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2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumThe Bad Boys Billionaires Club
Last edited Sun Sep 23, 2012, 01:13 AM - Edit history (1)
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Ok conspiracy theorists, help me out here. You all seemingly have theories to explain every darn thing. Well this one just defies explanation. Why would a candidate for the highest office in the land just try to capitalize on the first grave national security crisis that he could ?
The obvious is clear. You can count on one hand the number of businessmen in the 20th Century of the United State that have become occupiers of the White House AND effective leaders. One is Harry Truman, and events of 1948 seem to be repeating themselves for the 2012 election year. And one might attempt to make the case for George H.W. Bush, but he got ushered out after one term by a failing economy. (Allan 2012)
"The fact is that no successful businessman has ever been a successful president, and only a few have even been serious contenders for the job." (Kazin 2012)
"This is not to say that no successful businessmen have ever become president. A few have, among them Warren G. Harding (an Ohio newspaper publisher and editor), Herbert Hoover (a multi-millionaire mining engineer, investor, and consultant), and Jimmy Carter (a Georgia peanut farmer and warehouse owner)." (Purdum 2012)
I don't count Jimmy Carter as one of them myself, since he was also an accomplished junior naval officer. During his presidency it was the only time we were not at war in recent history, which is remarkable, considering the turn of events during the Cold War. What prevented his second term was at the end of his presidency that age old harbinger of doom the slumping economy combined with the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis that exposed a military inept in joint operations through the failed Desert One operation.
"John Stewart puts it bluntly: .'The truth is that you search in vain for a single example just one of a successful businessman who then took his business experience and used it to become a successful president of the United States. " (Shields 2012)
(Shields 2012) "Why is this the case? Because, according to Stewart, 'running a successful business venture like Bain Capital, to pick one at random has almost nothing in common with leading the United States as her president."
Now we are faced with an effective elitist businessman who runs for consecutive higher office as a rich man's hobby. He appears to consider the methods of attaining the highest office in the land much as a souless corporate raider would do. There is no trace of "compassionate conservatism here" even though he surrounds himself with the bumblers of the last eight years of Republican treasury squandering. Even more represented are the architects of their professional war mongering, the likes of which we thought that we lost to the dust bins of history years ago.
"But whats troublesome about Romney on foreign policy is whats cooking behind the scenes. Gen. Colin Powell recently complained that Romneys foreign policy team is 'quite far to the right.' Indeed, veterans of the Bush/Cheney administration 'pepper' Romneys foreign policy team and the so-called 'Cheney-ites' are reportedly winning the presumptive GOP presidential nominees ear." (Beauchamp, Gharib 2012)
Cmon Mitt, think, Powell said of Romneys recent statement that Russia is Americas number-one geopolitical foe. Powell cautioned Romney against listening too closely to his advisers, some of whom are quite far to the right in his esteem, and Powell hinted that, perhaps, the candidate was being influenced by some dangerous ideas." (Good 2012)
"Of Romneys forty identified foreign policy advisers, more than 70 percent worked for Bush. Many hail from the neoconservative wing of the party, were enthusiastic backers of the Iraq War and are proponents of a US or Israeli attack on Iran." (Berman 2012)
"Democrats generally try to win elections, while the Republican Party, because it represents a fading demographic minority, is forced to steal them. The Republicans steal them primarily with money, but also with voter suppression and disenfranchisement laws that reduce turnout among the young, students and racial minorities. The Republicans are hoping to dampen or prevent turnout among anti-war voters just enough to squeeze themselves back into power. (...) Obama also will have avert a war over Iran while arguing that Romneya close friend and former business partner of Netanyahuwould be more likely to support one for political gain." (Hayden 2012)
"Chris Matthews: Look at the army of the night riding behind the presumptive Republican nominee. Its an army of neocons for lack of a better word. They bring war with them in every election. An agenda of a country they want us to fight. People voted for W, they got Iraq. Why? Because the army poised behind the uninformed ill-read W knew what he didnt. When 9/11 struck, they struck. This time its Iran." (Jones 2012)
(Jones 2012) "But dont think theyre going to end it there. These old cold warriors havent been happy since the Berlin wall fell. Listen to Romneys words. He didnt write them himself. Hell say what it takes to get the right wing behind him. But the right wing will follow him right to the White House. They will grab the levers of military power like Rumsfeld and Cheney before them. And they will use them. You can bet on that "
What is so suspicious about his candidancy now is that he had been caught on video expounding his predatory strategy for not only a do-nothing foreign policy for the Middle East but also as an opportunist just looking for an excuse to pounce on any crisis there that may arise. (Schultz 2012)
There are just too many multiples of hundreds of millions of dollars coming from fairly impressive lists of billionaire backers that ANYTHING is plausible as a cause for agitation of the burning caldron that is the Arab Spring, the Syrian Civil War, and the "Palestinian Problem". There are any number of major players in the mix including Russia, China, Iran, Israel, you name it.
But Romney the foreign policy Mittwitt is apt to be taken in by both his surrounding neocon staff from the Bush Bumblers league and his own inept campaign staff to attempt something desperate. Especially with an openly demonstrative right wing radical billionaire backer such as the Myer Lanksy like Sheldon Adelson. With Romney's billionaire group amongst the top of the U.S. power elite estimated as worth 1/8 of the entire Gross National Product, the 1% can not be entirely eliminated as a source of forment to stir the pot for it's own recipes of disaster.
Refs:
(Allan 2012)
http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2012/02/17/sorry-mitt-romney-good-businessmen-rarely-make-good-presidents
(Kazin 2012)
http://www.tnr.com/blog/plank/105088/why-businessmen-dont-get-elected-president
(Purdum 2012)
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/2012/09/mitt-romney-business-credentials-problem
(Shields 2012)
http://www.creators.com/opinion/mark-shields/america-s-short-list-of-successful-businessman-presidents.html
(Beauchamp, Gharib 2012)
http://thinkprogress.org/security/2012/07/25/576331/romney-foreign-policy-advisers/?mobile=nc
(Good 2012)
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/05/why-colin-powell-bashed-mitt-romneys-foreign-policy-advisers/
(Berman 2012)
http://www.thenation.com/article/167683/mitt-romneys-neocon-war-cabinet
(Hayden 2012)
http://www.thenation.com/signupad/169117?destination=article/169117/romney-presidency-would-be-threat-peace-we-cannot-allow
(Jones 2012)
http://www.politicususa.com/people-dont-mitt-romneys-war-agenda.html
(Schultz 2012)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45755822/vp/49080366#49080366
Links:
(Kroll 2012)
http://www.forbes.com/sites/luisakroll/2012/09/19/the-forbes-400-the-richest-people-in-america/
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The Bad Boys Billionaires Club (Original Post)
MIDNITERIDER1438
Sep 2012
OP
grasswire
(50,130 posts)1. excellent post
Thank you, and welcome to DU. You will be a real asset here!
bbgrunt
(5,281 posts)2. k and r!
annabanana
(52,791 posts)3. A solid, well sourced post.
Thank you!
MIDNITERIDER1438
(113 posts)4. Takes a bow; you're so very welcome ladies and gents ! (n/t)