American Politics

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2766944]World War I. Wilson / USA joined the war. Nobody in the USA "started" WW I.

World War II. Japan attacked USA military base in Hawaii, Germany declared War against the USA, both already waging war in the Pacific and in Europe. Nobody in the USA "started" WW II.

Korean War and Cold War. USA did take a side. But nobody in the USA "started" those.

Vietnam War. The French were at war with North Vietnam. They were driven out. Nobody in the USA "started" that war. Eisenhower, a Republican, replaced the retreating French with USA military personnel in 1954. He didn't have to. But he spent the rest of his presidency making a case for our increasing responsibility to prevent the "Domino Theory", his chosen term, of South East Asian nations falling to Chinese Communist rule one by one, totally committing the USA militarily to the war by word, deed, treaty and action.

At most, LBJ enacted a "surge" in Eisenhower's total military commitment in order to hopefully put an end to the lingering quagmire we were stuck in thanks to Eisenhower's years' long words, deeds, treaty and action all through the previous Happy Days years.

The War on Terror (Iraq / Afghanistan) - George W. Bush, Republican. Yep. I'm guessing the reason that was the only one you got sorta kinda right is because you were a relatively awake and alert adult at the start of it and it did not require any reading and research. Just a guess though.

Now, one could argue the 9/11 Attack "started" a war with somebody. However, it shouldn't have been with Iraq and only tangentially with Afghanistan. It was GW Bush's idiocy, vengeance for his dad's blunder re sleeping through Hussein asking if it was ok with us if he invaded to annex Kuwait and hundreds of lies that plunged us into those quagmire wars. Oh, and yep, he was a Republican.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=PVMonger;2767086]Wilson started WWI? I could have sworn that it was Austria after Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated.

Roosevelt started WWII? I could have sworn that it was Hitler with a strong second to Tojo.

Truman started the Korean war? I could have sworn that it was Kim il Suck.

LBJ started the Vietnam war? I could have sworn that it was Uncle Ho.

You obviously have no clue about Republicans or Democrats. If you knew anything at all, nobody (at least not me) said that Lincoln was a liberal Democrat. The Republican party in the 1860's was very liberal. "Upon its founding, it supported classical liberalism and economic reform while opposing the expansion of slavery. " [URL]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_[/URL](United_States).
[/QUOTE]No, Democrats started every darn one of those wars, except for the War on Terror. Every time a Democratic President's popularity tanks he starts thinking, "What can I do to make sure I can win the next election? Hmmm. I'll start a war!" Not only does the nation pull together and support our president, but a good war turbocharges the economy and provides lots of jobs! You've got your defense jobs and you got your cannon fodder. There's no better way to create a lot of good jobs than to start a war!

Now John F. Kennedy was particularly shrewd. First he hyped the USA Nukes in Turkey so the Soviets would take notice. And then when they retaliated by putting nukes in Cuba, not only did he improve his approval rating by standing up to the Ruskies, but he cemented his place in history! George W. Bush tried to follow in his footsteps with the whole weapons of mass destruction thing. Yeah he did win the next election. But nobody likes him anymore. He should have known. Every time you try to beat a Democrat at his own game, you f*ck yourself!

Well, anyway, it usually takes a Republican to end a Democrat War. Eisenhower and Nixon did with the Korean and Vietnam wars. And Reagan did with the Cold War. Trump had us well on the way to getting out of Afghanistan before Biden and Venezuela managed to steal the election from him with those Dominion voting machines.

Now Biden, he's a Democrat of a different breed. I've got to give him credit for not starting any wars. Yet. He's come up with a better idea! He's America's Sugar Daddy! America's Santa Claus! Bully for Biden!

[B]Including the American Rescue Plan, an infrastructure bill, last years omnibus, a veterans fund, food-stamp and healthcare increases, semiconductor subsidies, the Inflation Reduction Act, and student-loan forgiveness, Democrats have added close to $5 trillion in new spending in two years.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/democrats-want-one-last-lame-duck-spending-blowout-congress-republicans-11669847552[/B]

[QUOTE=PVMonger;2767086]You obviously have no clue about Republicans or Democrats. If you knew anything at all, nobody (at least not me) said that Lincoln was a liberal Democrat. The Republican party in the 1860's was very liberal. "Upon its founding, it supported classical liberalism and economic reform while opposing the expansion of slavery. " [URL]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_[/URL](United_States).[/QUOTE]Apologies. I'm the poster boy for classical liberalism. I'm not very knowledgeable about Abraham Lincoln. But if he was a classical liberal, he was all right!

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2766993] Do you have a link for your 51% to 47% votes and such.[/QUOTE]Google "House Popular Vote. " You'll see a link on aei.org that says Republicans got 51% of the popular vote to Democrats' 47%. I assumed 222 Republican and 213 Democrat seats to get the 2% margin for the Republicans in the House.

That link though was from November 18.

If you do what I told you to do with Google, the first link will be to the Cook Political Report, which right now shows Republicans with a 2. 9% margin in the popular vote and a 1. 6% margin in House seats, with two seats undecided.

I picked the aei.org numbers because they were staring me straight in the face and I didn't have to do any math.

[QUOTE=PVMonger;2767086]Wilson started WWI? I could have sworn that it was Austria after Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated.

Roosevelt started WWII? I could have sworn that it was Hitler with a strong second to Tojo.

Truman started the Korean war? I could have sworn that it was Kim il Suck.

LBJ started the Vietnam war? I could have sworn that it was Uncle Ho.

You obviously have no clue about Republicans or Democrats. If you knew anything at all, nobody (at least not me) said that Lincoln was a liberal Democrat. The Republican party in the 1860's was very liberal. "Upon its founding, it supported classical liberalism and economic reform while opposing the expansion of slavery. " [URL]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_[/URL](United_States).

Please don't fall into the same trap as every member of the Moron Brigade does. That trap is "Republicans opposed slavery in 1860 and Democrats supported it in 1860 so that means that Democrats still support slavery."[/QUOTE]LOL funny post. I actually thought USA did start Vietnam with a black flag attack on our own ship in the Pacific? How did Vietnam start? The one thing about nam I do know is that it did not end well and the best movie hero of all time served in Nam with distinction. John J. Rambo LOL. He's Tooms and thanks worst nightmare! Lololol.

[QUOTE=JustTK;2767068]I have said it before that I think GDP is a terrible metric for anything other than GDP. Has nothing to do w general prosperity or happiness. Arms production.

I noticed in my time here that USAns tend to have a hyperfixation with economic stats. As if the solutions to life lie within. Success and happiness are not found in statisitcs. If you were to ask me if my parents have had a big influence upon me, I wouldn't check the amount of money they have spent on me and make a decisiion.[/QUOTE]Nah we all just got a lot of debt and were always focusing on paying it off. House mortgage, car loan, credit card specifically for international strip clubs, pension, savings, etc. One thing that always makes me sad is when I return home to these fat ugly selfish mother fucking American slobs after seeing the latin beauties for a few days. It makes me think, shit if I lived in Latin America I would want socialism too, all you need is a roof and food with all that pussy walking around haha. America is the world's corporate office, a nation of upper middle class frenemy's and the people who serve you coffee / donuts who are only good enough for a Hello, and good bye.

[QUOTE=Tiny12;2767225]Google "House Popular Vote. " You'll see a link on aei.org that says Republicans got 51% of the popular vote to Democrats' 47%. I assumed 222 Republican and 213 Democrat seats to get the 2% margin for the Republicans in the House.

That link though was from November 18.

If you do what I told you to do with Google, the first link will be to the Cook Political Report, which right now shows Republicans with a 2. 9% margin in the popular vote and a 1. 6% margin in House seats, with two seats undecided.

I picked the aei.org numbers because they were staring me straight in the face and I didn't have to do any math.[/QUOTE]As of this writing, the Cook source I assume you referenced states Repubs have so far garnered 50.7% of the popular House vote. I don't see a percentage for how successfully the Repubs' voter suppression rigging worked against the Dems. Maybe you need to be a subscriber to see that. We could assume the Dems would be close to 49.3% minus any stray third party votes.

The AEI source, as you pointed out, is by now more than two weeks behind on the vote count. Moreover, it is an opinion piece from a winger Washington Examiner writer who, as far as I can tell, provided no source for where he came up with his 51% to 47% figures.

With all the necessary information at one's fingertips now, why not check first before repeating false history? . The Republican Party began in 1854, staunchly opposed to slavery and Mormonism. Uncle Ho and the communists ousted the French colonizers at Dien Bin Fu in 1954. JFK sent in "advisors. This morphed into the Vietnam War, called "The American War" by its residents. Type in Gulf of Tonkin resolution, 1964. May 11,1961. JFK sent 400 special forces and 100 other military advisors to South Vietnam. On the same day he ordered the start of clandestine warfare against North Vietnam by South Vietnamese agents under the direction of the CIA. He also ordered the South Vietnamese forces to infiltrate Laos to disrupt communist bases and supply lines. John James Rambo is a fictional character. John Heisley, son of flag designer Newt Heisley is depicted on the POW MIA flag. He was never a POW, but had the gaunt look of one to his father.

[QUOTE=Beijing4987;2767408]With all the necessary information at one's fingertips now, why not check first before repeating false history? . The Republican Party began in 1854, staunchly opposed to slavery and Mormonism. Uncle Ho and the communists ousted the French colonizers at Dien Bin Fu in 1954. JFK sent in "advisors. This morphed into the Vietnam War, called "The American War" by its residents. Type in Gulf of Tonkin resolution, 1964. May 11,1961. JFK sent 400 special forces and 100 other military advisors to South Vietnam. On the same day he ordered the start of clandestine warfare against North Vietnam by South Vietnamese agents under the direction of the CIA. He also ordered the South Vietnamese forces to infiltrate Laos to disrupt communist bases and supply lines. John James Rambo is a fictional character. John Heisley, son of flag designer Newt Heisley is depicted on the POW MIA flag. He was never a POW, but had the gaunt look of one to his father.[/QUOTE]No Rambo was real. All three movies were filmed with actual combat footage. Look it up. LOL.

[QUOTE=Beijing4987;2767408]With all the necessary information at one's fingertips now, why not check first before repeating false history? . The Republican Party began in 1854, staunchly opposed to slavery and Mormonism. Uncle Ho and the communists ousted the French colonizers at Dien Bin Fu in 1954. JFK sent in "advisors. This morphed into the Vietnam War, called "The American War" by its residents. Type in Gulf of Tonkin resolution, 1964. May 11,1961. JFK sent 400 special forces and 100 other military advisors to South Vietnam. On the same day he ordered the start of clandestine warfare against North Vietnam by South Vietnamese agents under the direction of the CIA. He also ordered the South Vietnamese forces to infiltrate Laos to disrupt communist bases and supply lines. John James Rambo is a fictional character. John Heisley, son of flag designer Newt Heisley is depicted on the POW MIA flag. He was never a POW, but had the gaunt look of one to his father.[/QUOTE]You're late to the conversation. Several very intelligent and very partisan posters believe the American economy (GDP and jobs) performs like gangbusters when Democrats are president and turns to sh*t when Republicans are president. If you look at the historical record, you'd think they have a point. You look closer and the reason is because Republicans were in office during most of the recessions, and during the start of the COVID pandemic. And indeed at least one of the posters holds Republican presidents and policies responsible for all the recessions, and for the worldwide COVID pandemic.

Anyway I believe you can make a stronger case that Democratic presidents are responsible for wars, than Republican presidents are responsible for recessions. Now do I believe either of those theories? Well, no. Hell no. I'm just trying to make a point.

Did Democratic presidents start those wars? Of course not. But it's just as ridiculous to say Republican presidents started the recessions.

[QUOTE=Beijing4987;2767408]With all the necessary information at one's fingertips now, why not check first before repeating false history? . The Republican Party began in 1854, staunchly opposed to slavery and Mormonism. [b]Uncle Ho and the communists ousted the French colonizers at Dien Bin Fu in 1954. JFK sent in "advisors. This morphed into the Vietnam War, called "The American War" by its residents.[/b] Type in Gulf of Tonkin resolution, 1964. May 11,1961. JFK sent 400 special forces and 100 other military advisors to South Vietnam. On the same day he ordered the start of clandestine warfare against North Vietnam by South Vietnamese agents under the direction of the CIA. He also ordered the South Vietnamese forces to infiltrate Laos to disrupt communist bases and supply lines. John James Rambo is a fictional character. John Heisley, son of flag designer Newt Heisley is depicted on the POW MIA flag. He was never a POW, but had the gaunt look of one to his father.[/QUOTE]So what do you suppose was happening over there during those Happy Days from 1954 until the election of JFK?

[B]Vietnam War U.S. Military Fatal Casualty Statistics[/B]

[URL]https://www.archives.gov/research/military/vietnam-war/casualty-statistics[/URL]

[QUOTE]The earliest casualty record contains a date of death of June 8, 1956, and the most recent casualty record contains a date of death of May 28, 2006.[/QUOTE]

Still believe Fauci and the rest of the disgusting heads of state are telling the truth? Watch this:

[URL]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc9YHBXad5o[/URL]

Where is the media coverage? Shockingly slient. Why? Bcos we live in an authoritarian society where discenting voices are silenced. Only those that are radically propagandised think we live in a free world.

[QUOTE=Tiny12;2767423]You're late to the conversation. Several very intelligent and very partisan posters believe the American economy (GDP and jobs) performs like gangbusters when Democrats are president and turns to sh*t when Republicans are president. If you look at the historical record, you'd think they have a point. [b]You look closer and the reason is because Republicans were in office during most of the recessions, and during the start of the COVID pandemic. And indeed at least one of the posters holds Republican presidents and policies responsible for all the recessions, and for the worldwide COVID pandemic.[/b]

Anyway I believe you can make a stronger case that Democratic presidents are responsible for wars, than Republican presidents are responsible for recessions. Now do I believe either of those theories? Well, no. Hell no. I'm just trying to make a point.

Did Democratic presidents start those wars? Of course not. But it's just as ridiculous to say Republican presidents started the recessions.[/QUOTE]Indeed. That is exactly what you will find "if you look closer", except I have yet to read a post by anyone here claiming Repub presidents and policies were responsible for "all recessions." However, I am certainly open to reading his / her case for such a claim.

But the Great Depressions, Great Recessions and Massive Job Losses of the past 100 years? No argument possible; they belong to Repub economic policies and stewardship. All of them.

Some posters here hope we accept that is only a 100 year long series of wild coincidences, accidents, weirdly partisan business and economic cycles, maybe even badly misunderstood or misrepresented data. LOL.

Oh, and you forgot to mention the equally wild series of coincidences, etc required to result in Repub policies and stewardship producing NONE of the Great Boom Times, Economic Expansions and Historic Jobs Creation of the past 100 years while only the Dems have done that.

Of course, "if you look closer", you will most certainly see that wildly coincidental pattern repeated right up to and including the recent Repub so-called potus and the current Dem POTUS.

Not my favourite person at all. BW to me is a neo--lib quasi racist. BUt he is also one of the most intelligent people in the USA. He speaks here of COVID, corruption and the demise of the DEM party, and gets many issues exactly spot on. Goot admire his defence while under serious attack:

[URL]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBRL5VZThTM[/URL]

A note to the jingoists on this thread: David Morrell wrote the novel First Blood from 1968-1971. The name for his main character came to him shopping for food. Rambo is a type of Apple. Morrell taught composition at Penn State University, where he met many Vietnam war veterans with PTSD, which afflicted the fictional John Rambo.

"House Republicans voted Wednesday against a proposed earmark ban during a conference rules meeting, a vote that held larger implications as House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy seeks to become speaker.

The conference voted 52-158 against an amendment proposed by Rep. Tom McClintock, are-Calif. , that would get rid of the current conference rule allowing members to earmark spending bills if they meet certain transparency criteria."

[URL]https://rollcall.com/2022/11/30/pressure-builds-on-mccarthy-as-house-gop-earmarks-vote-nears/[/URL]

I wonder what the results would have been if the ballot hadn't been secret.