Discussion: The DEMOCRATIC Party II

[SV Fan]

I wish a more progressive Democrat would come forward to challenge Obama and make real change. Reduce defense spending, reform medicare and medicaid to reduce its costs, make social security optional and not universally mandatory, withdrawal from Afghanistan sooner, ask Congress to put spending limits for the next decade to get a stimulus, start closing overseas bases in Europe and southeast Asia, increase Federal funding for education, increased taxation on wealthy households etc., banking and lending reform etc.

The bolded part sounds like Ron Paul. lol

 

[8wid]

It doesn't matter which side of the aisle you are on during this budget issue and the deficit, neither one really wants to give way to allow compromise. This is the problem with American consumer society that it is run by creating friendly governments in other countries to get natural resources and fuel cheaper, takes care of individuals way too much on healthcare and insurance, keeps the military too large, lets the rich control the government and get away with bloody murder in the economy, etc. If Americans weren't so apathetic to being educated about the issues this would be more visible and they wouldn't need government aid so much.

 

[Kelly]

I wish a more progressive Democrat would come forward to challenge Obama and make real change. Reduce defense spending, reform medicare and medicaid to reduce its costs, make social security optional and not universally mandatory, withdrawal from Afghanistan sooner, ask Congress to put spending limits for the next decade to get a stimulus, start closing overseas bases in Europe and southeast Asia, increase Federal funding for education, increased taxation on wealthy households etc., banking and lending reform etc.

He is a progressive Democrat, you want a fiscal conservative Democrat to do what you want....NOT a progressive Democrat.

 

[8wid]

US starts Agent Orange clean-up in Vietnam

Thank you John F. Kennedy!

 

[Belvedere]

He is a progressive Democrat, you want a fiscal conservative Democrat to do what you want....NOT a progressive Democrat.

The two don't have to be mutually exclusive.

 

[8wid]

Timeline: President Obama's first term, 2009-2012

 

[Kansiov]

He is a progressive Democrat, you want a fiscal conservative Democrat to do what you want....NOT a progressive Democrat.

The term progressives were historically used on social issues. The term fiscal progressive doesn't make a lot of sense, particularly when both FDR and LBJ (who were considered to the one of the most progressive presidents) were deficit hawks; while Reagan and W. Bush, who were arguably the most conservative presidents were also the most fiscally liberal.

 

[Kelly]

In order to be fiscally conservative, you have to be ready to take a hard line look at entitlements...that is one thing Progressives have a hard time doing...

I don't look at R's or D's when calling a Progressive a Progressive and a Conservative a Conservative.....they don't necessarily match up....

 

[8wid]

Progressive to many neoconservatives means communist or socialist. To other it also sometimes means anarchist. The thing is the US debt crisis is in part still from what Lyndon Johnson and FDR did and not being the temporary solutions they were meant to be.

 

[SV Fan]

The thing is the US debt crisis is in part still from what Lyndon Johnson and FDR did and not being the temporary solutions they were meant to be.

The US dept was about 1T before Reagan came into office, after he came in the past 30+ years have lead to alot of big spending. The only time it seems like we had a little reasonable spending was during Clinton's years

 

[8wid]

US and Turkey to set up Syria crisis working group

Is it possible that a NATO intervention in Syria will take place just in time for the November election so it can boost Obama's ratings?

 

[SV Fan]

US and Turkey to set up Syria crisis working group

Is it possible that a NATO intervention in Syria will take place just in time for the November election so it can boost Obama's ratings?

My money on the October Surprise will be Life on Mars, that would hit the science hating types hard

 

[Webfoot Hero]

US and Turkey to set up Syria crisis working group

Is it possible that a NATO intervention in Syria will take place just in time for the November election so it can boost Obama's ratings?

I just can't see the American people wanting another military intervention when we are still in Afghanistan and just did one in Libya. The US really has no business getting involved in Syria.

 

[Thundercrack85]

Actually, according to international treaties, every country has an obligation.

Of course, that's rarely done. But when a state is on the verge of total collapse, and its undemocratic government is indiscriminately murdering thousands of civilians with attack helicopters and artillery, most people would agree that something needs to be done.

 

[Webfoot Hero]

Actually, according to international treaties, every country has an obligation.

Of course, that's rarely done. But when a state is on the verge of total collapse, and its undemocratic government is indiscriminately murdering thousands of civilians with attack helicopters and artillery, most people would agree that something needs to be done.

My biggest qualms about intervening in Syria are we don't even know what kind of government will be put in place if Assad is toppled and the extent of possible terrorist groups operating there.

 

[Thundercrack85]

My biggest qualms about intervening in Syria are we don't even know what kind of government will be put in place if Assad is toppled and the extent of possible terrorist groups operating there.

Putting your head in the sand and doing nothing won't change that. The world being responsible and stopping the blood shed, (or at the very least stopping the military from massacring helpless civilians with heavy artillery, military aircraft and armor), is only going to make the situation better.

 

[SV Fan]

Putting your head in the sand and doing nothing won't change that. The world being responsible and stopping the blood shed, (or at the very least stopping the military from massacring helpless civilians with heavy artillery, military aircraft and armor), is only going to make the situation better.

Personally I think they should put Huma Abedin on the case, really make Michelle Bachmann's head explode.

 

[Webfoot Hero]

Putting your head in the sand and doing nothing won't change that. The world being responsible and stopping the blood shed, (or at the very least stopping the military from massacring helpless civilians with heavy artillery, military aircraft and armor), is only going to make the situation better.

Why can't other Middle Eastern countries (Jordan and Saudi Arabia namely) do more than what they are doing? If those 2 get on board and lead the charge, then maybe I'd be more onboard with the US getting involved. Have Turkey and others do the main military lifting while the US provides the humanitarian aid and be in more of a support role.

 

[8wid]

One way to think about it those it to that the US wouldn't have wanted Britain or France recognizing the Confederate States as a legitimate government and then fighting alongside them during its own civil war, why should the US put itself in this role for any other nation?

 

[SV Fan]

Why can't other Middle Eastern countries (Jordan and Saudi Arabia namely) do more than what they are doing? If those 2 get on board and lead the charge, then maybe I'd be more onboard with the US getting involved. Have Turkey and others do the main military lifting while the US provides the humanitarian aid and be in more of a support role.

It's isn't American Exceptionalism unless America is front and center bombing the country while spending hundreds of billions of dollars doing it

 

[Thundercrack85]

This isn't the 1860's. We live in a very different world (thankfully).

We have an international community. Which has done nothing mind you. But the point is, this is a humanitarian crisis. World needs to do something.

If everyone says "why doesn't that other country do something about it?" nothing gets done.

 

[Webfoot Hero]

People should really be asking why the UN can't do anything? They are suppose to be a group guaranteeing human rights and they are being stopped by two countries (Russia and China) who benefit economically by Assad staying in power. I just find the UN worthless and too wholly dependent on the US to be the first to act in any major crisis. Part of me wants our government to pull our military bases out of foreign countries just so they no longer have the US covering their butts while they continue cutting their own forces.

 

[Thundercrack85]

Well, the United Nations is only going to be as good as the countries in it. And many of them are terrible.

It's actually quite representative of humanity as a whole. It's a joke. A bad one at that.

It's rather sad, because it started out as a good idea, with admirable goals.

 

[8wid]

One should at least think that Israel is much safer because regimes that were potentially much more dangerous too are now gone from Egypt, Iraq, Libya, and soon to be Syria. That shouldn't be a reason the US supports them on the idea they had to intervene first and get rid of chemical weapons, which they do have in Damascus.

 

[Webfoot Hero]

One should at least think that Israel is much safer because regimes that were potentially much more dangerous too are now gone from Egypt, Iraq, Libya, and soon to be Syria. That shouldn't be a reason the US supports them on the idea they had to intervene first and get rid of chemical weapons, which they do have in Damascus.

Syria really was the only threat to Israel and even then, tensions have seemed to ease recently. The others were either just to drastically weakened to attack (Libya and Iraq) or didn't seem to harbor much aggressive intent (Egypt) anymore.