President Joe Biden

[tenacious]

No worries. I'm not generally OK with abandoning allies, but Taiwan has had decades to figure out a relationship with China. Obviously that's a very overly simplistic statement but is the US really prepared to go to war with China (or they with us) over Taiwan?

In contrast, I was utterly disgusted with the abandonment of the Kurds after they had literally gone to war in support of and with the US in Syria. The Kurds have bled with the US military in support of US geo political goals, and they were cast aside without a second thought. It was despicable to me.

I likewise respect the difference in opinion and civil conversation.

Maybe you should be asking why China is willing to go to war with us over Taiwan? This is an agreement they signed onto. Are we also allowed to go take Panama over again then... or how does this play out long term I wonder if we become unable to offer up any response at all?

Also by now everyone is aware of those re-education camps. Imagine what it must feel like to live somewhere they are about to take over. If Japan, South Korea, Philippines all decide the economic center of gravity has shifted it will only be a matter of months until they start offering China the store to avoid being re-educated. As someone born in a free country I can't even imagine what I would give up to avoid that fate.

Finally as a democrat... allowing the Asian voters to go the way of the 'Cuban' voter is a bad move politically. White guilt isn't a universal American trait.

 

[whatithink]

Maybe you should be asking why China is willing to go to war with us over Taiwan? This is an agreement they signed onto. Are we also allowed to go take Panama over again then... or how does this play out long term I wonder if we become unable to offer up any response at all?

Also by now everyone is aware of those re-education camps. Imagine what it must feel like to live somewhere they are about to take over. If Japan, South Korea, Philippines all decide the economic center of gravity has shifted it will only be a matter of months until they start offering China the store to avoid being re-educated. As someone born in a free country I can't even imagine what I would give up to avoid that fate.

Finally as a democrat... allowing the Asian voters to go the way of the 'Cuban' voter is a bad move politically. White guilt isn't a universal American trait.

China considers Taiwan part of China, because it always was until the 40s. Panama, eh!

The treatment of the Uighurs is obscene.

Asia is already shifting, including the countries you mentioned, RCEP: China signs huge Asia Pacific trade deal with 14 countries - CNN. The TransPacific Partnership would have cemented the economic links but T dumped that. Obama was pivoting to Asia to counter China via the agreement, but T nixed it because ... Obama.

I don't follow the last point. Cuba was a dictatorship and play pen for the rich while the Cubans were piss poor and forgotten. I don't agree with Communism or socialism, but supporting dictators who suck their people dry never ends well. It seems to have as much chance of an opposite reaction (Cuba (Batista) > Communism, Iran (Shah) > religious zealots) as a path to normalcy (Chile (Pinochet) > democracy). You shouldn't lose sight of the fact that the US has "happily" supported many evil dictators who kill and subjugate their own people only to eventually get overthrown. The whole freedom thing seems to stop at our borders, fine for us but whateves about anyone else if it doesn't suit us.

 

[Hüsker Dü]

Perhaps the creating union jobs didn't focus group well with the ongoing issues with the police and teachers unions.

As people have been brainwashed to vote against their own best interests, against things that help working people. I guess the Globalization of America means regressing from the gains made, Vietnam here we come.

 

[tenacious]

China considers Taiwan part of China, because it always was until the 40s. Panama, eh!

The treatment of the Uighurs is obscene.

Asia is already shifting, including the countries you mentioned, RCEP: China signs huge Asia Pacific trade deal with 14 countries - CNN. The TransPacific Partnership would have cemented the economic links but T dumped that. Obama was pivoting to Asia to counter China via the agreement, but T nixed it because ... Obama.

I don't follow the last point. Cuba was a dictatorship and play pen for the rich while the Cubans were piss poor and forgotten. I don't agree with Communism or socialism, but supporting dictators who suck their people dry never ends well. It seems to have as much chance of an opposite reaction (Cuba (Batista) > Communism, Iran (Shah) > religious zealots) as a path to normalcy (Chile (Pinochet) > democracy). You shouldn't lose sight of the fact that the US has "happily" supported many evil dictators who kill and subjugate their own people only to eventually get overthrown. The whole freedom thing seems to stop at our borders, fine for us but whateves about anyone else if it doesn't suit us.

So basically we've already lost to China and the Panama Canal has no value... lol

 

[tenacious]

As people have been brainwashed to vote against their own best interests, against things that help working people. I guess the Globalization of America means regressing from the gains made, Vietnam here we come.

Gosh Husker, from the first day this nation was created the elites have been saying the dirty masses are too dumb to make it work. But I don't know how well this criticism stands up when you compare how our nation has fared compared to top down model European countries over the past couple hundred years? You can add all of those countries economies together now... and it's still smaller than what we've got going on here.

As to globalization? It's already happened... although I will admit that we still haven't worked out totally what that means for the American middle class.

 

[whatithink]

So basically we've already lost to China and the Panama Canal has no value... lol

No on China, and I'm not sure why you went tangential with Panama - there's no comparison of Taiwan and Panama.

 

[Desert Hound]

This encapsulates the bias we see from the press on a regular basis.

All the press is biased. It is just that they pretend they are not, and a substantial amount of people think their preferred news source is str8 down the line while others (Fox is a common theme) are not.

But this is an example of how the press can frame a story to look bad related to one person, but have a completely different outlook if it is related to another.

Drew Holden's thread on media's brazenly biased coverage of Trump and Biden on Afghanistan may be his 'most damning' yet [screenshots]

When it comes to the war in Afghanistan, Joe Biden’s definitely not the only one attempting fe

twitchy.com

 

[tenacious]

No on China, and I'm not sure why you went tangential with Panama - there's no comparison of Taiwan and Panama.

Hmm... my analysis is China is a manufacturing powerhouse, which makes shipping lanes like the Panama Canal vital. While Taiwan without privileged access to 'western' universities and markets is just another island off the coast of China.

 

[tenacious]

Anyone catch Biden's speech the other day? I'd be interested to hear thoughts...

 

[whatithink]

Hmm... my analysis is China is a manufacturing powerhouse, which makes shipping lanes like the Panama Canal vital. While Taiwan without privileged access to 'western' universities and markets is just another island off the coast of China.

TransitAndCargoDataModel - Datos 12-29-2020.xlsm (pancanal.com)

China has < 10% of the traffic and is a distant second to the US.

I still don't get the comparison between Taiwan & Panama. I agree Taiwan is just another island off China.

 

[Hüsker Dü]

Anyone catch Biden's speech the other day? I'd be interested to hear thoughts...

No one cares (not the overwhelming majority that is) that’s the beauty of it! Nice sedate, boring governance once again without all the bluster, bullshit and theatrics. No lies, no rhetoric, no demonizing, no hate, no avoiding questions or giving cryptic non-answers involving racism and other no-brainer should be softball questions, no pandering to the base, no calls for completely insane ideas like nuking storms, putting light inside the body, ingesting bleach, no pandering to dictators, no disrespecting the military, US intelligence, law enforcement, governors, mayors, no bringing up personal feuds, no mocking the disabled, no talk of women not being of a standard he would consider sexually assaulting, no complete blunders involving history, no gaslighting. Boring governance.

“Are you not entertained!”

 

[dad4]

No one cares (not the overwhelming majority that is) that’s the beauty of it! Nice sedate, boring governance once again without all the bluster, bullshit and theatrics. No lies, no rhetoric, no demonizing, no hate, no avoiding questions or giving cryptic non-answers involving racism and other no-brainer should be softball questions, no pandering to the base, no calls for completely insane ideas like nuking storms, putting light inside the body, ingesting bleach, no pandering to dictators, no disrespecting the military, US intelligence, law enforcement, governors, mayors, no bringing up personal feuds, no mocking the disabled, no talk of women not being of a standard he would consider sexually assaulting, no complete blunders involving history, no gaslighting. Boring governance.

“Are you not entertained!”

It's kind of odd. Republicans normally do better in low turnout elections, and traditionally put forward candidates who look boring and trustworthy. Democrats normally need higher turnout, and benefit from high attention candidates.

Now they've flipped. Republicans are nominating loons and Democrats have doubled down on respectable.

 

[watfly]

No one cares (not the overwhelming majority that is) that’s the beauty of it! Nice sedate, boring governance once again without all the bluster, bullshit and theatrics. No lies, no rhetoric, no demonizing, no hate, no avoiding questions or giving cryptic non-answers involving racism and other no-brainer should be softball questions, no pandering to the base, no calls for completely insane ideas like nuking storms, putting light inside the body, ingesting bleach, no pandering to dictators, no disrespecting the military, US intelligence, law enforcement, governors, mayors, no bringing up personal feuds, no mocking the disabled, no talk of women not being of a standard he would consider sexually assaulting, no complete blunders involving history, no gaslighting. Boring governance.

“Are you not entertained!”

Personally I would prefer someone between bluster and boring, or as I think of it, bully and milquetoast. I don't think going from one extreme to another is beneficial to our country, but that's our typical knee jerk reaction.

It's kind of odd. Republicans normally do better in low turnout elections, and traditionally put forward candidates who look boring and trustworthy. Democrats normally need higher turnout, and benefit from high attention candidates.

Now they've flipped. Republicans are nominating loons and Democrats have doubled down on respectable.

It's crazy how much has flipped, Democrats that were once the party of free speech, now promote censorship. Democrats once represented the blue collar worker and now the Republicans do.

I think we'd be better off with politicians that represented their constituents, instead of the party line. We need more Manchins and Cheneys.

 

[espola]

Personally I would prefer someone between bluster and boring, or as I think of it, bully and milquetoast. I don't think going from one extreme to another is beneficial to our country, but that's our typical knee jerk reaction.


It's crazy how much has flipped, Democrats that were once the party of free speech, now promote censorship. Democrats once represented the blue collar worker and now the Republicans do.

I think we'd be better off with politicians that represented their constituents, instead of the party line. We need more Manchins and Cheneys.

If a lie is repeated enough times, someone will believe it.

 

[Hüsker Dü]

If a lie is repeated enough times, someone will believe it.

Cracks me up when the lies are repeated as if they are just accepted reality. Well at least to those in their bubble.

 

[Hüsker Dü]

Personally I would prefer someone between bluster and boring, or as I think of it, bully and milquetoast. I don't think going from one extreme to another is beneficial to our country, but that's our typical knee jerk reaction.


It's crazy how much has flipped, Democrats that were once the party of free speech, now promote censorship. Democrats once represented the blue collar worker and now the Republicans do.

I think we'd be better off with politicians that represented their constituents, instead of the party line. We need more Manchins and Cheneys.

We are all free to our own opinions but not our own facts.

 

[espola]

The Whigs died off as a national political party when they couldn't agree on a single position about slavery.

Is the current Republican Party (coincidentally, the primary benefactor of the demise of the Whigs) headed for a similar fate, broken on disagreement about t's treasonous behavior? If only 10% of current Republicans become Democrats, form a new Rational Party (perhaps under some other name than that), or just stay home, the Party will lose its national stature. It will still have power in some states (e.g. Montana, Alabama, South Carolina) but will otherwise disappear.

 

[Kicker4Life]

The Whigs died off as a national political party when they couldn't agree on a single position about slavery.

Is the current Republican Party (coincidentally, the primary benefactor of the demise of the Whigs) headed for a similar fate, broken on disagreement about t's treasonous behavior? If only 10% of current Republicans become Democrats, form a new Rational Party (perhaps under some other name than that), or just stay home, the Party will lose its national stature. It will still have power in some states (e.g. Montana, Alabama, South Carolina) but will otherwise disappear.

For once we agree…I would take it a step further and say the Conservative Dems should do the same to separate themselves from the “WOKE” far left. The 2 groups who breakaway could likely get together as they have several overlapping views in common and form their own Centralist party.

 

[Torros]

Yeah I agree that some days Biden seems old. Then a couple days later he's rolling past reporters on a mountain bike. If I had to bet, my $10 would be Harris is going to finish out President Biden's 4 year term but who knows. I'll admit Harris somehow isn't the type of politico that makes my heart go pitter-patter- but she is smart and pragmatic. Let's just hope Biden is able to teach her how to do a better running the country then she did running a presidential campaign.

As to Biden's son? From what I understand Trump was calling up world leaders and threatening American aid if they didn't dig up dirt on Biden's son... and it doesn't seem to me like it lead to much? Sort of like Trumps election fraud commission. That said, if something is 'really' there that somehow wasn't yet uncovered; then of course all bets are off. Though personally I'm doubtful.

Also I agree Trumps not going to fade away. However to keep himself in the newspapers he is going to naturally have to keep raising the bar in order to inject himself into the conversation. If Mitch thinks he's got a diva on his hands now, I would tell him to buckle his seat belt.

"From what I understand"

Please continue.

 

[tenacious]

TransitAndCargoDataModel - Datos 12-29-2020.xlsm (pancanal.com)

China has < 10% of the traffic and is a distant second to the US.

I still don't get the comparison between Taiwan & Panama. I agree Taiwan is just another island off China.

Without going back and reading my old posts, I think was trying to imagine a scenario where the US might make a hard power move- which was comparable to the Chinese asserting control over Taiwan and Hong Kong. As in- if you are okay with China breaking treaties and simply taking control over Taiwan, are you also okay with the USA annexing Panama?

Personally I'm not okay with the US just taking over Panama. I'm not okay with China taking over Taiwan. The breaking treaties, annexing of territory... only leads to war. This is why, imho we need to dig our heels in now and not tolerate behavior that will encourage military aggression down the road.

 

[tenacious]

I thought this was an interesting piece by David Frum in the Atlantic. After passing a giant COVID Relief bill, Democrat's momentum seems to have stalled. Take for example the Voting Rights Bill... how the heck did they dems not get it passed?

It’s Not Complacency That’s Paralyzing Democrats

An overambitious faction of the activist left is standing in the way of voting-rights reform.

www.theatlantic.com