Random Politics Thread

[The Cat]

 

[ceecee]

Re: Sinema, here are some Tweets that sum up my entire impression of her (this first one is just the beginning of a long-ish thread). I can remember some excitement about her getting elected the first time? But it's all gone downhill since then. She seems to be all about enriching herself and feels GOP-level shame (read: *none*) about giving absurdly smoke-and-mirror non-answer explanations for her votes.

The general opinion (for switching parties) across Twitter is that she knows she'll never get past Dem primary again. I think she's going to be more strategic than GOP senators who mindlessly vote whatever they're told to vote, so it's not like we're looking at 50:50 again.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1601255884142714880

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1601323925719220224

I really hate that kind of virtue signaling in the David Schapira tweet. Yeah so why haven't you said anything until now?

 

[The Cat]

 

[The Cat]

 

[Z Buck McFate]

I really hate that kind of virtue signaling in the David Schapira tweet. Yeah so why haven't you said anything until now?

I guess this didn't bother me because his venting was mostly he said/she said and vague accusations ("she will step on anyone"), not anything concrete. Like these people who had lots of concrete (or even just mostly solid) evidence against Trump, but kept it to themselves for book sales a year or two after the election? They've earned burning in Hell for all eternity. But I kinda wish people would keep the vague (i.e. no receipts) accusations in their pants during election time.

What Schapira tweeted matches my own perception, but that perception came from the concrete things I've seen and isn't particularly strong on its own as an argument against her. I realize vague (or even wildly untrue) insults in an attack ad are effective as a way to 'sell' one's own strengths - that's pretty much all 45 did to campaign for office, and how he's spent every waking hour since 2015 - but it sucks. I wish we'd start teaching kids in school the difference between being manipulated by scare tactics vs. the capacity to recognize tactics and scrutinize claims. (Yes, I know - the same school system that's threatening to fire teachers for teaching history - if wishes were horses, and all that).

 

[Red Herring]

The designated Israeli minister of the economy has a plan for prosperity:

What Israel's Next Finance Minister Means When He Promises Torah-guided Economics

It’s the Deuteronomy, stupid: Finance Minister-designate Bezalel Smotrich says religious observance will bring prosperity – but offers up policies that would do the exact opposite

Referencing a passage from Deuteronomy familiar to those who recite the Shema, Smotrich told the ultra-Orthodox weekly Mishpacha: “Many economic theories have been tried. They’ve tried capitalism, they’ve tried socialism – but one thing they haven’t tried: an economic idea called ‘And if ye shall hearken diligently unto My commandments.’ ... If we implement Torah, we will have economic prosperity and great blessings. This will be my economic worldview.”

Smotrich has spoken in the past about turning Israel into a country governed by halakha, or Jewish religious law, “as it was in the days of King David and Solomon” – albeit with some adjustments for the 21st century. That is problematic enough, since the Torah’s views on the nitty-gritty of modern policymaking is far from clear.


But that’s not what Smotrich was talking about in his Mishpacha interview. Instead, he was offering a literal understanding of Deuteronomic and other verses about the economic abundance God promises if the Jews are religiously observant.

But if economic prosperity depends on the observance and faith of Israel’s Jews, then the country is headed into a deep recession. The great majority of Israelis aren’t Torah observant – certainly not in the way Smotrich and his ultra-Orthodox/religious Zionist camp understand it.

It will be interesting to see where else this takes Smotrich.


On the one hand, the Religious Zionism party platform and Smotrich himself advocate free markets, competition, deregulation and less government – and Smotrich reiterated that in the Mishpacha interview: “I will crush the bureaucracy, and Israel will become a huge center for international investment,” he declared.


On the other hand, his “Jewish” economic policy favoring the Haredi community and the settlers goes in exactly the opposite direction, calling for more state support and intervention.


We can only conclude that a Smotrich-led Finance Ministry will employ a two-headed economic policy: generous government support for the observant population; and lean government for all the rest.

 

[Virtual ghost]

We Asked Americans To Explain Their 2022 Votes — And How They’re Thinking About 2024

 

[Red Herring]

G7 establishes Climate Club to support green transition

This club is explicitely open to all interested countries anywhere and China has been "invited" to join.

 

[Red Herring]

The rightwing extremist who tried to murder people at the synagogue in Halle on Yom Kippur in 2019 but didn't get through the locked door and in his frustration shot two random people on the street instead and injured two more - and, by the way, later temporarily escaped from the warden's surveilance while in prison - took two wardens as hostages yesterday for an hour before being brought under control again. He has already been sentenced to a life in prison (nominal life + security detention) in a maximum security prison, so this won't add to his sentence.

Yeah, keep telling me how these loons aren't really anything to worry about.

 

[The Cat]

 

[The Cat]

Forget it Jayar.... It's Jacksonville.​

 

[ceecee]

lol Oh...

Trump turned down Paul Whelan and Viktor Bout prisoner swap years ago, John Bolton says

Former National Security Adviser John Bolton has revealed that Donald Trump turned down the chance to secure Paul Whelan’s release two years ago – despite the former president claiming to be outraged over the Biden administration’s deal which freed Brittney Griner but left the US marine in Russian custody.

 

[The Cat]

 

[The Cat]

 

[Virtual ghost]

This really looks as something from a post apocalypse movie.

 

[The Cat]

 

[The Cat]

This really looks as something from a post apocalypse movie.

We call it Tuesday. >_<

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Now forum drama is international news. God I hate this timeline.

 

[The Cat]

Fucking Jeebis.​

 

[The Cat]

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