"Large-scale war, if it ever comes to that, deadens reform. The first world war brought the progressive era to a halt. The second ended FDR’s New Deal. Vietnam stopped Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society. Wars and the threat of wars also legitimate huge military expenditures and giant military bureaucracies. America is already spending $776bn a year on the military, a sum greater than the next 10 giant military powers (including Russia and China) together. Wars also create fat profits for big corporations in war industries. The possibility of war also distracts the public from failures of domestic politics, as the Spanish-American war did for President William McKinley and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq did for George W Bush. (Hopefully, Biden’s advisers aren’t thinking this way.)"
From "Eight sobering realities about Putin’s invasion of Ukraine" by Robert Reich (The Guardian).
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All three of those failed before Ukraine. Oh, it is Robert Reich spinning, and good spin needs a bit of truth: "The possibility of war also distracts the public from failures of domestic politics". It doesn't so much distract as elevate the foreign policy failures over domestic failures. In Biden's case, Afghanistan is such a greater failure that Ukraine seems less so. Unfortunately, Ukraine is interwoven with Biden's other domestic failures, such as the high price of oil by slashing US production capability and making us dependent on Russia.
well, if Robert Reich says it!
The conversation is not about "voting rights".
The conversation is about election integrity.
That paragraph...so much focus on size. So many errors of equivalence with things largely out of proportion to one another...comparing small things to larger things.
..since we're obsessed with the size of things, here's one more: 50-49.
I, like John Kerry, just hope this invasion doesn't distract Putin from the most important issue--Global Warming.
Spanish-American War, WW’S I & II, Vietnam...does Reich think the US is fighting the Russia-Ukraine war?
Does Reich think WWII ended the New Deal? Most people would say it made it unnecessary. Vietnam ended the Great Society? Another surprise reveal from the fevered mind of Robert Reich.
Robert Reich … another of Hillary’s hand maidens …
Ukraine invaded, progressives hardest hit. Robert the Third Reich must have gotten the idea from Joy Bahar.
The die is cast, and there is not much point in talking about how we got here, and now that we are here, it's obvious that we have to root for the best outcome for Ukraine, and pray that Putin doesn't decide that a brutal and grinding victory is better than a humiliating climbdown, but Robert Reich sprayed a lot of pixels inflaming tensions with Russia over the past five years, and making negotiations with Putin politically radioactive.
We still kowtow to China after Tiananmen Square, and don't doubt that Putin didn't note that.
Gilbar, you literally wrote what I clicked over to write! Reich is the George Costanza of publy policy.
Once again Reich comes up short
Rehajm has it essentially correct. War, or as Harold Macmillan once said “events, dear boy, events”, has shown the progressive left’s priorities as nothing more than trivial inanities. What Mr Reich of course deliberately underplays is the ability of the same progressive left to turn on a dime to use big events as cover and rationalization for their foolish ideas. Witness Pinot Pelosi equivaluzing the Ukraine invasion and the Jan 6 riot.
The worst about Reich's rant is his soft position on economic sanctions. Also, a very unnecessary tie in to Trump. His turds won't flush.
He left out the most important issue ever: CAGW. Like, the fate of the planet is at stake. What could be more important than that?
Reich was a Rhodes Scholar; Bill Clinton’s class.
Biden stumble/f..ks everything. Tension in the Ukraine would certainly take all the bad-Biden news off the front pages and hide the fact that his agenda is a wreck.
Article I saw this morning posits that they played both sides... Suggesting to Ukraine it could join NATO while realizing that was a red-flag to Putin. Hey kids that play with matches get burnt.
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2022/02/26/stunning-discovery-evidence-suggests-u-s-intel-baited-russia-in-december-by-telling-china-ukraine-was-coming-into-nato/
I am wondering if the effects of all of these sanctions won't be to undermine the dollar, in the same way that freezing demonstrators' bank accounts in Canada has seriously undermined the Canadian banking system, which was the real reason Trudeau climbed down from his "emergency" the day after he was talking about extending it for 30 days. India and China are still making large deals with Russia, just not dollar denominated ones. Face it, the risk of hyperinflation is not zero for the US.
Wars have a way of spinning out of control, we have Xi drooling over Taiwan, taking notes. Russia produces 2/3 of the world's ammonium nitrate, a critical ingredient in the fertilizer we need to feed the seven or eight billion people living on this planet, let alone the energy costs, and the sweeping of Biden's already dead agenda off of the stage may be the least of the bad effects. These are physical realities, and these sanctions are accounting gimmicks. North Korea hasn't buckled yet, have they?
Don't believe the Russian bot propaganda Tim.
Actually, by decarbonization of energy and transportation, the tyrant's who control half of the fossil fuels would be nutted. Also, removing the extreme commodity manipulation and fluctuation out of the equation will stabilize the economy.
This invasion showed the Germans folly giving up it's nuke plants.
Shorter Reich: (… heh.)
BBC just reporting putting nuclear force on "special alert" in response to aggressive statements by NATO. Not any more details.
USA 1,385,727 active personnel, 849,450 in reserve
China 2,185,000 active personnel: 8,000,000 in reserve
Russia 850,000 active personnel 250,000 in reserve
Shorter Reich: The destruction of our society needs to be on my terms.
Reich avoids the conclusion that Progressive policies lead to war.
Howard said...
Actually, by decarbonization of energy and transportation
Tell us Howard! Tell us how this "decarbonization" will happen?
I'd Assume that you mean replace oil with Oats, or Hay..
But THOSE are made from carbon too!
Will we all just walk everywhere? That has problems too. Even vegan fare is organic (carbon)
Do you think Unicorn farts will do this "decarbonization"
Seriously! Tell us How. I'd Love to hear about your dreams and visions
Mike Sylwester said...
"The conversation is not about "voting rights".
The conversation is about election integrity."
True enough. Are there any actual statistics showing how many eligible voters are disenfranchised by Voter ID? And by that, I mean statistics not proffered by Reich's Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Say what you will about Reich, the man makes a pretty good argument for war.
"Don't believe the Russian bot propaganda Tim."
We either have to understand what they might be thinking, or crush them militarily; we have to think about the downsides of jumping into this war. The above is my own thinking, from reading news stories and critically examining them. I have zero idea of what is really going on in Ukraine on the ground right now, and it is my opinion that nobody here does either. I am only pointing out the downside risks of this "We're bored with the pandemic, let's have a world war!" zeitgeist.
But sure, I think it's a good idea for me to shut up about this right now, since rationality is on holiday. I am 80% though writing a historical novel that deals with the issues of why we go to war and the horrific impacts of war on the people duped into fighting for the rich and powerful, people like Putin, for one. I got stuck, this is a good chance to get back to it with fresh insights. ,
Democrats hate when reality gets in their way.
Like when it become clear that shutting down the Keystone pipeline, allowing Nordstream 2, shutting down oil/gas exploration on Fed lands, and shutting off bank loans to gas/oil exploration made it possible to enrich Putin and Russia, and force the West to buy oil and gas from him while allowing him to hold the West hostage.
Or like when we find out that wind turbines and solar panels don't produce enough energy to power my neighbor's Mah Jong game, let alone New York City.
Reich is one of those people who consistently makes me question the hiring practices of universities. How does this small mind get a job teaching our young people. Or consulting with Presidents? Seriously.
Hopefully this war puts The Great Reset on the ash heap of history.
Reich is not wrong. Seems like just yesterday the Military was telling us that AGW was our greatest security threat. Or maybe it was racism.
In short, never waste a crisis.
If our FBI and CIA weren't so corrupt, inept, and useless, perhaps they could have taken out plutonium Putin a long time ago. Same with deposing the Castro family... and onto the Chi-Coms.
In this excerpt, Reich is right, unless I'm missing something. He doesn't specify just which of McKinley's politics "failed," though. Or what the failed policies of Bush were that war distracted us from. Bush's major failures came after his wars (and included his wars). Bush was riding high in the polls when he went to war. Notice, too that Reich doesn't mention the Clinton administration that he was part of. Kosovo and bombing aspirin factories did a lot to distract the country from Clinton's shortcomings and the Lewinsky affair.
Remember, Bob, "war is the Health of the State." That should provide great consolation to an old State fellators like you.
One can make a case that things like the Progressive Era, the New Deal, and the Great Society came to their natural end, and that they couldn't have lasted forever or much longer than they actually did. But it's pretty clear that in all three cases the energies that would have gone into progressive legislation were redirected towards fighting wars and the progressive momentum was broken. What might have sputtered out more slowly came to a more abrupt stop.
We aren't going to be fighting in the Ukraine, but there's going to be less energy in the administration to put into climate change or transgender matters or race talk. If Biden or Harris wants to pivot to the center they'll have an excuse. But will they?
Bush was riding high in the polls when he went to war.
Bush was riding high in the polls because he promised to go to war.
He didn’t make excuses for the terrorists and promise to make changes in America to address their grievances.
“Actually, by decarbonization of energy and transportation”
Tell us Howard! Tell us how this "decarbonization" will happen?
I'd Assume that you mean replace oil with Oats, or Hay..
But THOSE are made from carbon too!
Will we all just walk everywhere? That has problems too. Even vegan fare is organic (carbon)
Do you think Unicorn farts will do this "decarbonization"
I'm no defender of Howard in general. Nor do I agree with him about “decarbonization” in this case.
However, the distinction you're not making between consuming “fossil” vs. “bio” fuels is critical in the proper analysis and discussion. The fact is that carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted as a result of burning biofuels fundamentally does not cause CO2-instigated “global warming” or “climate change” (as the changing terminology goes) — while burning fossil fuels does (at least theoretically) result in a warming planet.
Why is that? The reason is simple. If one cuts down a tree, say, to burn as firewood — as the lumber burns in the fireplace or wood stove, it transforms from carbon compounds into carbon dioxide gas which escapes into the atmosphere — just like it would if you burned, say, (fossil-fuel) natural gas.
The crucial difference between bio and fossil, however, is that fossil-fuel-sourced carbon dioxide simply pools in the atmosphere, where its infrared- (heat-) frequencies insulating effects, in ever-increasing quantities, theoretically may cause the Earth to warm-up significantly in the future (as well helping keep our planet warm today).
Carbon dioxide derived from burning biofuels is different. After the original tree (or marijuana bush, or whatever kind of planet, bacterium, et al., you're using as a “biofuel”) has been consumed — yes, temporarily releasing CO2 into the atmosphere — afterwards every last molecule of CO2 that had been released into the air by that combustion is sucked back out again as the tree (or whatever) regrows. As a result, biofuels cannot drive global warming.
Now, I personally don't believe that biofuels are very practical as fuel (except as food, of course — and to provide heat from wood stoves fueled by wood gathered locally, say — together with perhaps a few other usages); their energy density is too low, for one thing. (The illimitable Xkcd web comic has a panel memorably illustrating the sheer stupendous magnitude of this fact — when considered versus, say, nuclear power.)
Thus, making biofuel typically consumes too much fuel simply gathering the “biofuel” from where it grows sprawled over an immense countryside — not to speak of what it takes, once gathered, in converting plant debris into usable “fuel.”
But way beyond that, it also fundamentally isn't very smart as a society for us to mix and place critical fuel-production and food-production capability in potential conflict — so that, sometime, it may be necessary that a choice be made between freezing and starving.
between consuming “fossil” vs. “bio” fuels is critical
Hi Michael! I live in Iowa, My mom has a Century Farm (that she rents out to corn growers)
How do YOU think plants get farmed? I'll give you a hint... Through fossil fuels.
Diesel for the tractors
Natural Gas for the corn dryers
Natural Gas to make the Ammonia to make the fertilizers
Diesel for the combines
Diesel for the trucks to take the corn to the Ethanol Plants
Natural Gas to run the Ethanol Plants
Here's a Hilarious Joke.. Electric Tractors! They'd work GREAT, Right?
I mean, no farmer, EVER works more than 8 hours in a day, so they could charge overnight
jeeze! i SLAY myself!
"Bill? Why'd you stop planting corn? It's only 5?"
"Gotta recharge the tractor, i'm off til morning"
I believe that the $776 billion figure includes pensions for retired military and GI Bill benefits, neither of which are directly related to warfighting.
Mike Sylwester said...
Are there any actual statistics showing how many eligible voters are disenfranchised by Voter ID? And by that, I mean statistics not proffered by Reich's Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
I'm still waiting for them to identify one, just one. Not in the abstract; just the name and voting precinct of one person denied the opportunity to vote by Voter ID laws..
Think about it: If such a person existed, they'd be made very famous by the MSM, profiled on TV network and cable, print coverage, writeups on Leftist websites. As famous as George Floyd.
What should that tell us?
Blogger Howard said...
Actually, by decarbonization of energy and transportation, the tyrant's who control half of the fossil fuels would be nutted. Also, removing the extreme commodity manipulation and fluctuation out of the equation will stabilize the economy.
Howard prefers freezing in the dark. There is something about Massachusetts lefties.
Hi Michael! I live in Iowa, My mom has a Century Farm (that she rents out to corn growers)
How do YOU think plants get farmed? I'll give you a hint... Through fossil fuels.
Did you even read my posting, other than the first few lines? As I said:
Thus, making biofuel typically consumes too much fuel simply gathering the “biofuel” from where it grows sprawled over an immense countryside — not to speak of what it takes, once gathered, in converting plant debris into usable “fuel.”
Therefore, we're therefore basically in agreement. However, technically, one could use biofuels (once made out of gathered plants) to fuel the future gathering of biofuels as well as America's cars and trucks. It wouldn't make sense, economically — but one could. There's nothing magical about “fossil” fuels that mandates their use in crop production and the gathering thereof.
I always get annoyed when people start comparing our military spending to Russia and China. Because of the way our system works, we have to tell the American people how much we spend on the military. Russia and China don't have that problem, so any number that they throw out there is meaningless. Just look at the ridiculously low Covid numbers that China keeps reporting.
The midget commie Robert Reich?
Wtf does he know about foreign policy that he should be listened to?
Howard said...
Ukraine invaded, progressives hardest hit. Robert the Third Reich must have gotten the idea from Joy Bahar.
When you're right, you're right.
The entry of America into WWI was an extension of the progressive project. It gave Wilson the excuse he needed to expand government control over the economy. His progressivism failed after the war, when Americans voted the progressives out of office.
WWII solidified the New Deal by making a super sized federal government a normal regular thing. Again, the people behind it were eventually voted out of office, but that was long after war was over.
The Great Society continued during the Vietnam war, it wasn't stopped by it. In fact, it offered a political distraction from the failures of the war. The programs involved also went on long after the war was over.
Reich is wrong, again.
"Think about it: If such a person existed, they'd be made very famous by the MSM, profiled on TV network and cable, print coverage, writeups on Leftist websites. As famous as George Floyd."
The MSM can't even find Popcorn.
Robert Reich: They’re Always After His Lucky Charms
These Massholes have their fart lockers decarbonized daily.
For progressives, it's not consolidation that's important, but the noise of change. By "progressives" I mean academics like Reich. One could say from an institutional point of view that New Deal agencies and policies continued after WWII and Great Society programs lasted long after Vietnam, but if your focus and your chief thrill is remaking the world, living in and administering the remade world isn't as thrilling. That is what liberals and progressives mean by saying that wars killed off their movements. It wasn't that things returned to how they were before Wilson or FDR or LBJ was in office. It meant that the excitement and the raw power to effect change were gone.
Talk about malignant dwarves!
Howard,
The US truck convoy was/is certainly not "Astroturf." US truckers routinely go into Canada just as Canadian truckers go into the US, so the COVID restrictions at the border affect them, too. Plus, US independent truckers have other beefs -- like California's AB5. They have real leverage as well; they don't need to occupy D.C., just not go anywhere near there at all.
As for CPAC, do you really, honestly think Putin gives a shit? OK, the man's confessedly off his nut, saying that Ukraine, whose President and Prime Minister are both Jewish, is run by "neo-Nazis" -- and by drug addicts, which is even more mysterious -- but even he isn't so insane as to think what's said at CPAC means anything at all.
I don't really like to think so, but surely a war in Eastern Europe helps Biden cover his domestic failures and provides an excuse for inflation and stagnation and his failure to enact his progressive dreams. We will need to sacrifice to support the Ukraine against the evil Russians. Maybe we could even avoid the much needed rate hikes in the interests of defending democracy. Of course, just returning our energy environment to 2020 would address a lot of our problems and hurt Russia more than our close to useless sanctions that exempt payments for energy.
32 trimesters following the violent Western-backed coup aborted a EU-certified democratic process and still neither reconciliation nor remediation. What's a democratic/dictatorial regime to do? Progress.
Ein Folk + Ein Reich => Ein furor
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