U.S. Politics- SCOTUS 2: The Election Strikes Back

[DMC]

2 minutes ago, Fez said:

And going back, a lot of polls found approval of the war still in the low 40s in 2006. It was in 2007 and 2008 when it dipped down into the 30s or even high 20s (and because Americans are stupid and forgetful, it's back into the 40s again whenever the question gets asked "looking back...").

Low 40s is still really bad for a war, and corresponds to Bush's low approval (which shouldn't have been affected too much by the scandals and I agree wasn't by Katrina a year later).  I'll take the consensus in the literature - as well as the clear correlation between Iraq's decreasing popularity and Bush's decreasing approval - over a CNN exit poll (as well as my own lying eyes) that Iraq was indeed the primary factor in 2006.  Not to mention the exit poll also said this:

Quote

As Democrats had hoped, among voters who were against the war in Iraq, almost nine out of 10 said they chose a Democratic House candidate.

 

[Morpheus]

Trump- Russia is not still targeting the U.S

Why do they bother making him read prepared statements when he cannot resist spewing his real thoughts less than 24 hours later?

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

9 minutes ago, Morpheus said:

Trump- Russia is not still targeting the U.S

Why do they bother making him read prepared statements when he cannot resist spewing his real thoughts less than 24 hours later?

I know they can’t actually do it, but if I ran a newsroom, I’d be tempted to implement a policy which states we’ll only cover Trump when he’s speaking off the cuff, because that’s the only time you can get his real thoughts. And I would never cover the aftermath in which one of his aides comes out and tries to explain what he “really meant.”

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

3 hours ago, Serious Callers Only said:

Seems like Putin wants to attack montenegro (latest NATO member) and Trump is doing his toady work.

https://nordic.businessinsider.com/trump-montenegro-nato-fox-news-interview-2018-7?r=US&IR=T&utm_source=reddit.com

 

Small green 'montenegro' men will start to attack russian civilian border populations soon 'it's a war of aggression' will cry pathetic worm trump 'we won't support the (2000) military men in montenegro'.

 

All of this lead on by hannity, tucker and fox news as the good minitrue they are.

Does Trump not realize that Montenegro has no border contiguous with the Russian Republic and that it's Air Force, if it has one, would have to cross, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine to attempt to get at the Russian Republic?  Trump is the Platonic form of ignorance, isn't he?

[DMC]

The “do what you want” theory of politics

Why embracing “Abolish ICE” and Medicare-for-all won’t doom the Democrats.

Quote

What I want to propose is a null hypothesis for political punditry: Outside of truly extreme proposals, there’s basically no plausible position a politician or political party can endorse or enact that will have a meaningful impact on their likelihood of retaking political power. The US has for decades had a stable system where liberal and conservative policy coalitions (which have sorted out under the Democratic and Republican parties, respectively) semi-regularly alternate in power, with long periods of divided rule and gridlock in the middle. Dramatic shifts in the ideological makeup of both parties during that same period did not upset that alternation of power. It continued apace.

The upshot of this phenomenon is that parties should be a little less nervous about sticking to their guns and arguing for what they believe, whether or not it polls well. Call it, if you like, the “do what you want” theory of politics.

 

[Morpheus]

9 minutes ago, Scott de Montevideo! said:

Does Trump not realize......

No! is always the answer, no matter what follows those words.

[maarsen]

2 hours ago, IheartIheartTesla said:

So this is how it is to live in tumultuous times (as I imagine the lead up to WWII and including, as well as much of the 60s would have been). It isn't as fun and exciting as I thought, and is actually quite a drudge.

Speaking of the 60s it was fun and exciting as I knew I would live long enough to see how it all ended. 50 years later I am not so excited, except for the fact that Trump is older than me and should die sooner. 

[IamMe90]

12 hours ago, Free Northman Reborn said:

To me the most honest comment made in the Putin-Trump press conference came from Putin when he, with some exasperation, tried to explain to the media the simple truth that neither he nor Trump should be expected to trust the other, but instead that their positions should be to seek the best interest of their respective countries. They are therefore competitors,  not friends, nor should they be expected to be. But in the world of realpolitik it is not about arguments of principle, rather than about arriving at a negotiated position that gains your country some type of benefit, even if the other country gains too.

This is not so much a comment about Trump, but about Putin, whose position on this has always been clear and consistent. He does not claim to be your friend. He is there to represent his country. As every leader should.

Putin's position is to enlarge his personal wealth vis-a-vis oligarchical control over industry and to continue his ability to do this by cementing permanent political power through murdering dissenters and propagating State propaganda to his people. Please. 

[Zorral]

27 minutes ago, IamMe90 said:

Putin's position is to enlarge his personal wealth vis-a-vis oligarchical control over industry and to continue his ability to do this by cementing permanent political power through murdering dissenters and propagating State propaganda to his people. Please. 

  This is the platform of the orange nazi traitor as well, so much so that licks and genuflects and sucks on command coz, ya no, Putin has actually DONE IT ALL THE WAY 100%.

[Kalbear]

I honestly believe that Putin is a bit more interested in power than simply economic value; if he cared about that, there are more efficient ways for him to go about getting it. He seems to care a certain amount about the image and power of Russia, and does seem somewhat patriotic - though it's more patriotism to the Stalin model of the Soviet than anything else, with him obviously on top. 

He's still an innately selfish person, mind you, and I think he believes that him being the head of Russia is a glorious thing, and equates Russian success to his success. But I don't think it's purely economic forces which motivate him. Otherwise he'd spend a lot less time trying to kill people who have besmirched or wronged him in the past but aren't doing anything economically. He wouldn't have ordered the hit on the Skripals, as an example. It's not like they could do anything else, but the exposure of that caused his country a lot of economic harm. 

[Mexal]

This is absolutely insane. They are USA citizens.

 

[Zorral]

51 minutes ago, Kalbear said:

I honestly believe that Putin is a bit more interested in power than simply economic value; if he cared about that, there are more efficient ways for him to go about getting it. He seems to care a certain amount about the image and power of Russia, and does seem somewhat patriotic - though it's more patriotism to the Stalin model of the Soviet than anything else, with him obviously on top. 

He's still an innately selfish person, mind you, and I think he believes that him being the head of Russia is a glorious thing, and equates Russian success to his success. But I don't think it's purely economic forces which motivate him. Otherwise he'd spend a lot less time trying to kill people who have besmirched or wronged him in the past but aren't doing anything economically. He wouldn't have ordered the hit on the Skripals, as an example. It's not like they could do anything else, but the exposure of that caused his country a lot of economic harm. 

Power = Political / Military / Hegemonic / Economic dominance.

[Kalbear]

Sure, but that's a far cry from simply wanting to enrich himself. I don't think wealth is his goal (unlike Trump, as an example). 

[IamMe90]

7 minutes ago, Kalbear said:

Sure, but that's a far cry from simply wanting to enrich himself. I don't think wealth is his goal (unlike Trump, as an example). 

Yeah, no, you're right, it's about more than wealth. However, that is still a far cry from reducing his position to "representing his country." I think any motivations he has for wanting to increase Russia's stance in the world are inherently self-interested, whether they be amassing power, wealth, or whatever.  

[Martell Spy]

5 minutes ago, IamMe90 said:

Yeah, no, you're right, it's about more than wealth. However, that is still a far cry from reducing his position to "representing his country." I think any motivations he has for wanting to increase Russia's stance in the world are inherently self-interested, whether they be amassing power, wealth, or whatever.  

He represents them like a warden represents prisoners in a prison.

[Martell Spy]

How Russia’s Mariia Butina Allegedly Used Sex to “Infiltrate” the Republican Party and NRA

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/07/mariia-butina-nra-republican-party-russian-used-sex-to-manipulate-filings-say.html

Quote

On Wednesday, prosecutors filed a motion arguing that Butina, who has been arrested, should be detained while awaiting trial. That motion includes two new pieces of information that add significantly to what had previously been a fairly thin public case that Butina was engaged in particularly sinister activity: first, that she has contacts with Russia’s FSB intelligence agency, and second, that she manipulated her main Republican ally by sleeping with him while also attempting to trade sex for influence with another individual at an unnamed special-interest group.

 

[Lany Freelove Cassandra]

44 minutes ago, Mexal said:

This is absolutely insane. They are USA citizens.

 

I know we all get tired of saying it, but please, someone, anyone, tell me he is not that fucking stupid

eta: I really need a less happy avatar

[Jace, Extat]

Her smoky eye shadow contrasted deliciously the blue tempered barrel of my still-warm firearm. How had it come to this? Once the MAGA of the Mega Donors, a series of great personal failures brought me to my knees in the mean streets of Thousand Oaks, CA.

She was with me the whole time. 

It was only there, in the fulcrum of self gratification I'd ever been truly alive.

"Zey vould judge you..." The temptress whispered.

Me, I could do naught but shudder. The bombardment of delight and shame grips me even now.

"Who are zeez creatures, zat zink zey are fit to gaze upon the strong? Vat do zey know of a great man's burden? Ze drive to do great, and terrible tings?"

My muscles contracted at the penultimate utterance. It is not a plea for absolution which causes me to say that I no more pulled the trigger than a fish might drown an ocean, only as true an account as I am able to give.

The flash from the muzzle was blinding in the dark. A stab of light on the eyes given weight by the intoxicating smell of sulfur.

"Zer is only von zing left to do." Her caressing voice, so pure. So Republican. So Russian.

It was a relief to finally turn the gun on myself.

[Bonnot OG]

22 minutes ago, Lany Freelove Cassandra said:

I know we all get tired of saying it, but please, someone, anyone, tell me he is not that fucking stupid

eta: I really need a less happy avatar

He let Errdogan's goon squad beat up citizens on US soil. He doesn't give fuck about citizenship if they aren't kissing his ass. 

It's kind of funny seeing how people continue to think he is going to eventually show he isn't terrible. 
 

[Lany Freelove Cassandra]

6 minutes ago, Bonnot OG said:

He let Errdogan's goon squad beat up citizens on US soil. He doesn't give fuck about citizenship if they aren't kissing his ass. 

It's kind of funny seeing how people continue to think he is going to eventually show he isn't terrible. 
 

I know how horrible he is, and I shouldn't be surprised each time he sinks to a new low, but for some reason I am. 

Every time I think "that's the worse" he proves me wrong.

 

Maybe it is a new way to attack the left "You were wrong 50 times last year when you thought I couldn't possibly do something even worse. No one should listen to people who are wrong so often"