February 24, 2020

Things that are not actually "buried."


Bernie's competition is stunningly noncompetitive.

And as ever... people see what they want to see.

209 comments:

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J. Farmer said...

@Sebastian:

And it's not sleight of hand, as it wasn't in our early discussion of the Bernie-wants-to-be-Denmark propaganda notion. It's simply pointing out that Bernie has no clue, nor does he care, about actual European social democracy, nor does he know how any welfare state there actually works, nor does he know the differences in, say, health policies that actual social democrats actually support (would he care that social democrats in a number of countries would reject "Medicare for All?)

That is all completely beside the point. Nobody is saying that Sanders is pointing to Denmark or Norway or Germany because he wants to copy the details of the specifics of their various programs. They are saying he wants the US to be more like those countries in the sense that they combine higher levels of taxation, a bigger regulatory state, and a robust welfare state.

What’s interesting is just brushing aside the attempted coup for a fellow traveler.

Not sure who or what this is directed to, but just in case it is me I'll give a response. One, I don't consider running in an election an "attempted coup." And two, I am not a "fellow traveler" of Sanders. He is a left-wing egalitarian, and I am a conservative ethno-nationalism.

J. Farmer said...

@wholelottasplainin':

Yeah, that's it! That's the way the Big Powers have always worked! NOT. What possible sense would it make to arm the Iranians AND the Saudis?

Russia and China both sell weapons to Iran and Saudi Arabia. We sell weapons to India and Pakistan despite the animosity that exists between those two countries.

If WE don't hold our nose and protect "our friends the Saudis", and other nations lack the wherewithal to do so, are we supposed to sit on our thumbs?

That's why we sell them weapons. So they can protect themselves. We don't need troops stationed in Saudi Arabia to protect Saudi Arabia.

and of course what you propose is that the US withdraw from all mutual defense treaties, because de facto they involve choosing sides. Is that what you really want? If so, you are an isolationist to the bone.

I am for getting out of a lot of mutual defense treaties that make no sense, particularly NATO. I support mutual defense treaties with the UK, Japan, Australia, and possibly the Philippines. Others, no. The posture I advocate is non-interventionism, not isolationism. I believe in engaging with other countries on trade and diplomatic relations but not getting involved in their internal affairs. For a longer discussion on this subject, I would recommend The myth of American isolationists.

tim in vermont said...

"What are you talking about?” - Farmer

“'Come into my parlor,’ said the spider to the fly."

J. Farmer said...

“'Come into my parlor,’ said the spider to the fly."

That makes even less sense than whatever narciso was trying to say. But I do love The Spider and the Fly.

Greg the class traitor said...

J. Farmer said...
@Greg the class traitor:

So, Farmer, tell us: who should we support, by action or inaction, in Saudi Arabia?

It's current despot? Or the anti-America Iranian despots who'd love to take over there?

Russia and China maintain diplomatic and trade relations with all of the major powers in the middle east, including Turkey, Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. That is my model.


Except, up above, you were attacking the US for associating with the Saudi thoecrats.

Pick one line and stick to it. If it's perfectly fine for the US to associate with bad governments, then stop bitching about it.

Iran is at war with the US, and has repeatedly murdered a bunch of US troops. But you think we should ahve normal relations with them? That's nuts.


"while the neocon-infected GOP was acting like Islamic terrorism was the gravest threat to the Republic, and was also supporting mass immigration and "free" trade deals. Tell me, Greg, what turned California permanently blue? What flipped Virginia blue? What is in the processing of turning Texas and Florida blue? Was it Islamic terrorism or immigration?"

What turned CA blue? The end of the Cold War, the severe cut down of the aerospace industries, and a whole bunch of people moving out of CA to get jobs, being replaced by a whole bunch of leftists moving in for computer jobs.

What turned VA blue? Vast growth in Federal Gov't employees living in NoVa.

What turned FL Red? A whole bunch of immigrants from Cuba. Which is why it has a GOP Gov and State Legislature, and two GOP Senators.

Look up "Lawton Chiles". FL used to be Democrat controlled.

What turned TX blue? Nothing. It isn't.

Dishonest AND stupid is a really bad combination

J. Farmer said...

@Greg the class traitor:

Except, up above, you were attacking the US for associating with the Saudi thoecrats.

What I actually wrote: "Except, up above, you were attacking the US for associating with the Saudi thoecrats." And: "Russia and China maintain diplomatic and trade relations with all of the major powers in the middle east, including Turkey, Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. That is my model."

My point in bringing up Saudi Arabia was not attack the US but to describe what has been a normal part of foreign relations. The charge of "supporting dictators" is hollow, because the US has a long history of enthusiastically supporting dictators.

Iran is at war with the US, and has repeatedly murdered a bunch of US troops. But you think we should ahve normal relations with them? That's nuts.

How many Americans were killed by China in the Korean War? Yet we normalized relations with China. How many Americans were killed by North Vietnam? Yet we normalized relations with Vietnam.

What turned CA blue? The end of the Cold War, the severe cut down of the aerospace industries, and a whole bunch of people moving out of CA to get jobs, being replaced by a whole bunch of leftists moving in for computer jobs.

So in your mind the fact that the non-Hispanic White population went from 80% to about 33% plays no role in the change of California?

What turned VA blue? Vast growth in Federal Gov't employees living in NoVa.

"The influx of immigrants and their U.S.-born children, the spread of high-density suburbia and the growth of higher education all tilt the field toward the Democrats."
-How Voters Turned Virginia From Deep Red to Solid Blue

Dishonest AND stupid is a really bad combination

So is illiteracy. What I said was, "What is in the process of turning Texas and Florida blue??

Look up "Lawton Chiles". FL used to be Democrat controlled.

Lawton Chiles was governor in the 1990s. Florida went for Reagan both times and H.W. Bush before going for Clinton. It went for W. both times and for Obama both times.

Republicans Won The Florida Election, But Young Cuban-American Voters Are Beginning to Vote Democrat

What turned TX blue? Nothing. It isn't.

Again, literacy. I never asked "What turned TX blue?" But on the subject:

"For the first time in years, Republicans and Democrats are acknowledging that the GOP could lose its grip on the Texas House — a turning point that would mark the state’s biggest political shakeup since the chamber last flipped nearly two decades ago."
...
"As recently as 2017, House Republicans relished in a 95-member majority. But now, Democrats, bolstered by their 12-seat pick-up last year, are effectively only nine away from gaining control of the chamber — and having a larger say in the 2021 redistricting process."

-Democrats could gain control of the Texas House for the first time since 2001. Here are the seats in play in 2020.

"At the Monitor Breakfast, GOP Sen. Ted Cruz predicted Texas will be “hotly contested” in 2020, thanks to the growing clout of suburban voters – particularly women – who have been moving to the left, politically."

-‘Texodus’: Why the Lone Star State might turn blue for real this time

Sebastian said...

"They are saying he wants the US to be more like those countries"

Farmer! I am saying that, in essential respects, he doesn't want to the U.S. to be "like those countries." I am saying that, in essential respects, Sanders is not within the "general" ambit" of European social democrats. I am saying that one reason he is not like them is that he has no clue about them, and couldn't name one. I am saying that actual social democrats, Helmut Schmidt being a rather prominent one, would have despised loony leftists like Bernie. I am saying that treating Sanders as an ordinary social democrat is a form of propaganda.

Farmer, have you ever met an actual European social democrat?

J. Farmer said...

@Sebastian:

Let's try and pull the lens back a bit, shall we. As I have already conceded a dozen or so times, I do not doubt that you can identify differences between Sanders and various Social Democratic policies. But can you identity any similarities? Or are they are in your estimation 180 degrees from each other?

Greg the class traitor said...

Blogger J. Farmer said...
@Greg the class traitor:

What turned CA blue? End of the Cold War, severe cut down of aerospace industries, & a whole bunch of people moving out of CA to get jobs, being replaced by a whole bunch of leftists moving in for computer jobs.

So in your mind the fact that the non-Hispanic White population went from 80% to about 33% plays no role in the change of California?


That's a consequence of those other changes, not the driver of them.

What turned VA blue? Vast growth in Federal Gov't employees living in NoVa.

"The influx of immigrants & their U.S.-born children, the spread of high-density suburbia & the growth of higher education all tilt the field toward the Democrats."
-How Voters Turned Virginia From Deep Red to Solid Blue


Breathing bad air & getting blown up by a Hellfire missile killed Soleimani. But mostly it was the Hellfire. Some headline writer throwing together 3 things does not make them all equally relevant.

Dishonest AND stupid is a really bad combination

So is illiteracy. What I said was, "What is in the process of turning Texas & Florida blue??

Look up "Lawton Chiles". FL used to be Democrat controlled.

Lawton Chiles was governor in the 1990s. Florida went for Reagan both times & H.W. Bush before going for Clinton. It went for W. both times & for Obama both times.

What turned TX blue? Nothing. It isn't.

Again, literacy. I never asked "What turned TX blue?" But on the subject:

"For the first time in years, Republicans & Democrats are acknowledging that the GOP could lose its grip on the Texas House — a turning point that would mark the state’s biggest political shakeup since the chamber last flipped nearly two decades ago."

"At the Monitor Breakfast, GOP Sen. Ted Cruz predicted Texas will be “hotly contested” in 2020, thanks to the growing clout of suburban voters – particularly women – who have been moving to the left, politically."



Dishonest, & stupid. What part of "thanks to the growing clout of suburban voters – particularly women – who have been moving to the left, politically" says "this is caused by Hispanic immigrants"? Just curious.

Yep, Beto was going to beat Cruz in 2018. The Democrats were going to win HD28 special election (they lost 58 - 42).

FL is a purple State, that went GOP or Dem with the nation, every year except 1992. They recently got rid of their last Dem Senator, but they're "turning blue".

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