# The GOP, Conservatives, and Insanity **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 16, 2012, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gop-conservatives-and-insanity/641220 "2012-11-16T18:09:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 6
**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:** [January 8, 2013, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gop-conservatives-and-insanity/641220/101 "2013-01-08T20:36:22Z")
Wow, that’s very like what Silverado Savings and Loan did in the 1980’s. “Go-go banking,” it was dubbed. This is one of the reasons we regulate lenders. ---
**Author:** ![powhatan\_bolling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@powhatan\_bolling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/powhatan_bolling)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2013, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gop-conservatives-and-insanity/641220/102 "2013-01-12T11:04:34Z")
> [@fumster](#): > > Put aside policy issues where we can disagree, but it seems to me that the right is starting to act in ways that are clearly insane. > > The earliest example I can think of is when GW Bush nominated Harriet Miers for the Supreme Court. It was so totally out of left field. She was a competent lawyer but by no means a heavyweight. It left even his supporters scratching their heads and he was never able to give a coherent defense as to why he thought she was appropriate. > > Move on to McCain selecting Palin. An older candidate with health problems selects someone who was clearly not ready to take on the Presidency. I think she may be more intelligent than people think, but she just didn’t have the grasp of history, geography, and current events that would have allowed her to take on the job of POTUS. In 2012, Herman Cain, Rick Perry, and Bachman were all seen as viable candidates. A few years ago they would have just been jokes. > > Then of course there are the birthers that managed to convince a sizable number of GOP voters that Obama wasn’t a US citizen. Recently we heard from national office holders that thought women couldn’t get pregnant from “legitimate rape”. > > Now we hear claims of black people being bused into Maine to vote, massive voter fraud in other states, and other wild conspiracy theories. Anyone able to look rationally at what the pools were predicting could see that the results were in line with them and we don’t need to posit a conspiracy to explain them. > > Anyway, it leads to me to conclude that we are seeing batshit crazy lunacy rather than simple political disagreement. I don’t think I explained this well, but it feels very different than what I have seen in the last 40 years I have been following politics. obama nominated kagan-no judicial experience and barely a lawyer. bush had the sense to withdraw miers’ nomination. palin was more qualified to be president than obama was. now the clownish biden is a heartbeat away from the presidency. which “national office holders” made comments about "legitimate rape? actually, none. but dem rep. hank johnson of georgia did express in in a public hrearing his concern that the island of guam was in danger of tipping over. large numbers of Democrats-as many as 35% in some polls are 9/11 truthers, including Sen. Patrick Leahy Maxine Waters, Nancy Pelosi,Dennis Kucinich and Alcee Hastings are Democrats. Democrats believe voter ID laws propagate election fraud, but members of the new black panther party brandishing cattle prods outside voting precincts does not intimidate voters. democrats, like you apparently, actually believe that democrat election fraud is just a “wild conspiracy theory”. Democrats in congress passed Obamacare although not a single one read the bill before voting on it. Nancy Pelosi said Obamacare had to be passed in order to find out what was in it. Obama appointed a proponent of intergenerational sex as his “safe schools” czar. And you call Republicans “batshit crazy”? ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2013, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gop-conservatives-and-insanity/641220/103 "2013-01-12T11:57:10Z")
> [@powhatan\_bolling](#): > > obama nominated kagan-no judicial experience and barely a lawyer. You’re wrong: > [@wikipedia](#): > > After attending Princeton, Oxford, and Harvard Law School, she completed federal Court of Appeals and Supreme Court clerkships. She began her career as a professor at the University of Chicago Law School, leaving to serve as Associate White House Counsel, and later as policy adviser, under President Clinton. After a nomination to the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, which expired without action, she became a professor at Harvard Law School and was later named its first female dean. > President Obama appointed her Solicitor General on January 26, 2009. On May 10, 2010 That’s a lot of legal bona fides. > [@](#): > > bush had the sense to withdraw miers’ nomination. He had the sense to withdraw it after it was clear that even the Republicans wouldn’t vote for her. That’s not sense. Sense is not choosing her in the first place. > [@](#): > > palin was more qualified to be president than obama was. now the clownish biden is a heartbeat away from the presidency. Obama was accomplished. Palin is clearly a middling talent. She’s probably a tick smarter than everyone around her so she’s never had to work particularly hard. She didn’t do the necessary work to learn what’s needed to take a place on a national stage. Biden is a goofball, be he is very, very experienced and knowledgeable. > [@](#): > > which “national office holders” made comments about "legitimate rape? actually, none. Todd Akin was a US Rep for the Missouri’s second congressional district. That’s a national office. > [@](#): > > but dem rep. hank johnson of georgia did express in in a public hrearing his concern that the island of guam was in danger of tipping over. He claims he meant it as a metaphor. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hV-DzuCPmXU](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hV-DzuCPmXU) And even if he didn’t, his comments aren’t a rationale to keep abortion from people by claiming that raped women wanting abortions are liars. Also Johnson said that several years ago. > [@](#): > > large numbers of Democrats-as many as 35% in some polls are 9/11 truthers, including Sen. Patrick Leahy > Maxine Waters, Nancy Pelosi,Dennis Kucinich and Alcee Hastings are Democrats. That’s probably not true. Can I get a cite please? As for the numbers, remember that Bush was given an intelligence report titled, “Bin Ladin Determined To Strike in US”. Many of the Dems who answered the question, “Do you think Bush knew about 911” may be taking that intelligence report as evidence he did. Obviously that’s not true, but there are some people who only know what’s happening via headlines. > [@](#): > > Democrats believe voter ID laws propagate election fraud, but members of the new black panther party brandishing cattle prods outside voting precincts does not intimidate voters. democrats, like you apparently, actually believe that democrat election fraud is just a “wild conspiracy theory”. There is no significant election fraud in America. This is a fact. The “New Black Panthers” were a couple of guys at one polling station. Not a huge movement. Educate yourself: [New Black Panther Party voter intimidation case - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Black_Panther_Party_voter_intimidation_case) > [@](#): > > Democrats in congress passed Obamacare although not a single one read the bill before voting on it. Nancy Pelosi said Obamacare had to be passed in order to find out what was in it. You don’t understand what she said. First off, they read it. The bill was in process for years. When changes are made you don’t have to re-read the whole bill. You read the changes. Also, what she said was, “But we have to pass the bill so you can find out what is in it, away from the fog of controversy.” The you in that is the American people. Not congress. Remember at the time the liars on the right were making up nonsense like death panels and huge costs. Those liars made it difficult to message the actual value of the bill. > [@](#): > > Obama appointed a proponent of intergenerational sex as his “safe schools” czar. And you call Republicans “batshit crazy”? Read up: [How Kevin Jennings Survived - The Atlantic](http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2009/10/how-kevin-jennings-survived/28754/) I don’t think you’re batshit crazy. But you are utterly misinformed. And this misinformation paints a picture of reality that makes you angry. And that’s a bad thing. Conservatism depends on good people like you to be riled up into a rage. That’s bullshit. And you should be pissed at the people who mislead you. ---
**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:** [January 12, 2013, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gop-conservatives-and-insanity/641220/104 "2013-01-12T12:18:16Z")
Sorry, haven’t visited this thread for a while. > [@Voyager](#): > > 6% [of scientists] identify as Republicans, 32% as independents, and 55% as Democrats. Yes, this is due to the socialist-atheist control of our schools. For example, AFAIK most biology professors preach evolution. In a fair and balanced society, only 33% would preach that blasphemy, 33% would preach intelligent design, and at least 33% would follow Jesus. > [@Voyager](#): > > As for political philosophy, 9% identify as conservative, 35% as moderate, and 52% as liberal. Same thing. They should reflect real-world thought, but here are the idiots and lunatic professors in our universities? The University’s one-sided focus on rational thought is really pernicious. > [@Colstonewall](#): > > You actually believe that statement you wrote about the “right induced financial meltdown”? You simply can’t be serious? Perhaps the truth is slightly more complex, but people do like to simplify and exaggerate. But thinks for calling the Doper out – we would be better off with balanced analysis. > [@Colstonewall](#): > > The financial crisis was caused by Democrats FORCING banks to make loans :smack: 😕 😃 :eek: 😛 Is this copyright? It’s almost too funny for the Stupid Republican thread! Are you a joke writer for Stephen Colbert? > [@cmkeller](#): > > That’s utter nonsense. Dubya was the governor of Texas, who was lauded in political circles … It’s well known that the Texas Governorship is almost a figurehead position. Here’s why Bush was chosen by GOP in 2000. They went through a list of GOP Governors: “So and so is out – his ideas of pro-choice are unacceptable. So and so is out – his ideas on immigration would offend out base …”; and do on. They settled on GWB because his ideas were … non-existent. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Asympotically\_fat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@Asympotically\_fat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asympotically_fat)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2013, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gop-conservatives-and-insanity/641220/105 "2013-01-12T12:42:50Z")
Looking from the outside (outside of the USA that is) in, it looks like the Republican party have lost the plot completely. They just seem like a collection of special interest groups where those who shout the loudest, are the most dogmatic or have the most money are able to impose their will by bullying any dissenters. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gop-conservatives-and-insanity/641220.md?page=5)