The Billionaire Class is Scared

[Toni]

I doubt Bloomberg will make much of an impact. He was elected because he was anointed by Giuliani at a time when Giuliani's stock was at a high. He cleverly spread his money around to NYC nonprofits and bought himself a lot of good press. He'll be competing for the Biden-Butigeg-Klobuchar vote.

And of those four: Bloomberg, Butigeig, Klobuchar and Biden, Amy is the very best of the lot. Biden is too old. He just is. Butigieg is on the young/inexperienced side. Bloomberg should be running as a Republican. Seriously, he should. He'd have a good chance of winning it, too.

Agreed. I really like Amy. But she'll have a tough time running because she's a straight shooter and she's a woman.

And she’s from Minnesota. In the real world, that’s asset: hard working, honest and trustworthy. In the political world, Minnesota is flyover frozen tundra, with that fake accent from Fargo.

 

[Elixir]

Just so we're clear, your position is that Vladimir Putin, the capitalist crony who extended the reach of private industry by scaling back workers rights and imposing a regressive flat tax, wants to restore the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

For PH - here is a short article that will give you some insight into why Putin is how he is. Why not read before telling me what my "position" is?
Vladimir Putin's formative German years

 

[barbos]

Just so we're clear, your position is that Vladimir Putin, the capitalist crony who extended the reach of private industry by scaling back workers rights and imposing a regressive flat tax, wants to restore the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

For PH - here is a short article that will give you some insight into why Putin is how he is. Why not read before telling me what my "position" is?
Vladimir Putin's formative German years

Jesus fucking Crust, you actually believe this shit, don't you?
Don't get me wrong, he was in KGB and all that shit. But did it ever occur to you that maybe "Rambo" "Hunt for Red October" and other Hollywood cartoons are not entirely accurate descriptions of how things worked in USSR?
Formative years my ass.

 

[Gun Nut]

Just so we're clear, your position is that Vladimir Putin, the capitalist crony who extended the reach of private industry by scaling back workers rights and imposing a regressive flat tax, wants to restore the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

For PH - here is a short article that will give you some insight into why Putin is how he is. Why not read before telling me what my "position" is?
Vladimir Putin's formative German years

Jesus fucking Crust, you actually believe this shit, don't you?
Don't get me wrong, he was in KGB and all that shit. But did it ever occur to you that maybe "Rambo" "Hunt for Red October" and other Hollywood cartoons are not entirely accurate descriptions of how things worked in USSR?
Formative years my ass.

What put you off? Was it all the gay sex he was having with his "comrades" in that gated community that got invaded by protestors? today, it is the site of the German YMCA. He should feel quite at home with his shirt off among all those fuzzy "comrades".

 

[J842P]

The Billionaires shouldn't be 'scared', they should want to contribute to making America's lower and middle classes stronger.

Sanders and Warren are making this an us v them thing, when it should be more of an 'inclusion' thing.

Nah. They should be scared.

 

[Derec]

Agreed. I really like Amy. But she'll have a tough time running because she's a straight shooter and she's a woman.

I don't. She seems to be in favor of federal government cracking down on porn.

Senators ask Holder for more pornography prosecutions

In a letter sent to Holder earlier this week, 42 senators encouraged Holder instruct prosecutors and FBI agents to counter what the lawmakers called "the growing scourge of obscenity in America." Anti-pornography activists have noted with alarm that, under President Barack Obama, the Justice Department has not filed a single new obscenity case anywhere in the country.

"We write to urge the Department of Justice vigorously to enforce federal obscenity laws against major commercial distributors of hardcore adult pornography," the senators wrote. "We believe it is imperative that the Department, with cooperation by the FBI, investigate and prosecute all major producers and distributors of adult obscenity. We need your leadership."
[...]
However, some fairly liberal Democrats also joined in: Sens. Dianne Feinstein of California, Tom Carper of Delaware and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. Also on board from the Democratic side, though less surprisingly: Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.

Somebody needs to ask her about it at one of these debates or town halls. Point out this 2011 letter and ask her if she will instruct her AG to go after adult pornography.
I think this mad hatter (Nori klobučar in Slovene) needs to keep her mercury-soaked mitts off my porn!

 

[Elixir]

Agreed. I really like Amy. But she'll have a tough time running because she's a straight shooter and she's a woman.

I don't. She seems to be in favor of federal government cracking down on porn.

Senators ask Holder for more pornography prosecutions

In a letter sent to Holder earlier this week, 42 senators encouraged Holder instruct prosecutors and FBI agents to counter what the lawmakers called "the growing scourge of obscenity in America." Anti-pornography activists have noted with alarm that, under President Barack Obama, the Justice Department has not filed a single new obscenity case anywhere in the country.

"We write to urge the Department of Justice vigorously to enforce federal obscenity laws against major commercial distributors of hardcore adult pornography," the senators wrote. "We believe it is imperative that the Department, with cooperation by the FBI, investigate and prosecute all major producers and distributors of adult obscenity. We need your leadership."
[...]
However, some fairly liberal Democrats also joined in: Sens. Dianne Feinstein of California, Tom Carper of Delaware and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. Also on board from the Democratic side, though less surprisingly: Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.

Somebody needs to ask her about it at one of these debates or town halls. Point out this 2011 letter and ask her if she will instruct her AG to go after adult pornography.
I think this mad hatter (Nori klobučar in Slovene) needs to keep her mercury-soaked mitts off my porn!

So ... you're a single "issue" voter... or is that "single tissue"?
Such a surprise.

 

[PyramidHead]

And just so we're clear, your position is that Putin, the guy who was holed up, hiding from protesters in the Dresden headquarters of the KGB a few weeks after the Berlin Wall came down, and was getting no direction from Moscow, now has no ambitions to harm the USA and EU to enhance Russia's global influence?

No, that's not my position at all. I just think that words have meanings, and the USSR is not just "Russia with global power"

 

[Jolly_Penguin]

Don't you love it when people insist on telling you what your position is?

 

[Gun Nut]

Don't you love it when people insist on telling you what your position is?

No, but I happen to know for a fact that YOU do!!

 

[PyramidHead]

To be fair, I was just rephrasing Elixir's comment (that Putin wants to re-establish a worker's state whose goal was advancing socialism). He was the one putting words into my mouth, as I never said anything about Putin's stance toward the USA or EU.

 

[Elixir]

Don't you love it when people insist on telling you what your position is?

Actually there IS value in it. It can inform one of how another person perceives you. When PH told me what my position was I had to re-read what I had written, and then realized I could have been clearer.
YMMV

I was just rephrasing Elixir's comment (that Putin wants to re-establish a worker's state whose goal was advancing socialism).

Please link to where I said that. Putin's global ambitions have nothing to do with socialism, capitalism, communism or dictatorship. Putin's ambitions are all about Russia's (and his own) Great Glory. I thought I made that clear. Did you not want to hear it?
You are starting to sound like someone for whom socialism=hammer and all the world is comprised of nails.

 

[PyramidHead]

Don't you love it when people insist on telling you what your position is?

Actually there IS value in it. It can inform one of how another person perceives you. When PH told me what my position was I had to re-read what I had written, and then realized I could have been clearer.
YMMV

I was just rephrasing Elixir's comment (that Putin wants to re-establish a worker's state whose goal was advancing socialism).

Please link to where I said that. Putin's global ambitions have nothing to do with socialism, capitalism, communism or dictatorship. Putin's ambitions are all about Russia's (and his own) Great Glory. I thought I made that clear. Did you not want to hear it?
You are starting to sound like someone for whom socialism=hammer and all the world is comprised of nails.

You said he wants to re-establish the USSR, and I mistakenly assumed you knew what those letters stand for

 

[Loren Pechtel]

You have not noticed Russia's ambition to reconstitute the Soviet Union?

We have entered the funhouse mirror world.

Just because you don't like the truth doesn't make it a funhouse mirror world.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

I don't. She seems to be in favor of federal government cracking down on porn.

Senators ask Holder for more pornography prosecutions




Somebody needs to ask her about it at one of these debates or town halls. Point out this 2011 letter and ask her if she will instruct her AG to go after adult pornography.
I think this mad hatter (Nori klobučar in Slovene) needs to keep her mercury-soaked mitts off my porn!

So ... you're a single "issue" voter... or is that "single tissue"?
Such a surprise.

It's a pretty clear indication of where she stands on personal freedom. It's a pretty big red flag. "Obscene" is a meaningless term.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

To be fair, I was just rephrasing Elixir's comment (that Putin wants to re-establish a worker's state whose goal was advancing socialism). He was the one putting words into my mouth, as I never said anything about Putin's stance toward the USA or EU.

Nope. "Reestablish" implies it at one time existed--which is utterly false. There was a state that pretended to have such an objective but as always it's just a way of getting popular support until they get control.

 

[PyramidHead]

To be fair, I was just rephrasing Elixir's comment (that Putin wants to re-establish a worker's state whose goal was advancing socialism). He was the one putting words into my mouth, as I never said anything about Putin's stance toward the USA or EU.

Nope. "Reestablish" implies it at one time existed--which is utterly false. There was a state that pretended to have such an objective but as always it's just a way of getting popular support until they get control.

Ah yes, I love pretending to establish socialism so I can be assaulted continuously by every developed capitalist nation, under siege by fascists, and wracked by internal sabotage, just for shits and giggles because I like being in control.

 

[Elixir]

Actually there IS value in it. It can inform one of how another person perceives you. When PH told me what my position was I had to re-read what I had written, and then realized I could have been clearer.
YMMV



Please link to where I said that. Putin's global ambitions have nothing to do with socialism, capitalism, communism or dictatorship. Putin's ambitions are all about Russia's (and his own) Great Glory. I thought I made that clear. Did you not want to hear it?
You are starting to sound like someone for whom socialism=hammer and all the world is comprised of nails.

You said he wants to re-establish the USSR, and I mistakenly assumed you knew what those letters stand for

How coy. Your inability to derive any but literal meaning, even in the face of further explanation, is duly noted.
You should, if you wish to be perceived as an honest broker in discussion, acknowledge and address my actual meaning, which you seem determined to ignore despite several attempts to clarify for your benefit.
Do you dispute that Putin has aspirations to empire, or to re-gain the glory of Russia that he feels was lost in the dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics? Or are you just going to reiterate your disgust at their abuse of the word "socialist"?

 

[PyramidHead]

Actually there IS value in it. It can inform one of how another person perceives you. When PH told me what my position was I had to re-read what I had written, and then realized I could have been clearer.
YMMV



Please link to where I said that. Putin's global ambitions have nothing to do with socialism, capitalism, communism or dictatorship. Putin's ambitions are all about Russia's (and his own) Great Glory. I thought I made that clear. Did you not want to hear it?
You are starting to sound like someone for whom socialism=hammer and all the world is comprised of nails.

You said he wants to re-establish the USSR, and I mistakenly assumed you knew what those letters stand for

How coy. Your inability to derive any but literal meaning, even in the face of further explanation, is duly noted.
You should, if you wish to be perceived as an honest broker in discussion, acknowledge and address my actual meaning, which you seem determined to ignore despite several attempts to clarify for your benefit.
Do you dispute that Putin has aspirations to empire, or to re-gain the glory of Russia that he feels was lost in the dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics? Or are you just going to reiterate your disgust at their abuse of the word "socialist"?

Wanting Russia to be powerful and glorious is not the same as "reconstitute the Soviet Union" (your exact words). I have never denied that Putin is a megalomaniac, and I dispute that his ambitions have nothing to do with capitalism; they have everything to do with it, otherwise he would not be so fiercely capitalistic in his ways of achieving them. There is no "non-political" angle here that explains Putin and Russia in purely psychological terms.

 

[Elixir]

How coy. Your inability to derive any but literal meaning, even in the face of further explanation, is duly noted.
You should, if you wish to be perceived as an honest broker in discussion, acknowledge and address my actual meaning, which you seem determined to ignore despite several attempts to clarify for your benefit.
Do you dispute that Putin has aspirations to empire, or to re-gain the glory of Russia that he feels was lost in the dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics? Or are you just going to reiterate your disgust at their abuse of the word "socialist"?

Wanting Russia to be powerful and glorious is not the same as "reconstitute the Soviet Union" (your exact words).

I was mistaken to use that phrase with someone determined to take it literally, as I have explained. Are we done with that yet, or do you have some reason to continuing to prosecute it?

I have never denied that Putin is a megalomaniac, and I dispute that his ambitions have nothing to do with capitalism.

You win the blue ribbon. I guess that only makes you exceptional if you can tag someone else with having asserting that Putin's ambitions "have nothing to do with capitalism". Sorry - that ain't me.
Putin is interested in milking his version of capitalism, his version of socialism and everything in between, for his own glory, his own benefit and most of all, his own security. If you'd like to continue to pretend to have a more detailed bird's eye view of Putins motives and aspirations, you should go ahead and favor us all with your surpassing wisdom. Don't forget to provide sources.