Random political thought thread.

[The Cat]

 

[Kephalos]

At this point the Supreme Court of the United States is a Council of Roman Catholic Ayatollahs.

Originalism Is Dead. Long Live Catholic Natural Law.

On the “postliberal” future of the federal courts

newrepublic.com

 

[Burning Paradigm]

This inflation scare nonsense again from Manchin. What else is new?

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/13/us/politics/manchin-social-policy-bill.html

 

[ceecee]

This inflation scare nonsense again from Manchin. What else is new?

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/13/us/politics/manchin-social-policy-bill.html

Pretty much anything the GOP/right/conservatives are bitching about is bullshit and people can confidently disregard it (including Manchin, Sinema and the rest of the wannabe Republicans). Not that there isn't inflation, there is. Just not for any of the reasons this clown is claiming - would be great if he mentioned corporate manipulation of the markets and the media that just walks around going I don't know, I don't know!

 

[Kephalos]

@ceecee

Inflation is a real problem.

Fortunately, it's an easy problem to solve, but it does entail giving up having expansionary fiscal and monetary policies at the same time. During the Obama administration (especially after the 2008 crisis), the US had a largely contractionary fiscal policy, which the Federal Reserve offset with an expansionary monetary policy: the result was low inflation and moderately high economic growth. In contrast, in the European Union, they had a contractionary fiscal and monetary policies, which lead to the well-known crisis during the 2010s. Now, the United States is making the opposite mistake for God knows what reason: the deficit spending for pandemic relief is argusbly a good thing, but having the Federal Reserve not offsetting that with a contractionary monetary policy has had the predictable result, namely inflation higher than it has to be.

If the Democratic Party really wants to present itself as a responsible political option, they would do well to listen to all the sympathetic, Democrat-leaning economists (that is, experts on the economy) that are warning about inflation. Trust the experts on inflation. And, do not let people deflect the blame from the Federal Reserve.

 

[Kephalos]

Given a choice between Nation and State I choose the State every day of the week, one hundred times out of a hundred. For the simple reason that, unlike the "Nation", a well functioning State an actually provide public services such as public sanitation.

 

[Kephalos]

Change is ALWAYS possible:

This means Spain could soon join the dozen European states that have changed their legal definition of rape to be sex without consent, according to Amnesty International. They include Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Sweden and the UK.

Spain: Bill defines sex without consent as rape – DW – 07/06/2021

Spain's Cabinet has given the green light to tighter rape laws based on the principle of consent. The move has long been called for by women's rights groups.

www.dw.com

Obvious, right?

Two of the men filmed the assault, during which the woman is silent and passive -- a fact the judges interpreted as consent. The ruling highlighted how under Spain's existing criminal code, rape must involve violence and intimidation, and it led to noisy demonstrations across the country to demand reform.

Remember: It doesn't have to be this way.

 

[geedoenfj]

So much respect for this man

 

[FemMecha]

I just read an annoying post on my FB feed, but just another example of stuff I have to let go because I teach this person's children. Her husband is a doctor, so they are plenty rich.

She says, "My dishwasher is backordered weeks to months, and my new sofa also backordered. Thanks to Biden and his administration, more to come I'm sure."

Talk about first world problems, and playing such a game. She is probably trying to make it sound like her couch and dishwasher are on one of the trucks in the convoy in Canada, but the shipping issues go far beyond that and are influenced by the entire world's system and not Biden standing alone.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

So much respect for this man

That was pretty great.

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

deez fuckin guyz

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

the dems should hold open presidential primaries in 2024. They won't, but they should.

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

How do you guys think the Bush Administration would've played out had Cheney never been VP, or had Bush greatly curtailed his power from the beginning? Less disastrous, or even more so? I know that Bush essentially removed Cheney from any position of influence after the 2006 midterms, but by then most of the damage had already been done.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

How do you guys think the Bush Administration would've played out had Cheney never been VP, or had Bush greatly curtailed his power from the beginning? Less disastrous, or even more so? I know that Bush essentially removed Cheney from any position of influence after the 2006 midterms, but by then most of the damage had already been done.

That's an excellent question. I don't know.

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

another scenario:

Trump runs back in 2000.

Scenario 1: as a third party or independent (I think he loses but takes a share of votes comparable to George Wallace or Perot, thereby serving as an upset alongside Nader. But from which candidate are the most votes siphoned? And how fucking interesting to see a 3 way debate with Gore, Bush and Trump on the same stage trading barbs. )
Scenario 2: Trump runs in the Republican primary. However I'm not sure he has the same momentum in 2000, since we're talking about a completely different political and socioeconomic climate. Should he win the primary though, I think we'd see a similar outcome to Bush v Gore, with a very close race that's a toss up down to the last minute
Scenario 3: Trump runs in the Democratic primary. No idea how this plays out, but I'm guessing he'd lose to Bradley or Gore. He does well with older, moderate democrats but not so well with younger voters. That said, he gets a lot of votes and plays an important part in the convention, especially if no one emerges with a majority of delegates coming out of the primaries, in which case Trump gets to play kingmaker. Somehow I see him backing Bradley over Gore. Bradley then loses to Bush, worse than Gore's loss in our actual timeline.


If Trump runs in 2008 he is creamed by Obama. If he runs in 2012, he performs about as well as Romney did (slightly better than McCain but ultimately losing)

 

[geedoenfj]

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Yeah, let's not forget that well over a majority of Americans (72%) supported when the U.S did an unprovoked invasion of a sovereign nation. Even now when the majority of Americans consider it a mistake, supporting that invasion is apparently not sufficient to derail one's political career. The so-called benevolent concern folks had for the Iraqi people apparently did not extend to allowing them as refugees, in the long run, so let's not forget that, either.

I will ignore anyone who is inclined to treat this last statement as parroting Russian propaganda.

 

[Red Herring]

Yeah, let's not forget that well over a majority of Americans (72%) supported when the U.S did an unprovoked invasion of a sovereign nation. Even now when the majority of Americans consider it a mistake, supporting that invasion is apparently not sufficient to derail one's political career. The so-called benevolent concern folks had for the Iraqi people apparently did not extend to allowing them as refugees, in the long run, so let's not forget that, either.

I will ignore anyone who is inclined to treat this last statement as parroting Russian propaganda.

Or you could just help and receive both types of refugees (and condemn both invasions)

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Or you could just help and receive both types of refugees (and condemn both invasions)

That's my personal stance yes. I hope you don't think I support Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Admittedly, I did not expect it to happen because the US statements sounded vague and unconvincing ("we don't know when it's going to happen, but it's going to happen") , reminding me of Colin Powell in front of the U.N talking about metal tubes that can only be used to make weapons of mass destruction and nothing else. I have to concede that I was wrong on that.

 

[Kephalos]

For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. John Winthrop (1588-1649).

I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, [called you to be] a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. -- Isaiah 42:1-9.

How does one defeat Putinism, the ideology? By passing laws like these:

Do No Harm Act​

The Do No Harm Act clarifies that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act is intended to protect religious freedom without allowing the infliction of harm on other people. It would amend RFRA in order to restore the original intent of the legislation by specifically exempting areas of law where RFRA has been used to bypass federal protections.

Putinism (Trumpism, Orbanism, Kaczynskiism, Abascalism, Xiism, Castroism, AMLOism, Talibanism, Saudiism, Khomeinism, Catholicism, Evangelicalism, etc.) gives results in making one's country like Russia, while passing laws like the Do Not Harm Act (but not just the Do No Harm Act) makes one's society worth living in and, more importantly, worth imitating.

And as long as the United States keeps doing stuff like this (Joe Manchin, I'm looking at you), then Putin wins the war of ideas, and even if he eventually loses the war on the battlefield, he will have won by making the United States another Russia.

Senate Republicans, Manchin block bill to protect the right to abortion​

The good news is that there is always a chance to correct course, and reverse the harm done by people like Joe Manchin (and the Republican Party to which he belongs de facto), on issues like abortion and discrimination. Always.