gradyandrew wrote:Newyorknewyork, thanks for posting that article. I heard on a podcast today that there's "no relation between the average Americans perspective and reality." Crime, the economy, and immigration all seem to fit this bill. What I don’t get is why Kamala is agreeing to the Republican framing of these topics rather than using the abundant statistics available showing their improvement.

In her interview last week, she took a question on inflation and instead of factually stating that it's not a problem anymore, she talked about going after companies for price gouging. Is the inflation story any more complicated than "China stopped exporting during the pandemic and it took a year for the supply chain to work litself out"? I was shocked to see gas at $6 in California but even more shocked to see McDonald's offering $20 an hour to new workers. I have to admit that when I listen to Harris, I am hoping she makes a coherent argument but when I listen to Trump, I just expect to be entertained by his buffoonery.

I think everything will kind of be in a holding pattern until the debate in September. I also think Putin and Bibi are waiting to see and will try to influence the election in Trumps favor. Hopefully the fiasco this weekend will convince enough people in Israel that a negotiated cease fire is the only way to get together hostages back.

?

How do you get to a point where you think those guys ever wait to see on anything?

They never ever ever ever never ever never never do that type of decision making.

Ever. In their entire lives. About anything.

Since they were in power or ever close to that point in their lives. This is who they are. Calculating and planning and scheming.

If you need to gain their perspective on life, watch Game Of Thrones.

And to be clear: zero emojis here.

martin wrote:

gradyandrew wrote:Specifically I'm talking about renewed offenses, which we may already be seeing.

The guys you talk about are neck deep in everything, all the time. They don’t have holding patterns, just rethought offenses.

There's a school of thought that says the other BRICS nations have been trying to negotiate a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine for most of the year and Putin had been holding back. After the Kursk offensive, Putin can say that Zelensky was negotiating in bad faith and therefore he can presss attacks against the energy infrastructure of Ukraine that will heavily impact the civilian population of Ukraine during the winter. See Alex Mercousis on this.

martin wrote:

gradyandrew wrote:

martin wrote:

gradyandrew wrote:Specifically I'm talking about renewed offenses, which we may already be seeing.

The guys you talk about are neck deep in everything, all the time. They don’t have holding patterns, just rethought offenses.

There's a school of thought that says the other BRICS nations have been trying to negotiate a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine for most of the year and Putin had been holding back. After the Kursk offensive, Putin can say that Zelensky was negotiating in bad faith and therefore he can presss attacks against the energy infrastructure of Ukraine that will heavily impact the civilian population of Ukraine during the winter. See Alex Mercousis on this.

Maybe I’m not getting your point?

Putin says what he wants, whenever he wants, regardless of truth or anything else going on. Like, Putin felt pressure to slaughter a nation cause he felt Ukraine was going to peacefully enter a NATO agreement, and everyone can swallow that pill or call it for what it is?

Is that how he held back? And why is that your starting frame of reference point?

In Donbass and Luhansk the war began with their attempted secession in 2014. By 2022 according to the CFR, 14,000 people were killed in the war. The 2022 invasion by Russia was an escalation of that now decade old conflict. My feeling is that Putins goals have always been limited- he wanted recognition of the Crimea as part of Russia, some kind of protectorate status over Donbass and Luhansk, and a guarantee that Ukraine wouldn't join NATO. I have never bought the argument that Putin is an existential threat to European democracy, in the same way that I don't see Chinese control of the South China Sea or non recognition of Taiwanese independence as threats to Asian democracies. As far as Russia goes, wasn't Prizoghin's attempted coup last summer about his frustration with the Russian ministry of defense to more vigorously prosecute the war?

Hamas is in a different category as an adversary than Putin and Xi. I believe both Xi and Putin would prefer integration into the world economy (as was the case pre-2014 in Russias case and has always been the case with China) provided their own domestic security concerns are assuaged.

And TBH, for all Trumps faults, he thinks it's better for America to engage both countries than continue the Cold War mentality.

And I'll end with a big **** you to cnn who asked Harris bull**** questions like "What were you doing when Biden called to say he was dropping out？" and endless rehashing of why she changed her mind on fracking instead of anything about her thoughts on Russia and China.

martin wrote:

gradyandrew wrote:You meant domestically, right?

No. Quite frankly I don’t think many Americans think about those things

OK, I got that. The president's influence on domestic affairs is limited whereas their influence on foreign affairs is pretty much unchecked.

gradyandrew wrote:

martin wrote:

gradyandrew wrote:You meant domestically, right?

No. Quite frankly I don’t think many Americans think about those things

OK, I got that. The president's influence on domestic affairs is limited whereas their influence on foreign affairs is pretty much unchecked.

I don’t know what you are referring to quite honestly. My comments were directed at your above that is bolded and has nothing to do with what the president is doing and everything to do with Putin, China doing internationally and how the world perceives them.

gradyandrew wrote:I can clarify.

Small countries are always going to be afraid of having their regime changed by a bigger, more powerful neighbors. Since 1991, USA has been far more interventionist than China or Russia. Currently US has 1/3 of the world's population under sanctions of one kind or another. I don't think US interventions have brought material benefits to Americans. Outside of NATO, who's up in arms over Russia's invasion? When the US spent years leveling genocide charges against China, which countries also picked up the charges. Bangladesh had regime change last week. No one imagines Chinese or Russian involvement but plenty of people think it was orchestrated by the CIA.

As it pertains to the election, I like Trumps foreign policy more than Harris's.

Foreign policy is the main thing I look at because while the president has limited influence on domestic issues, they pretty much have carte blanche in foreign policy.

Does this make me a fascist? I don't think so. Tbh the president's only job should be in service of us national interests. I don't see how conflict with Russia and China benefits America.

I don’t know how you go about substantiating the bolded.

Second, Trump has zero well thought out policy as it pertains to helping America or moving our interests forward. That bro is a mental puddle. You are years behind in this understanding.

You should want America to be at the top of the international food chain. Why would you take conflict off our capabilities to international relationships? That’s not a position of power. You are not America backed in this instance?

Perhaps you can also let me know how YOU PERSONALLY KNOW THAT other countries outside of NATO are okie dokie with what Russia is doing. They give you a thumbs up? Email? Reddit poll?

Did they tell you if they were OK with the rape and the killing and the genocide?

foosballnick wrote:

gradyandrew wrote:
As it pertains to the election, I like Trumps foreign policy more than Harris's.

Foreign policy is the main thing I look at because while the president has limited influence on domestic issues, they pretty much have carte blanche in foreign policy.

Does this make me a fascist? I don't think so. Tbh the president's only job should be in service of us national interests. I don't see how conflict with Russia and China benefits America.

Perhaps you can explain what Trump's foreign policy is? Best I can tell from his previous term it was centered around cozying up to Strong Men in order to garner favor in greasing the skids for Trump's person enrichment to build or gain advantage for his international Hotels and Golf Courses money laundering.

Not sure what information they're blocking you from in China but the conflicts with Russia and China are much more than the rhetoric about saving the world from facism. That is messaging for public consumption. US is protecting its own national interests. Ukraine provides the US base metals and agricultural products. Also a stronger NATO means a greater stability across US ally countries from both a trade and security perspective. With China it's likely about protecting US currency as the dominant global standard as well as trade with Taiwan. US imports over $100 Billion of goods from Taiwan including 45% of our semi-conductors which go into both computer logic and memory chips. Having China control this would be extremely detrimental to US positioning as a leader in AI as well as computation and military applications.

Fixed

gradyandrew wrote:

martin wrote:

gradyandrew wrote:

martin wrote:

gradyandrew wrote:Specifically I'm talking about renewed offenses, which we may already be seeing.

The guys you talk about are neck deep in everything, all the time. They don’t have holding patterns, just rethought offenses.

There's a school of thought that says the other BRICS nations have been trying to negotiate a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine for most of the year and Putin had been holding back. After the Kursk offensive, Putin can say that Zelensky was negotiating in bad faith and therefore he can presss attacks against the energy infrastructure of Ukraine that will heavily impact the civilian population of Ukraine during the winter. See Alex Mercousis on this.

Maybe I’m not getting your point?

Putin says what he wants, whenever he wants, regardless of truth or anything else going on. Like, Putin felt pressure to slaughter a nation cause he felt Ukraine was going to peacefully enter a NATO agreement, and everyone can swallow that pill or call it for what it is?

Is that how he held back? And why is that your starting frame of reference point?

In Donbass and Luhansk the war began with their attempted secession in 2014. By 2022 according to the CFR, 14,000 people were killed in the war. The 2022 invasion by Russia was an escalation of that now decade old conflict. My feeling is that Putins goals have always been limited- he wanted recognition of the Crimea as part of Russia, some kind of protectorate status over Donbass and Luhansk, and a guarantee that Ukraine wouldn't join NATO. I have never bought the argument that Putin is an existential threat to European democracy, in the same way that I don't see Chinese control of the South China Sea or non recognition of Taiwanese independence as threats to Asian democracies. As far as Russia goes, wasn't Prizoghin's attempted coup last summer about his frustration with the Russian ministry of defense to more vigorously prosecute the war?

Hamas is in a different category as an adversary than Putin and Xi. I believe both Xi and Putin would prefer integration into the world economy (as was the case pre-2014 in Russias case and has always been the case with China) provided their own domestic security concerns are assuaged.

And TBH, for all Trumps faults, he thinks it's better for America to engage both countries than continue the Cold War mentality.

And I'll end with a big **** you to cnn who asked Harris bull**** questions like "What were you doing when Biden called to say he was dropping out？" and endless rehashing of why she changed her mind on fracking instead of anything about her thoughts on Russia and China.

More like trump wants to appease Putin at every opportunity and he has no idea how to deal with China other than race bait. Putin started the war in Ukraine. There is nothing trump and right wing media can say to change that.

martin wrote:

gradyandrew wrote:I can clarify.

Small countries are always going to be afraid of having their regime changed by a bigger, more powerful neighbors. Since 1991, USA has been far more interventionist than China or Russia. Currently US has 1/3 of the world's population under sanctions of one kind or another. I don't think US interventions have brought material benefits to Americans. Outside of NATO, who's up in arms over Russia's invasion? When the US spent years leveling genocide charges against China, which countries also picked up the charges. Bangladesh had regime change last week. No one imagines Chinese or Russian involvement but plenty of people think it was orchestrated by the CIA.

As it pertains to the election, I like Trumps foreign policy more than Harris's.

Foreign policy is the main thing I look at because while the president has limited influence on domestic issues, they pretty much have carte blanche in foreign policy.

Does this make me a fascist? I don't think so. Tbh the president's only job should be in service of us national interests. I don't see how conflict with Russia and China benefits America.

I don’t know how you go about substantiating the bolded.

Second, Trump has zero well thought out policy as it pertains to helping America or moving our interests forward. That bro is a mental puddle. You are years behind in this understanding.

You should want America to be at the top of the international food chain. Why would you take conflict off our capabilities to international relationships? That’s not a position of power. You are not America backed in this instance?

Perhaps you can also let me know how YOU PERSONALLY KNOW THAT other countries outside of NATO are okie dokie with what Russia is doing. They give you a thumbs up? Email? Reddit poll?

Did they tell you if they were OK with the rape and the killing and the genocide?

Do you have a reddit poll to the contrary?