The Democrats are like a herd of cats. I've been one long enough to know. They aren't "playing" this at all.
As regards China, thou doth protest too much, methinks. China is so very, very far from being a true competitor to the US and the "free world" it isn't even a joke. Yes, they're pirates. In the larger scheme of things, that's their main weakness, and the only way they can get out of that box is to free their people. Anyone see that about to happen?
(crickets)
(The following is Off Topic, and possibly this post will get removed by the editors. Hope you get to read it before that happens.)
You and I are both intelligent enough to know what I mean by long game versus short game, and the inherent problem with playing the short game.
I'm 73 years old. Once upon a time, I thought of Republicans as the Noble Opposition. That went by the wayside a while back, but never quite so deeply into the weeds as it now has. Why? Because they've played the short game, and then the even shorter game, and now the even shorter game, searching out any and all ways to get the votes to give them power. To do what? Give power to the crazies?
I don't say that all Republicans are unprincipled. I have too many Republican friends to think that. But their party has sold its soul to the devil for a mess of pottage, to the point where they are no longer even close to being the party of fiscal conservatism they once were and that I once admired. How bad is it? It's so bad that the Democrats are now the fiscal conservatives!
I call myself a Democrat and a liberal, but a few decades back I was a moderate. And I really haven't changed. Kind of says it all....
I agree with your statements in general about the repblican party but to say the democratic party is any different is either ignorance or arragance or both.
The Democrats are like a herd of cats. I've been one long enough to know. They aren't "playing" this at all.
As regards China, thou doth protest too much, methinks. China is so very, very far from being a true competitor to the US and the "free world" it isn't even a joke. Yes, they're pirates. In the larger scheme of things, that's their main weakness, and the only way they can get out of that box is to free their people. Anyone see that about to happen?
(crickets)
(The following is Off Topic, and possibly this post will get removed by the editors. Hope you get to read it before that happens.)
You and I are both intelligent enough to know what I mean by long game versus short game, and the inherent problem with playing the short game.
I'm 73 years old. Once upon a time, I thought of Republicans as the Noble Opposition. That went by the wayside a while back, but never quite so deeply into the weeds as it now has. Why? Because they've played the short game, and then the even shorter game, and now the even shorter game, searching out any and all ways to get the votes to give them power. To do what? Give power to the crazies?
I don't say that all Republicans are unprincipled. I have too many Republican friends to think that. But their party has sold its soul to the devil for a mess of pottage, to the point where they are no longer even close to being the party of fiscal conservatism they once were and that I once admired. How bad is it? It's so bad that the Democrats are now the fiscal conservatives!
I call myself a Democrat and a liberal, but a few decades back I was a moderate. And I really haven't changed. Kind of says it all....
I agree with your statements in general about the repblican party but to say the democratic party is any different is either ignorance or arragance or both.
Oh, please. This from the person who can't spell "republican" or "arrogance"....
It's not much of a war. The tariffs haven't worked and raising them again isn't going to change that. The U.S. withdrew from TPP in January of 2017 and is still floundering around trying to get a replacement for it almost 2 1/2 years later.
The tariffs have abolsutely worked for the purpose they were intended: Bringing them to the table. Tariffs don't "work" for their own sake. They do "work" when they are used as leverage.
Sure because in poker bluffing works in the case where every other player knows with 100% certainty you are bluffing.
The Democrats are like a herd of cats. I've been one long enough to know. They aren't "playing" this at all.
As regards China, thou doth protest too much, methinks. China is so very, very far from being a true competitor to the US and the "free world" it isn't even a joke. Yes, they're pirates. In the larger scheme of things, that's their main weakness, and the only way they can get out of that box is to free their people. Anyone see that about to happen?
(crickets)
(The following is Off Topic, and possibly this post will get removed by the editors. Hope you get to read it before that happens.)
You and I are both intelligent enough to know what I mean by long game versus short game, and the inherent problem with playing the short game.
I'm 73 years old. Once upon a time, I thought of Republicans as the Noble Opposition. That went by the wayside a while back, but never quite so deeply into the weeds as it now has. Why? Because they've played the short game, and then the even shorter game, and now the even shorter game, searching out any and all ways to get the votes to give them power. To do what? Give power to the crazies?
I don't say that all Republicans are unprincipled. I have too many Republican friends to think that. But their party has sold its soul to the devil for a mess of pottage, to the point where they are no longer even close to being the party of fiscal conservatism they once were and that I once admired. How bad is it? It's so bad that the Democrats are now the fiscal conservatives!
I call myself a Democrat and a liberal, but a few decades back I was a moderate. And I really haven't changed. Kind of says it all....
You’re right about the underlying criticism, which in my mind is that both parties spend like drunken sailors when given the opportunity. The only thing that changes is what they’re spending our money on. If you’re familiar with the “Green New Deal” there is no way to claim superiority on this matter, other than the fact that the GND is just a wildly irresponsible proposal at this point, and not actual spending. Then if you start to include things like a Federal $15/hr. minimum wage and far-Left ideas like the “Universal Basic Income”... well, they’re all economically harmful, if not destructive.
I am at bottom a Rationalist. I can come around to almost any idea if it's the most rational one. The problem is, we're inundated by irrationality that camouflages itself as rationality, and that's across the political spectrum. That's what I miss most from the way it was 50 years ago. We could have conversations, disagree, and not be at each other's throats.
It's not much of a war. The tariffs haven't worked and raising them again isn't going to change that. The U.S. withdrew from TPP in January of 2017 and is still floundering around trying to get a replacement for it almost 2 1/2 years later.
The tariffs have abolsutely worked for the purpose they were intended: Bringing them to the table. Tariffs don't "work" for their own sake. They do "work" when they are used as leverage.
Sure because in poker bluffing works in the case where every other player knows with 100% certainty you are bluffing.
I have to agree with this. I see President Trump as having one way to "play poker": Have a ton of money/power and bluff a lot. The problem here is that the Chinese appear ready to call the bluff, and they're far from sitting there with empty pockets. So that means he either has to see his bluff through (i.e., pull the trigger on even more tariffs) or compromise. The only time I've seen him compromise is when he was staring at a sure loss (Nancy Pelosi and the State of the Union). However, in this instance, by the time that sure loss materializes, it may be too late for compromise. Sure, the US can "win" eventually, but at what cost? Meanwhile, the Chinese take it on the chin, but get credit for taking on the bully.
The alternative is to cut the cr*p, sit down, seriously negotiate, and make sure neither side is happy with the result. It's called "compromise". You know, that horrible thing President Obama was so very good at and that eventually got us out of the Great Recession....
The Democrats are like a herd of cats. I've been one long enough to know. They aren't "playing" this at all.
As regards China, thou doth protest too much, methinks. China is so very, very far from being a true competitor to the US and the "free world" it isn't even a joke. Yes, they're pirates. In the larger scheme of things, that's their main weakness, and the only way they can get out of that box is to free their people. Anyone see that about to happen?
(crickets)
(The following is Off Topic, and possibly this post will get removed by the editors. Hope you get to read it before that happens.)
You and I are both intelligent enough to know what I mean by long game versus short game, and the inherent problem with playing the short game.
I'm 73 years old. Once upon a time, I thought of Republicans as the Noble Opposition. That went by the wayside a while back, but never quite so deeply into the weeds as it now has. Why? Because they've played the short game, and then the even shorter game, and now the even shorter game, searching out any and all ways to get the votes to give them power. To do what? Give power to the crazies?
I don't say that all Republicans are unprincipled. I have too many Republican friends to think that. But their party has sold its soul to the devil for a mess of pottage, to the point where they are no longer even close to being the party of fiscal conservatism they once were and that I once admired. How bad is it? It's so bad that the Democrats are now the fiscal conservatives!
I call myself a Democrat and a liberal, but a few decades back I was a moderate. And I really haven't changed. Kind of says it all....
I agree with your statements in general about the repblican party but to say the democratic party is any different is either ignorance or arragance or both.
Oh, please. This from the person who can't spell "republican" or "arrogance"....
Good Lord. I was at a brisk walking pace in between sprints, typing on an iPhone. It’s pretty clear they were typos.
The Democrats are like a herd of cats. I've been one long enough to know. They aren't "playing" this at all.
As regards China, thou doth protest too much, methinks. China is so very, very far from being a true competitor to the US and the "free world" it isn't even a joke. Yes, they're pirates. In the larger scheme of things, that's their main weakness, and the only way they can get out of that box is to free their people. Anyone see that about to happen?
(crickets)
(The following is Off Topic, and possibly this post will get removed by the editors. Hope you get to read it before that happens.)
You and I are both intelligent enough to know what I mean by long game versus short game, and the inherent problem with playing the short game.
I'm 73 years old. Once upon a time, I thought of Republicans as the Noble Opposition. That went by the wayside a while back, but never quite so deeply into the weeds as it now has. Why? Because they've played the short game, and then the even shorter game, and now the even shorter game, searching out any and all ways to get the votes to give them power. To do what? Give power to the crazies?
I don't say that all Republicans are unprincipled. I have too many Republican friends to think that. But their party has sold its soul to the devil for a mess of pottage, to the point where they are no longer even close to being the party of fiscal conservatism they once were and that I once admired. How bad is it? It's so bad that the Democrats are now the fiscal conservatives!
I call myself a Democrat and a liberal, but a few decades back I was a moderate. And I really haven't changed. Kind of says it all....
You’re right about the underlying criticism, which in my mind is that both parties spend like drunken sailors when given the opportunity. The only thing that changes is what they’re spending our money on. If you’re familiar with the “Green New Deal” there is no way to claim superiority on this matter, other than the fact that the GND is just a wildly irresponsible proposal at this point, and not actual spending. Then if you start to include things like a Federal $15/hr. minimum wage and far-Left ideas like the “Universal Basic Income”... well, they’re all economically harmful, if not destructive.
I am at bottom a Rationalist. I can come around to almost any idea if it's the most rational one. The problem is, we're inundated by irrationality that camouflages itself as rationality, and that's across the political spectrum. That's what I miss most from the way it was 50 years ago. We could have conversations, disagree, and not be at each other's throats.
As a rational person, I’d like to recommend two podcasts to you: (1) The “ContraKrugman” podcast with Tom Woods and Bob Murphy and (2) “Coffee with Scott Adams”. Both podcasts acknowledge and/or dissect Left-Right views, but the first podcast analyzes economic matters as a response to NY Times columnist Paul Krugman’s columns and comments, the second dissects issues of persuasion from a Leftist cartoonist who (interestingly enough) can sound to the uninitiated like he’s “pro-Trump”(!)
Comments
I know you're just bullshirting, but you need to be careful what you wish for, IMHO.
The alternative is to cut the cr*p, sit down, seriously negotiate, and make sure neither side is happy with the result. It's called "compromise". You know, that horrible thing President Obama was so very good at and that eventually got us out of the Great Recession....