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1Limelite
Good ol' Joe. When his foot is not in his mouth, when he's not uttering expletives into "secretly" open mikes, and when he's not gently groping some young female, he's generally beloved.
Leaving those personal foibles, his general garrulousness, and just Joe being Joe aside, does he possess the chops required of a national leader? The Dems have two outstanding candidates already who in the one case offers years of experience and possibly the most interesting, by way of First Spouses, marital partner who many consider her best asset. In the other candidate we have a fine populist curmudgeon who is graced with the rarest of political gifts -- sincerity, but around whom some clouds hover. The label "socialist" is not one the gen pub in this country takes to. (Even though my heart warms to the possibility.)
The disadvantage for Dems is every candidate is on the wrong side of the age hill, especially with the desired two term presidency in the offing.
Joe Biden fits between Bernie and Hillary at age 72. He's got the political experience to lead, and has proven he can work with reasonable Republicans and compromise. Of course, that species may be extinct. But does he offer the voter any talent or qualities that the other two already in the race don't?
Let's hear your take on Biden for Prez.
Leaving those personal foibles, his general garrulousness, and just Joe being Joe aside, does he possess the chops required of a national leader? The Dems have two outstanding candidates already who in the one case offers years of experience and possibly the most interesting, by way of First Spouses, marital partner who many consider her best asset. In the other candidate we have a fine populist curmudgeon who is graced with the rarest of political gifts -- sincerity, but around whom some clouds hover. The label "socialist" is not one the gen pub in this country takes to. (Even though my heart warms to the possibility.)
The disadvantage for Dems is every candidate is on the wrong side of the age hill, especially with the desired two term presidency in the offing.
Joe Biden fits between Bernie and Hillary at age 72. He's got the political experience to lead, and has proven he can work with reasonable Republicans and compromise. Of course, that species may be extinct. But does he offer the voter any talent or qualities that the other two already in the race don't?
Let's hear your take on Biden for Prez.
2timspalding
I'm in favor. It'd be a more interesting race. As things stand, Clinton is Clinton, Sanders is unelectable, O'Malley is running for VP and the others don't belong on the stage. And I think he's a good guy, basically.
3lriley
Joe Biden should do whatever Joe Biden wants to do
.......but continuing the Democratic party's trend to the right.
I'm somewhat nonplussed though by who exactly the reasonable Republicans are? Any names? The next thing is what they and Joe might accomplish together. Any ideas?
A short laundry list of my own personal interests in what our POTUS should attempt to do.
1. actually get our military out of the Middle East and Afghanistan altogether---this time for real.
2. shut down Guantanamo---actually continuing on that theme--shutting down all superfluous US Military bases around the globe--that should be like 90% of them and bring those military personnel back home--not load up on the base here and there you keep open.
3. deeps cuts into the military and the military industrial complex and no more free military hardware to Israel, Turkey etc.
4. use the $ surpluses from that to actually invest in our infrastructure and schools etc.
5. stop all these stupid ass trade deals.
6. get for real government controlled and guaranteed comprehensive health care for all Americans.
7. amnesty for any amount over $25K owed by any college or university graduate for the last 25 years. Too bad for banks--they had their bailout--now it's time to bail out some of their victims.
8. how about marijuana and hemp legalization?
9. stop the militarization of police. Robert Roche got his job back by the way. He was the Oakland cop who already had three kills (and boasted about it) of minority people for which the city of Oakland had to collectively pay $6 mil dollars of restitution to the respective families. He then shot Iraqi war vet Scott Olsen in the face with a tear gun canister at a 2011 Occupy rally--from 50 feet away--nearly killing him as well--the city of Oakland on the hook for another $4.5 million for that fired him but he got his job back two years later with back pay. Go figure. These days it's pre dawn Swat raids--murdering family pets--tearing houses apart quite often finding little or nothing.
10. which brings us to reforming our prison systems--whether state or federal. Why does the land of the free and the home of the brave have the highest prison incarceration rate of any country in the world? I mean what the fuck?---and it's not even close. We just completely blow other countries away when it comes to tossing people into prison.
11. And then we have the NSA and the CIA snooping into everything. Checking out what you're buying at LL Bean or off ITunes. Hacking credit card accounts and listening to phone calls.
12. Declare war (because the USA should always have a war going on somewhere) on Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (because he's a fucking dirtbag).
13. No more hydrofracking---anywhere.
Anyway that's a beginning--anyone who wants to add to the above should feel free.
.......but continuing the Democratic party's trend to the right.
I'm somewhat nonplussed though by who exactly the reasonable Republicans are? Any names? The next thing is what they and Joe might accomplish together. Any ideas?
A short laundry list of my own personal interests in what our POTUS should attempt to do.
1. actually get our military out of the Middle East and Afghanistan altogether---this time for real.
2. shut down Guantanamo---actually continuing on that theme--shutting down all superfluous US Military bases around the globe--that should be like 90% of them and bring those military personnel back home--not load up on the base here and there you keep open.
3. deeps cuts into the military and the military industrial complex and no more free military hardware to Israel, Turkey etc.
4. use the $ surpluses from that to actually invest in our infrastructure and schools etc.
5. stop all these stupid ass trade deals.
6. get for real government controlled and guaranteed comprehensive health care for all Americans.
7. amnesty for any amount over $25K owed by any college or university graduate for the last 25 years. Too bad for banks--they had their bailout--now it's time to bail out some of their victims.
8. how about marijuana and hemp legalization?
9. stop the militarization of police. Robert Roche got his job back by the way. He was the Oakland cop who already had three kills (and boasted about it) of minority people for which the city of Oakland had to collectively pay $6 mil dollars of restitution to the respective families. He then shot Iraqi war vet Scott Olsen in the face with a tear gun canister at a 2011 Occupy rally--from 50 feet away--nearly killing him as well--the city of Oakland on the hook for another $4.5 million for that fired him but he got his job back two years later with back pay. Go figure. These days it's pre dawn Swat raids--murdering family pets--tearing houses apart quite often finding little or nothing.
10. which brings us to reforming our prison systems--whether state or federal. Why does the land of the free and the home of the brave have the highest prison incarceration rate of any country in the world? I mean what the fuck?---and it's not even close. We just completely blow other countries away when it comes to tossing people into prison.
11. And then we have the NSA and the CIA snooping into everything. Checking out what you're buying at LL Bean or off ITunes. Hacking credit card accounts and listening to phone calls.
12. Declare war (because the USA should always have a war going on somewhere) on Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (because he's a fucking dirtbag).
13. No more hydrofracking---anywhere.
Anyway that's a beginning--anyone who wants to add to the above should feel free.
4timspalding
>3 lriley:
Oh, I think the "reasonable Republicans" list for this election is pretty short. The current contenders are clowns. I'd tear my hair out if I thought any of them, save maybe 2-3, could be president.
Web belongs among them, maybe. But the rest are clowns past what the Democrats have to offer.
Oh, I think the "reasonable Republicans" list for this election is pretty short. The current contenders are clowns. I'd tear my hair out if I thought any of them, save maybe 2-3, could be president.
Web belongs among them, maybe. But the rest are clowns past what the Democrats have to offer.
5StormRaven
A short laundry list of my own personal interests in what our POTUS should attempt to do.
Here's the problem with that list: Almost all of it requires legislation to accomplish, especially the parts involving funding. That requires a tractable Congress, and unless the House changes hands, the "freedom Caucus" is voted out of office (both of which seem unlikely), that is simply not going to be the case.
There will be no substantive changes in the way government operates in the near future, and it will likely be as dysfunctional as it has been the past couple of years. If you want Congress to change, you have to get your state legislature to change, because they draw the Congressional districts. Unless that happens, Congress will be full of Tea Party wingnuts for the foreseeable future.
Here's the problem with that list: Almost all of it requires legislation to accomplish, especially the parts involving funding. That requires a tractable Congress, and unless the House changes hands, the "freedom Caucus" is voted out of office (both of which seem unlikely), that is simply not going to be the case.
There will be no substantive changes in the way government operates in the near future, and it will likely be as dysfunctional as it has been the past couple of years. If you want Congress to change, you have to get your state legislature to change, because they draw the Congressional districts. Unless that happens, Congress will be full of Tea Party wingnuts for the foreseeable future.
