Thursday, July 28, 2016
"Ronald Reagan is dead, and the world is no worse off for it. At the best of times, he was an ineffectual dunce. At the worst, he was a dangerous madman who threatened humanity's very survival. He destroyed any residual respect for the presidency left over from Nixon, his moral predecessor. He created unprecedented deficits while simultaneously gutting the principles of the New Deal and the Great Society. He presided over a White House famously unable to govern properly because of his abysmal ignorance and tolerance of a Byzantine mess of corrupt internal fiefdoms. His endless rotation of advisers was a contemptible assortment of thieves, quacks, hypocrites and imbeciles who regularly broke the law of the land, lied shamelessly to Congress and the American people, and hopelessly ensnared themselves in ugly webs of shady and illicit dealings. Reagan claimed to be leading a conservative revolution, but he left the presidency with America mired in debt, more authoritarian, militarized and centralized than ever before, and with a foreign policy that was the laughing-stock of the civilized world."
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/6/8/32553/-
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/6/8/32553/-
at
22:17
Location:
Windsor, ON, Canada
you're going to hear a lot of scare mongering over the next several months.
"remember when nader handed bush the election?"
i don't even care if it's true or not. the reality was that gore was just as bad as bush, which is why he couldn't sway left-wing voters.
some of you have short memories. some of you are just young. all of you should read this, to jog your memory.
reality check: al gore was 100% in support of the invasion of iraq, and was even partially responsible for it.
"So this time, if we resort to force, we must absolutely get it right. It must be an action set up carefully and on the basis of the most realistic concepts. Failure cannot be an option, which means that we must be prepared to go the limit. And wishful thinking based on best-case scenarios or excessively literal transfers of recent experience to different conditions would be a recipe for disaster." - al gore on the iraq war, 2002
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2002/02/gore-f20.html
"remember when nader handed bush the election?"
i don't even care if it's true or not. the reality was that gore was just as bad as bush, which is why he couldn't sway left-wing voters.
some of you have short memories. some of you are just young. all of you should read this, to jog your memory.
reality check: al gore was 100% in support of the invasion of iraq, and was even partially responsible for it.
"So this time, if we resort to force, we must absolutely get it right. It must be an action set up carefully and on the basis of the most realistic concepts. Failure cannot be an option, which means that we must be prepared to go the limit. And wishful thinking based on best-case scenarios or excessively literal transfers of recent experience to different conditions would be a recipe for disaster." - al gore on the iraq war, 2002
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2002/02/gore-f20.html
at
20:15
Location:
Windsor, ON, Canada
jessica
has she published the changes she claims she wants? thinking back to nafta, the side agreements turned out to be toothless. i don't doubt she'll do some cosmetic changes, it's just...what are they?
levithedbag1
NO SHE HASN'T. I would say if she said one thing and did another we could hold her accountable. BUT then I realized how stupid that statement is. Somehow she has gotten away with murder and deception for more than 25 years. There has to be someone out there that can stop this Clinton Obama mafia. I just can't believe people want her for the US leader. She sold herself like a whore to other countries, countries that want us dead, and big money corps.
jessica
well, i think the media ought to ensure that she does publish these changes some time before the election.
levithedbag1
She wont tip her hand like that. Clinton's don't do accountability and truth. This whole election ha gotten so far out of hand. So comical. How in the heck has all this been allowed to happen. It's embarrassing.
jessica
if she decides not to publish her proposed changes, she should not be surprised when nobody believes her.
i do actually agree, though, that the premise of a presidential candidate claiming she has a policy that she won't tell us is blatantly absurd.
----
they got to joe. oh no! joe! say it ain't so, joe.
bluntly: i think they lied to him and he fell for it.
has she published the changes she claims she wants? thinking back to nafta, the side agreements turned out to be toothless. i don't doubt she'll do some cosmetic changes, it's just...what are they?
levithedbag1
NO SHE HASN'T. I would say if she said one thing and did another we could hold her accountable. BUT then I realized how stupid that statement is. Somehow she has gotten away with murder and deception for more than 25 years. There has to be someone out there that can stop this Clinton Obama mafia. I just can't believe people want her for the US leader. She sold herself like a whore to other countries, countries that want us dead, and big money corps.
jessica
well, i think the media ought to ensure that she does publish these changes some time before the election.
levithedbag1
She wont tip her hand like that. Clinton's don't do accountability and truth. This whole election ha gotten so far out of hand. So comical. How in the heck has all this been allowed to happen. It's embarrassing.
jessica
if she decides not to publish her proposed changes, she should not be surprised when nobody believes her.
i do actually agree, though, that the premise of a presidential candidate claiming she has a policy that she won't tell us is blatantly absurd.
----
they got to joe. oh no! joe! say it ain't so, joe.
bluntly: i think they lied to him and he fell for it.
at
20:01
Location:
Windsor, ON, Canada
but, chris, you know that the whole point is to reduce the election to personalities.
at
19:47
Location:
Windsor, ON, Canada
this is a really bad argument for clinton surrogates. we don't all have the memories of fruit flies...
"So this time, if we resort to force, we must absolutely get it right. It must be an action set up carefully and on the basis of the most realistic concepts. Failure cannot be an option, which means that we must be prepared to go the limit. And wishful thinking based on best-case scenarios or excessively literal transfers of recent experience to different conditions would be a recipe for disaster." - al gore arguing in favour of the iraq war, 2002
here's another historical fact: as a senator in the 90s, al gore voted for the invasion of the first iraq war. unlike in 2002, this put him in the minority. and, he was arguing for regime change during the first bush presidency.
al gore was not just following the status quo on iraq. he was unusually hawkish. he didn't just support the sanctions, he argued for them.
here's an interesting question: how much influence did gore have, directly or indirectly, into clinton's vote for the war?
would gore have invaded iraq? yeah. you betcha he would have.
"So this time, if we resort to force, we must absolutely get it right. It must be an action set up carefully and on the basis of the most realistic concepts. Failure cannot be an option, which means that we must be prepared to go the limit. And wishful thinking based on best-case scenarios or excessively literal transfers of recent experience to different conditions would be a recipe for disaster." - al gore arguing in favour of the iraq war, 2002
here's another historical fact: as a senator in the 90s, al gore voted for the invasion of the first iraq war. unlike in 2002, this put him in the minority. and, he was arguing for regime change during the first bush presidency.
al gore was not just following the status quo on iraq. he was unusually hawkish. he didn't just support the sanctions, he argued for them.
here's an interesting question: how much influence did gore have, directly or indirectly, into clinton's vote for the war?
would gore have invaded iraq? yeah. you betcha he would have.
at
19:33
Location:
Windsor, ON, Canada
for those that are curious, i'm going to post the two dominant sources that i'm likely to get actual news from. i tend to watch a lot of boring, wonky stuff as well. but, what are some video news sites that i'd recommend? that i actually have clicked 'subscribe' for?
1) democracy now is really the standard news site on the soft left. but, their biases are well known and it is consequently sometimes a little bit of a problem trying to digest them as a news site rather than as a propaganda outlet. i actually didn't even really consult them at all on the primary, because i knew what i was going to get. there's a few links here and there. but, their contempt for the democratic party is legendary. what i wanted was reporting from a pro-sanders slant, and i knew better than to think i was going to get it from there. the little bit that i saw was critical of sanders for selling out - which just didn't strike me as relevant. i didn't disagree. i just didn't see the use in hearing it. sell out or not, he was far and away the most exciting thing the left had seen in decades. i didn't need a sober analysis from amy & juan.
democracy now:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzuqE7-t13O4NIDYJfakrhw
2) the other site that i normally pay a lot of attention to regarding day-to-day news is the real news network, which is kind of a canadian thing. paul jay used to be employed by our state run media, but got fired for being a communist - or something like that. trnn is not as reliable as democracy now, but it's often more direct. that is, if you want to know what's happening quickly, trnn is often the best primer to hit.
trnn:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrmm_7RDZJeQzq2-wvmjueg
those are the sites i would normally hit for daily news regarding things like geopolitics, not the sites i've been frequenting recently due to the primary.
1) democracy now is really the standard news site on the soft left. but, their biases are well known and it is consequently sometimes a little bit of a problem trying to digest them as a news site rather than as a propaganda outlet. i actually didn't even really consult them at all on the primary, because i knew what i was going to get. there's a few links here and there. but, their contempt for the democratic party is legendary. what i wanted was reporting from a pro-sanders slant, and i knew better than to think i was going to get it from there. the little bit that i saw was critical of sanders for selling out - which just didn't strike me as relevant. i didn't disagree. i just didn't see the use in hearing it. sell out or not, he was far and away the most exciting thing the left had seen in decades. i didn't need a sober analysis from amy & juan.
democracy now:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzuqE7-t13O4NIDYJfakrhw
2) the other site that i normally pay a lot of attention to regarding day-to-day news is the real news network, which is kind of a canadian thing. paul jay used to be employed by our state run media, but got fired for being a communist - or something like that. trnn is not as reliable as democracy now, but it's often more direct. that is, if you want to know what's happening quickly, trnn is often the best primer to hit.
trnn:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrmm_7RDZJeQzq2-wvmjueg
those are the sites i would normally hit for daily news regarding things like geopolitics, not the sites i've been frequenting recently due to the primary.
at
19:12
Location:
Windsor, ON, Canada
i've pointed out a few times that kerry was the only modern democratic party candidate that i've supported as an acceptable lesser evil (i didn't even see gore as a lesser evil...), and i actually think he's done a truly super-human job in cleaning up the absolute disaster that clinton left the state department in. he remains probably the only person in the democratic party upper echelon that i would really seriously consider voting for. and, i've enjoyed a lot of his speeches as secretary - although i should point out that just as many of them are pretty orwellian. he's not as bad as biden on the orwellian front (at this very summit, biden had the temerity to present columbia as an example of american leadership in fighting corruption.), but he can get a little staggering sometimes. still, i find his speeches a lot more inspiring than anybody else in the club. i know that's the exact opposite of the media narrative, but that's pretty expected for me.
i watch this stuff when i eat. i don't put aside time for it. but, i think this overlaps with what i was saying about fat shaming and why it's so important that we all fat shame our kids into consuming what they need and not what they want.
to be clear.
gore: not a lesser evil.
kerry: a lesser evil.
obama: not a lesser evil.
clinton: not a lesser evil.
don't expect me to ease up on her. i keep saying it. i never eased up on obama. i never eased up on gore, either.
well, i gave obama a bit of a break for a few months after he got elected. i gave him a chance, you could say.
i watch this stuff when i eat. i don't put aside time for it. but, i think this overlaps with what i was saying about fat shaming and why it's so important that we all fat shame our kids into consuming what they need and not what they want.
to be clear.
gore: not a lesser evil.
kerry: a lesser evil.
obama: not a lesser evil.
clinton: not a lesser evil.
don't expect me to ease up on her. i keep saying it. i never eased up on obama. i never eased up on gore, either.
well, i gave obama a bit of a break for a few months after he got elected. i gave him a chance, you could say.
at
18:35
Location:
Windsor, ON, Canada
j reacts to the extreme social coercion that exists around fossil fuel culture
actually, the fact is that i don't have a driver's license.
the truth is that i've never wanted one. the reasons were always largely environmental. i always said that i may revisit the point if the infrastructure allows for electric vehicles, but i've learned since then that this was somewhat naive: the manufacturing process is awful enough that merely switching to electric is not enough of a solution. or, not for me, anyways. i wouldn't buy an electric car unless it was made from 100% recycled material.
right now, i mostly walk everywhere out of a combination of necessity and circumstance. my bicycle is out of order. i haven't prioritized fixing it because i wouldn't really use it right now if i could. that will change once they get the new bridge to detroit built.
so, fuck your cars. i don't want them. and, you shouldn't, either.
the truth is that i've never wanted one. the reasons were always largely environmental. i always said that i may revisit the point if the infrastructure allows for electric vehicles, but i've learned since then that this was somewhat naive: the manufacturing process is awful enough that merely switching to electric is not enough of a solution. or, not for me, anyways. i wouldn't buy an electric car unless it was made from 100% recycled material.
right now, i mostly walk everywhere out of a combination of necessity and circumstance. my bicycle is out of order. i haven't prioritized fixing it because i wouldn't really use it right now if i could. that will change once they get the new bridge to detroit built.
so, fuck your cars. i don't want them. and, you shouldn't, either.
at
12:01
Location:
Windsor, ON, Canada
j reacts to clinton's reactionary politics
i've got a great idea for clinton to try and reach young voters in a way that naturally reflects her campaign movements: reduce her campaign to a series of reacts videos on youtube. that's what the campaign is going to feel like. so, she'd might as well go full retard...
at
11:35
Location:
Windsor, ON, Canada
feel free to remove this. i was really just looking for decent coverage of the primary, and this was the closest thing i could find to it. i was never really looking for a debate. i don't even live in your country. it's more that i have a tendency for procrastination and you kept throwing shit down that i felt i could make some kind of point in reacting to. so, it's more like i saw an opportunity to co-opt something - i saw a stage to rush, a platform to yell over. i was never under the illusion that i'm anywhere close on the spectrum to this channel, which i'd run into previously on multiple occasions and had largely written off as a mouth piece for the right side of the democratic party (it was all about fiscal issues...). frankly, you surprised me with your primary coverage. the recent coverage is actually more in line with what i might expect. i guess i was never here in the first place - i didn't ever even go through the symbolic act of clicking subscribe - but i'll go ahead and leave you alone, now.
Commented on The Young Turks's Discussion tab
Commented on The Young Turks's Discussion tab
at
03:03
Location:
Windsor, ON, Canada
jessica
the argument that slave conditions in the south were preferable to market labour working conditions in the north has been made by essentially every american socialist since 1850, including chomsky, zinn and dewey. it's not generally presented as an argument in favour of slavery, though - it's usually presented as an argument against labour markets.
a variation on this argument is the observation that slave owners rarely killed their property, as they were invested in it, but were more open to killing "free workers" as they could just hire another one.
----
Xavier Mahan
With Ana's definition of slavery most of us are slaves.
jessica
yeah, she kind of screwed that up. in fact, o'reilly is perverting a leftist intellectual tradition that rejects the difference between chattel slavery and wage slavery. she didn't mean it, but she's accidentally absolutely right.
the argument that slave conditions in the south were preferable to market labour working conditions in the north has been made by essentially every american socialist since 1850, including chomsky, zinn and dewey. it's not generally presented as an argument in favour of slavery, though - it's usually presented as an argument against labour markets.
a variation on this argument is the observation that slave owners rarely killed their property, as they were invested in it, but were more open to killing "free workers" as they could just hire another one.
----
Xavier Mahan
With Ana's definition of slavery most of us are slaves.
jessica
yeah, she kind of screwed that up. in fact, o'reilly is perverting a leftist intellectual tradition that rejects the difference between chattel slavery and wage slavery. she didn't mean it, but she's accidentally absolutely right.
at
00:49
Location:
Windsor, ON, Canada
My Cat's Life
Petulant millennial bernie bros would rather sink the country because they were told no once in their lives. in the real world not everyone gets a participation award.
I'm sorry but in the real word not everyone wins. You politically naive Bernie bros have found this out and now you will be responsible for the destruction of our country.
jessica
you can cry about it and call them names, or you can do something constructive to win their votes. but, you're just another dipshit whining baby boomer that's had everything handed to you on a silver platter your whole life. you can't fathom actually working for anything.
My Cat's Life
For millennial bernie bros who are politically naive who have never been told no it's a hard pill to swallow but the in the real world not ever gets a participation award.
jessica
it's really amazing to hear boomers tell younger people that not everybody gets a participation award, when they grew up in a world where everybody got a fucking house as a reward for graduating high school - and then destroyed that world to pay for cocaine. i guess all the drugs fucked their memory up, huh?
we could live in a world where everybody wins, but the boomers' parents were right - they fucked the whole thing up.
i've got a great idea: why don't we fund student loan forgiveness with social security money?
My Cat's Life
you Bernie bros are deluded. gleefully cheering the destruction of America and the rise of new fascism just because you didn't get your way once in life. wakey wakey millennials not everyone gets a gold star
jessica
trump is not smart enough to be a fascist. but, if you're educated on hillary's track record, it's a pretty apt description.
we don't really have a choice: we've been dealing with creeping fascism since the hippies elected nixon, and this election is going to carry it forward one way or another.
i mean, you can't really blame it on the clintons. the first clinton presidency is going to actually be largely forgotten, sandwiched between reagan and bush. the reagan era will be said to extend some time past 1980, hopefully ending in 2020. clinton and his legacy will be folded entirely within it.
if he's lucky he might get something like clinton-reagan. but, that will probably actually end up as reagan-bush.
Kelli Barnhouse
Bush/Chaney Bankrupted this country After They spent The Surplus President Clinton Left Them!!! President Clinton was the best President this Country Ever Had!!! Didn't You learn anything In High School History Class!!!
jessica
there's some truth to this, but nobody cares about surpluses, or whether they're based on funny math or not - nor does having a surplus imply anything positive about the state of the economy or anything positive about the state of the country.
clinton was a caretaker president that carried on the policies that were set in motion by his predecessor. this is also largely true of obama. we're due for some kind of transformative change, but it's been resisted up to this point - and will not happen in the next four years, unless it comes from trump (but i doubt this).
Petulant millennial bernie bros would rather sink the country because they were told no once in their lives. in the real world not everyone gets a participation award.
I'm sorry but in the real word not everyone wins. You politically naive Bernie bros have found this out and now you will be responsible for the destruction of our country.
jessica
you can cry about it and call them names, or you can do something constructive to win their votes. but, you're just another dipshit whining baby boomer that's had everything handed to you on a silver platter your whole life. you can't fathom actually working for anything.
My Cat's Life
For millennial bernie bros who are politically naive who have never been told no it's a hard pill to swallow but the in the real world not ever gets a participation award.
jessica
it's really amazing to hear boomers tell younger people that not everybody gets a participation award, when they grew up in a world where everybody got a fucking house as a reward for graduating high school - and then destroyed that world to pay for cocaine. i guess all the drugs fucked their memory up, huh?
we could live in a world where everybody wins, but the boomers' parents were right - they fucked the whole thing up.
i've got a great idea: why don't we fund student loan forgiveness with social security money?
My Cat's Life
you Bernie bros are deluded. gleefully cheering the destruction of America and the rise of new fascism just because you didn't get your way once in life. wakey wakey millennials not everyone gets a gold star
jessica
trump is not smart enough to be a fascist. but, if you're educated on hillary's track record, it's a pretty apt description.
we don't really have a choice: we've been dealing with creeping fascism since the hippies elected nixon, and this election is going to carry it forward one way or another.
i mean, you can't really blame it on the clintons. the first clinton presidency is going to actually be largely forgotten, sandwiched between reagan and bush. the reagan era will be said to extend some time past 1980, hopefully ending in 2020. clinton and his legacy will be folded entirely within it.
if he's lucky he might get something like clinton-reagan. but, that will probably actually end up as reagan-bush.
Kelli Barnhouse
Bush/Chaney Bankrupted this country After They spent The Surplus President Clinton Left Them!!! President Clinton was the best President this Country Ever Had!!! Didn't You learn anything In High School History Class!!!
jessica
there's some truth to this, but nobody cares about surpluses, or whether they're based on funny math or not - nor does having a surplus imply anything positive about the state of the economy or anything positive about the state of the country.
clinton was a caretaker president that carried on the policies that were set in motion by his predecessor. this is also largely true of obama. we're due for some kind of transformative change, but it's been resisted up to this point - and will not happen in the next four years, unless it comes from trump (but i doubt this).
at
00:22
Location:
Windsor, ON, Canada
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