The New American Politics thread

[nik-]

Originally Posted by DuffMan

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker John Boehner is inviting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (neh-ten-YAH'-hoo) to address a joint session of Congress next month and discuss the threat from Iran.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/0...n_6515426.html

This is pretty crazy. Basically this is the Republicans undermining the POTUS trying to deal with Iran and their nuclear program. I guess in a way Israel is doing the same.
Obama should cut the money they send to Israel if they want to be dicks.

Even Fox News was ####ting on Netanyahu for this.

[Flash Walken]

Bibi is currently running for re-election, that's why he's been all about the sabre rattling and showing up in public.

From Forbes:

Set aside, for the moment, the diplomatic row being sparked by Speaker of the House John Boehner as he seeks to create two conflicting foreign policies for the United States—one pursued by the President and the other pursued by the Congress.

Boehner’s hubris, in conjunction with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s desire to interfere with American policy while seeking to bolster his re-election campaign, may turn out to be the very political screw-up that will allow the joint ticket forged by the Labor-Hatnuah political parties to bring an end to Netanyahu’s long reign atop the Israeli government.

According to a Channel 10 poll out this past Thursday in Israel, the joint ticket offered by the Labor-Hatnuah coalition currently stands to grab 24 seats in the Israeli Knesset in the coming election—up one seat from the previous poll—while Netanyahu’s Likud Party is holding steady with just 20 seats.

The poll also projects that the party leaders atop the Labor-Hatnuah ticket, Issac Herzog and Tzipi Livni, have an increasingly good chance of forming the next Israeli government by assembling a coalition of between 61 and 68 seats in support of their government.

It turns out that there are no shortage of Israeli voters who don’t care for the idea of their Prime Minister jumping into the middle of America’s internal disagreements over foreign policy and further understand that, at the end of the day, Israel remains deeply dependent upon the United States for critical assistance in the never-ending battle to preserve and protect their nation.

According to Hatnuah leader, Tzipi Livni, Netanyahu is sabotaging israel’s critical relationship with Washington.

“A responsible prime minister who first thinks of the good of his country’s citizens does not do such a thing,” Livni said, adding, “A responsible prime minister would know to work with the president of the United States — with any president — and protect our most important interests.”

If the polls are to be believed, there are quite a few Israelis who share Livni’s take on the subject.

So, how did all this happen?

It turns out, the plan to have the Israeli Prime Minister speak to Congress, without first discussing with the White House, was the brainchild of Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Ron Dermer who has, for weeks now, been endorsing the re-election of Bibi Netanyahu on American television programs despite explicit Israeli Civil Service regulations prohibiting him from doing so.

[wittynickname]

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/02/g...latory-burden/

“Don’t you believe that this regulation that requires this gentlemen to wash his hands before he serves your food is important?” Tillis was asked by the person at his table.

“I think it’s one I can illustrate the point,” Tillis told the women. “I said, I don’t have any problem with Starbucks if they choose to opt out of this policy as long as the post a sign that says ‘We don’t require our employees to wash their hands after leaving the restrooms.’ The market will take care of that.”

So this genius wants to take away the policy that employees have to wash their hands after using the rest room. But in order to do that there needs to be a new policy that they have to post signage that they don't require employees to wash their hands after using the rest room.

Don't we have major issues in this country? I don't know--a measles outbreak, massive national debt, failing schools, crumbling infrastructure, etc, etc.

But hey, why shouldn't we also worry about the massive public health problems that would be caused by taking away the law that states employees must wash their hands after using the restroom?

Can I move out of this country yet?

[nik-]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...ilure/?hpid=z2

[Itse]

There's quite a few stories going around comparing the policies of Minnesota and Wisconsin and their successes. (In short: Minnesotas very liberal tax and spend policy has been very succesful, while Wisconsin conservative policy has been a clear failure.)

It's a very interesting case, and made more interesting by the contrast of the governors of those states.

Here's a pretty good article (mostly on Dayton):

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/...e-scott-walker

"He's not a terribly articulate guy," says Larry Jacobs, chair of the University of Minnesota's public policy school. "He's not a smooth talker; he struggles to give a smooth public speech." At public events, Dayton hunches his shoulders, which makes him appear shorter than his 5-foot-10 frame, and often appears to be trying to disappear into the crowd. No one wonders whether he'll seek national office someday. He's not the leader of the free world—he's your dad, struggling to make small talk with you and your friends after you get home from school.

Think of Dayton as Scott Walker's mirror image. With the help of GOP-controlled legislatures, Walker and other Republican governors, such as Kansas' Sam Brownback, have passed wish lists of conservative policies and touted their states as laboratories that demonstrate the benefits of conservative governance. Walker, the governor of Wisconsin, has parlayed that hype into a potential 2016 presidential run. And across the border in Minnesota, Dayton seized a brief moment of unified Democratic control to create the liberal alternative to Walker's Wisconsin—a blue-state laboratory for demonstrating the potential of liberal policies. Dayton didn't "set out" with the objective of one-upping Walker in mind, he told me after the Eagan event. But "the contrast," he notes, is obvious.

[DuffMan]

Kansas went with trickle down economics and now is one of the worst off states financially.

Walker is turning Wisonsin into a right to work state and pissed off all the unions. Should be interesting to see what happens.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Not quite as good as his speech to try and get America into Iraq, but Netanyahu did what he had to to try and get them into Iran. We'll see if it works.

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

Not quite as good as his speech to try and get America into Iraq, but Netanyahu did what he had to to try and get them into Iran. We'll see if it works.

Nah, even the bat #### crazies in the tea party are sick of the Middle East.

[OldDutch]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

Not quite as good as his speech to try and get America into Iraq, but Netanyahu did what he had to to try and get them into Iran. We'll see if it works.

Isn't he just looking for permission for Israel to drop bombs? I thought US was keeping Israel at bay, and this speech was trying to get US support to let Israel to do that.

What a cluster that would be. I am totally on side with trying to negotiate first, which isn't a great idea but as always it is the best of all bad options. Dropping bombs on Iran would get really messy when the Jihadist networks go nuts.

[rubecube]

Time for everyone's favourite gameshow, "What stupid #### did a Republican say?"

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/03/k...lack-suspects/

The Kansas Secretary of State agreed with a caller during his weekly radio program that he could envision a scenario where President Barack Obama prohibited the prosecution of black suspects.

Kobach often lets callers to his radio show lead him into outlandish statements, such as his warning that Obama’s supposed lawlessness could open the door to ethnic cleansing of white Americans.

[DuffMan]

Originally Posted by rubecube

Time for everyone's favourite gameshow, "What stupid #### did a Republican say?"

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/03/k...lack-suspects/

if you want to travel back in time 100 years just go to Kansas.

[nik-]

This is ####ing unbelievable. Probably technically not illegal because it's an "open letter" and therefore not an actual attempt at circumventing the state department during ongoing diplomatic talks ... which is against the law. Still a scumbag move though, even for this group of historical level asshats.

47 Republican senators sign an open letter to Iran warning them not to do a nuclear deal with Obama.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/10/wo...s-leaders.html


Too bad they can't use the Logan Act and throw them all in prison. Unfortunately that would probably start a redneck uprising.

[T@T]

Originally Posted by nik-

This is ####ing unbelievable. Probably technically not illegal because it's an "open letter" and therefore not an actual attempt at circumventing the state department during ongoing diplomatic talks ... which is against the law. Still a scumbag move though, even for this group of historical level asshats.

47 Republican senators sign an open letter to Iran warning them not to do a nuclear deal with Obama.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/10/wo...s-leaders.html


Too bad they can't use the Logan Act and throw them all in prison. Unfortunately that would probably start a redneck uprising.

As much as Obama's softness is starting to get to a ridiculous level the republican's are asshat crazy to do this.

[Thor]

I don't understand how this is not treason, wow, what a bunch of morons.

[Itse]

Originally Posted by T@T

As much as Obama's softness is starting to get to a ridiculous level the republican's are asshat crazy to do this.

The difference between a president like Bush and a president like Obama is that the former talked tough, but the latter actually gets things done.

During Bush regime we saw two new nuclear powers, Pakistan and North Korea, and Myanmar made big advances in it's own program. Obama negotiated an end to Myanmars program and at least I haven't heard of any new programs starting anywhere.

[killer_carlson]

Originally Posted by Itse

The difference between a president like Bush and a president like Obama is that the former talked tough, but the latter actually gets things done.

During Bush regime we saw two new nuclear powers, Pakistan and North Korea, and Myanmar made big advances in it's own program. Obama negotiated an end to Myanmars program and at least I haven't heard of any new programs starting anywhere.

what?

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by T@T

As much as Obama's softness is starting to get to a ridiculous level the republican's are asshat crazy to do this.

How exactly is Obama soft on anything? More drone strikes than Bush, and according to Fox News he's a tyrant for actually getting things done instead of being handcuffed by a do-nothing congress

Obama has been far from a great president, but the criticisms about him are so ridiculous. He's either a constitution hating tyrant who wants to take everyone's guns away and turn the US into a liberal utopia, or he's a soft pushover who can't get anything done and looks weak compared to a "real leader" like Putin, all depending on who you ask at what time of day

[DuffMan]

Originally Posted by killer_carlson

what?

what, what?

are you saying he doesn't get things done?

[killer_carlson]

yeah, I am.

Duffman I know you are head of the Obama fan club, but the guy has been an utter trainwreck. I predict he will be judged as having one of the worst 2nd terms in the history of the United States.

I can only hope that Clinton or whomever the GOP runs will be able to pick up the pieces from 4 consecutive poor Presidential terms.

[DuffMan]

Have you ever seen this?

http://pleasecutthecrap.com/obama-accomplishments/

and I'm pretty sure this was before
ACA
environment deal with China
Immigration reform
open communications with Cuba

etc. etc.

I can only hope that Clinton or whomever the GOP runs will be able to pick up the pieces from 4 consecutive poor Presidential terms.

Clinton doesn't belong to the GOP.

But let me ask, what do think the next POTUS should do to pick up the pieces?