# 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:** 888
**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 31, 2014, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/17741 "2014-10-31T15:04:21Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > [Veteran lobbyist counsels gathering of oil & gas execs to dig up dirt on environmentalists and liberal celebs and “win ugly.”](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/31/us/politics/pr-executives-western-energy-alliance-speech-taped.html?_r=2) If any of us had speculated that some Big Oil types were planning such a campaign, we would have been labelled paranoid by many on this board, especially the conservatives. But thanks to the fact that at least some of the Big Oil guys have a sense of decency, we know it’s not paranoia at all. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2014, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/17742 "2014-10-31T15:22:00Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > C’mon, give Obama a break! He’s new at spreading plagues! He’ll get the hang of it eventually! We’d all be dead by now, if plagues could be spread by email . . . ---
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2014, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/17743 "2014-10-31T17:22:39Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > If any of us had speculated that some Big Oil types were planning such a campaign, we would have been labelled paranoid by many on this board, especially the conservatives. But thanks to the fact that at least some of the Big Oil guys have a sense of decency, we know it’s not paranoia at all. Well it was a lobbyist scamming for cash who was suggesting it, I guess he thought he would find a willing audience for his kind of nonsense and some open chequebooks. I am sure there would have been some in the audience who would have agreed with him, but at least someone decided it was BS. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2014, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/17744 "2014-10-31T18:19:20Z")
Republican Moment of Clarity of the Day: Bill O’Reilly: [Republicans are afraid of black people.](http://www.salon.com/2014/10/31/bill_oreilly_republicans_are_afraid_of_black_people/) ---
**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:** [October 31, 2014, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/17745 "2014-10-31T21:57:58Z")
[KY Republican Party/McConnell campaign sends out mailers telling people they are in “Election Violation” if they vote for Alison Grimes.](http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/mcconnell-mailers-election-violation) ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2014, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/17746 "2014-10-31T22:27:16Z")
God, I fucking hate Mitch McConnell. What a cocksucker. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2014, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/17747 "2014-10-31T22:28:18Z")
That’s almost clever. ---
**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:** [October 31, 2014, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/17748 "2014-10-31T22:40:10Z")
> [@andros](#): > > That’s almost clever. Too bad it’s so sleazy. ---
**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:** [October 31, 2014, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/17749 "2014-10-31T23:08:21Z")
[Alison Grimes fires back against the McConnell mailings.](http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/grimes-sues-mcconnell-mailers) ---
**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:** [October 31, 2014, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/17750 "2014-10-31T23:39:07Z")
> [@andros](#): > > That’s almost clever. **Politician Accuses Another Politician of Lying** “_My Opponent Exhales CO[sub]2[/sub]!_” ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2014, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/17751 "2014-11-01T07:46:57Z")
National Organization for Marriage endorses Democrats over gay Republicans: [http://www.nomblog.com/39775/](http://www.nomblog.com/39775/). Hopefully they’ll endorse Martha Coakley over Charlie Baker on the same reasoning. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2014, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/17752 "2014-11-01T08:48:50Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > [KY Republican Party/McConnell campaign sends out mailers telling people they are in “Election Violation” if they vote for Alison Grimes.](http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/mcconnell-mailers-election-violation) I hope non-Americans Doper will comment on whether this sort of crap occurs in civilized countries. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2014, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/17753 "2014-11-01T13:12:43Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > National Organization for Marriage endorses Democrats over gay Republicans: [http://www.nomblog.com/39775/](http://www.nomblog.com/39775/). Hopefully they’ll endorse Martha Coakley over Charlie Baker on the same reasoning. Seth Moulton has already told them to stuff their endorsement. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2014, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/17754 "2014-11-01T13:28:48Z")
Speaking of Charlie Baker, is this story hurting him any? Anyone know? [http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/10/31/coakleyweb/Jrq6AVYUFxWdSddDdAiG3H/video.html?p1=Article\_Video](http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/10/31/coakleyweb/Jrq6AVYUFxWdSddDdAiG3H/video.html?p1=Article_Video) Baker acknowledges he flubbed fisherman’s tale in debate. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2014, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/17755 "2014-11-01T13:32:02Z")
It can only hurt him, but there’s no poll data to show how much yet. ---
**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:** [November 1, 2014, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/17756 "2014-11-01T16:10:08Z")
Oh good, now they are saying that [Democrats in blue states are hax0ring voting machines](http://www.politicalears.com/blog/expert-confirms-that-voting-machines-are-rigged-for-democrats/) in essentially exactly the same way the Republicans have done in the past. _A massive conspiracy so large the founding fathers are rolling over in their graves_. Well, their :rolleyes: eyes, at least ---
**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:** [November 1, 2014, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/17757 "2014-11-01T16:32:30Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Oh good, now they are saying that [Democrats in blue states are hax0ring voting machines](http://www.politicalears.com/blog/expert-confirms-that-voting-machines-are-rigged-for-democrats/) in essentially exactly the same way the Republicans have done in the past. _A massive conspiracy so large the founding fathers are rolling over in their graves_. > > Well, their :rolleyes: eyes, at least To be fair, I’ve seen the exact same complaint the other way. People tend to see conspiracies behind pretty mundane functionality issues. (Hell, people see conspiracies behind viral outbreaks and volcanic eruptions, so this is at least a bit more forgivable in that sort of context.) In the article, the CT’ers deride Cook County Board of Elections for blaming calibration error on the machine touchscreens, and then immediately provide backup for that very claim by citing classic touchscreen calibration effects: > [@](#): > > \*"When I first selected my candidate on the electronic machine, it would not put the ‘x’ on the candidate I chose — a Republican — but it would put the ‘x’ on the Democrat candidate above it,” Donna Hamilton said. \* > \*“This happened multiple times with multiple selections. Every time my choice flipped from Republican to Democrat. Sometimes it required four or five tries to get the ‘x’ to stay on my real selection,” the Frederick, Md., resident said last week. \* ---
**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:** [November 1, 2014, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/17758 "2014-11-01T17:05:30Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Oh good, now they are saying that [Democrats in blue states are hax0ring voting machines](http://www.politicalears.com/blog/expert-confirms-that-voting-machines-are-rigged-for-democrats/) Sounds like somebody isn’t terribly confident of the “inevitable Republican sweep” and is getting the excuses ready to go. 😛 ---
**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:** [November 1, 2014, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/17759 "2014-11-01T18:53:34Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Oh good, now they are saying that [Democrats in blue states are hax0ring voting machines](http://www.politicalears.com/blog/expert-confirms-that-voting-machines-are-rigged-for-democrats/) in essentially exactly the same way the Republicans have done in the past. _A massive conspiracy so large the founding fathers are rolling over in their graves_. This conspiracy theory was very clearly made up by someone with very little knowledge of how software and computers work. From the article: > [@](#): > > “When I first selected my candidate on the electronic machine, it would not put the ‘x’ on the candidate I chose — a Republican — but it would put the ‘x’ on the Democrat candidate above it,” Donna Hamilton said If it were hacked, if would simply still check the X for the republican on the screen, but record a vote for the democrat. Changing the screen to reflect to bogus vote would actually be more work, let alone make the hack obvious. ---
**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:** [November 1, 2014, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/17760 "2014-11-01T20:59:23Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > National Organization for Marriage endorses Democrats over gay Republicans: [http://www.nomblog.com/39775/](http://www.nomblog.com/39775/). Hopefully they’ll endorse Martha Coakley over Charlie Baker on the same reasoning. To be fair, they are at least holding true to their principles, such as they are. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=887) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=889)