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talkpoliticsJimmy Carter was the first US President I remember. I still like & respect Jimmy Carter, even though in hindsight he didn't really continue the successful economic policies of previous Democrats, and he didn't stop the imperialist activities of the USA in Latin America.
I can like someone while recognizing that they have glaring flaws among their good points. I bring this up because it's relevant to how we look at Barack Obama. Obama is likeable, and he's cool, and his presidency is important to a lot of people--and his foreign policy team is crap. Total crap.
War in Libya with the opposition of Congress--are we playing at being Dick Nixon & Henry Kissinger now?
Trying to depose Assad via the ragtag Free Syrian Army, and probably contributing to the Syrian refugee crisis--instead of offering food aid when Syria was in a five-year drought and a killer famine, possibly thawing relations with Assad, and averting the refugee crisis.
And both of the above empowered "Islamic State." Lovely.
Assassinating Muslim preacher Anwar al-Awlaki. Then assassinating his teenage son. Obama flak-catcher then saying, "Should've had a better dad!" Class act. e_e
The "double tap" drone policy which attacks first responders after an assassination strike, not to mention that our foreign policy relies on assassination strikes at all.
America apparently completely blowing the Copenhagen climate summit in 2009? I don't know as much about this one.
All of this happened when Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State. I'm not giving John Kerry a free pass. I'm just saying, if she wants to run on this record, I'm not seeing enough positives to outweigh negatives. It's not really a great record on the merits.
Then she stood in front of a bunch of Democratic primary voters and invoked Henry Kissinger as someone who approved of her state department. Um, OK, you can take a compliment from a predecessor, but trumpeting that is odd. Do you even know where you are, lady? Republicans might accept that endorsement; I grew up Republican, and I think we sort of knew Kissinger was a supervillain, but he was our supervillain. In front of a bunch of liberal US Democrats? Uhhh, no.
Bernie isn't perfect. Drone attacks will probably continue under him in some form. But I think I'd rather take a chance on his foreign policy than on hers. Of course, that's easy to say, given that I tend to agree with him on other issues.
Tulsi Gabbard's endorsement of Bernie yesterday makes me think I'm onto something. Hillary Clinton was a bad Secretary of State who backed foolish policies that caused problems for other countries, including our European allies. And to no advantage to our country.
She has not earned the respect her resumé would imply. And at least Bernie isn't looking to Kissinger as a mentor and role model.
Just one of the reasons I am asking you to vote for Bernie Sanders in your state's Democratic primary.
I can like someone while recognizing that they have glaring flaws among their good points. I bring this up because it's relevant to how we look at Barack Obama. Obama is likeable, and he's cool, and his presidency is important to a lot of people--and his foreign policy team is crap. Total crap.
War in Libya with the opposition of Congress--are we playing at being Dick Nixon & Henry Kissinger now?
Trying to depose Assad via the ragtag Free Syrian Army, and probably contributing to the Syrian refugee crisis--instead of offering food aid when Syria was in a five-year drought and a killer famine, possibly thawing relations with Assad, and averting the refugee crisis.
And both of the above empowered "Islamic State." Lovely.
Assassinating Muslim preacher Anwar al-Awlaki. Then assassinating his teenage son. Obama flak-catcher then saying, "Should've had a better dad!" Class act. e_e
The "double tap" drone policy which attacks first responders after an assassination strike, not to mention that our foreign policy relies on assassination strikes at all.
America apparently completely blowing the Copenhagen climate summit in 2009? I don't know as much about this one.
All of this happened when Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State. I'm not giving John Kerry a free pass. I'm just saying, if she wants to run on this record, I'm not seeing enough positives to outweigh negatives. It's not really a great record on the merits.
Then she stood in front of a bunch of Democratic primary voters and invoked Henry Kissinger as someone who approved of her state department. Um, OK, you can take a compliment from a predecessor, but trumpeting that is odd. Do you even know where you are, lady? Republicans might accept that endorsement; I grew up Republican, and I think we sort of knew Kissinger was a supervillain, but he was our supervillain. In front of a bunch of liberal US Democrats? Uhhh, no.
Bernie isn't perfect. Drone attacks will probably continue under him in some form. But I think I'd rather take a chance on his foreign policy than on hers. Of course, that's easy to say, given that I tend to agree with him on other issues.
Tulsi Gabbard's endorsement of Bernie yesterday makes me think I'm onto something. Hillary Clinton was a bad Secretary of State who backed foolish policies that caused problems for other countries, including our European allies. And to no advantage to our country.
She has not earned the respect her resumé would imply. And at least Bernie isn't looking to Kissinger as a mentor and role model.
Just one of the reasons I am asking you to vote for Bernie Sanders in your state's Democratic primary.
(no subject)
Date: 1/3/16 01:23 (UTC)My states primary is tomorrow, I'm not registered to a party - so I have some options.
If you trust fivethirtyeight (which for the most part, I do. It can be wrong, but tends to be right) - In my state, Hillary has a 99% chance to win, and Trump has a 91% chance....
So...should I throw my vote away on a socialist who could easily tack on another 20 trillion in debt, or a doctor who is constantly on the verge of falling asleep, who not only may have stabbed a guy, but thought it was a good idea to bring it up and insist it was true?
Also, what should I drink to erase the shame for whatever decision I make in the previous question?
(no subject)
Date: 1/3/16 01:44 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 1/3/16 02:35 (UTC)You have to take intentions, factor in persistence, and also - somehow - take into account the other 535 assholes we're going to shuffle in and out - and what they'll support.
This isn't about picking a candidate you like, it's picking the one you dislike the least - one whose faults you can accept, and/or whose craziest ideas you think have the smallest chance of success.
It's called the bargaining stage. I'm there too. If you don't know what comes next...keep it that way!
(no subject)
Date: 1/3/16 03:11 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 1/3/16 07:19 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 1/3/16 13:45 (UTC)It sends a message to her that there is still a large segment of the Democratic constituency that remembers when the Democrats were a liberal party, and not a centrist party. That group still wants that, and if she wants that groups support in the general election, she should consider why Bernie Sanders is so popular - what issues are people facing that his words are addressing, what concerns are people having that aren't being met. It, theoretically, will help to moderate her back in the other direction, because whatever else we can say about Hillary Clinton, she's a pragmatist and a realist, and understands that politics is a give-and-take. I'd be less happy with Clinton than I would be with Sanders, but I do believe that Clinton would still make at least some token concessions to the leftists, even if they're only baby-steps. At the very least, she'll slow down the right-ward slide.
(no subject)
Date: 5/3/16 17:53 (UTC)Most of the debt-raising has been from wars and medical stuff, which is precisely what Bernie aims to curb.