The Seriously? Theatre of Absurdity, Ignorance, and Bad Posts V

[Maistre]

I'd really like to hear Cory explain why expanding air bombing into Cambodia and Laos over the objections of Congress without informing Congress was necessary to win the Cold War.

The bombing of the Ho Chi Minh trial was needed to interdict enemy supplies flowing from the North. Cambodia and Laos were "neutral" in name only. As for Congress, they often times lack the vision or understanding of these issues to be informed of everything. They would just make political hay out of it.

Or the subsequent support of the Khmer Rouge regime because it was pro-Beijing and not pro-Moscow.

The more we can do to turn China and the Soviets against each other, the better. Have them duke it out and use them as wedges against each other. This strategy worked quite well, actually.

It can't be because of a vested need to fight Communism in SE Asia because Kissinger also oversaw peace with Hanoi and the withdrawal from Vietnam.

The goal was not regime change in the North.

Oh, perhaps Cory's referring to the coup and murder of the president of Chile that Kissinger supported. That essential Cold War victory.

I never said I support literally everything they did. But from a raw geo-political perspective, yes the installment of a pro-American dictator and in Chile was a win.

You objections seem to be based more on moral grounds then actual policy failures.

Were you sure to ask Seth MacFarlane for his opinion before you deemed the post bad?

[Goldwater]

To paraphrase something I said to dead0man once, even if South Park is left wing 49% of the time and right wing 51% of the time, that still makes it a net right wing show...and thus absolute garbage. I prefer my entertainment to be all liberal, all the time.

Emphasis on the truly ridiculous part.

[IceSpear]

This might sound crazy, but LeBron James just turned 30 this year... any chance we Democrats could talk him into retiring and running against Portman. Would he (LeBron) even be electable statewide?

Jesus Christ.

Lest we forget, NYE's political analysis posts are even worse than his RSS feed ones. Let's not forget that Landrieu was only going to win Orleans Parish...

[morgieb]

This might sound crazy, but LeBron James just turned 30 this year... any chance we Democrats could talk him into retiring and running against Portman. Would he (LeBron) even be electable statewide?

Jesus Christ.

Lest we forget, NYE's political analysis posts are even worse than his RSS feed ones. Let's not forget that Landrieu was only going to win Orleans Parish...

I preferred the one where he said that Greece should get the World Cup.

[Antonio the Sixth]

To paraphrase something I said to dead0man once, even if South Park is left wing 49% of the time and right wing 51% of the time, that still makes it a net right wing show...and thus absolute garbage. I prefer my entertainment to be all liberal, all the time.

Emphasis on the truly ridiculous part.

This is truly sad.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Cory's post wasn't particularly bad. Sure, we shouldn't have been in Vietnam in the first place, but just because one opposes the war doesn't mean one should attack the strategies employed.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

The prevailing babble surrounding Governor Jeb Bush's "last name problem" is fundamentally flawed. For years, Condoleezza Rice has said that the Bush administration will not be judged by the headlines of his time in office. History, not headlines, create legacies.

We've seen a sort of vindication of the Bush administration in recent years. The idealistic, hopeful civil libertarian Barack Obama took office, sat down for an intelligence briefing, and, after hearing what he did, flip flopped on virtually every major civil liberties and foreign policy position. President Obama expanded W's faith-based initiative. Thanks to Bush-era intelligence, President Obama got to walk out in front of the cameras and declare Osama bin Laden was dead.

Additionally, we can now look back on the Bush administration's attempt in 2003 to reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which would have avoided the global financial crisis. Great champions of financial reform like Barney Frank ripped Treasury Secretary John Snow for pushing government to regulate itself. If only we had listened. If only we had acted.

The vindication of the realistic, but principled foreign policy of the Bush administration rings especially true. While President Obama moves on Cuba to try to recover some semblance of authority on foreign affairs, his intervention in Libya unraveled the nation. Iraq went unanswered in their calls for help for months before any action was taken. Foreign policy is a major source of "I told you so" for the Bush administration.

Onto the much-derided tax relief, the entire dialogue changed. In the discussion of the fiscal cliff deal, the middle class tax relief that Democrats once said wasn't worthwhile was haggled over as a vital interest to the middle class. After the Bush tax cuts, the top 5% actually paid more of the taxes, up to 60% in 2005 from 44% in 1990. Revenue also increased somewhere around 20% above inflation, in no small part due to the highest rate of GDP growth in two decades.

Saying this will upset a lot of people: TARP worked. The economy was riddled with bad debt. Toxic assets threatened the integrity of the entire financial system. The decades of work and savings by middle class families hung in the balance. The rescue of the financial industry also returned a profit for the taxpayer.

Culturally, George W. Bush seemed real to a lot of people. He seemed genuine. He seemed like he cared. President Obama is actually having a bit of a likability problem now. The chart at the top of this post, favorability numbers, is actually what carried him to re-election, not his job approval. Being five points underwater is very bad news for the President. W is remembered as connected, likable, and, yes, hilarious.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm trying to make a point. This forum, specifically this board, is dominated by overly subjective analysis. The Obama Campaign gained prominence for throwing out trash conventional wisdom and replacing it with objective, data-driven analysis. The Atlas should strongly consider doing something similar.

A fundamental concept in American politics is this: voters matter. The most recent example is in a congressional thread, someone stated Toomey is going to be a strong contender for re-election because of reputation to have a moderate, bipartisan tendency. That simple statement was met with the rebuttal that "Toomey is not moderate."

That isn't the point. It doesn't at all matter what he is or isn't. It's about what the voters think he is or isn't. The bottom line is, the Dubya Derangement is not nearly as big of a deal as people think. One George Bush is +8 in opinion, the other is +31 in opinion.

That's what matters. Throw out the garbage conventional wisdom.

[they don't love you like i love you]

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=204784.0

You know a thread is bad when Snowstalker is the voice of reason.

[Flake]

Bushie is there a reason you've turned so violently against President Barack Obama in the past few weeks? Do you blame him for your current unemployment situation?

His administration has been an absolute catastrophe for the country.  His policies are by and large devastating and debilitating to the country.  On top of that, he's too arrogant.  It's his way or the highway.  He expects every person in America to think like him and welcome his liberal, progressive, anti-Christian agenda.

bushie, i know you are a student of severe weather, do you believe in global climate change, or is it a liberal conspiracy?

I do not believe in global warming, but I do not believe it is a liberal conspiracy.  I believe the world has natural warming and cooling cycles and that we are just in a typical warming pattern and that we will eventually cool back down.

[they don't love you like i love you]

Bushie, I don't think your current avatar is right for you. You've expressed (a lot of it today), that you:

• Don't Believe in Climate Change
• Believe Immigrants are going to take yer jerb
• Want to repeal the Civil Rights Act of 1964
• Dislike Barack Obama
• Ignore Basic Economic Sense
• Oppose Gay Marriage
• A passionate love for Christ
• Voted for Lankford

Have you thought about joining the Republican Party? They'd be the perfect fit for you!

It's not a bad post aside from the bolded part, but that alone calls for inclusion here.

[Simfan34]

Where is this poll of yours that you were bragging would make me froth at the mouth, BRTD?

[Joe Republic]

A few of my favorites are:

1. Destroying the best healthcare system in the world and lying about it ("If you like your plan, you can keep it")
2. Requiring federal funding of abortions, both in the US and abroad
3. Stifling the recovery by raising taxes on small business
4. Showing utter contempt for Israel
5. Emboldening America's enemies
6. Supporting rioters and rolling back race relations by 50 years
7. Wasting billions of "stimulus" dollars on unnecessary porkbarrel projects
8. Blaming George Bush for everything that goes wrong
9. Taking credit for Bush's accomplishments (Bailouts, capture/killing of Bin Laden, etc.)

#goldenoldies

[Flake]

A few of my favorites are:

1. Destroying the best healthcare system in the world and lying about it ("If you like your plan, you can keep it")
2. Requiring federal funding of abortions, both in the US and abroad
3. Stifling the recovery by raising taxes on small business
4. Showing utter contempt for Israel
5. Emboldening America's enemies
6. Supporting rioters and rolling back race relations by 50 years
7. Wasting billions of "stimulus" dollars on unnecessary porkbarrel projects
8. Blaming George Bush for everything that goes wrong
9. Taking credit for Bush's accomplishments (Bailouts, capture/killing of Bin Laden, etc.)

#goldenoldies

Good job Oldies, your contribution to the theatre is duly noted.

[Kushahontas]

Hi, guys.  I certainly didn't mean to sound the least bit racist or bigoted last night. Although, bigotry is not necessarily a bad thing, but I digress.  The constant probing questions was getting to me and that no one was accepting my answers and leaving it on the table.  I was just trying to make a statement, yet we got led down the rabbit trail.  I'm certainly not a racist as is no one in Oklahoma.  I am appalled by the recent posts continuing to paint Oklahoma as unwelcoming to blacks and gays.  Everyone knows what was said is not true.  We have a big black population in Oklahoma and they are not discriminated against or targeted.  Gay marriage is legal in Oklahoma and most people I talk to outside my own family are becoming more accepting of the gay community.  We don't have to agree with them, but we accept them for who they are.  Sally Kern doesn't accept them, though, and has made headlines this week with a controversial bill.  I like Sally as a person.  She is a great Christian woman and loves the Lord and loves her family, but her views are too extreme for me.  She is so far to the right that she is not even in the mainstream in Oklahoma.  That takes talent.  Anyway, just had to put that out there.  I am not a racist and neither is my state.

[free my dawg]

Wrong again.  I just don't think that rioting and killing "racist cops" is the way to stop discrimination.  That sort of behavior reinforces white racism by suggesting that all blacks are criminals and victims of police brutality.

Our resident racial historian speaks on #BlackLivesMatter and somehow manages to be both paternalistic and incredibly insensitive.

[Joe Republic]

and as all of America can agree, Oklahomans are not morons.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

It was still stupid and unfunny.

[they don't love you like i love you]

I know people that would rather pay the fine than go through the crap that is filing through the site. We can't force people to buy anything. Why should it be required if people don't want it?

[Flake]

It was still stupid and unfunny.

I found it witty and hilarious

[Phony Moderate]

Laugh or cry?

The Onion has an exclusive story on Jindal's cold feet:

http://www.theonion.com/articles/bobby-jindal-not-sure-he-willing-to-put-family-thr,37864/

You must be logged in to read this quote.

I'm curious as to why he said two month?  I know he is being realistic, but I'm surprised he's not any more optimistic than that.

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

[[in reference to antonio's signature]]

Pretty irrelevant already #shortattentionspan

i mean i'm not at all a fan of ch but come on

[Paul Kemp]

I really don't know if this is in jest or not...

So if Lincoln did come back to life, he still could serve a term since his 2nd term ended before the 2 year limit. I think that with America in a new, changing era, Lincoln would come back to save the racist white cowboy Repub. party from Cruz, Huckabee, and Carson.

In terms of a VP, I feel like Clint Eastwood would be a good VP candidate for Mr. Lincoln. His "empty chair" speech rivaled the Gettysburg Address in terms of quality.

Hillary would obviously win the Democratic nomination against Sanders and Warren. Her VP pick is irrelevant, since she already appeals to all Americans.

I think we have to start in the South. Lincoln isn't exactly "popular" in most Southern states, and Clinton was First Lady of a Southern state, so I feel like Lincoln would have trouble winning any Southern state, even his birth state of Kentucky.

In the North, while Lincoln is loved, Clinton is more popular due to her term as Secretary of State, and her husband Bill. In Lincoln's home state of Illinois, Cook County will make all the difference, securing Clinton victory.

In the West, Lincoln would get some support from "Christians" (Mormons) in Idaho and Utah, as they tend heavy Republican. However,  Non-Mormons, women, Native Americans would keep it close in Idaho. In Wyoming, the "cowboys" would sympathize with Lincoln's reputation as a "wrestler", and perhaps Lincoln would make a campaign visit to "get down and dirty" with Wyoming natives like "Big Ted, "Buff Bill", and "Cowboy Cody".

This map seems correct.

P.S. I feel like Lincoln would have trouble connecting to the black community. While Lincoln played a large role in ending slavery, Hillary's husband Bill played the saxophone. I'm not sure the Emancipation Proclamation can bridge the racial gap.

P.P.S. Colorado is a major swing state. Lincoln MIGHT pull it out, but Hillary will probably get out the vote amongst women and Latinos to clinch victory.

How did you not realize this was a joke? Actually, you know, this post is worthy of this thread more than my joke analysis.

Because jokes are usually funny.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

Because jokes are usually funny.

orange you glad I didn't say banana.

[they don't love you like i love you]

[they don't love you like i love you]

He's white.

Click for context.