Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[THE_WIZARD_]

...that's nothing...you should see what I wrote in Mrs. Talent's underpanties...

[Ed Balzer]

Regarding TPP, I'm 100% free trade and I'm also generally in favor of the US exerting foreign policy influence when and where it can. TPP involved 40% of the world's GDP. With respect to the former, I don't see any real way to avoid that in the 21st century.

I'm sure there are other criticisms, but IMO, international trade is not going away. Deal with it.

Despite us disagreeing on just about every issue, I give you credit for being an intelligent person. There was more to TPP than just free trade, as I am certain that you are aware of the concerns expressed my many. Did any of its provisions that infringed on a nation's rights to regulate its internal affairs bother you?

Did you support the anti-free trade sanctions placed on Iran, Russia and North Korea?

[iam416]

I didn't read the 5500 pages of the TPP, so I admit that I'm not aware of all provisions.

I should say -- I'm 100% free trade absent countervailing foreign policy issues. I also don't give a flying fuck about those countries GDPs, but I do care about China and the pacific rim.

So, we are almost certainly not going to agree on this particularly issue. I disagree with folks regularly and am wrong plenty of times.

[Ed Balzer]

That's my feeling too, though I'm allowing myself to become more hopeful. But that's irrelevant to the question at hand. You don't need the justice system's verdicts to guide your own thoughts, and I suspect would never allow it to anyways.

Hillary lost, because many progressives either stayed home, voted third party, or voted Trump to get rid of her. Since she lost, Hillary and the DNC have blamed about 50 different scapegoat excuses, but have refused to acknowledge the truth that she sucked as a candidate and people don't like her. And following her lead, the DNC has been purging its ranks of pro-Sanders progressives, and only supporting the type of corporate candidates that Talent would love.

[iam416]

Whoa. The Ds aren't coming back to the center. That's for damn sure.

[THE_WIZARD_]

Thank you Captain Obvious.

[Ed Balzer]

So, we are almost certainly not going to agree on this particularly issue. I disagree with folks regularly and am wrong plenty of times.

One thing we probably agree about is that the US is the world's hegemonial military power, and that our dollar is the world's reserve currency. The dollar has the most valuable asset on this plant backing up its value, that being the US military. That is why we have 800+ bases throughout the world.

If you want to predict US foreign policy, look for threats to the dollar. And right now the most significant threat is China. A preemptive nuclear war with may be less threatening to the world as a whole that the sudden collapse of the dollar and world economy.

I can get behind a US foreign policy that maintains dollar hegemony, but there was too much in the TPP that infringed on the freedom of the people and gave too much power to multi-national corporations.

[Ed Balzer]

Whoa. The Ds aren't coming back to the center. That's for damn sure.

Yeah, that's why so many did this, and Hillary lost to Trump.

[iam416]

I can get behind a US foreign policy that maintains dollar hegemony, but there was too much in the TPP that infringed on the freedom of the people and gave too much power to multi-national corporations.

Correct and fair enough.

[SeattleLionsFan]

Our own experiment is a spectacular success.

There are, of course, difference between the peoples of the EU and the folks in the US in 1783. And some may even think that those differences are so significant that the comparison is ill-founded.

Spectacular success? In many ways (mostly economic). As far as harmonious relations amongst its people? Not so much. In 230 years we have already fought one war over whether one group of states could tell another group of states what to do. And that argument has continued to this day.

And no shit Europe in 2017 is different than the states in 1789. Your powers of deduction are legendary!

[Da Geezer]

....Hopefully with Trey Gowdy's new top secret clearance, he will be able to get to do a thorough investigation of Benghazi.

Heh, good line

And apparently, it is paying off already:

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/byron-york-dossier-author-was-in-contact-with-obama-justice-department/article/2642930

[Dr. Strangelove]

Dina Powell has had enough of the Clownshow

[iam416]

Spectacular success? In many ways (mostly economic). As far as harmonious relations amongst its people? Not so much. In 230 years we have already fought one war over whether one group of states could tell another group of states what to do. And that argument has continued to this day.

Well, in every way. I do acknowledge the Civil War. I'm not sure how many countries haven't had a civil war. I also acknowledge our fantastic democracy and the arguments we have therein. From our astounding economic growth to our remarkable invention and creation to our general refusal to abuse our global military power to our massive personal freedoms -- quite the city on the hill. Spectacular success.

And no shit Europe in 2017 is different than the states in 1789. Your powers of deduction are legendary!

Thank you. As I mentioned, they're so different I wouldn't even dream of making he comparison, but one was made for reasons I can't quite fathom.

[hack]

Hillary lost, because many progressives either stayed home, voted third party, or voted Trump to get rid of her. Since she lost, Hillary and the DNC have blamed about 50 different scapegoat excuses, but have refused to acknowledge the truth that she sucked as a candidate and people don't like her. And following her lead, the DNC has been purging its ranks of pro-Sanders progressives, and only supporting the type of corporate candidates that Talent would love.

I agree. The shame of all of this as a lefty is that the DNC has every excuse it needs to avoid doing the hard work of self-examination and moving on. We both probably agree it should be Bernie's party, but it won't.

That said, that wasn't my original question. My original question was "Why does he (Trump) suck less than Hillary?"

[Ghengis Jon]

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