Gas Bandit's Political Thread V: The Vampire Likes Bats

[Bubble181]

While I absolutely hate the state Belgian politics are in right now, I do have to say - the whole way your elections are "organised"? Completely ridiculous and backwards.

Honestly, the vetting part of a relatively long campaign/start is good in theory. Deciding who your party's front runner is through a hierarchy of local elections and such? Possibly. But the actual way things are run? Completely ridiculous. Folksy traditions are all well and good, but everything from those beans-in-a-pot primaries to the first-village-to-vote-predicts-the-outcome over the electoral college, all the way up to swearing in on the Bible while simultaneously claiming to be free of religion....Myeah.

Sort of went off-mark there, what I was meaning to say was - the debates are pointless because of the ways things are set up. There's no way in hell to suddenly somehow get candidates to openly and candidly outline their programmes without spin, to make claims they can be held to, and/or get hoenst answers out of them.

 

[jwhouk]

We are a melting pot. And sometimes, things melted wrong.

 

[Bubble181]

We are a melting pot. And sometimes, things melted wrong.

As I started out saying - I don't like our system any better. It's one of those "democracy is terrible, but it's the best we've tried so far" sort of deals

(except, of course, that offering only 2 parties isn't much of a democracy )

 

[Eriol]

We are a melting pot. And sometimes, things melted wrong.

Methinks your chocolate has seized. And I'm not sure there's enough liquid in the world to un-seize it.

 

[SpecialKO]

I move that Jon Stewart (in his Crossfire form) be the moderator. In fact, instead of having the candidates only debate each other, they also have to debate Jon Stewart.

Not because Jon Stewart is some terrifying debater machine, but because he'll at least ask interesting questions and then let the other person talk. And he'll be funny.

He may not be the moderator we need, but he's the moderator we deserve.

 

[Tress]

While I absolutely hate the state Belgian politics are in right now, I do have to say - the whole way your elections are "organised"? Completely ridiculous and backwards.

Honestly, the vetting part of a relatively long campaign/start is good in theory. Deciding who your party's front runner is through a hierarchy of local elections and such? Possibly. But the actual way things are run? Completely ridiculous. Folksy traditions are all well and good, but everything from those beans-in-a-pot primaries to the first-village-to-vote-predicts-the-outcome over the electoral college, all the way up to swearing in on the Bible while simultaneously claiming to be free of religion....Myeah.

Sort of went off-mark there, what I was meaning to say was - the debates are pointless because of the ways things are set up. There's no way in hell to suddenly somehow get candidates to openly and candidly outline their programmes without spin, to make claims they can be held to, and/or get hoenst answers out of them.

You have no idea what you're talking about, Bubble. We put beans in a glass jar. Get it right.

 

[Chad Sexington]

all the way up to swearing in on the Bible while simultaneously claiming to be free of religion....Myeah.

They don't actually have to do this, and a few presidents haven't. If I remember right, John Quincy Adams swore his oath upon a law book, and Lyndon Johnson used a Catholic missal (though that might have been more due to the circumstances of the swearing in...).

 

[Tress]

They don't actually have to do this, and a few presidents haven't. If I remember right, John Quincy Adams swore his oath upon a law book, and Lyndon Johnson used a Catholic missal (though that might have been more due to the circumstances of the swearing in...).

True, but could you imagine the bullshit that would spew forth from Fox if a president did not swear on the Bible?

 

[sixpackshaker]

True, but could you imagine the bullshit that would spew forth from Fox if a president did not swear on the Bible?

Only if he was from the Democratic Party.

 

[Tress]

Only if he was from the Democratic Party.

There would still be Tea Party jackasses going on the attack, calling the president a RINO among other things, if a Republican didn't swear on the Bible.

 

[Chad Sexington]

True, but could you imagine the bullshit that would spew forth from Fox if a president did not swear on the Bible?

Yes, I'm sure I could. I was just offering a counter to one of Bubble's complaints. I happened to know some trivia about presidents who didn't use a Bible and wanted to be all, "BAM, YOU WRONG. I knew this would come handy one day, I just thought it was going to be in front of Alex Trebek!"

Y'know?

 

[GasBandit]

Dang. Through the looking glass, folks. While America and the UN dither and qualify, France is talking about unilateral military action in Syria.

Now the accordion is on the other hunting trip.

 

[Chad Sexington]

Now the accordion is on the other hunting trip.

Wait, what? Is this a metaphor I don't know?

 

[drifter]

Wait, what? Is this a metaphor I don't know?

As sure as groats on a yak.

 

[GasBandit]

When the French objected to the Iraq war in 2003 and threatened to take their ball and go home, Jed Babbin (who was undersecretary of defense in the Bush 1 administration) said on Hardball, "Going to war without the French is like going deer hunting without an accordion. All you're really doing is leaving a bunch of noisy baggage behind."

It was quite the sound byte for the next few years.

So, plug that into Stienman's post and you have the whole of it.

 

[Chad Sexington]

When the French objected to the Iraq war in 2003 and threatened to take their ball and go home, Jed Babbin (who was undersecretary of defense in the Bush 1 administration) said on Hardball, "Going to war without the French is like going deer hunting without an accordion. All you're really doing is leaving a bunch of noisy baggage behind."

It was quite the sound byte for the next few years.

So, plug that into Stienman's post and you have the whole of it.

That's a pretty great insult, though. I like it. I can see how it became a soundbyte.

 

[GasBandit]

That's a pretty great insult, though. I like it. I can see how it became a soundbyte.

It got lots of repeat play through the whole "freedom fries" years as relations between the US and France continued to suffer.. then all of a sudden in 2007 Sarkozy was elected, and france took a turn to the right, and all of a sudden we were friends again. And if memory serves, this is actually the second time France has gotten tougher on their international rhetoric than the US has, though I don't remember the exact circumstances of the previous time.

 

[Tress]

And if memory serves, this is actually the second time France has gotten tougher on their international rhetoric than the US has, though I don't remember the exact circumstances of the previous time.

Northern Mali.

 

[Bubble181]

France gets tough when their oil and political interests get too heavily trounced and/or when it's getting to the point where too many real lives as being lost uselessly (according to them). Northern Mali, Tchaad, Niger, Nigeria, Congo - France is actually quite active (mostly the Foreign Legion, of course) in many, many wars which are mostly forgotten by Western media.
In this case,i t's purely for oil and immigrants, though

It's also a fairly ridiculous claim - oddly enough, France has won more wars than the US (though, of course, often due to allies, as, in contrast to Bush Jr., the French have been master diplomats for centuries, actually making useful alliances most of the time before invading )


But ehhh, yeah, them silly Frenchies. Harr harr.

 

[GasBandit]

There were also other reasons France objected to the Iraq war specifically.

 

[Bowielee]

Man, the mention of Freedom Fries just... Post 9/11 paranoid America was just terrifying for me.

That's 11/9 for you non yanks

 

[GasBandit]

Man, the mention of Freedom Fries just... Post 9/11 paranoid America was just terrifying for me.

That's 11/9 for you non yanks

Freedom Fries didn't happen until 2003/4 or so, when the french got surly about the Iraq invasion because they were not-so-secretly in bed with Saddam (along with the Russians, who, let's face it, are pretty much always in bed with the worst global villains, when they aren't busy being them).

 

[Bowielee]

Freedom Fries didn't happen until 2003/4 or so, when the french got surly about the Iraq invasion because they were not-so-secretly in bed with Saddam (along with the Russians, who, let's face it, are pretty much always in bed with the worst global villains, when they aren't busy being them).

Which was right in the middle of the 9/11 revenge/terrorism paranoia furror. The whole "go 'merica or go home" era.

Also, this popped up on the google ads:

It's funny as hell because the repeal of obamacare is one of the most central tenets in the republican platform.

 

[Krisken]

Ewww, FreedomWorks. I feel all dirty now.

 

[Bowielee]

It might as well say, "Tell water to be wet".

 

[GasBandit]

It's funny as hell because the repeal of obamacare is one of the most central tenets in the republican platform.

They've had lots of vascillators in the ranks lately. Unsurprisingly, John McCain and slightly more surprisingly (but not very) even ol' dewy eyes Boehner have expressed that they suddenly think there'd be no point to defunding it, for various reasons of varying credulity. It's basically just Ted Cruz and his upstarts who want to defund at any cost up to and including a government shutdown against the establishment republicans who are scared to death of what the DC/Non-Foxnews press will do to/say about them in that event.

They had no problem voting to repeal it 40-someodd times, each time of course getting absolutely ignored by the Democrat controlled senate, because that had comparatively little chance of biting them in the ass. But they love their jobs too much to take the procedural kid gloves off... so naturally the harder-nosed part is trying to make them think they'll risk exacerbating the problems they've had lately with their own base if they don't toe the line.

 

[GasBandit]

Missouri house votes to override governor's veto of anti-gun-control legislation, two democrats lose their seats in the colorado legislature to recall as an explicit referendum on their support of stricter gun control laws, and Anthony Weiner and Elliot Spitzer both had their political comebacks cut short. All in all, the nation has had worse days, politically.

 

[AshburnerX]

Missouri house votes to override governor's veto of anti-gun-control legislation.

From the article...

The legislation declares any federal policies that "infringe on the people's right to keep and bear arms" shall be invalid in Missouri. It allows state misdemeanor charges to be brought against federal agents who try to enforce those laws, or against anyone who publishes the identity of a gun owner.

The second they even TRY this is the day the ATF takes over Jackson. Seriously. And knowing their track record, they'll probably burn it to the ground and blame the residents.

 

[GasBandit]

I think it's oft remarked how ironic it is that one of the better, least bullshit sources of commentary today is Cracked magazine, and they've done it again.

From the article...



The second they even TRY this is the day the ATF takes over Jackson. Seriously. And knowing their track record, they'll probably burn it to the ground and blame the residents.

That's coming. If not on this issue, on some other. Every day we get closer to the breaking point where people get sick and tired of the post-9/11, post-columbine police state and push back, while an ever-more zealous, heavily armed nanny state which will brook no dissent continues to push forward.

That town that was talking about issuing drone-hunting licenses has been inundated by applications with signed checks, incidentally.

 

[PatrThom]

Every day we get closer to the breaking point where people get sick and tired of the post-9/11, post-columbine police state and push back, while an ever-more zealous, heavily armed nanny state which will brook no dissent continues to push forward.

I think the word you are looking for is "clashes."

--Patrick

 

[GasBandit]

I'm not into the whole.. y'know.. brevity thing.

 

[Espy]

Man, I haven't had a white russian in ages. I used to love those things.

 

[Eriol]

I think it's oft remarked how ironic it is that one of the better, least bullshit sources of commentary today is Cracked magazine, and they've done it again.

IMO that Cracked article sums up just about all the feelings of those actually paying attention to what's happened the last 12 years.

 

[GasBandit]

The UK is privatizing the Royal Mail.

 

[Bubble181]

I think it's oft remarked how ironic it is that one of the better, least bullshit sources of commentary today is Cracked magazine, and they've done it again.

Under the guise of satire, you can say and do much more, and more openly, than as a serious informer. See also: every court jester ever.
Seriously, post that, completely seriously, in a national newspaper - not presented as a semi-humorous article, but as an editorial. See what reactions you get.