon in the country. If he doesn’t know something now, you can be damn sure he’ll know it when he needs to do something about it. ---
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/17051 "2014-09-29T00:08:42Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Carson’s smarter and more accomplished than 99.9% of the people currently in government. Somehow, I suspect the percentage of people in government dumb enough to treat “the elections are gonna be cancelled in 2016 because of debt” seriously is significantly less than 99.9%. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/17052 "2014-09-29T00:14:22Z")
Give him time to bone up on political issues. He’s been just a little busy the past 40 years being a BRAIN SURGEON. Unless the Democrats put up a rocket scientist, I think Carson would have the intelligence advantage in a Presidential race. ---
**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:** [September 29, 2014, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/17053 "2014-09-29T00:18:26Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Carson’s smarter and more accomplished than 99.9% of the people currently in government. His name should not even be mentioned in a stupid Republican thread. Oh **adaher** , truly the gift that keeps on giving, you so belong in this thread as a prime example. Yes, Carson is not a stupid Republican, he is a tea-bagger. That is a very special kind of stupid. He may be an artist with a bloody mess, but merely by standing for tea, he loses half his IQ points right there. Fact is, there are simply no smart tea-baggers, they are all ATFMs. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/17054 "2014-09-29T00:36:32Z")
So if Cecil came out as a far right Republican, you’d think he was a moron? And please, let’s be real, you’re trying to portray Carson as some kind of savant. Carson is a brilliant man whose only fault is that he hasn’t spent 40 years immersing himself in politics. If he chooses to actually do something in politics, he’ll smarten up on the issues really quick. Whereas most politicians, even the “smart” ones, will never be anything more than politicians. To a politician, moving up in the world is becoming a lobbyist. ---
**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:** [September 29, 2014, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/17055 "2014-09-29T00:45:01Z")
Carson’s a Creationist. He is, therefore, by definition, excluded from being intelligent. He apparently managed to become a brilliant wetware engineer, but he has zippo clue about the underlying science behind that engineering. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/17056 "2014-09-29T00:48:37Z")
He’s a religious man. Plenty of very smart and successful people put their brains aside when it comes to religious teachings. It didn’t affect his performance as a surgeon, it won’t affect his performance as President. But you do bring up a good point. Thinking logically is more important than just arriving at the right answer. I wonder how many Democratic politicians actually believe that climate change is occurring because they understand the science, or do they believe it’s occurring because it fits in with their worldview and desired agenda? ---
**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:** [September 29, 2014, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/17057 "2014-09-29T00:53:46Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > I wonder how many Democratic politicians actually believe that climate change is occurring because they understand the science, or do they believe it’s occurring because it fits in with their worldview and desired agenda? Or they can weigh the professional conclusions of 98% of CLIMATOLOGISTS who agree climate change is the result of human activity. I don’t have to be a scientist or a true believer; I just have to be able to read. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/17058 "2014-09-29T01:10:07Z")
Given their statements, I doubt they are reading those conclusions. I have yet to hear actual climatologists say that civilization will end, the Earth will be uninhabitable, or that we will all burn to death. They aren’t thinking. They are believing what they want to believe. Or let’s look at fracking. Will Democrats ever acknowledge that the science is settled about the safety of fracking? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/17059 "2014-09-29T01:32:18Z")
Given that fracking is destroying large parts of the western US, polluting the water and causing untold damage to the land - yes. It’s settled that fracking is fucking stupid. [http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Fracking\_and\_water\_pollution](http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Fracking_and_water_pollution) ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/17060 "2014-09-29T03:24:53Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Given their statements, I doubt they are reading those conclusions. I have yet to hear actual climatologists say that civilization will end, the Earth will be uninhabitable, or that we will all burn to death. They aren’t thinking. They are believing what they want to believe. Believing that climate change is happening does not mean that all do follow the straw man you are making here. Again, what some Democratic politicians say does not reach the levels you are claiming here in order for you to make a caricature, once again here is Barry Bickmore, scientist at BYU, Republican, and conservative: > **[“Why Don’t You Bash Al Gore?”](https://bbickmore.wordpress.com/2010/10/03/why-dont-you-bash-al-gore/)** > > Since I took the plunge and started publicly criticizing certain climate change contrarians, notably certain Utah politicians and Christopher Monckton, people on the other side of the fence have of… > [@](#): > > Since I took the plunge and started publicly criticizing certain climate change contrarians, notably certain Utah politicians and Christopher Monckton, people on the other side of the fence have often asked, “Why don’t you criticize Al Gore for all his misrepresentations?” The implication is that I, and others like me, are being intellectually dishonest by selectively criticizing only those who are pushing for doing nothing about climate change, while ignoring “alarmists” who exaggerate. > > If you really want to fathom why scientists like me typically don’t get all worked up about Al Gore, you have to understand a couple things from the outset. > > 1. Scientists expect journalists and popularizers to get a few things wrong when explaining scientific work. > > … > > 1. Gore’s documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth”, is not that bad, frankly. > > Yes, there are a couple errors. Yes, in a few cases he focuses on “worst-case scenarios,” rather than communicating the full range of risk. But the fact is that he got the most important points right, and the problems aren’t that serious from the perspective of most scientists who have examined the movie. Tim Lambert collected reactions from a number of scientists about a list of nine alleged errors in the movie, for example. While they didn’t always agree about the status of individual “errors,” there was general agreement that the list was too long. In most cases, it was questionable whether they were really errors at all. > > In the cases where Gore presented “worst-case scenarios” instead of depicting the full range of risk, try to look at it from the perspective of the scientists involved. The vast majority of scientists are saying, “Human-induced climate change is very likely to be a very big problem, and somewhat likely to be a very, very big problem.” Are they supposed to get all worked up when a popularizer like Gore goes around saying it will be a very, very big problem? The reaction of most scientists has been exactly what it should be. “Well, maybe he overstated his case somewhat, but he got the gist right.” Contrast that with Republican politicians that in hearings claim that “God is out there, and will not allow this to happen” like Inhofe, or read the bible in a hearing like another Republican rep did to claim that God will not allow the earth to flood, so therefore nothing will happen; and so the harm that their party will produce by us not being more prepared will come. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=852) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=854)