Presidential Race (Respector Edition)

[uncool2pillow]

You know Ahmadinejad can't do anything without the Ayatollah, right?

 

Is this supposed to put me at ease?

[Tweedling]

 

 

You know Ahmadinejad can't do anything without the Ayatollah, right? Whether or not Ahmadinejad understands MAD means jackshit because he couldn't drop any hypothetical bombs anyway. He's a nutbar who is easily vilified in the west but he isn't actually very powerful at all.

Man, thank goodness that Ayatollah is a real swell guy...

I'm pretty sure Ahmadinejad says exactly what the Ayatollah wants him to say. Otherwise he'd tell him to shut hell up.

[LouieB]

Wartime Presidents get reelected. If there is an October attack, more than likely Obama would benefit.

It sure didn't help Jimmy Carter.

 

Regarding the question of why anyone would care if Jeff Tweedy supports Obama; Tweedy has tons of fans, who do care. Some don't. But some do and he clearly feels strongly enough about it to go out and talk about his support. Does it matter? To some people, yes it does.

 

LouieB

[KevinG]

It sure didn't help Jimmy Carter.

 

Regarding the question of why anyone would care if Jeff Tweedy supports Obama; Tweedy has tons of fans, who do care. Some don't. But some do and he clearly feels strongly enough about it to go out and talk about his support. Does it matter? To some people, yes it does.

 

LouieB

 

In 2008 I saw Wilco play a small rally (500 people or so) in Madison WI for Obama. It was awesome.

[KevinG]

There is no secret I love out gaffes, misstatements and lies by Romney and Ryan. I do this for a couple of reasons, first to show how RR willfully deceive the American public, second to show the shear ineptitude of GOP ticket, and lastly because I think it is fun and it can at times get interesting conversations going.

 

Here is a recent "gaffe" by Paul Ryan, with commentary form Maddow's Blog. Which I hope sparks all three of my reasons.

 

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/09/27/14124144-paul-ryan-declares-dont-feed-fish?lite

 

For those of you who don't want to read Maddow's blog, let me sum up, Ryan was confronted with a person who cannot afford to go off of public assistance, so Ryan responded with the old adage, give a man a fish he eats for a day... Sort of, this is what he actually said,

 

The only thing that limits you is your God given talent and your own effort. We need to have that dynamic economy return. You do that by drawing the economy and giving people a hand up, not a hand out. Teach a man how to fish, he can feed himself for a life. Don't simply feed fish.

 

Ok, take it that he got the words mixed up, we all understand what he means, right? Give someone tools to better themselves they will be better and do better. However Paul Ryan's budget do give some pretty harsh cuts to education, as well as student loans. As well as some other deep cuts to public assistance programs. So where is Ryan teaching a man to fish? There is no help, offered, no hand up.

[Mr. Heartbreak]

Last paragraph of that blog post is worth reading:

The idea of stressing education as a mechanism for growth and social mobility sounds pretty appealing, but the Republican vision is one in which struggling folks wouldn't get a fish, wouldn't be taught to fish, the lake gets drained, and those affected would be told to "take personal responsibility and care for their lives."

[Sparky speaks]

If you want to gain some knowledge of the destructive policies of the Federal Reserve and how neither candidate or other politician, except for two or three, is addressing the real reason why we will never recover economically no matter who is president, watch this. It is not that complicated. Stockman explains it all including how crony capitalism and Fed. policies are destroying capitalism. Borrowing more to pay the bills and debt that resulted from excessive borrowing is crazy. There is no good end to what they are doing. Both Obama or Romney will be powerless to stop what is in progress and the financial day of reckoning that is coming...

 

"There are mad men in charge of the printing press."

 

[Mr. Heartbreak]

Eventually, there will probably have to be some kind of weird trade agreement whereby we agree to buy all kinds of cheap shit from China in exchange for them forgiving XXXX-trillion dollars of debt. Too many countries around the world rely on the good old US of A being the world's biggest consumer for them to let us go bankrupt. As they say (ironically) in the world of psychology, "A dysfunctional relationship is better than no relationship at all." There really is no point in going through life worrying about things so far out of our control.

[Sparky speaks]

If you could listen to his answers and not know who was speaking could you tell if he was the Democratic or the Republican candidate ?

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8v1fJjBo20

[Tweedling]

Eventually, there will probably have to be some kind of weird trade agreement whereby we agree to buy all kinds of cheap shit from China in exchange for them forgiving XXXX-trillion dollars of debt. Too many countries around the world rely on the good old US of A being the world's biggest consumer for them to let us go bankrupt. As they say (ironically) in the world of psychology, "A dysfunctional relationship is better than no relationship at all." There really is no point in going through life worrying about things so far out of our control.

Are you saying we are "too big to fail"?

[LouieB]

NOW we are supposed to believe something David Stockman says? Really? Mr. Supply-side, trickledown, raise the debt, end entitlements? Come on!!

 

LouieB

[Winston Legthigh]

NOW we are supposed to believe something David Stockman says? Really? Mr. Supply-side, trickledown, raise the debt, end entitlements? Come on!!

 

LouieB

 

It's much easier to be a paid talking head - forecasting gloom and doom, rather than actually take risk by being a global macro fund manager.

 

Oh wait, he lost millions and many employees lost their jobs because of his securities fraud.

 

Who's paying this guy to speak???

[LouieB]

 

Who's paying this guy to speak???

I didn't watch the whole thing, but he does mention the name of an investment fund patron and also says some annonymous donor. After that I turned it off.

 

LouieB

[Sparky speaks]

I didn't watch the whole thing, but he does mention the name of an investment fund patron and also says some annonymous donor. After that I turned it off.

 

LouieB

 

That's why you don't understand what the Fed is doing to our economic system, Lou. You have to try to put aside your biases and try to get something out of it. I grudgingly listen to and read about what Obama and Romney say and I can't stomach either of them. You take a little from here and a little from there to try to piece things together. If you don't try to learn something new or get someone's perspective that doesn't quite jive with your own then you get stuck in the same old left right paradigm that brings us nowhere. Hey, I was a bleeding heart socialist leaning liberal no more that five years ago. I saw the discrepancies and the flaws in those beliefs at the time but I was convinced the other guys were nuts and had nothing to offer. Eventually, I found that the libertarian view of war and constitutional and economic freedoms better fit my way of thinking and helped settle the conflicts I had with the left and right both of which I now consider statists no different from each other. Stockman has some interesting things to say in this clip despite his past. People change. Trickle down would work if there was a free market. It's better than the trickle tsunami up we have now in the corrupt crony capitalistic system that is destroying us. Investment funds help drive our economy. When they get put out of business by the Fed policies, where will future business get the funds to start up or grow which in turn will provide jobs for people? Socialism and centrally planned economies are a dead end and not conducive to freedom or prosperity of any kind. That's why those countries who practice it all fail eventually. Those of us who have government or taxpayer funded jobs are endangered species in the next ten years if not sooner. There ultimately will be no money left to pay us. The only hope is the private sector which is being destroyed by the Fed's actions and over government regulation which benefits certain government favored businesses over the rest. Just look at how small business is faring in today's economic climate. Not, too god, but yet that is where most jobs are created when they are faring well. Hold your nose and watch some of these things.

 

Campaign button of the day...

 

[lost highway]

Netanyahu says that Iran will have nuclear capabilities by next summer, and that the world needs to act. He also brought up the fact that Iran has denied the holocaust. He then waved the blueprints for Auschwitz.

 

To me, that is in bad taste. The reality of Auschwitz should not be a bargaining chip for a U.S. invasion of Israel. The Iranian distortion of history will not be the deciding factor as to whether or not they will act aggressive to their neighbors. It seems odd, as if both Israel and Iran feel that the holocaust is the main reason Israel should, or should not be attacked. Bizarre.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/28/world/middleeast/netanyahu-warns-that-iran-bombmaking-ability-is-nearer.html?_r=0

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/27/benjamin-netanyahu-world-red-line-iran_n_1920343.html

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

It sure didn't help Jimmy Carter.

 

Regarding the question of why anyone would care if Jeff Tweedy supports Obama; Tweedy has tons of fans, who do care. Some don't. But some do and he clearly feels strongly enough about it to go out and talk about his support. Does it matter? To some people, yes it does.

 

LouieB

 

Carter wasn't at war, Carter was involved in a hostage situation and with the massive failure at Desert One on his score card.

[Sparky speaks]

Netanyahu says that Iran will have nuclear capabilities by next summer, and that the world needs to act. He also brought up the fact that Iran has denied the holocaust. He then waved the blueprints for Auschwitz.

 

To me, that is in bad taste. The reality of Auschwitz should not be a bargaining chip for a U.S. invasion of Israel. The Iranian distortion of history will not be the deciding factor as to whether or not they will act aggressive to their neighbors. It seems odd, as if both Israel and Iran feel that the holocaust is the main reason Israel should, or should not be attacked. Bizarre.

 

http://www.nytimes.c...earer.html?_r=0

http://www.huffingto..._n_1920343.html

 

It has been his MO for years. I think many people are getting tired of the same old rhetoric being used to promote Zionism. Not all Jews are Zionists. Not all Muslims are jihadists. Zionist terrorism is just as bad as jihad terror. We should stay out of that conflict altogether or we will surely pay a terrible price in American lives. But, I don't think that is going to happen. The war plans are complete and about to be implemented I'm afraid.

 

 

 

 

This doesn't bode well for the future either...

 

Mitt Romney – a danger to USA and world peace

 

By embracing the right-wing Israeli viewpoint, neo-conservative presidential advisers have always advocated American and international disengagement allowing Israel to impose its conditions while ignoring international law by building illegal Jews-only settlements on occupied land.

 

Almost a year ago at a Republican debate, Romney pledged that before making important decisions he would call his “friend Bibi Netanyahu” to ask him: “Would it help if I said this? What would you like me to do?”

Romney supposedly met Netanyahu when they worked at Bain Consulting Group in the 1970s.

In the same debate, Romney fondly said that Netanyahu was “not just a friend, he’s an old friend”. “We can almost speak in shorthand.”

 

However, his “old friend” Bibi is not so sure. Responding to a Vanity Fair magazine question this summer, Netanyahu said: “I don’t think we had any particular connections, I knew him and he knew me, I suppose.”

Besides lying about his friendship with Netanyahu, it was remarkable that a US presidential hopeful would publicly commit to let the leader of a foreign country decide US foreign policy.

 

At every corner Republican pundits come to Romney’s defence and say the Harvard-educated nominee’s statements are “not articulate”, “not elegant” or “gaffes”.

 

Parroting his advisers’ remarks is Romney’s main predicament. He lacks ingenuity and, like George W. Bush, would let his advisers run the White House.

 

Such traits are not those of a national leader, but of a man who poses a dangerous threat to America and world peace.

 

 

Imminent Iran nuclear threat? A timeline of warnings since 1979.

 

http://www.csmonitor...ew/print/422252

 

Noam Chomsky: Israel is a pretty crazy state. The U.S. is just a rogue state

 

CHOMSKY: Well, Israel is a pretty crazy state. My suspicion is that they are trying to create the circumstances under which the U.S. will attack Iran - they don't want to do it themselves.

 

LEZAMA: They want to set up a rationale?

 

CHOMSKY: I would not be surprised if they staged some kind of an incident in the Persian Gulf, which would not be hard. You and I can do it. The Persian Gulf is lined with U.S. Naval missiles, aircraft carriers, destroyers, and so on. Any small incident, a skiff, or, a boat bumping into an aircraft carrier could lead to a vicious response.

 

Actually, we should bear in mind that the United States is already at war with Iran by Pentagon standards. The assassinations - which is terrorism - the cyberwar, the economic warfare, are all considered by the United States as acts of war if they are done to us, but not if we do it to them. So, by our standards, we are already attacking Iran. The question is how much further we will take it. An important aspect of this never discussed in the United States. You never read about it. I write about it, maybe two or three other people, but you never read about it. There is a pretty straightforward solution to this, a diplomatic solution. Namely, move towards establishing a nuclear weapons free-zone in the region. That is strongly supported by virtually the entire world. The U.S. has been blocking the solution for years. However, support for it is so strong that Obama was forced to agree to it in principle, but stated that Israel has to be excluded. Well, that is a joke. Israel has hundred of nuclear weapons, carries out aggression, is a violent state, refuses to allow inspections, and so on. To say that Israel has to be exempted, then, kills the prospect of a nuclear-weapons free zone in the Middle East. This situation is coming to a head in December. There is to be an international conference on a nuclear weapons free-zone in the Middle East; Israel just announced that it is refusing to participate.

 

http://sabbah.biz/mt/archives/2012/09/27/chomsky-israel-crazy-state-usa-rogue-state/

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

It must be exhausting to see conspiracy behind every tree.

[LouieB]

I keep trying to figure out what I am supposed to learn from all the Fed is evil talk. But I think we now know that Sparky is also a public sector employee (like me) or do we?

 

OKay fine, so free market capitalism is the way to go (or is it?) If all things were equal there is a fighting chance it would work, but the market isn't free and it isn't simply the Fed that keeps it from being free and not all economies that get help from the government have failed. What are the chances the Fed is going to be disbanded? Exactly zero. How many politicians want to dispand the Fed?? Nearly zero.

 

I have said this before and I truly believe it. There aren't that many conspiricies really. What is going on in Israel isn't a hidden conspiicy. It is simple geo-political and religious politics. Iran says the Holocast didn't happen and Israel says it the reason they need to exist. The fact is today Israel does exist, but so do the Palestinians, so both have to compromise and get on with it. There are plenty of folks on both sides that want to do just that and get a two state solution and peace. But it isn't to the benefit of any of the leaders in the middle east to actually do this. Because then they would have to start dealing with the real problems in their own countries.

 

All these issues can be sliced and diced to death. We have to have this line and that line and this works and that doesn't work. (Heck Romney's biggest problem is that he doesn't know what he believes and maybe Obama doesn't either.) Every decision that is made, every system that is set up, every situation that occurs has multiple facets and multiple outcomes. I know that sounds overly simplisitic, but you watch stuff for long enough you realize it is true.

 

Even the simplist thing have so many different sides to it that it is enough to make your head spin. Take school lunches for example, something I am intimately aquainted with and which you can read about in the news every day. It's just a fucking lunch but you would think it was the Israeli Palestinian conflict. There are changes, not enough calories, too little fat, its Michelle Obama's fault, the farm lobby doesn't like it, kids dont' like it, parents don't like it, nutritionists do like it, it drives the lunchroom staff crazy, it is a communist conspiricy, it is a government entitlement that should be ended, etc. etc.

 

Now try and fix the economic system?? World peace?? Good fucking luck.

 

( Quoting both Noam Chomsky and David Stockman in dueling posts? Wow, I really can't wrap my head around that ideological divide. That's more flip flops than a Romney iinterview on two separate days.)

 

 

LouieB

[Sparky speaks]

Yep, Chomsky and Turley below are real nut cases. How do you think they will get the US involved in an attack on Iran? Nations have been doing this for years. Battleship Maine, Lusitania, Gulf Of Tonkin, Operation Northwoods, etc., etc. To get the people to back an unpopular military action nations have created incidents to mislead their people into war. It is fact.

 

“Naturally the common people don't want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor in Germany. That is understood. But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.” Hermann Goerring

 

False Flag: Leading Analyst At Pro-Israeli Think Tank Publicly Discusses How U.S. Can Be Forced Into War With Iran

 

Jonathan Turley

 

http://jonathanturle...-war-with-iran/

[LouieB]

Really are you just sititng here waiting for me to say something stupid so you can follow up with something equally idiotic? I have to go to the west side of Chicago (want to come with me and solve THAT problem???) and do my job. I get paid for trying to make sure our hard earned tax money given out to the 47% is used correctly. I take one day and one program at a time and sometimes fail miserably (I have a great story from late yesterday afternoon which is both crazy and boring all at the same time...) but no matter what genius (Stockman or Chomsky) thinks they know how things work, we ultimately don't have any control over individuals. The rich steal and the poor steal. It is almost as if it is in our DNA (how is that for a conspiricy.)

 

LouieB

[Sparky speaks]

 

OKay fine, so free market capitalism is the way to go (or is it?) If all things were equal there is a fighting chance it would work, but the market isn't free and it isn't simply the Fed that keeps it from being free and not all economies that get help from the government have failed. What are the chances the Fed is going to be disbanded? Exactly zero. How many politicians want to dispand the Fed?? Nearly zero.

 

LouieB

 

Then expect a total collapse of the current economic system. The math just doesn't add up and if no change in policiy is imminent the chances of that happeneing are 100%. It is only a matter of time.

 

Government intervention in the economy always results in higher costs for the taxpayer and the consumer. Just look at government college loan subsidies, Obamacare, etc. There is no incentive to keep prices down and little competition to do so when the supplier can count on the government paying the bills and not the individual.

[KevinG]

All this Fed back and forth is too heady for me to follow. Apparently we are headed for a financial meltdown of epic proportions. But there is nothing we can do about it. So when it comes I say we all travel to Sparky's house and seek protection in in his newly formed republic.

 

So until then how about this for fun Friday viewing:

 

(caution video very loud and annoying)

 

Oh wait no he is not

 

Is the Obama Phone Obama's doing?

No. The universal service requirement dates back at least to the Communications Act of 1934. The Lifeline program specifically was started in 1984 under President Reagan and was expanded in 1996 under President Clinton to allow qualifying households to choose to apply the benefit to either a landline or a cell phone. So no, it's not an Obama handout.

 

Go about your Fed talk now.

[Winston Legthigh]

Yep, Chomsky and Turley below are real nut cases. How do you think they will get the US involved in an attack on Iran? Nations have been doing this for years. Battleship Maine, Lusitania, Gulf Of Tonkin, Operation Northwoods, etc., etc. To get the people to back an unpopular military action nations have created incidents to mislead their people into war. It is fact.

 

“Naturally the common people don't want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor in Germany. That is understood. But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.” Hermann Goerring

 

False Flag: Leading Analyst At Pro-Israeli Think Tank Publicly Discusses How U.S. Can Be Forced Into War With Iran

 

Jonathan Turley

 

http://jonathanturle...-war-with-iran/

 

You forgot Pearl Harbor.

[Sparky speaks]

Ok, Kevin, I'll bite. I don't care who came up with this idea or when they did. This is a typical example of a government required mandate that is paid for by the consumer, as the article states, when the phone companies tack the cost of these "free" phones on to our phone bills to pay for it. Thus the government has raised the price of phone service by interfering in the market place. So this does relate to the economic discussion in a round about way. From the libertarian viewpoint the government has no business providing free (subsidized) phone service to anyone rich or poor. Nothing is free in reality. We all pay the price from cell phones to free lunch. When does it stop? When do we run out of money to pay for these things? Unfortunately, very soon. The video is pretty funny though...

 

Pearl Harbor and others you can came up with are included in the etc., etc.