US politics (9 Viewers)

[Lili Marlene]

I'm not sure whether Camile Paglia is a genius or a clown (or both) but dam she's fun to read.

You've spoken about her a few times and while I have read a few pieces by her here and there can you give a brief history of what it is you like/dislike about her or what changed with her? I feel there's a big context here i'm only vaguely aware of...

 

[Mormon Nailer]

You've spoken about her a few times and while I have read a few pieces by her here and there can you give a brief history of what it is you like/dislike about her or what changed with her? I feel there's a big context here i'm only vaguely aware of...

She's clever.
An upologetic listener to conservative talk radio
Says things that are completely outside the pale of liberal thought.
Has lots of strange preoccupations.
But even when you disagree sometime you want to stand up and cheer because even if she's wrong she's fighting he timidity and groupthink.

 

[Mormon Nailer]

Andrew Sullivan is blind: It’s elitists who helped give rise to America’s neo-fascist movement

A good dismantling of the Andrew Sullivan article.
(even more surprising is that it appeared in Salon)

 

[Mormon Nailer]

I guess the thing about Sullivan is to remember - marriage eguality, torture, his 911 turnaround, all admirable, and and all notwithstanding - at the end of the day he's a fucking Tory!

 

[hydromancer]

Help Old Broads and Disto Create A #PhillyTheBern Mural!

 

[7 - No tomorrow]

She's faced criticism her entire career

 

[Lili Marlene]

She's also organized coup's in Honduras, but hey, it's anti-feminist to criticize her involvement in American colonialist attitudes.

 

[7 - No tomorrow]

The main issue for me is Scotus
Everything flows from there

I'm hoping she'll be chastened by Libya. Not sure what she'd have done different in Syria tbh.
She'll stand up to Putin, who is a bona fide war monger, and hopefully the Saudis.

I think it will be great to have a female Democrat President.
Especially when you consider the other option.

 

[Lili Marlene]

My understanding of the office of US president (and correct me if i'm wrong, i'm certainly no expert) is that they have the most power in foreign policy, domestic stuff is so fraught and filled with internal fights as it is (as you were saying, SCOTUS) that presidents have little sway over it all. However, the US President can easily lead a country into a war, whether it be cold or hot, and Clinton basically has the worst record possible for being in that position.

As for Putin, I'm very doubtful of any western news reports I read about him to be honest. I don't think he's any more mental than those in power in the USA.

Oh and symbolically a woman is nice and all but that's about it.

 

[7 - No tomorrow]

Putin is actively engaged in wars of distraction.
He barrel bombs children in their beds in Syria to further geopolitical ends and appear tough at home.He's a menace.
He's fighting a war Gorbachev lost.
And he's taken Crimea, invaded Ukraine and his mob shot an airliner out of the sky.
A godawful man. He's a Trump presidency in action.
He kills political opponents. He murders journalists. He sends girls to prison for playing guitar.
If you hate imperialism, war and murder of innocents, this is your guy.
Him and the Saudis are the real threats to peace right now as far as I can see.

I don't know who you're comparing Hillary's record to. If it's her opponent, he doesn't have one. If it's anyone that's held the office, then GWB is clearly worse.

A symbolic positive will do me fine for the sisters.
She'll be a bulwark for choice too though. And she gets two Scotus picks pretty much straight out of the gate.
Roe V Wade is safe for a generation. We can roll back Citizens United.
Sorry to keep on about the court. I just dig it.

I don't adore her, but there's plenty of upside.

 

[тхеодоре кацзынски]

She'll stand up to Putin, who is a bona fide war monger, and hopefully the Saudis.

You know I'm gonna have to dispute that!
He's been in charge since 2000, he inherited the Chechen war, fought the Georgian war in response to what was seen as a provocation, similarly with the annexation of Crimea and the ongoing conflict in Donbas. The war in Syria was likely an attempt to bring about a favourable resolution to the Ukraine crisis.
He's certainly no angel but essentially he's responded to outside actors getting too close to Russian interests, something that any power would do, a warmonger would be going about the place picking fights with everyone and anyone.

 

[7 - No tomorrow]

You know I'm gonna have to dispute that!
He's been in charge since 2000, he inherited the Chechen war, fought the Georgian war in response to what was seen as a provocation, similarly with the annexation of Crimea and the ongoing conflict in Donbas. The war in Syria was likely an attempt to bring about a favourable resolution to the Ukraine crisis.
He's certainly no angel but essentially he's responded to outside actors getting too close to Russian interests, something that any power would do, a warmonger would be going about the place picking fights with everyone and anyone.

I know you love him. Not gonna try and convince you otherwise.

I think Hillary is the best of available choices in dealing with him.

 

[тхеодоре кацзынски]

I know you love him. Not gonna try and convince you otherwise.

I think Hillary is the best of available choices in dealing with him.

The big worry with Hillary as opposed to Trump is continued American adventurism in Eastern Europe. Things could escalate very quickly indeed and unlike during the Cold War Russian nuclear doctrine now allows for a first strike if the country faces an 'existential' threat.

 

[7 - No tomorrow]

The adventurism in Eastern Europe is coming from Russia, funding far right hate groups and trying to break up the EU.

Russia represents an existential threat to the EU, or it would certainly like to be one.

Trump would make a deal with this murderous bully, Hillary will stand up to him.

 

[тхеодоре кацзынски]

Against that you could ask - what business has the US in Eastern Europe? Certainly it's of far greater interest to Russia than it should be to the US.
Putin doesn't want to expand the Russian borders any further, the idea that he's gonna go after the Baltic states is absurd.
I'm not even sure it would take a deal being done, just ease off on the missile shield in the east and stop expanding NATO.

 

[7 - No tomorrow]

Putin doesn't want to expand the Russian borders any further

Just totally annexed a part of another European country
He'd take the 1991 borders in a goddamn heartbeat

He's an authoritarian murderous thief of a man and a leader.
A godawful presence in the world and for Russians.

 

[тхеодоре кацзынски]

Just totally annexed a part of another European country
He'd take the 1991 borders in a goddamn heartbeat

He's an authoritarian murderous thief of a man and a leader.
A godawful presence in the world and for Russians.

It was a reactive annexation when faced with the loss of their only warm water naval base, they'd be in a pretty bad way without Sevastopol.
He probably would take the 1991 borders if he knew they'd roll over for him, that's never gonna happen though so he's satisfied with the current status quo. Well, the status quo as it was when he first took office.
Anyway... we'll never see eye to eye on the virtues of the glorious leader and his most excellent regime.

 

[тхеодоре кацзынски]

Actually, a final point if I may while on the topic of naval bases - the Arab Spring demonstrated perfectly the US' duplicity; they were all gung ho for democracy and freedom until it came to Bahrain, home of the US 5th fleet, at which point they turned the other way while the Saudi's and UAE rolled in and brutally put down the protests.
They're both playing the same game, yes Russia are rather more crude, but when it comes to bodies, ruined states and the potential for more of the same the US is in a league of its own.

 

[7 - No tomorrow]

Actually, a final point if I may while on the topic of naval bases - the Arab Spring demonstrated perfectly the US' duplicity; they were all gung ho for democracy and freedom until it came to Bahrain, home of the US 5th fleet, at which point they turned the other way while the Saudi's and UAE rolled in and brutally put down the protests.
They're both playing the same game, yes Russia are rather more crude, but when it comes to bodies, ruined states and the potential for more of the same the US is in a league of its own.

The answer to "OJ Simpson killed someone" is not "Well so did Phil Spector"
I'm not going to defend what the US does abroad. And especially Saudi Arabia. Who could? The US has some ghastly foreign policy actions and alliances.
But Putin is a self-evidently dangerous man and he needs to be stood up to.

By any measure Russia is a terrible place to live if you're a woman, gay, ethnic, muslim. Anything at all.
I don't hate Russia. I hate what its leaders have done to its people in the name of their own good.
They've gone from a monarchy to repressive communism, to a kleptocracy. Never once getting out from totalitarianism and authoritarianism.

 

[7 - No tomorrow]

the US President can easily lead a country into a war, whether it be cold or hot, and Clinton basically has the worst record possible for being in that position.

In terms of scale the US has the worst foreign policy record worldwide currently going and she was secretary of state. I'm not comparing her record to anyone,

So she has the "worst record possible" because she was previously Secretary of State and now she's running for President?

Ok.