Quote Originally Posted by zinderel View Post
Agreed. Mets, I generally respect you more than most right wingers because you are willing to engage and speak up for your side. But I have noticed this too: you JAQ off a lot.

People ask you DIRECT questions and you sidestep to 'just ask a question' about something unrelated - or only tangentially related, or easily discernable from what people have posted - in order to shift to topic away from the questions asked. And then you ask questions to guide conversation kn the direction you want it to go, rathervthan addressing anything people have asked YOU, while complaining that people don't really answer your questions.

As an example, your lengthy JAQ off session regarding border security and the ineffectiveness of the wall, and how Democrats want open borders because someone once worse a shirt saying so. Or your JAQ offs regarding Hillary. Or climate change. Or judicial behavior. Or criticisms of policy.

I think, frankly, that it's time you answered some of these questions yourself. And clearly, without wiggle room or prevarication or further JAQing off.
Can you point to questions I've been directly asked that I sidestepped?

And I'll give you the opportunity to answer some yourself (see bottom of post.)

Quote Originally Posted by aja_christopher View Post
And you seem to be dodging the question I asked you directly.

I think the "Democrats" have already shown they can handle immigration issues under Obama and there's no point in engaging in a rhetorical debate with you over false hypotheticals like "open borders" while your party is supporting a lying, corrupt, xenophobic authoritarian autocrat who threatens the very foundation of our democracy.

So why don't you answer the questions for a change -- why aren't you and other Republicans doing more to stop Trump from abusing his power and pushing an openly racist agenda to appeal to the Republican "base"?

You know there's no "National Emergency" so why do you look the other way while he openly lies in order to separate families at the border?

And why is it okay for Trump to appoint Barr to the AG and then not release the full unredacted Mueller Report on Russian inteference to Congress?

And why is it okay for your party to complain about deficits when the Democrats are in office but raise them to record levels once they get into power?

And why do you support a party whose goal is to remove health care and reduce Social Security for millions of American citizens?

Those are real problems Mets -- not some immigrant families at the border who are trying to better their lives by claiming asylum.
I thought you asked the question in bad faith, by implying that I had expressed a particular opinion regarding a news item I haven't commented on at all. I don't know if that was due to carelessness on your end, perhaps an assumption that because I hold a particular view on one issue, my views on everything else are predictable, or that you knew you might be in the wrong, and were willing to keep at it based on the conscious or subconscious understanding that in an honest discussion about politics, the shortcomings of your position would become readily apparent.

I'm generally willing to answer questions, but when a dishonest tactic is used, like the implication that I've said something I haven't said, I will point it out, since there's no point in addressing anything asked in bad faith.

I'll note that in the interests of reciprocity, I haven't really gotten an answer regarding limiting principles on immigration, which is essential to demonstrating that Democrats don't actually favor open borders: Have Democrats expressed any opinion on a limiting principle on legal immigration (an upper limit on the number of immigrants who should be allowed in)? If so, what is it? If not, what should we infer from the silence, and why should we infer that?

Regarding the questions...

You asked "So Republicans aren't upset that their Republican Commander in Chief is telling people they can openly break the law and is threatening American citizens under a falsely declared National Emergency against brown and black immigrants just for the sake of pleasing his racist base?" and the answer would be that many Republicans don't like what Trump is doing, but prefer it to the alternatives by the party of "Abolish ICE."

You asked "Why aren't you and other Republicans doing more to stop Trump from abusing his power and pushing an openly racist agenda to appeal to the Republican "base"?" and I am unaware of any openly racist agenda. It's not my obligation to clean up your questions.

You asked "You know there's no "National Emergency" so why do you look the other way while he openly lies in order to separate families at the border?" and this question is messier since the national emergencies rules have been used 59 times since it was enacted in 1976, so the standard is more about whether it's an emergency in that context. It's certainly a problem.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/10/u...gtype=Homepage

You asked "And why is it okay for Trump to appoint Barr to the AG and then not release the full unredacted Mueller Report on Russian inteference to Congress?" and the main reason is that Congress can't be trusted not to leak things that are meant to be confidential (IE- grand jury information, material about ongoing investigations.) There's a bit of a slippery slope, in that the purpose was to determine whether the Trump administration colluded with the Russians to influence the elections, not to have a fishing expedition on embarrassing dirt regarding the President.

You asked "And why is it okay for your party to complain about deficits when the Democrats are in office but raise them to record levels once they get into power?" and I haven't said it is.

You asked "And why do you support a party whose goal is to remove health care and reduce Social Security for millions of American citizens?" and the reason is that these things are expensive. I care about deficits, so we should reduce the major causes of spending.

My questions for the left (in addition to the ones about limiting principles on legal immigration)...
- When did to become okay to prosecute a cake-shop owner who refused to make cakes for gay marriages?
- Is there any worry that the concern on the health, acceptance and affirmation of trans children will result in young people making permanent surgical decisions they'll come to regret in maturity?
- What outcomes are worth the perverse incentives that are being created in the name of equality?
- If environmentalists believe that global warming is an existential threat, why aren't they insisting on more nuclear power?
- If the left believes that global warming is an existential threat, how comes there's no effort at a grand bargain giving the religious right a ban on abortion (its #1 issue) in exchange for their support on environmental issues?
- Why does the Green New Deal have so much material with no connection to the environment?