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panerd 03-25-2015 08:07 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by ISiddiqui (Post 3013300)

Israel is a huge part of the problem with our foreign policy and the story you link disgusts me. However at the risk of giving a canned response that is given to me all the time in this thread... You don't think this happens all the time? My guess is the United States meddles in every country in the world's governments from Russia and China all the way down to Monaco and Liechtenstein.

JPhillips 03-25-2015 08:12 AM
The article explains the problem. Nobody is that upset by the spying, it happens and we do it too. The problem is the sharing of the fruits of the spying with domestic opposition for the express purpose of undermining the foreign policy of the President. That really is above and beyond what everyone is doing.

panerd 03-25-2015 08:43 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by JPhillips (Post 3013398)
The article explains the problem. Nobody is that upset by the spying, it happens and we do it too. The problem is the sharing of the fruits of the spying with domestic opposition for the express purpose of undermining the foreign policy of the President. That really is above and beyond what everyone is doing.

I read the article and don't disagree with the outrage but am also not naive enough to think that the United States doesn't do the exact same thing (not just with another nation's foreign policy but undermining entire elections) all over the world. It seems like there is a 40-50 year time frame in which we actually admit to things and if we were doing this all the time in the 60's-70's why exactly has it stopped in 2015?

Dutch 03-25-2015 08:59 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by JPhillips (Post 3013398)
The article explains the problem. Nobody is that upset by the spying, it happens and we do it too. The problem is the sharing of the fruits of the spying with domestic opposition for the express purpose of undermining the foreign policy of the President. That really is above and beyond what everyone is doing.

We should only be in the business of ensuring fair elections...and vice versa. So at face value, I'm none to pleased with this either.

JPhillips 03-25-2015 09:40 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by panerd (Post 3013404)
I read the article and don't disagree with the outrage but am also not naive enough to think that the United States doesn't do the exact same thing (not just with another nation's foreign policy but undermining entire elections) all over the world. It seems like there is a 40-50 year time frame in which we actually admit to things and if we were doing this all the time in the 60's-70's why exactly has it stopped in 2015?

I'd be very surprised if we were doing that sort of thing to allies.

panerd 03-25-2015 12:04 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by JPhillips (Post 3013437)
I'd be very surprised if we were doing that sort of thing to allies.

I thought Israel accused the Obama admin of doing it this year? And you really don't think we do it all the time in almost every country in the world? I don't know what is more tin foil... my thought that this happens all the time or you thinking that it doesn't.

http://www.jpost.com/Israel-Election...st-poll-390925

The Inside Story of U.S. Meddling in Israel’s Elections - The Daily Beast

ISiddiqui 03-25-2015 12:32 PM
Wait... so you think that the US really gives info that we've received from espionage to our allies' domestic opponents?

molson 03-25-2015 12:44 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by ISiddiqui (Post 3013474)
Wait... so you think that the US really gives info that we've received from espionage to our allies' domestic opponents?

The "domestic opponents" thing is a little confusing because these are elected legislators who are a part of the government, so I see it more like using espionage to meddle in a country's politics and support one policy over another, in this case to the detriment those in power in the executive branch. And ya, I'm sure we've done that.

What if France used espionage to embolden opposition to the Iraq war in Congress during George W Bush's presidency? A lot of Republicans would no doubt think that was an act of war, but I think a lot of Democrats and war opponents wouldn't be so upset. It's politics.

JonInMiddleGA 03-25-2015 01:02 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by JPhillips (Post 3013437)
I'd be very surprised if we were doing that sort of thing to allies.

I'd be very surprised -- to the point of almost being disappointed even -- if we weren't doing it from time to time.

JonInMiddleGA 03-25-2015 01:03 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by ISiddiqui (Post 3013474)
Wait... so you think that the US really gives info that we've received from espionage to our allies' domestic opponents?

In every case? Nah.

In certain situations? Absolutely.

Dutch 03-25-2015 02:10 PM
C.I.A. -- just win, baby.

JPhillips 03-25-2015 02:21 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by ISiddiqui (Post 3013474)
Wait... so you think that the US really gives info that we've received from espionage to our allies' domestic opponents?

I'm sure we support opposition parties both during and after elections, especially since it's now hard to tell the difference between campaign operative and government advisor, but that's a big step away from sharing espionage with the opposition. I really don't know of a time where that's been documented.

Edward64 03-26-2015 06:40 AM
Obama helping out SA and Iraq again. I think the right moves.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/...9c9_story.html
Quote:
SANAA, Yemen — Saudi Arabia heavily bombed neighboring Yemen Thursday, targeting strategic areas of the capital, including the airport, rebel bases, and the presidential palace, as well as military installations held by rebels around the country.
:
Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya News reported that Saudi Arabia had deployed 100 fighter jets, 150,000 soldiers and other navy units, the Associated Press reported. News footage of the strikes aired by Saudi-owned Al-Hadath TV showed flashing lights and what sounded like machine gun fire.
:
The strikes were a dramatic turn of events that came as the Houthis, in control of Yemen’s capital for months, barreled south toward the coastal city of Aden, seizing an air base along the way that was evacuated by U.S. Special Operations forces* last week. Thursday’s airstrikes also targeted that captured airbase.
:
The strikes were a dramatic turn of events that came as the Houthis, in control of Yemen’s capital for months, barreled south toward the coastal city of Aden, seizing an air base along the way that was evacuated by U.S. Special Operations forces* last week. Thursday’s airstrikes also targeted that captured airbase.

Log In - The New York Times
Quote:
BAGHDAD — American warplanes began airstrikes against Islamic State positions in Tikrit late Wednesday, finally joining a stalled offensive to retake the Iraqi city as American officials sought to seize the initiative from Iran, which had taken a major role in directing the operation.

The decision to directly aid the offensive was made by President Obama on Wednesday, American officials said, and represented a significant shift in the Iraqi campaign. For more than three weeks, the Americans had stayed on the sideline of the battle for Tikrit, wary of being in the position of aiding an essentially Iranian-led operation. Senior Iranian officials had been on the scene, and allied Shiite militias had made up the bulk of the force.

Mr. Obama approved the airstrikes after a request from Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on the condition that Iranian-backed Shiite militias move aside to allow a larger role for Iraqi government counterterrorism forces that have worked most closely with United States troops, American officials said. Qassim Suleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps who has been advising forces around Tikrit, was reported on Sunday to have left the area.
:
American officials now hope that an American-assisted victory by Mr. Abadi and his forces will politically bolster him and counter the view of Iranian officials, and many Iraqi Shiites, that Iran is Iraq’s vital ally. “Taking back Tikrit is important, but it gives us an opportunity to have our half of the operation win this one,” one American official said. “It’s somewhat of a gamble.”

The administration also hopes that a Tikrit victory with American air power will ensure that it is their coalition with Mr. Abadi’s forces, and not the faction led by Mr. Suleimani, that then proceeds to try to recapture the larger and more pivotal city of Mosul.
:
At Friday Prayer in Karbala last week, a sermon by Sheikh Abdul Mehdi al-Karbalaee, a representative of Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the powerful spiritual leader of Iraq’s Shiites, pointedly called for more unity and better organization in the fight in Tikrit. That was widely taken as implicit criticism of the offensive’s lack of success.

NobodyHere 03-26-2015 12:17 PM
This is why I believe Rand Paul is a fraud:

Sen. Rand Paul Offers Amendment to Boost Defense Spending

panerd 03-27-2015 08:57 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by NobodyHere (Post 3013761)
This is why I believe Rand Paul is a fraud:

Sen. Rand Paul Offers Amendment to Boost Defense Spending

Yes. More politician than his dad. One could argue in just 6 years he has become a much bigger player than his dad in the GOP but even if nominated somehow by the GOP he doesn't have my vote.

Galaxy 03-27-2015 09:48 AM
Ran Paul is a LINO. From his tax plan/reform flip flopping to the defense spending increase, he can't call himself a libertarian.

ISiddiqui 03-27-2015 10:02 AM
You can't really get all that far if you are a real libertarian. Rand Paul is a more savvy politician than most of the folks who consider themselves libertarian.

JonInMiddleGA 03-27-2015 10:55 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by panerd (Post 3014033)
Yes. More politician than his dad. One could argue in just 6 years he has become a much bigger player than his dad in the GOP but even if nominated somehow by the GOP he doesn't have my vote.

May be an interesting indication of just how long a shot his candidacy is / would be.

Libts may not trust him for not being libertarian enough, and I'm pretty sure staunch conservatives will find problems (as I do) trusting him not to be too libertarian.

Playing to two bases might leave him with none.

flere-imsaho 03-28-2015 06:04 AM
Scott Walker:

Quote:
Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA (Post 3012706)
He'd make a dynamite Secretary of Labor.

Yeah, in the sense that he'd blow up what's left of non-1%er jobs in the country. :D

Thomkal 04-01-2015 07:47 PM
Michele Bachmann not in office, but still remains as "classy" as always:

Bachmann compares Obama to Germanwings pilot | TheHill

nol 04-01-2015 08:08 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Thomkal (Post 3015712)
Michele Bachmann not in office, but still remains as "classy" as always:

Bachmann compares Obama to Germanwings pilot | TheHill

I saw some political cartoon depicting more or less the same scenario (with the "pilot" knocking on the door having "We the People" on his jacket) and thought it was impressive in its own way for being so immediately terrible that I knew it wasn't one of those intentionally bad Onion political cartoons.

Edward64 04-03-2015 06:08 AM
I'm not well versed enough to know if the deal is good or not and the immediate analysis is the political knee jerk statements.

I do think its better than nothing, buys more time. Ultimately, any country with money and time will be able to get nukes if they want it bad enough (e.g. NK).

Obama ties his fate to Iran nuclear deal - CNN.com
Quote:
Washington (CNN)—President Barack Obama on Thursday effectively placed his presidential legacy in the hands of Iranian revolutionary clerics who've waged a proxy war against the U.S. for three decades.

With a framework deal to halt Tehran's nuclear program, Obama moved closer to the kind of staggering diplomatic breakthrough with the Islamic Republic that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.

If the political agreement reached in Switzerland turns into a genuine pact honored by both sides, Obama will be entitled to a place in history as the leader who defused an intensely bitter estrangement with Iran.
:
His sales pitch was concise: There is no other better way to prevent Iran from moving covertly to build a nuclear weapon.

"When you hear the inevitable critics of the deal sound off, ask them a simple question: Do you really think that this verifiable deal, if fully implemented, backed by the world's major powers, is a worse option than the risk of another war in the Middle East?" Obama said.

"Is it worse than doing what we've done for almost two decades with Iran moving forward with its nuclear program and without robust inspections?"

flere-imsaho 04-04-2015 06:40 AM
Plus, the other benefit of the deal is that by dropping sanctions, you open the country back up. Nothing liberalizes countries like a good old dose of Western Capitalism. Iran already was (and in a way still is) heading down a moderate path. Letting more of their young people go study in places like Germany and travel around the world will only continue to change the country over time.

NobodyHere 04-07-2015 09:17 AM
Rand Paul is officially throwing his hat in the ring
Republican Rand Paul announces 2016 presidential run on website

I wonder if he found a way to run for his senate seat at the same time.

Edward64 04-08-2015 07:57 AM
The Iranian hard liners seem to support the deal.

Log In - The New York Times
Quote:
It was perhaps the first time that conservatives — in this case mostly young people genuinely disappointed over the compromises Iran has made to reach a nuclear agreement — seemed disconnected from the power structure here.

Analysts say the message from the top is clear: Get with the program. Senior officials, important clerics, lawmakers and Revolutionary Guards commanders, who in the past have reflexively opposed any accommodation with the West, now go out of their way to laud Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his team of negotiators, as well as the government of President Hassan Rouhani.

On Tuesday, Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, the highest-ranking commander of the Revolutionary Guards Corps, joined the chorus. “The Iranian nation and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps thank these dear negotiators for their honest attempts and political jihad, and for their resistance on the defined red lines,” the semiofficial Mehr news agency quoted him as saying.

Kodos 04-08-2015 02:29 PM
1 Attachment(s)
.

Dutch 04-08-2015 04:25 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Edward64 (Post 3017819)
The Iranian hard liners seem to support the deal.

Log In - The New York Times

Honestly, I cant tell if this is good or bad.

Edward64 04-10-2015 04:24 PM
Guess its official for Hillary. The Dem challengers can now come out of the woodwork ... not sure who else is out there besides Elizabeth Warren and Joe? I don't see Joe realistically being able to pull it off and Elizabeth has said she was not interested in the nomination.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/10/politi...day/index.html
Quote:
Hillary Clinton is planning to launch her presidential candidacy on Sunday through a video message on social media, a person close to her campaign-in-waiting tells CNN, followed immediately by traveling to early-voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire to start making her case to voters.

The trip to Iowa, where a third-place finish in 2008 ultimately led to the collapse of her presidential aspirations, illustrates what aides say is a commitment to not take anything for granted in her second bid for the White House, even though she dominates the likely Democratic field in 2016.
:
:
Central to Clinton's second presidential run will be reintroducing the former first lady -- on her own terms -- to the American people. Democrats close to Clinton have started to call her the most unknown famous person in the world. Their argument is that people know of Clinton -- she has near 100% name recognition in most polls -- but they don't know her story.

Republicans wasted no time Friday going on the offensive, with a paid online ad, called "Stop Hillary," in six presidential battleground states.

"From the East Wing to the State Department, Hillary Clinton has left a trail of secrecy, scandal and failed liberal policies that no image consultant can erase," Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said in an emailed statement. Voters want to elect someone they can trust and Hillary's record proves that she cannot be trusted. We must 'Stop Hillary.'"

ISiddiqui 04-10-2015 04:28 PM
Jim Webb and Martin O'Malley were rumored to run.... but both have little chance.

Edward64 04-10-2015 04:28 PM
I think a blip in what Obama has and has not done in his Presidency but still a historical one. I would like to visit Cuba when it opens up.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/10/politi...uba/index.html
Quote:
Panama City (CNN)—President Barack Obama, laying the groundwork for this week's history-making meeting with his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro, spoke by phone Wednesday with the Cuban leader before heading to Panama to greet him face-to-face, the first time the leaders will interact since their nations agreed to renew diplomatic relations after half-a-century of enmity.
:
During their phone call Wednesday, Obama and Castro discussed the ongoing process of normalizing relations between the United States and Cuba, according to Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes. He said it "made sense" for the two leaders to communicate before their anticipated interactions Friday and Saturday.
:
"We're in new territory here," Rhodes said on Friday. "The reason we're here is that the President strongly believes that an approach that was focused totally on isolation, focused totally on seeking to cut off the Cuban people from the United States of America had failed."

JPhillips 04-10-2015 04:40 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by ISiddiqui (Post 3018262)
Jim Webb and Martin O'Malley were rumored to run.... but both have little chance.

Webb especially. He's proven he doesn't like to campaign.

Ryche 04-10-2015 11:17 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by JPhillips (Post 3018266)
Webb especially. He's proven he doesn't like to campaign.

I think it was working in a gridlocked Congress he didn't like. Webb makes for an intriguing alternative, I love his foreign policy views. Highly unlikely he can make a dent in Clinton's machine though.

flere-imsaho 04-11-2015 06:42 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by ISiddiqui (Post 3018262)
Jim Webb and Martin O'Malley were rumored to run.... but both have little chance.

Given his closeness to the Clinton camp, I'm going to assume O'Malley would be getting in for VP consideration.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryche (Post 3018311)
I think it was working in a gridlocked Congress he didn't like.

It's both, IIRC.

JPhillips 04-11-2015 07:51 AM
Lot's of people have commented on Webb's reluctance to campaign. This is from a story after he retired from the Senate.

Quote:
He was such a reluctant campaigner that Rep. James P. Moran (D) said during Webb's 2006 run: "It would probably help if he'd be willing to shake a couple of hands." Steve Jarding, a Democratic strategist who advised Webb that year, said the candidate found the slog of campaigning "offensive."

He also hated the way the Senate worked. Honestly, I support a lot of his positions, but I don't think he'd be at all effective as President. He seems to dislike the process even more than Obama.

miked 04-11-2015 09:56 AM
Any insights as to the fact the nominee for AG has not been voted on in months? Longer than the last 8 combined? And apparently it has nothing to do with her, but as a hostage for other bills. Amazingly, even senators from her own state won't support her, they won't say why and they won't move it forward. I guess I misread that part about confirmations for cabinet posts being dependent on your getting your bill passed.

NobodyHere 04-13-2015 11:15 AM
And now Marco Rubio is setting up for his attack run on the presidential nomination.

Thomkal 04-13-2015 12:03 PM
It will be interesting to see where the Latino vote goes with two Latinos running and one traditionallly friendly Latino vote getter (Clinton)

JPhillips 04-13-2015 12:16 PM
It will still be roughly 2-1 to the Dem, even if that Dem were to be Martin O'Malley.

Dutch 04-13-2015 03:23 PM
Probably time for the dreaded 2016 Presidential Race thread. Obama's got his own challenges yet to overcome, we should spare him the Hillary talk. :)

SirFozzie 04-13-2015 03:37 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by miked (Post 3018336)
Any insights as to the fact the nominee for AG has not been voted on in months? Longer than the last 8 combined? And apparently it has nothing to do with her, but as a hostage for other bills. Amazingly, even senators from her own state won't support her, they won't say why and they won't move it forward. I guess I misread that part about confirmations for cabinet posts being dependent on your getting your bill passed.

This is why.

Log In - The New York Times

Quote:
Originally Posted by NYT Editorial Board
It is a peculiar, but unmistakable, phenomenon: As Barack Obama’s presidency heads into its twilight, the rage of the Republican establishment toward him is growing louder, angrier and more destructive.

Republican lawmakers in Washington and around the country have been focused on blocking Mr. Obama’s agenda and denigrating him personally since the day he took office in 2009. But even against that backdrop, and even by the dismal standards of political discourse today, the tone of the current attacks is disturbing. So is their evident intent — to undermine not just Mr. Obama’s policies, but his very legitimacy as president.

It is a line of attack that echoes Republicans’ earlier questioning of Mr. Obama’s American citizenship. Those attacks were blatantly racist in their message — reminding people that Mr. Obama was black, suggesting he was African, and planting the equally false idea that he was secretly Muslim. The current offensive is slightly more subtle, but it is impossible to dismiss the notion that race plays a role in it.

Dutch 04-13-2015 05:52 PM
I'm starting to wonder if the NYT is paid for by the DNC.

Kodos 04-13-2015 06:38 PM
Yes, because it's quite clear that Obama has been treated with respect by Republicans.

Dutch 04-13-2015 08:08 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kodos (Post 3018910)
Yes, because it's quite clear that Obama has been treated with respect by Republicans.

Lying and supporting your team are two different things. I did mean the latter, not the former.

corbes 04-13-2015 08:19 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dutch (Post 3018878)
I'm starting to wonder if the NYT is paid for by the DNC.

In all fairness such a position is consistent with long-held and long-expressed NYT editorial board views. Nothing new there, right?

Kodos 04-13-2015 08:22 PM
Kinda like how the WSJ leans a bit to the right.

corbes 04-13-2015 08:35 PM
Sure. I mean you know what you're getting. Nothing wrong with that. Read both and then make up your own mind.

Dutch 04-14-2015 05:02 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kodos (Post 3018965)
Kinda like how the WSJ leans a bit to the right.

Since about forever. See how that works. :) Honesty.

Galaxy 04-14-2015 09:06 PM
Am I alone in thinking that the US needs to move towards a Parliamentary System of government?

Edward64 04-14-2015 10:13 PM
Recent polling. The long term demographics seem to favor the Democrats with independents as the spoilers.

A Deep Dive Into Party Affiliation | Pew Research Center for the People and the Press
Quote:
Race and ethnicity. Republicans hold a 49%-40% lead over the Democrats in leaned party identification among whites. The GOP’s advantage widens to 21 points among white men who have not completed college (54%-33%) and white southerners (55%-34%). The Democrats hold an 80%-11% advantage among blacks, lead by close to three-to-one among Asian Americans (65%-23%) and by more than two-to-one among Hispanics (56%-26%).

Gender. Women lean Democratic by 52%-36%; men are evenly divided (44% identify as Democrats or lean Democratic; 43% affiliate with or lean toward the GOP). Gender differences are evident in nearly all subgroups: For instance, Republicans lead among married men (51%-38%), while married women are evenly divided (44% Republican, 44% Democratic). Democrats hold a substantial advantage among all unmarried adults, but their lead in leaned partisan identification is greater among unmarried women (57%-29%) than among unmarried men (51%-34%).

Education. Democrats lead by 22 points (57%-35%) in leaned party identification among adults with post-graduate degrees. The Democrats’ edge is narrower among those with college degrees or some post-graduate experience (49%-42%), and those with less education (47%-39%). Across all educational categories, women are more likely than men to affiliate with the Democratic Party or lean Democratic. The Democrats’ advantage is 35 points (64%-29%) among women with post-graduate degrees, but only eight points (50%-42%) among post-grad men.

Generations. Millennials continue to be the most Democratic age cohort; 51% identify as Democrats or lean Democratic, compared with 35% who identify with the GOP or lean Republican. There are only slight differences in partisan affiliation between older and younger millennials. Republicans have a four-point lead among the Silent Generation (47%-43%), the most Republican age cohort.

Religion. Republicans lead in leaned party identification by 48 points among Mormons and 46 points among white evangelical Protestants. Younger white evangelicals (those under age 35) are about as likely older white evangelicals to identify as Republicans or lean Republican. Adults who have no religious affiliation lean Democratic by a wide margins (36 points). Jews lean Democratic by roughly two-to-one (61% to 31%). The balance of leaned partisan affiliation among white Catholics and white mainline Protestants closely resembles that of all whites.

Quote:
The biggest change in partisan affiliation in recent years is the growing share of Americans who decline to affiliate with either party: 39% call themselves independents, 32% identify as Democrats and 23% as Republicans, based on aggregated data from 2014.

The rise in the share of independents has been particularly dramatic over the past decade: In 2004, 33% of Americans identified as Democrats, 30% as independents and 29% as Republicans. Since then, the percentage of independents has increased nine points while Republican affiliation has fallen six points. Democratic affiliation has shown less change over this period; it rose to 35% in 2008, fell to 32% in 2011 and has changed little since then (currently 32%).

Most of those who identify as independents lean toward a party. And in many respects, partisan leaners have attitudes that are similar to those of partisans – they just prefer not to identify with a party. (See this appendix to our 2014 polarization report for an explainer on partisan “leaners.”)

The balance of leaned partisan affiliation has changed little in recent years: 48% identify with the Democratic Party or lean Democratic, while 39% identify as Republicans or lean toward the GOP. Democrats have led in leaned party identification among the public for most of the past two decades.

SirFozzie 04-15-2015 03:20 PM
GOP Twitter Interns, you had one job:

Senate Republicans on Twitter: "150 years ago today, the first Republican President, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. America is forever indebted. http://t.co/vhIE1k20e7"

150 years ago today, the first Republican President, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. America is forever indebted.

Phrasing is an issue. I know what they're trying to say, but how it comes out...

stevew 04-15-2015 03:29 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Galaxy (Post 3019544)
Am I alone in thinking that the US needs to move towards a Parliamentary System of government?

Not with the way they draw districts

albionmoonlight 04-15-2015 03:53 PM
The sense I get is that you have two types of Americans, notwithstanding what labels we put on ourselves.

People who follow politics, almost all of whom have chosen a side.

People who don't follow politics.

I can't think of anyone I know offhand who I say "follows politics" who is not pretty firmly in one camp or the other.

Solecismic 04-15-2015 06:00 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by albionmoonlight (Post 3019887)

I can't think of anyone I know offhand who I say "follows politics" who is not pretty firmly in one camp or the other.

You don't know me any more than offhand, but now you can't say that any more.

I was disturbed by the NYT op-ed. The implication was that you're a racist if you disagree with the president in any way.

flere-imsaho 04-16-2015 04:16 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Solecismic (Post 3019910)
I was disturbed by the NYT op-ed. The implication was that you're a racist if you disagree with the president in any way.

That's one way to read it.

Another way is that reasonable people are running out of explanations for why the Republican establishment and Republican lawmakers (which is how the editorial identifies them, not "anyone who disagrees with the president") so completely, relentlessly and destructively opposes absolutely everything and anything Obama tries to do, even when it puts the country itself (i.e. default) at risk.

Maybe you answer that, huh?

JPhillips 04-16-2015 06:39 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Solecismic (Post 3019910)
You don't know me any more than offhand, but now you can't say that any more.

I was disturbed by the NYT op-ed. The implication was that you're a racist if you disagree with the president in any way.

I'll give you that there are largely three camps, Dem, GOP, and right leaning independent. The data from Pew shows that at a national level. You seem to fall firmly in the last group.

But I'd bet that the basic idea of people highly engaged in politics being ideological is seen in most if not all democracies. The two seem to go hand in hand.

Solecismic 04-16-2015 01:43 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by JPhillips (Post 3020079)
I'll give you that there are largely three camps, Dem, GOP, and right leaning independent. The data from Pew shows that at a national level. You seem to fall firmly in the last group.

But I'd bet that the basic idea of people highly engaged in politics being ideological is seen in most if not all democracies. The two seem to go hand in hand.

I think people tend to focus more on where they disagree than where they agree. I share some traits with the right, but I also share some traits with the left wing and many where I strongly dislike both wings.

People also want to arrange people into groups. It must be genetic, and I'm not being sarcastic. I can think of evolutionary advantages to the strategy.

I probably seem like a right-leaner right now because I disagree with Obama on practically everything he's done as a president.

JPhillips 04-23-2015 09:56 AM
I just stumbled on the Jade Helm 15/Walmart/Martial law conspiracy.

Wow.

Thomkal 04-23-2015 10:31 AM
Seems like Conservative Republicans will try anything to prevent gay marriage from being legalized-including trying to stop the Supreme Court from even ruling on it:

GOP Rep. Has An Idea For How To Stop The Supreme Court From Affirming Marriage Equality

ISiddiqui 04-23-2015 10:42 AM
I'm sure that President Obama would sign that bill ;).

Thomkal 04-23-2015 10:56 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by ISiddiqui (Post 3022382)
I'm sure that President Obama would sign that bill ;).

Oh yes i"m sure :) Just frustrating to see Congress work on stuff they know will get vetoed just so they can say I tried.

Kodos 04-23-2015 11:44 AM
They're only interested in passing bills that most people don't want.

Edward64 04-23-2015 05:45 PM
I think the AG is a thankless job. When was the last time one of them really was loved?

Senate Makes History By Confirming Loretta Lynch As U.S. Attorney General
Quote:
WASHINGTON -- Loretta Lynch was confirmed as U.S. attorney general on Thursday after months of GOP delays, making history by becoming the first African-American woman to hold the post.

Lynch was confirmed in the Senate 56 to 43. All Democrats voted for her, along with 10 Republicans: Kelly Ayotte (N.H.), Thad Cochran (Miss.), Susan Collins (Maine), Jeff Flake (Ariz.), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Orrin Hatch (Utah), Ron Johnson (Wis.), Mark Kirk (Ill.), Rob Portman (Ohio) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.).

Sen Ted Cruz (R-Texas), one of Lynch's loudest critics, was the only senator to miss the vote. Hours earlier, he railed against Lynch for being "unfit" for the job.
:
:
Republicans who opposed Lynch, who until now was the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, conceded they didn't doubt she was qualified for the job. Instead, they voted against her because of their anger over Obama's recent executive action on immigration, which would provide deportation relief for up to 1.8 million undocumented immigrants. The matter is currently tied up in a lawsuit. Lynch will defend the policy in her new role.

bob 04-23-2015 06:16 PM
Does this turn into the next scandal?

Cash Flowed to Clinton Foundation as Russians Pressed for Control of Uranium Company

Log In - The New York Times

Dutch 04-25-2015 06:55 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by bob (Post 3022652)
Does this turn into the next scandal?

Cash Flowed to Clinton Foundation as Russians Pressed for Control of Uranium Company

Log In - The New York Times

Is Clinton a Democrat? If Yes, then don't worry about it. Just preface all articles with "Republican outrage" or "Conservative Critics say" and the crisis is averted.

NobodyHere 04-26-2015 12:31 AM
Rumors are swirling that Michigan Governor Rick Snyder will be part of the Republican primaries.

I can see the wing of the party that wants a "sane" candidate getting behind this guy, however he's going to have to answer question about why he signed off on Obamacare medicaid expansion.

cartman 04-26-2015 11:21 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dutch (Post 3023115)
Is Clinton a Democrat? If Yes, then don't worry about it. Just preface all articles with "Republican outrage" or "Conservative Critics say" and the crisis is averted.

Or even Fox News doesn't buy into it.

Fox’s Chris Wallace confronts ‘Clinton Cash’ author: ‘You don’t have a single piece of evidence’

Dutch 04-26-2015 11:47 AM
Then you have your answer. :)

cartman 04-26-2015 02:27 PM
Obama brought out his 'anger translator' last night at the White House Correspondent's Dinner.

ISiddiqui 04-27-2015 09:23 AM
KHALEESI IS COMING TO WESTEROS!!

That was hilarious. Sorry Joe, looks like Obama is backing Hillary ;).

Edward64 04-27-2015 11:00 PM
That was pretty good.

I know its tradition and that everyone political/press is fair game but I am amazed at how bold some of the jabs are. I can't help but feel there would be some lasting bad feelings.

NobodyHere 04-28-2015 06:35 PM
Bernie Sanders is now set to enter the Democratic Primaries. This should make things interesting on the democratic side.

Bernie Sanders To Launch Presidential Campaign

JAG 04-28-2015 07:03 PM
Quite a ways from mayor of Burlington, VT.

JPhillips 04-30-2015 12:04 PM
Jade Helm conspiracies are my new addiction.

The TX Governor has the state guard monitoring whether or not the military is planning a takeover of Texas and now Rand Paul says he'll look into the possibility of a military takeover.

NobodyHere 04-30-2015 12:09 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by JPhillips (Post 3024661)
Jade Helm conspiracies are my new addiction.

The TX Governor has the state guard monitoring whether or not the military is planning a takeover of Texas and now Rand Paul says he'll look into the possibility of a military takeover.

Rand Paul is thinking of taking over Texas?

Grover 04-30-2015 12:14 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by NobodyHere (Post 3024164)
Bernie Sanders is now set to enter the Democratic Primaries. This should make things interesting on the democratic side.

Bernie Sanders To Launch Presidential Campaign

I'm all in with Bernie.

larrymcg421 04-30-2015 12:24 PM
I love Bernie, but he can't/won't win.

Edward64 05-01-2015 08:48 PM
Good news if true.

Isis leader incapacitated with suspected spinal injuries after air strike | World news | The Guardian
Quote:
The leader of the Islamic State (Isis), Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, remains incapacitated due to suspected spinal damage and is being treated by two doctors who travel to his hideout from the group’s stronghold of Mosul, the Guardian has learned.

More than two months after being injured in a US air strike in north-western Iraq, the self-proclaimed caliph is yet to resume command of the terror group that has been rampaging through Iraq and Syria since June last year. Three sources close to Isis have confirmed that Baghdadi’s wounds could mean he will never again lead the organisation.

Isis is now being led by a long-term senior official, Abu Alaa al-Afri, who had been appointed deputy leader when his predecessor was killed by an air strike late last year.

NobodyHere 05-01-2015 09:10 PM
Bad news for Chris Christie

David Wildstein, Ex-Port Authority Director, Pleads Guilty « CBS New York

flere-imsaho 05-02-2015 06:23 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Edward64 (Post 3022628)
I think the AG is a thankless job.

I'm reasonably sure you get "thanked" by the millions of dollars you make once you leave the job. :D

Quote:
Originally Posted by bob (Post 3022652)
Does this turn into the next scandal?

Cash Flowed to Clinton Foundation as Russians Pressed for Control of Uranium Company

You mean lobbying?

Quote:
Originally Posted by NobodyHere (Post 3023225)
Rumors are swirling that Michigan Governor Rick Snyder will be part of the Republican primaries.

I can see the wing of the party that wants a "sane" candidate getting behind this guy, however he's going to have to answer question about why he signed off on Obamacare medicaid expansion.

Broadly-speaking, I think it might be that "sanity" thing.

Quote:
Originally Posted by NobodyHere (Post 3024164)
Bernie Sanders is now set to enter the Democratic Primaries. This should make things interesting on the democratic side.

Why? I love Bernie, but he has no chance and is not going to change the conversation a lot on the Democratic side.

Dutch 05-02-2015 06:30 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Edward64 (Post 3025114)

Poor little fella...what's with all these ISIS leaders leaving the job so quickly? Good rogue terror state leadership is so hard to come by these days.

Keep up the good work, US military.

Edward64 05-02-2015 06:38 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by NobodyHere (Post 3025120)

I'm not convinced that Christie ordered it or had specific knowledge beforehand. I can believe some over zealous underlings did it and maybe told Christie afterwards.

Regardless, it doesn't seem Christie has any momentum now. The below link shows how much he has dropped since 2014

RealClearPolitics - Election 2016 - 2016 Republican Presidential Nomination

Edward64 05-02-2015 07:12 AM
Not sure the problems in the exchanges run by the state is a poor reflection of Obamacare itself but glad that the healthcare.gov system is stable/smooth enough where some states are considering dropping their own systems for it.

Almost half of Obamacare exchanges face financial struggles in the future - The Washington Post
Quote:
Nearly half of the 17 insurance marketplaces set up by the states and the District under President Obama’s health law are struggling financially, presenting state officials with an unexpected and serious challenge five years after the passage of the landmark Affordable Care Act.

Many of the online exchanges are wrestling with surging costs, especially for balky technology and expensive customer call centers — and tepid enrollment numbers. To ease the fiscal distress, officials are considering raising fees on insurers, sharing costs with other states and pressing state lawmakers for cash infusions. Some are weighing turning over part or all of their troubled marketplaces to the federal exchange, HealthCare.gov, which now works smoothly.
:
But for the recently completed open enrollment period, sign-ups for the state marketplaces rose a disappointing 12 percent, to 2.8 million people. That compared with a 61 percent increase for the federal exchange, to 8.8 million people, according to Avalere Health, a consulting firm. States with the smallest enrollment growth are among those facing the greatest financial problems.
:
When the ACA was enacted, Democratic governors pressed to create their own exchanges to signal their support for the law and to assert their own authority. Republican governors refused to set up exchanges as “a sort of badge of honor in opposing Obamacare,” said Larry Levitt, a senior vice president at the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. But now, decisions probably will be made on more pragmatic grounds. “It will come down to more of a dollar-and-cents decision,” he said.
:
Even if some state exchanges wind up handing the reins to HealthCare.gov, doing so is not free. Each exchange would have to be made compatible with the federal marketplace at a cost of about $10 million per exchange, Wadleigh said

Dutch 05-02-2015 07:31 AM
It makes great fiscal sense to roll these services up to the federal level. Makes the feds look good and cuts states payroll costs. A few people at the state level are gonna need to start looking for work elsewhere, but that's nothing that welfare and Obamacare can't handle till they get on their feet again.

flere-imsaho 05-03-2015 01:43 PM
+1 to Dutch.

Dutch 05-03-2015 02:24 PM
It was slightly in jest, but given the way things are it does make sense. :)

Edit: To clarify my poke at putting people on welfare/Obamacare was in jest...enterprising and standardizing stuff that can be standardized was not in jest.

flere-imsaho 05-04-2015 08:04 PM
We'll get you to the dark side yet, Dutch.

Edward64 05-04-2015 11:15 PM
I just don't see Carly as a contender. Wonder if she is positioning for VP consideration or 2020. Either way, just don't see a ground swell of support for her. Probably just ego.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/04/politi...ons/index.html
Quote:
Carly Fiorina puts her time as CEO of Hewlett-Packard at the center of her qualifications for high office, but her critics quickly pounced on that record as she announced her campaign for president Monday.

Soon after Fiorina officially announced Monday morning that she would be running for the 2016 Republican nomination, social media began to buzz about carlyfiorina.org, a site criticizing the layoffs she oversaw at HP. The Democratic National Committee also took a similar shot at Fiorina's HP tenure.

The distraction resulting from carlyfiorina.org and the DNC assault is the earliest sign of the challenge the former Silicon Valley executive will face over her business record. Fiorina has never held public office (she unsuccessfully ran for Senate in California five years ago), making her chief executive experience at HP one of her strongest assets. But her critics are determined to also make it one of her biggest liabilities.

On carlyfiorina.org, white text against a black background reads: "Carly Fiorina failed to register this domain. So I'm using it to tell you how many people she laid off at Hewlett-Packard. It was this many." The words are followed by 30,000 sad faces, each one meant to represent an HP employee laid off under Fiorina's watch.

Scroll all the way down to the bottom and there's this: "And what does she say she would have done differently? 'I would have done them all faster.' --- Carly Fiorina." The quote is from an unflattering 2005 Fortune magazine profile of the former HP executive.

RainMaker 05-04-2015 11:25 PM
How does someone who ran a major company into the ground become a viable candidate for President? Like isn't there a successful female CEO that they could run instead?

NobodyHere 05-04-2015 11:35 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by RainMaker (Post 3025797)
How does someone who ran a major company into the ground become a viable candidate for President? Like isn't there a successful female CEO that they could run instead?

Oh please that's socialist talk. The fact is she netted a $40 million golden parachute after ruining a company, unlike those thousands of schlubs that simply got laid off. That's proof that she was successful by Republican standards.

albionmoonlight 05-05-2015 07:42 AM
Non-ironic headline: Pentagon Denies Plot to Take Over Texas : Political Wire

Ben E Lou 05-05-2015 08:15 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by albionmoonlight (Post 3025816)

For some reason the words "I'm not a dingo" are coming to mind...

Easy Mac 05-05-2015 08:24 AM
Of all the places the government actually wants, Texas is pretty low on the list.

JPhillips 05-05-2015 09:29 AM
Wal-Mart has now clarified that it's stores are not military distribution and/or civilian detention centers connected to a military takeover.

I really can't get enough of Jade Helm conspiracies.

cartman 05-05-2015 09:33 AM
Too bad Bubba Wheels isn't still around. I'd love to hear his take on JADE HELM.

I finally figured out what JADE HELM stand for: Just Another Dumb-ass Exercise Helping Expose Lunatic Minds

NobodyHere 05-05-2015 09:38 AM
Chuck Norris joins Ted Cruz (and others) in ‘Operaton Jade Helm’ conspiracy watch - The Washington Post

Chuck Norris knows this isn't a training operation because no amount of training will help you fight Chuck Norris.

jeff061 05-05-2015 09:58 AM
So what's the deal with all these mouth breathing fools? Am I missing something or do we now finally have a full blown Idiocracy state?

miked 05-05-2015 10:10 AM
When you have a sitting governor and senator riling up people, this will happen. As Jon Stewart said last night, newsflash Texas, the USA already does control your state (along with the other 49).

JPhillips 05-05-2015 10:50 AM
I think I found a day better than Pumpy Day!

NobodyHere 05-05-2015 10:58 AM
Mike Huckabee is joining the republican circus.

Has a politician ever stepped away from politics for 8+ years and then won the presidency?

ISiddiqui 05-05-2015 11:06 AM
I think the longest is Nixon, who was out of politics for 6 years.

Though Huckabee isn't even close to the politician Nixon was.


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