TomCADem
TomCADem's Journal
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Member since: Thu May 7, 2009, 11:59 PM
Number of posts: 17,258
Number of posts: 17,258
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Bernie/Trump/Hillary On Trade Policy - When You Say You Are Against Free Trade Agreements
When I hear folks railing against free trade agreements and that we should repeal them, what specifically are we proposing to have happen?
1. An embargo against trade? 2. Higher tariffs on imported goods? 3. A subsidy on some or all of American goods? It is one thing to say you want to cancel trade agreements, but what do folks think will happen if those agreements are cancelled? Also, if we are thinking higher tariffs are the way to go, why would there be a different result then what happened following the imposition of the Smoot–Hawley Tariff, which was imposed by Republicans and, in fact, it was due to Herbert Hoover's support of such protectionist measures that he won the Presidency. Kind of curious, since we have vox on the left and CNBC on the right critiquing the respective trade views of Bernie and Trump. http://www.vox.com/2016/3/1/11139718/bernie-sanders-trade-global-poverty http://www.cnbc.com/2016/03/10/trump-trade-plans-could-cause-global-recession-experts.html Are these critiques fair or do you think the analysis misrepresents the views of the respective candidates? |
Posted by TomCADem | Tue May 31, 2016, 12:53 AM (31 replies)
Salon: Bernie must drop notion that everyone who disagrees with him is corrupt or a dupe
Right is left and left is right again.
The Wall Street Journal, Fox News and even Donald Trump have been quick to jump to the defense of Bernie, offer him a forum to air his grievances against the Democratic Party, or argue that Bernie, not Hillary, would be the stronger candidate in the general election. Conversely, some traditionally liberal publications have called on Bernie to discontinue arguments that the nomination process is rigged or corrupt, which could lead voters in the end to simply abandon the party or the process. For example, here is one Bernie supporter on Vox explaining why in response to Bernie's rhetoric, he will be leaving the Democratic party forever: http://www.vox.com/2016/5/26/11778158/shaun-king-democratic-party The result of Bernie's revolution could very well be that it backfire as it causes folks like Shaun King to become disenchanted with the political process and decline to vote, or to simply cast Nader-like protest votes, which allow the radical right to consolidate power. Indeed, rather than focusing on the issues, Bernie's increasing willingness to make personal attacks against Hillary, and adopt right wing arguments on the ground "Donald Trump and other Republicans will seize on it,” suggests that in the end, Bernie's revolution is remarkable in how conventional it has ultimately become. Of course, the downside of arguments that the political process is corrupt or that votes do not count is that the logical inference of such arguments is that one should not vote. Indeed, it creates this strange dynamic that losses are not legitimate and the only legitimate voters are Bernie votes. http://www.salon.com/2016/05/23/bernie_insults_voters_he_must_drop_notion_that_everyone_who_disagrees_with_him_is_corrupt_or_a_dupe/ Unfortunately, Sanders is also injecting one of the most wrong-headed and frankly embarrassing aspects of lefty thought into our discourse: The tendency to dismiss people who disagree with you as dupes who have been misled by a shadowy cabal of evil masterminds who brainwash the masses in order to perpetuate economic injustice. |
Posted by TomCADem | Mon May 30, 2016, 11:04 PM (61 replies)
Politico - "Why Bernie’s Bros Might Go for Trump"- Anti-Establishment, Not Ideology
Politico makes the same point you raise. Many of Bernie's backers are not really supporting him based on his proposals or his ideology, but because they are anti-establishment. If Bernie falls out of the race, then they have no where to go but to Trump. Bernie's support is based on his personality and his combativeness, rather than his actual proposals as noted in this article.
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/05/why-bernies-bros-might-go-for-trump-213915 For all their divergent beliefs, Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders have each tapped into raw anger and resentment that is in some ways more emotive than ideological. The dangers for Hillary Clinton are clear. By most reasonable standards, she is as unimpeachably liberal as Humphrey was in 1968, yet she is equally distrusted by the anti-establishment left. She will need to guard against defections to an anti-establishment conservative who has proved every bit as deft as Wallace |
Posted by TomCADem | Sun May 29, 2016, 09:13 PM (0 replies)
Inside the Men's Rights Movement—and the Army of Misogynists and Trolls It Spawned (Trump)
New York Magazine recently published a quiz asking, "Who Said It, Donald Trump or a Men’s Rights Activist?"
http://nymag.com/thecut/2016/05/who-said-it-donald-trump-or-an-mra.html This quiz brings up the gender resentment that Donald Trump is catering to. When Trump attacks successful women whether they be Hillary Clinton, Elizabeth Warren, Megyn Kelly or Susana Martinez, he is definitely not picking them based on their ideology. Rather, it is the fact that his supporters feel resentful of the success of high profile women. This is why Trump can brazenly act like a misogynist. Indeed, Trump's candidacy legitimizes the concerns of many men that women have it easy. Even Trump's pandering to gain Bernie supporters is aimed at portraying the Democratic party as hostile to men by describing a man, Bernie Sanders, being oppressed by two women. https://www.donaldjtrump.com/press-releases/donald-j.-trump-statement-on-debating-bernie-sanders Based on the fact that the Democratic nominating process is totally rigged and Crooked Hillary Clinton and Deborah Wasserman Schultz will not allow Bernie Sanders to win, and now that I am the presumptive Republican nominee, it seems inappropriate that I would debate the second place finisher. Likewise, the networks want to make a killing on these events and are not proving to be too generous to charitable causes, in this case, women’s health issues. Therefore, as much as I want to debate Bernie Sanders - and it would be an easy payday - I will wait to debate the first place finisher in the Democratic Party, probably Crooked Hillary Clinton, or whoever it may be. In the eyes of Trump and his supporters, the system is rigged against men. Mother Jones published an article discussing the men's right movement: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/01/warren-farrell-mens-rights-movement-feminism-misogyny-trolls In 1993, Farrell published his full-throated manifesto, The Myth of Male Power: Why Men Are the Disposable Sex. The book tackled a number of pressing issues affecting men. It also took some bizarre turns: At one point Farrell pondered whether the American male was the new "nigger." ("When slaves gave up their seats for whites, we called it subservience; when men give up their seats for women, we call it politeness." |
Posted by TomCADem | Sat May 28, 2016, 12:44 PM (11 replies)
Donald Trump Won't Rule Out Using Nukes Against ISIS
While President Obama calls for a reduction in nuclear weapons at Hiroshima, Donald Trump entertained the idea of using nuclear weapons against ISIS as a way gaining their respect.
http://fortune.com/2016/03/23/trump-nuclear-weapons-isis/ In an interview with Mark Halperin and John Heilemann of Bloomberg, the Republican presidential frontrunner refused to rule out using tactical nuclear weapons in the war against ISIS. |
Posted by TomCADem | Sat May 28, 2016, 12:13 AM (4 replies)
NY Times - Die-Hard Bernie Sanders Backers See F.B.I. as Answer to Their Prayers
I think a lot of Hillary supporters are wrong to believe that many Bernie supporters would support her over Trump. A lot of Bernie's support is not based on his positions or ideology, but on the fact that like Trump, he is seen as an outsider and anti-establishment.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/die-hard-bernie-sanders-backers-see-fbi-as-answer-to-their-prayers/ar-BBtyaja?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=iehp “If the D.N.C. wants to go ahead and put out the candidate who can’t win and we lose in November, it’s not because I didn’t vote,” she said. “It’s because they were looking out for their interests and not for the better interests of the country.” |
Posted by TomCADem | Fri May 27, 2016, 09:06 PM (5 replies)
Trump tells California 'there is no drought'
Source: Associated Press FRESNO, Calif. — Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump told California voters Friday that he can solve their water crisis, declaring, "There is no drought." Speaking at a rally in Fresno, Calif., Trump accused state officials of denying water to Central Valley farmers so they can send it out to sea "to protect a certain kind of three-inch fish." "We're going to solve your water problem. You have a water problem that is so insane. It is so ridiculous where they're taking the water and shoving it out to sea," Trump said to cheers at a rally that drew thousands. Trump's rallies Friday in Fresno and San Diego drew vocal crowds of protesters, many carrying signs critical of Trump's plan to wall off the U.S. border with Mexico. Read more: http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-tells-california-there-is-no-drought/ar-BBtz6oK?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=iehp How can there be a drought? You turn on the tap, and water comes out. |
Posted by TomCADem | Fri May 27, 2016, 08:59 PM (70 replies)
Should Bernie and Trump have the $10-15 million for the debate be reported as taxable income?
The networks are not just donating the money to charity. Rather, both Bernie and Donald Trump are very expressly demanding that this amount get paid as a condition for them to debate on a network. The charities are being chosen by Bernie/Trump, i.e., for women's health issues. Also, both Bernie/Trump are claiming credit for such donations.
How does this not count as income to both Bernie/Trump? Sure, they could deduct some of the money paid, since it is being given to charity, but it sounds like income nonetheless. |
Posted by TomCADem | Thu May 26, 2016, 09:50 PM (5 replies)
Rolling Stones - Pro-Bernie Trolls on Why They Harassed Nevada's Democratic Chair
The Rolling Stones investigated claims that the harassing posts against Nevada's Democratic Chair were not from Bernie Sanders supporters at all, but operatives for Hillary Clinton.
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/pro-bernie-trolls-on-why-they-harassed-nevadas-democratic-chair-20160518 Pissed off Sanders supporters, watching the events unfold online from around the country, began circulating the personal contact information for state party chair Roberta Lange. As a result, Lange became the target of a barrage of harassment, including death threats and threats of violence sent via voicemail and text message. On Monday, the party shared many of those messages — notably, and perhaps regrettably, without redacting some of the senders' phone numbers. |
Posted by TomCADem | Sat May 21, 2016, 09:27 AM (12 replies)
Mother Jones: Trump’s Supreme Court Short List Is Really, Really Anti-Contraception
Once again, the notion that a Donald Trump Presidency would not be incredibly destructive to progressives, minorities and women rights is destroyed by Trump's proposed dream sheet of potential nominees.
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/05/trumps-supreme-court-nominees-nod-towards-evangelicals Sorry, Paul Clement. Your hopes of taking a seat on the US Supreme Court appear to be doomed. Clement is one of the brightest—and highest paid—conservative litigators in the Supreme Court firmament, having served as solicitor general for George W. Bush and clerked for Justice Antonin Scalia. He's also defended same-sex marriage and opposed Obamacare before the high court. But the legal luminary wasn't on the list of potential Supreme Court candidates released Wednesday by presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump. |
Posted by TomCADem | Wed May 18, 2016, 08:13 PM (1 replies)