All Purpose News and Politics Thread Part IV: The Center Cannot Hold

[Mister Mets]

Because here's the dirty little secret, he knows that no matter who wins the nomination whether it's him or someone as center as Biden, they are going to be labled a Socialist. Obama was called a socialist. You're either going to embrace the word and gain some benefits of it, or you're going to spend all your time running from it and still getting labled it. I've said many times I support Warren. But she's 100% going to get called a socialist if she gets the nom and it's either going to be about her trying to walk everything back to get more center, or she's going to try to embrace the support she gets from more left wing policies.

That's why I think a Biden or Buttegieg will have a much harder road. They'll be attacked from both ends.

It is much easier to label someone a socialist if they agree with the description.

Obama was labelled a socialist. Many Democrats and independents disagreed. He won the White House twice.

But part of the argument for capitalism is that the prosperity and competitiveness aids all of humanity. It leads to more innovation, risk taking, and a variety of other aspects that have demonstrably improved humanities quality of life. It's not perfect, but it's not irrelevant either. Slowing that in the name of more fairness has not proven to break capitalism. The two can co-exist are are currently co-existing, imperfect as it may be to some. Socialism, on the other hand, has yet to show it can exist in the world with progressivism. I don't think I can overstate that last point.

I'd like to see what evidence there is of a slow moving trainwreck also.

Pretty much. Capitalism is imperfect, but it beats the alternatives in terms of improving quality of living.

[Tami]

Threat against Canada's Trudeau 'upsetting' and 'troubling', say rivals

OTTAWA (Reuters) - The main rivals to Canada’s Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said a threat that forced him to wear a bulletproof vest at a campaign rally on Saturday was a concerning sign for the country’s democracy ahead of the Oct. 21 federal election.

Trudeau arrived 90 minutes late to a rally outside of Toronto wearing bulky protection under his shirt, a Reuters witness said, after he had received a security threat, Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported.

It’s “very upsetting to hear that Justin Trudeau had to wear a bulletproof vest tonight at a campaign event,” Andrew Scheer, leader of the Conservative Party, said late on Saturday. “Threats of violence against political leaders have absolutely no place in our democracy.”

Scheer is Trudeau’s main rival ahead of the vote, and the two are in a statistical tie nationally, according to polls. But the left-leaning New Democrats (NDP) are gaining and could end up with the balance of power.

“Any threat made against Justin Trudeau, or any leader, is troubling to all of us. No matter how you vote or believe, no one should face threats of violence,” NDP leader Jagmeet Singh said.

[Tami]

CNN projects Gov. John Bel Edwards forced into runoff in Louisiana

Washington (CNN)Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards has been forced into a runoff election in his bid for reelection, where he will face Republican businessman Eddie Rispone, CNN projected Saturday.

Edwards was the top vote getter but will fall short of the 50% threshold needed to avoid the runoff. Rispone, one of two major Republicans in the race, garnered the second biggest amount of votes.
Edwards is the only statewide elected Democrat in Louisiana. Despite Louisiana's Republican lean, polling and other factors suggested Edwards had a decent shot of being reelected.

He faced off against opponents from both political parties in Saturday's gubernatorial primary, in which all candidates, regardless of party affiliation, ran against each other.

President Donald Trump on Friday went to Louisiana -- a state he won by 20 points in 2016 -- to boost two Republican candidates in the race. Both Republican candidates -- Rispone and Rep. Ralph Abraham -- joined Trump onstage during the rally. Trump didn't endorse one Republican over the other.

[Gray Lensman]

I'm no great fan of Sanders but I feel this comment needs to be addressed.
In a comparison of wealth among U.S legislators that $2 Million in Bernie's pocket doesn't even put him in the top 50.

That might not even put him in the top 50 among just the Senate.

[Malvolio]

he’s not a capitalist huh? So he must have hated the $2 million he made on book deals. Shit that must have made him physically ill. Poor Bernie. Seriously, this all or nothing is something you’d expect from Trump and co.

In the words of the late great Obi-Wan Kenobi, “Only a Sith deals in absolutes!”

I like the oblivious irony of using a word like "only" to speak of absolutes of someone else.

[SquirrelMan]

While the state legislator in question is also constitutionally ineligible to be President, I suspect most people would feel they don't have the resume for the office.

Three words:
Donald Muthafuckin' Trump.

[Iron Maiden]

This will be Trump's legacy


Disaster is unfolding in Syria as videos emerge of US allies being slaughtered and hundreds of ISIS prisoners escape during airstrikes

And the GOP thought they had problem's with Obama's Mideast policies. We'll see if there are more defections on the GOP side of the aisle but I don't see many forthcoming.

US preparing to pull out it's remaining troops from Syria

• Defense Secretary Mark Esper said the US is "preparing to evacuate" its remaining 1,000 troops in northern Syria, as per a Saturday night authorization for "deliberate withdrawal" by President Donald Trump.
• Esper said during Sunday's "Face the Nation" segment on CBS News that the US national security team learned in the past 24 hours that Turkish forces will expand their attack further south and west than originally planned.
• He also said that Kurdish forces are looking to work with Syrians and Russians to counter-attack against Turkish forces in the north, and that American forces could be caught in the crosshairs.

[Abe]

What a shame, Iron Maiden... And what a disaster. We should all support strongly the Rojava.

[jetengine]

I mean if a single US soldier dies it gives Trump enough reason to immediately attack Turkey which is an easy out

[SquirrelMan]

I mean if a single US soldier dies it gives Trump enough reason to immediately attack Turkey which is an easy out

It would fit Trump's pattern of creating crises he then claims to have solved.

[Mister Mets]

Three words:
Donald Muthafuckin' Trump.

The simpler response is to ask if you believe he is a good President, and there should be more Presidents like him? If not, his election isn't really an argument in favor of having people with limited experience in the White House. He also didn't win a majority of the vote, so his election isn't really an argument for this being an effective way to win the White House, much less govern.

Trump has also probably amassed forms of experience different from the thousands of people in the United States who have been state legislators for at least two years (a benchmark Lee J Carter doesn't even meet at this point.) He ran a major business and has been involved in politics in weird ways (the documentary Get Me Roger Stone on Netflix suggests he basically kneecapped the Reform party and the independent presidential campaign of Pat Buchanan, which helped national Republicans avoid vote-splitting) so there is also a potential argument that someone else with similar experiences could be a good President, just not him.

On experience, I don't think there should be any legal restrictions on who gets to run for President. This should be a decision left up to the voters. I thought Richard Ojeda (a former army major/ West Virginia State Senator who launched a presidential campaign shortly after losing a congressional race) had a terrible resume for a presidential candidate, but it was fine that he was allowed to make his case.

[SquirrelMan]

The simpler response is to ask if you believe he is a good President, and there should be more Presidents like him?

Of course not.
But there will be more like him.
Because of your party and his base.

[jetengine]

No regulations leads to chaos

[Tami]

Trump’s Syria Fiasco Is Part of Putin’s To-Do List

President Donald J. Trump’s surprise decision to abandon the Kurds and sign off on Turkey’s operation in Syria drew condemnation in the West, but was cheerfully welcomed in Russia, and, for those who follow Russia closely, the contrast revived the ghosts of Helsinki, where Trump’s surrender of American values was on full display.

There in Finland last year, the leader of the most powerful country in the world demonstrated cringeworthy servility toward Vladimir Putin—president of a rogue government sanctioned by the West for a great number of malign activities, including Russia’s brazen interference in the U.S. elections.

The world’s pariah looked triumphant next to the deflated American president. As Trump stood hunched over, with a blank expression, Putin was practically glowing—and he wanted the world to know just how great the meeting went for Russia. Putin held up a thick stack of his notes with both hands, showing them off for the world to see, in effect giving himself the thumbs-up.

Discernible portions of the first page, purposely written in abnormally large script, included references to the election interference, Putin’s request that Russia be allowed to interrogate the former U.S. ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, and also the British businessman Bill Browder, pursuant to the 1999 Treaty with Russia on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters. There was a reference to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. And at the bottom of the first page, Putin’s notes also mentioned Syria, where Russia has been wreaking havoc and committing mass atrocities in concert with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad and Iran.

For public consumption, the Russian president’s handwriting mentioned “joint humanitarian operations with the goal of creating conditions for the return of refugees.” The reality on the ground tends to create—not dissipate—the flood of refugees, essentially weaponized by Russia and Syria to destabilize Europe.

Kremlin relishes US pullback from Syria, turmoil in Ukraine

MOSCOW (AP) — From Syria to Ukraine, new fault lines and tensions are offering the Kremlin fresh opportunities to expand its clout and advance its interests.

The U.S. military withdrawal from northern Syria before a Turkish offensive leaves Russia as the ultimate power broker, allowing it to help negotiate a potential agreement between Syrian President Bashar Assad and the Kurds who were abandoned by Washington.

And in Ukraine, where the new president saw his image dented by a U.S. impeachment inquiry, Russia may use the volatility to push for a deal that would secure its leverage over its western neighbor.

The Turkish offensive in northern Syria followed President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. forces from the area, cold shouldering the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, the key U.S. ally in the fight against the Islamic State group.

Washington’s abrupt decision to ditch the Kurds contrasted sharply with Moscow’s unwavering support for its ally Assad, which helped his government reclaim the bulk of the country’s territory in a devastating civil war.

Along with military power, Russian President Vladimir Putin has relied on diplomacy to achieve his goals in Syria, reaching out to regional powers — from Iran to Saudi Arabia, Israel and Turkey.

[Tami]

Trump and Pence plan 11th-hour mission to save Kentucky governor

The White House is planning an 11th-hour push to stave off an embarrassing defeat for the Republican governor of Kentucky, with President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence expected to make separate trips to the state in the runup to the Nov. 5 election.

Trump is expected to travel to the state to stump for Gov. Matt Bevin the day before Election Day, according to two people familiar with the planning for the event. Pence, meanwhile, is slated to appear in the state on Nov. 1. Final details for the rallies are still being worked out.