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Random Political Thoughts

Started by MV/Liberace!, February 08, 2012, 10:50:42 AM


b_dubb

... and Romney goes down in flames. Waiting for him to start crying "it's not FAIR!!!"

I don't quite get what the problem is if the Federal government were to cut or end funding for Public Television. 

Maybe there was a good reason for it a few decades ago, an idea to try, but now there are tons of channels out there desperately looking for programming content.  Even if Public TV were to become defunct, the good shows should mostly be able to find new homes on other networks, but what's more likely is PBS would evolve into something similar to what it is now, but that would have to compete for viewers and ad revenue. 

I admit I almost never watch any of it myself - it's mostly either really boring and a certain amount of it is just more left-wing indoctrination.  It seems like another institution taken over by the Left, and I resent tax money being used to pay for  it.

What seems odd is that the rare times when there is something I want to watch, more often than not the program is interrupted for 20 minutes at a time for fundraising commercials.  I'll take 2 or 3 minutes at a time for commercials over that anytime.

So George McGovern is 90 years old, just checked into hospice, and is nearing the end.

Anyone remember when a little known Senator named Paul Wellstone died in a plane crash about a week before the 2002 off-year elections?  The Democrats and the media spent days and days- a huge funeral, complete with all sorts of political speeches, advocating for current candidates and issues.  Everyone was there - Clinton, Gore, most of the other promenent Democrats of the day.  A few R's were invited to provide cover.  Truly disgusting. 

Watch for a repeat performance by these people if McGovern has the misfortune of dying before the election this year.


Juan

While I didn't agree with McGovern's politics, I do have to admire him.  He's a politician who said what he believed - unlike the lying liars we suffer today.  Plus, McGovern flew many, many missions as a bomber pilot during WWII. I with him and his family the best.

I have a good friend who still has his "First Time Voter for McGovern" T-shirt.  I got a chance for a one-on-one interview with the man about 15-years ago.  I told him about my friend, and asked if he could send a message to my friend.  McGovern turned to the camera and said, "You were right then and you're right now.  Stand your ground."

He seemed to be a decent enough guy - unlike a lot of Senators I've met.


Sardondi

I do admire him, not least for his stoicism in the face of defeat and misfortune. We should take a lesson from McGovern, who was a true patriot and who never forgot he was an American, unlike so many of his party today. McGovern compares particularly favorably with the execrable Jimmy Carter, aka "The Bitterest President"â,,¢. McGovern suffered an excruciatingly painful defeat in 1972, yet he got over it and got on with it; unlike Carter, who has let his vitriol over his defeat color his entire life since he left office. For all Carter's good work with Habitat For Humanity, his resentment over his defeat and his place in history has led him to some horrendously poor decisions since then, such as being the first ex-President to break the unwritten rule about open criticism of any successor; and his embarrassing and petty refusal to be generous in his remembrances of Reagan on his successor's death. Consequently Carter looks all the smaller in retrospect because of his pettiness.

But McGovern, because of his kindness, largeness of spirit and quiet strength, has only grown in stature over the years. There's a lesson there. May he go in peace and love. 

HAL 9000


Here is an audio montage of Candy Crowley interrupting Romney and injecting herself into the debate (inappropriately I would argue). A few may have been missed, but you'll get the point.

See the attached mp3 below



If you can read this, thank a teacher.
If you can read this in English, thank a soldier.

[attachment deleted by admin]

Quote from: HAL 9000 on October 18, 2012, 03:21:53 AMHere is an audio montage of Candy Crowley interrupting Romney and injecting herself into the debate (inappropriately I would argue). A few may have been missed, but you'll get the point.

No worries - the next and last debate will be on foreign policy. 

Obama's handling of China:  Failure.  They are much more aggressive now due to his neglect and projection of weakness.  They are not moving toward resolving trade issues like currency manipulation and intellectual property, and are destabilizing the entire area by claimng every island out there.

Russia:  Failure.  Starting with Clinton we've done everything we can to stir mistrust and suspicion - meddling in elections of former Soviet states like Ukraine and Georgia, pushing NATO eastward.  Obama has exacerbated that.

The Muslim world:  Failure.  Failure to support the people of Iran, failure to support Mubarek, failure to prevent Jihadis to assume power in too many places.

Mexico and immigration issues:  Failure and neglect.

The emerging economies and relations with the formerly Communist East Europe:  Neglect, specifically hanging the Czech Republic and Poland out to dry with defense issues.

Africa and Latin America:  Neglect.  Allowing al-qaeda to gain footholds there. 

N Korea:  Just more of the same, dangerous as ever.

The rest of Asia, most notably Korea, Japan, India and the emerging market countries:  Neglect

Our allies Britain and Israel:  Treated with distain

Iraq and Afganistan:  Going backwards to the point we will be leaving without even a good agreement with our 'friends' or our enemies in either place.  Getting our guys killed in Afganistan due to lousy rules of engagement and allowing Taliban fighters into the Afgan army to kill our guys training them.  Complete failure.


His fellow Socialists in the Eurozone and places like Venezuela seem to like him, or at least they like his weakness.


Obama is neither competent nor a leader.  His world view is that of a Marxist 'Liberation Theorist', which is completely assinine.  Let's see him and his 'moderator' put lipstick on that.






Hijacked from the 'Celeb Deaths' thread

Quote from: Sardondi on October 18, 2012, 10:53:17 PM
Warming up a seat in the waiting room - Castro Suffers Severe Stroke, Cannot Speak, Feed Self or Recognize People.

As these things go the Cuban dictator, although he probably holds the record for longest tenure of a Communist dictator at close to 50 years, is not even in the top ten of Communist executioners...which likely means he's responsible for the deaths, most often following torture, of more than 10,000 victims but less than 100,000... 

To be fair, Fidel's right hand man Che Guevarra got to thousands of Cubans first and had them killed before Fidel got the chance.

In return for paying Cuba more than market rate for their sugar, the Soviet Union had Cuba send doctors and teachers soldiers to places in Africa, most notably Angola, to kill freedom fighters and civilians resisting Soviet imposed dictatorships.  Same thing in the Americas, places like El Salvador, Nicaragua, even tiny Grenada.  Those deaths should be included in the totals.


Quote from: Sardondi on October 18, 2012, 10:53:17 PM
...  One of the chief reasons his passing would be notable is because of how many apologists he had in the West, particularly among the chattering and entertainment classes, as well as the ardor of that apology, particularly in light of the threadbare and transparent nature of such defense in areas such as healthcare, his legal system and social justice in Cuba.

Stand by for his passing in the next few days - I predict glowing tributes from NYT, MSNBC and CNN among others.

 
And people scratch their heads and wonder how it came to be that 'Liberal' became a bad word.  Fresh from flag burnings and denouncing the US and our allies at demonstrations, the Left wonders how people figured out they hate America.

The Castro loving folks among the Democrats just won't be able to help themselves - I think they should be displayed very promenently all over TV announcing their love of Fidel in these final days before our elections.

MV/Liberace!

i think the overwhelming majority of americans see castro as a harmful figure in world history and react negatively to the varying examples of communism the world has seen.  i have no data to back up that statement.  i just believe it to be true.


with that stated, i wonder if breaks down like this:


the death of george mcgovern could help obama in the election (due to the sentimental manipulation that would surround his passing, orchestrated by the left leaning northeastern corridor media machine).  meanwhile, the death of castro could bring the cockroaches out of the woodwork in droves to heap praise on him... many of whom will also be close obama associates and known supporters of obama.  the overlooked majority who have no access to the mainstream media will be largely repulsed by it, harming obama in the election.

Quote from: MV on October 19, 2012, 01:04:53 AM
i think the overwhelming majority of americans see castro as a harmful figure in world history and react negatively to the varying examples of communism the world has seen.  i have no data to back up that statement.  i just believe it to be true...

Yes, I believe this to be true also. 

Sometimes I forget most of the rest of the country isn't like where I live, and even most of the D's aren't as Left as the Media.


Quote from: MV on October 19, 2012, 01:04:53 AM
... with that stated, i wonder if breaks down like this:


the death of george mcgovern could help obama in the election (due to the sentimental manipulation that would surround his passing, orchestrated by the left leaning northeastern corridor media machine).  meanwhile, the death of castro could bring the cockroaches out of the woodwork in droves to heap praise on him... many of whom will also be close obama associates and known supporters of obama.  the overlooked majority who have no access to the mainstream media will be largely repulsed by it, harming obama in the election.

Sounds right to me.  I also doubt the McGovern family would allow his death and funeral to be hijacked and turned into a televised political rally the way the Paul Wellstone death was.

Juan

If castro goes to meet Satan, and the libs trot out to praise el barbaro, that guarantees Florida for Romney - every Cuban from Jacksonville to Key West will be sure to head for the polls.

And as for murder, raul was caught on camera committing one.  And don't think che committed those murders without fidel's consent. che was appointed chief judge and executioner by his master. 

Folks think of Cuba as a third world country.  It is now, but before castro, it trailed only the US and Canada in economic prosperity in the Americas.  And it led a number of European countries still recovering from WWII. I look at photos of 1958 Havana, and I see a city on par with many US medium large cities at the time.  Comparing those photos to the city now shows the terrors of totalitarianism.

onan

Quote from: Paper*Boy on October 19, 2012, 12:17:04 AM
And people scratch their heads and wonder how it came to be that 'Liberal' became a bad word.  Fresh from flag burnings and denouncing the US and our allies at demonstrations, the Left wonders how people figured out they hate America

Both sides of the aisle have given big fat hugs to tyrants.

think about who was shaking hands with Saddam. who is pictured holding hands with leaders that support beheadings?


Quote from: onan on October 19, 2012, 05:38:23 AM
Both sides of the aisle have given big fat hugs to tyrants.

think about who was shaking hands with Saddam. who is pictured holding hands with leaders that support beheadings?

Yes, that's true.

One thing I would say in general is these Communist regimes are worse than the worst of the run-of-the-mill dictator type tyrants - the way they treat their people and for the threat they pose to their neighbors.  The tyrants are horribly corrupt, but people are still freer to at least have some tiny business or small farm.  Rightly or wrongly - I suspect rightly - US policy has been to engage tyrants and try to nudge them towards democracy, or at least reform, and there has been a certain amount of progress doing that.  Even a place like China post Tian-a-men Square the goal was to encourage the continuation of economic change rather than try to isolate them.  In hindsight, that was the correct policy.

With the Communist regimes, they've been completely implacable and reform seemed hopeless - the goal was to isolate them and try to destabilize them.  The peaceful end of the Soviet Empire was a huge success. 

Whether it is correct or not, I think that's been the reasoning much of the time.

And PS - I think it was a huge mistake to attack Iraq and kill Saddam.  He was the one keeping Iran in check, he was the strongman keeping the Shiites, Kurds, and Sunni's in Iraq from killing each other, and he kept al-Qaeda and the Jihadis out.  The world was safer with Saddam in place.  Same thing with the Shah.  I think we are about to find out the same is true of Khaddafi, Mubarek, Assad...

Pragmier

Quote from: Paper*Boy on October 19, 2012, 12:49:45 PM
The world was safer with Saddam in place.  Same thing with the Shah.  I think we are about to find out the same is true of Khaddafi, Mubarek, Assad...

The collapse of the Soviet Union also unleashed ethnic/sectarian conflict. A case of be careful what you ask for. At least with strongmen you (usually) have a known quantity.

Quote from: UFO Fill on October 19, 2012, 04:28:43 AM
If castro goes to meet Satan, and the libs trot out to praise el barbaro, that guarantees Florida for Romney - every Cuban from Jacksonville to Key West will be sure to head for the polls.

They can't be that dumb. I predict both camps will rush to a press conference and somehow take credit for his death.

MV/Liberace!

do you guys think obama will lose on november 6th?


i have predicted a romney loss for months.  the potential accuracy of that prediction appears to have been shaken in recent days... but i'm sticking with it.  i just do not believe mitt romney will win this election. 


i hope i'm wrong, but who gives a shit what i hope for.  that's not the point of me asking the question of all of you.  i want to know what you think will happen... not what you hope will happen.

coaster

I think it will be an extremely close race but Obama will win.

Juan

A recent poll shows 92% of Obama voters have no doubt he will win.  I look for interesting reactions if he doesn't.

Pragmier

Today, the safe bet is Obama - his lead in Ohio appears steady and that would put him around 255. It's not out of reach for Romney, but more swing states have to go his way. A tie would be horrible.

Quote from: MV on October 25, 2012, 04:12:59 PM
... i want to know what you think will happen... not what you hope will happen.

Popular vote for Romney, Electoral College looks too close to call. 

What the hell, I'll say Romney  - the undecideds typically break forthe challenger if the incumbent hasn't won them over by now... and skewed polling is favoring Obama based on 2008 turnout levels for various groups (students & African-Americans for eample won't turnout at the same levels as 08)

MR really helped himself in the debates - people saw he wasn't the person Obama and the media painted him to be.

Nate Silver puts a lot of effort into his number crunching, taking into account state and regional polling as well as national polling, corrects for bias, includes projections from bookmakers, etc.  He correctly predicted 49 states in 2008.  He has Obama as a 2-1 favorite, even with the popular vote being extremely close.  Lot's of interesting info here, including his methodology.


http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/
His elections calculus is closely followed by both parties.

Note to gabbers:  I am well aware of what many conservatives think about the NYT. Read the methodology before freaking out.

CHUCK LORRE PRODUCTIONS, #396

It appears as if roughly half the people in this country think that they're in mortal danger from their own government. That's a lot of people sensing a lot of malice and threat. I worry that I don't see it. Sure, I see inefficiency and incompetence, but I've always seen that - regardless of which party's in office. And frankly, I've always welcomed it. I don't like my big bureaucracies to be cold, calculating, profit-making enterprises driven by a steely, clear-headed singular vision. A cursory glance through history would indicate that well-organized governments tend to enjoy well-organized parades, followed by well-organized ethnic cleansing. Which is why I celebrate the magnificent, muddle-headed ineptitude of our democracy. As far as I'm concerned, a little confusion and waste may keep the trains from running on time, but it also keeps people like me from getting a one-way ticket in a cattle car. Are our tax dollars being misspent on poorly run social programs? You bet! Do we get more buck for our bang at the local Post Office, Amtrak station, nuclear submarine or methadone clinic? Of course we do! But keep in mind that bureaucrats who can't find their ass with a flashlight and a hand mirror are not likely to find you either. To paraphrase Bobby McGee: "Freedom's just another word for who the hell's in charge here?!"

Eddie Coyle

 
          Colin Powell is the Christo of modern politics. The adulation and respect for him just seems like an elaborate prank being pulled off by the military/governmental figures/the media...30 years from now I'll(probably be long dead,but let's pretend I reach that age) I'll be stumped explaining Powell's august reputation to them. "Uh, I don't know why he was considered great...did you kids ever hear of Christo?"

analog kid

Quote from: Evil Twin Of Zen on October 25, 2012, 08:39:11 PM
CHUCK LORRE PRODUCTIONS, #396

It appears as if roughly half the people in this country think that they're in mortal danger from their own government. That's a lot of people sensing a lot of malice and threat.

More than half of the people in this country think the Earth was created 6,000 years ago, which is incidentally about a thousand years after the Sumerians invented glue.

Sardondi

Quote from: UFO Fill on October 25, 2012, 05:37:24 PM
A recent poll shows 92% of Obama voters have no doubt he will win.  I look for interesting reactions if he doesn't.

I saw that as well. It brought to mind the late Pauline Kael, the famous film critic and left-liberal member of the Manhattan chattering class cocktail party circuit, as well as Nixon-hater extraordinaire. Kael's worldview was centered on Manhattan and...Manhattan. There was nowhere else. It's why she was beloved of and lionized by readers of The New Yorker and NYT, but otherwise unknown to 95% of America. But just because she was so urbanocentric doesn't mean that she couldn't also be provincial and cut off from the larger reality. When Kael learned of Nixon's landslide 1972 victory, which had been predicted for weeks by all the leading standard sources, she was stunned: "How could this happen? I don't know a single person who voted for him!" And I'm sure she didn't.

I think we could hear a lot of this kind of thing in about 10 days.

Quote from: analog kid on October 25, 2012, 10:05:21 PM
More than half of the people in this country think the Earth was created 6,000 years ago...

Believing that is as silly as beliving the earth is 6000 years old

The General

Quote from: analog kid on October 25, 2012, 10:05:21 PM
More than half of the people in this country think the Earth was created 6,000 years ago, which is incidentally about a thousand years after the Sumerians invented glue.
But when did they start huffing it, man?

Seriously, though, over half is a bit much.  If I had to guess, I would say that the actual number is maybe 30 percent.  Which is still way to damn high.  But not as high as those glue huffin' Samarians. 

Is there a poll that would tell us?  Would it be accurate?  Probably not.

The General

Quote from: UFO Fill on October 25, 2012, 05:37:24 PM
A recent poll shows 92% of Obama voters have no doubt he will win.  I look for interesting reactions if he doesn't.
It's all too close to call, but if Romney wins, expect some rioting.

b_dubb

i wonder how old old romney thinks the earth is.  good question for the campaign trail

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