https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/30/opinion/president-bannon.html
QuotePlenty of presidents have had prominent political advisers, and some of those advisers have been suspected of quietly setting policy behind the scenes (recall Karl Rove or, if your memory stretches back far enough, Dick Morris). But we’ve never witnessed a political aide move as brazenly to consolidate power as Stephen Bannon â€" nor have we seen one do quite so much damage so quickly to his putative boss’s popular standing or pretenses of competence.
Mr. Bannon supercharged Breitbart News as a platform for inciting the alt-right, did the same with the Trump campaign and is now repeating the act with the Trump White House itself. That was perhaps to be expected, though the speed with which President Trump has moved to alienate Mexicans (by declaring they would pay for a border wall), Jews (by disregarding their unique experience of the Holocaust) and Muslims (the ban) has been impressive. Mr. Trump never showed much inclination to reach beyond the minority base of voters that delivered his Electoral College victory, and Mr. Bannon, whose fingerprints were on each of those initiatives, is helping make sure he doesn’t.
But a new executive order, politicizing the process for national security decisions, suggests Mr. Bannon is positioning himself not merely as a Svengali but as the de facto president.
In that new order, issued on Saturday, Mr. Trump took the unprecedented step of naming Mr. Bannon to the National Security Council, along with the secretaries of state and defense and certain other top officials. President George W. Bush’s last chief of staff, Joshua Bolten, was so concerned about separating politics from national security that he barred Mr. Rove, Mr. Bush’s political adviser, from N.S.C. meetings. To the annoyance of experienced foreign policy aides, David Axelrod, President Barack Obama’s political adviser, sat in on some N.S.C. meetings, but he was not a permanent member of the council.
More telling still, Mr. Trump appointed Mr. Bannon to the N.S.C. “principals’ committee,†which includes most of those same top officials and meets far more frequently. At the same time, President Trump downgraded two senior national security officials â€" the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a role now held by Gen. Joseph Dunford Jr., and the director of national intelligence, the job that Dan Coats, a former member of the Senate Intelligence Committee and former ambassador to Germany, has been nominated to fill.
Mr. Trump’s order says that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs and the director of national intelligence will attend the principals’ committee meetings only “where issues pertaining to their responsibilities and expertise are to be discussed.†Could there be any national security discussions when input from the intelligence agencies and the military will not be required? People in those jobs are often the ones to tell presidents hard truths, even when they are unwelcome.
All this may seem like boring bureaucratic chart-making, but who sits at the National Security Council table when the administration debates issues of war and peace can make a real difference in decisions. In giving Mr. Bannon an official role in national security policy making, Mr. Trump has not simply broken with tradition but has embraced the risk of politicizing national security, or giving the impression of doing so.
While Mr. Trump long ago embraced Mr. Bannon’s politics, he would be wise to reconsider allowing him to run his White House, particularly after the fiasco over the weekend of the risible Muslim ban. Mr. Bannon helped push that order through without consulting Mr. Trump’s own experts at the Department of Homeland Security or even seeking deliberation by the N.S.C. itself. The administration’s subsequent modifications, the courtroom reversals and the international furor have made the president look not bold and decisive but simply incompetent.
As a candidate, Mr. Trump was immensely gratified by the applause at his rallies for Mr. Bannon’s jingoism. Yet now casually weaponized in executive orders, those same ideas are alienating American allies and damaging the presidency.
Once again, I have to ask... I hear the radical left, the regressive left, the cultural marxist left, the communist left are the one's that are destroying America. I want to see the workings on that. I have asked several times to see how that is working, but no one seems to provide evidence to me on how a minority who at most causes inconvenient protests or lawsuits that are greatly exaggerated online is more dangerous than the White House being run by a man like Trump, being run by the head of the largest and most vocal alt-right organization.
Please, someone... explain to me how the left is such a threat to American freedom that we need ten thousand threads about some video you found on youtube by some nobody about some nobody, while the actual United States government is run by right wingers at every level, nullifying checks and balances. I mean that with no snark, no sarcasm... I am legitimately curious how you come to that conclusion.
(as an aside... inbefore pr comes in here praising this guy for sticking it to the largest refugee crisis since WW2 (sorry, "disgusting Muslims hell bent on destroying us) and repeating his broken record of the left is to blame for anything while not actually answering anything anyone asks him)
Continue reading the main stor
You can invite all the refugees to stay with you, or ...
The status quo is the norm. The norm has a conservative bias. The conservatives feel about rebels like Nazis feel about Jews ... makes their skin crawl. No continuous state of revolutionary fervor by the anti-status-quo, anti-conservative, sans-cullotes. Nobody can have a society like that, in continuous revolution. Not even a representative democracy. We get small revolution every 2-4-6 years here. The revolutionaries come out of their communist cell meetings briefly for each election, dedicated to destroying the status quo ... which really means they are doing anarchism's dirty work, except anarchists want to keep it anarchic, but the communists want to replace the old leadership with themselves ;-) Fuck both camps. Liberals are communists, without any conviction ... fellow travelers.
I never fall for fake news. I check real news. I doublecheck news from fact-checkers. I double check my own thoughts myself. I ignore commercials. I delete suspicious emails.
There isn't much else I can do. If they get through THAT, we are all toast.
Carl Rove was called "Bush's brain" so maybe Bannon will become known as Chump's brain...
(http://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/scalefit_630_noupscale/57ea20991700004007ac76d8.jpeg)
Shiranu hun, we all reach a point where we look at both sides of the political spectrum, and realizing how the authoritarian nature of both these sides will always govern how things should be run, the rest of us who don't follow an authoritarian outlook are left behind, for the more extreme sides trying to take power and manipulate the masses.
This is the nature of politics, its also why I don't vote anymore. I'd sooner share a taxi ride home with someone who had the opposite political outlook to me but was libertarian with it, then i would share a taxi with someone on my political side who was authoritarian.
Quote from: Munch on January 31, 2017, 08:30:57 PM
Shiranu hun, we all reach a point where we look at both sides of the political spectrum, and realizing how the authoritarian nature of both these sides will always govern how things should be run, the rest of us who don't follow an authoritarian outlook are left behind, for the more extreme sides trying to take power and manipulate the masses.
I somewhat agree with that, but the authoritarians have not made the same level of inroads on the left as they have the right. It's not even close.
On the right, authoritarianism has pretty much taken over. These people want to set policy based on religious dictates. Don't like abortion? Let's make it illegal for everyone. Don't like gays? They can't get married, period. Don't like Muslims? Let's block 'em from entering the country. Let's block them from building a mosque. Let's tear down the separation of church and state. First amendment, what's that?
Right now, those are the sort of people in charge.
On the left, we have a small but vocal group that are in fact authoritarians. These people want to ban offensive speech. These are people who yell for muscle to remove a cameraman whose politics they don't like. They wield offense like a cudgel, and they're offended by everything.
Besides mouthing off on Twitter and Tumblr and the rare college campus, these people have little to no actual power. They don't have any representatives in Congress and they certainly don't have the ear of any major political players. They're a nuisance. That could change in the future, but right now we have a rampaging elephant and an ill-behaved goat. Clearly, these are not equal problems.
Imho, you should really rethink your no vote policy. Bubba votes. Trigglypuff votes. By not voting, you're essentially leaving public policy up to them. If you and the other non-voters were to vote, you guys would almost certainly pull us back from the brink and put America on a more rational, less divisive course.
Quote from: Munch on January 31, 2017, 08:30:57 PM
Shiranu hun, we all reach a point where we look at both sides of the political spectrum, and realizing how the authoritarian nature of both these sides will always govern how things should be run, the rest of us who don't follow an authoritarian outlook are left behind, for the more extreme sides trying to take power and manipulate the masses.
This is the nature of politics, its also why I don't vote anymore. I'd sooner share a taxi ride home with someone who had the opposite political outlook to me but was libertarian with it, then i would share a taxi with someone on my political side who was authoritarian.
Please save the condescending for if you actually are addressing what was said.
You see authoritarians on the left. That's dandy, I do to. That is also irrelevant. I'll ask one more time...
"Why do you view the authoritarians on the left, who hold comparatively no power, and almost literally as well, as a threat that is anywhere near on par the authoritarians who are influencing or running Congress, the Senate, the white house and the Supreme Court?"
Not even equal... it's to the point you can find 5 to 10 posts talking about some nobody on Twitter or a heavily exaggerated smear video for every one post about the actual authoritarians in charge.
If it was even half and half, that would be one thing, but as it stands it's a constant deluge of how the left is coming to destroy us and anyone who disagrees is met with condescending snark and sass. Outside of Trump, any right actions are condemned or even paid attention to by only myself and a few others.
You can't claim nonpartisanship when you insist that you Are against both, but almost exclusively target one side with consistently information from the other.
Only destruction of the R party or Tory party is relevant? Since when? Well 4 years ago, I would agree with you Shiranu, I thought the R-party was a goner, and the Tory party nearly so (Cameron came in in 2010).
Those who don't bully, get bullied. Non-conformists lead change, but change is the exception, not the rule. For 8 years we had a non-conformist bully of the D kind, and perhaps now we have a non-conformist bully of the R kind. Is it possible that the revolution has been so coopted that the Bolsheviks have been replaced by the Stalinists?
And yes, I am totally partisan ... I would only vote for myself, if I were on the ballot (washes head with paw like cat).
Then again, I would categorize the Jacobins with ... psychopaths. The Nazis were like inverse Jacobins .. evil revolutionaries, only upside down.
Maybe some of you have heard, and desire that ... Zuckerberg run as the D party savior ;-) All messiahs are false, including Trump.
How long before the good people of this country get really tired of protesting? When will "resistance fatigue" set it?
Trial Balloon for a Coup? (https://medium.com/@yonatanzunger/trial-balloon-for-a-coup-e024990891d5#.400308i39)
QuoteI see a few key patterns here. First, the decision to first block, and then allow, green card holders was meant to create chaos and pull out opposition; they never intended to hold it for too long. It wouldn’t surprise me if the goal is to create “resistance fatigue,†to get Americans to the point where they’re more likely to say “Oh, another protest? Don’t you guys ever stop?†relatively quickly.
(https://thumb1.shutterstock.com/display_pic_with_logo/348076/508713508/stock-photo-top-quotes-by-thomas-paine-english-american-political-activist-philosopher-revolutionary-508713508.jpg)
(https://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Crisis-Ahead-e1401699305397.jpg)
Quote from: Unbeliever on February 01, 2017, 05:22:56 PMHow long before the good people of this country get really tired of protesting? When will "resistance fatigue" set it?
Maybe, but it's a hell of a strange strategy to piss everyone off and prove that every bad word the opposition party said about you is 100% true. Whatever "mandate" he might have had is ashes now and he can expect nothing but disdain from here on out not only from Democrats, but also moderates.
He could've played it cool and pursued fairly moderate policy and then his critics would've looked crazy. Instead, he was a disaster right out of the starting gate. Even if he gets his act together later on, he pretty much ruined his reputation, such as it was. I don't anticipate voters forgetting that on election day, but I didn't anticipate El Presidente naranja's victory, so your guess is as good as mine.
Quote from: Hydra009 on February 01, 2017, 06:43:52 PM
I don't anticipate voters forgetting that on election day,
Yeah, the GOP knows that. So there will be no more elections, I fear. They will not easily give up the power, now that they have every branch of government in their grasp. They've rid themselves of all those pesky checks and balances.
Well beware of what you wish for, you might get it ;-( If American elections are fake anyway, there is no reason not to pull back the curtain and cancel them.
Quote from: Shiranu on January 31, 2017, 09:31:54 PM
Please save the condescending for if you actually are addressing what was said.
You see authoritarians on the left. That's dandy, I do to. That is also irrelevant. I'll ask one more time...
"Why do you view the authoritarians on the left, who hold comparatively no power, and almost literally as well, as a threat that is anywhere near on par the authoritarians who are influencing or running Congress, the Senate, the white house and the Supreme Court?"
Not even equal... it's to the point you can find 5 to 10 posts talking about some nobody on Twitter or a heavily exaggerated smear video for every one post about the actual authoritarians in charge.
If it was even half and half, that would be one thing, but as it stands it's a constant deluge of how the left is coming to destroy us and anyone who disagrees is met with condescending snark and sass. Outside of Trump, any right actions are condemned or even paid attention to by only myself and a few others.
You can't claim nonpartisanship when you insist that you Are against both, but almost exclusively target one side with consistently information from the other.
Actually the 'other' side is so in the face of public sphere i don't really need to bring it up, everyone knows the rights authoritarian actions and how bad it is, its common knowledge for anyone to see how backwards they are. The left is more difficult to process its authoritarian happenstance, so needs to be shown up for the problems it creates.
But to answer your question, you argue that the left has no power, honestly though, aren't these marches and protests proof of how wrong you are? The left becomes influenced just as much as the right, and if you seed a bad idea in with it, it creates a problem that can even linger for years to come. Seeing these far left protests accepting sharia followers into their fold is disgusting to say the least, self imploding at best.
Just because right now the far right are in power, doesn't mean the far left aren't in the public sphere, out in the streets, on forums and on tv. In a country as polarizing as america, it effects a lot of people either end of the spectrum.
If I didn't know better, I'd almost swear you were trying to get me into only saying and thinking what you want me to say and think :)
"Frederick Douglass is an example of somebody who’s done an amazing job and is being recognized more and more, I notice." - Comrade Twitler
I have no words.
Quote from: Atheon on February 01, 2017, 08:42:02 PM
Actions have consequences, and Trump's occupancy of the White House will end up with negative consequences for us all, yes, including Trump supporters themselves. We prospered under Clinton and Obama, and freedoms were expanded (particularly in gay rights and healthcare); we will suffer big time under Trump far worse than we did under Bush.
We are losing our freedoms as we speak, and the Republicnas have a huge agenda of destruction on their plate that they are eager to advance.
It already affects me, and I belong to the favored race, gender and sexual orientation of the New Reich (and I could fake being a Christian in a pinch), and I'm not poor. For instance, I can't go to Iran now, which was something I was hoping to do soon. If someone as privileged as me is affected negatively, just imagine how people who aren't members of privileged categories will be affected.
I'm going to Malaysia on Tuesday, and I hope there will be no anti-American backlash.
Have a good trip. Going to help Sean Connery and that girl rob that bank in Kuala Lumpur? ;-)
I just realized I posted that post to the wrong thread, so I moved it.
I will be in KL, but I won't be doing jewel heists or climbing the Petronas Towers on the outside.
QuoteBut to answer your question, you argue that the left has no power, honestly though, aren't these marches and protests proof of how wrong you are?
Tell me how many actual laws that effect you those marches and protests are causing.
And again, yet again and again and again and again, you imply that the protests all share the most radical ideology, instead of a small minority being given a microphone (by you) and ignoring the other 99%. I was going to respond more, but fucking christ dude.
Yes, I personally handed Madonna the microphone, her tits really are that saggy.
I've said it before, but to me the left in this country is ripe for a hostile takeover from the extreme far left. As the extreme far right becomes more emboldened so will the extreme far left.
Sure, people love to tell us that communism is dead and buried, but people tend to gravitate away from things they despise despite known dangers and historical data.
It's not something that will occur overnight, but given the populist platform we might just see the resurrection of far left ideology in ways nobody expects as the alternative to the asshats currently occupying Washington. Workers paradise anyone?
Quote from: Munch on February 02, 2017, 06:57:24 AM
Yes, I personally handed Madonna the microphone, her tits really are that saggy.
You somehow believe everyone from the left is ready to ralley behind the likes of Madonna? Hardly.
In every large group of people there are always a certain amount of people who will make outrageous statements. It was not very long ago that people such as Trump who would have never received a single vote from anyone on the right, but now he occupies 1600. This is like finding one dead fish on the shore and telling us that the entire ocean is polluted and needs to be drained. Yeah, drain the swamp there buddy.
Quote from: Munch on February 02, 2017, 06:57:24 AM
Yes, I personally handed Madonna the microphone, her tits really are that saggy.
(http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/10/104431/2956552-4804085599-Point.jpg)
Quote from: Munch on February 02, 2017, 06:57:24 AM
Yes, I personally handed Madonna the microphone, her tits really are that saggy.
Madonna says some fucked up stuff, she gets roundly condemned and we all get on with our lives.
Trump says some fucked up stuff, it becomes public policy and we have to deal with the consequences of that policy.
Guess which one I'm more concerned about right now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMYNfQlf1H8
This is against authoritarians everywhere. Lenin wasn't liberation.
When the newly most famous user of Twitter is Trump, then "Twit" has a new application of the original meaning.
I wonder how long it will be before "to Trump" means "saying stupid things briefly".
Quote from: Cavebear on February 05, 2017, 06:27:07 AM
When the newly most famous user of Twitter is Trump, then "Twit" has a new application of the original meaning.
I wonder how long it will be before "to Trump" means "saying stupid things briefly".
Sorry, trump will always refer to the suit of cards in play ... particularly in a card game where you can get "trumped" aka temporary wild carded.
And Zuckerberg the Alt-LEft who would be Pres? Unless Elon Musk conquers with his robots!
Quote from: Baruch on February 08, 2017, 04:09:03 AM
And Zuckerberg the Alt-LEft who would be Pres? Unless Elon Musk conquers with his robots!
There's no such thing as an "alt-LEft" and you know it very well, don't you?
(http://meria.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/TrumpBannon-300x216.jpg)
(https://shawglobalnews.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/cartoon.png?w=856&h=800&crop=1)
Did you feel this way about Cheney too? I hope you did ;-)
Quote from: Baruch on February 11, 2017, 06:38:32 PM
Did you feel this way about Cheney too? I hope you did ;-)
Cheney (and it really messes with my mind to say this) was at least an adult... Evil and mean, but not crazy.
There is something wrong with the world when I wish we could at least have Nixon and Kissinger again...
Quote from: Baruch on February 11, 2017, 06:38:32 PM
Did you feel this way about Cheney too? I hope you did ;-)
Well, yeah, he and Bush's Brain, Karl Rove. They were pretty scary, but nothing like what we have now. Those were the good old days...
Flynn is gone. 1 down, 100 to go...
Quote from: Cavebear on February 15, 2017, 03:09:49 AM
Flynn is gone. 1 down, 100 to go...
They are all gone in 4-8 years ... you can let the Tao do your work.
Quote from: Baruch on February 15, 2017, 07:19:55 AM
They are all gone in 4-8 years ...
Well, we'll have to wait and see, won't we?
Quote from: Unbeliever on February 15, 2017, 04:55:22 PM
Well, we'll have to wait and see, won't we?
Ah, but the GS folks they hire, are around for another 20 years or so ... Deep Throats ;-)
You don't have to be German or yell in speeches to be a fascist. You can be American and desire to be a dictator. Trump is showing the signs of desiring to be a dictator.
1. Declaring internal war against minorities.
2. Declaring external war against others.
3. Declaring war against the mainstream press.
4. Allying with other dictatorships like Russia.
5. Campaigning after the eleion.
6. Denying the facts of the election.
It can happen here. It has happened in the past. The past is prologue to the future.
Quote from: Cavebear on February 17, 2017, 01:51:56 AM
You don't have to be German or yell in speeches to be a fascist. You can be American and desire to be a dictator. Trump is showing the signs of desiring to be a dictator.
1. Declaring internal war against minorities.
2. Declaring external war against others.
3. Declaring war against the mainstream press.
4. Allying with other dictatorships like Russia.
5. Campaigning after the eleion.
6. Denying the facts of the election.
It can happen here. It has happened in the past. The past is prologue to the future.
Every German-American is a Nazi ... and every non-German-American is too. Ask the original natives.
Quote from: Baruch on February 17, 2017, 05:11:42 AM
Every German-American is a Nazi ... and every non-German-American is too. Ask the original natives.
Imagine a triangle. Imagine one side is "tiresome". Imagine another is another is "childish". Imagine the 3rd is "non-factual". You are in the center.
Quote from: Cavebear on February 17, 2017, 06:14:04 AM
Imagine a triangle. Imagine one side is "tiresome". Imagine another is another is "childish". Imagine the 3rd is "non-factual". You are in the center.
The opening, at the center of the wheel, that the wheel spins around, is the most important part. Thanks. We just need you to suggest a more circular wheel than a triangle ;-)
Quote from: Baruch on February 17, 2017, 01:10:17 PM
The opening, at the center of the wheel, that the wheel spins around, is the most important part. Thanks. We just need you to suggest a more circular wheel than a triangle ;-)
The triangle suits my arguement.
Quote from: Cavebear on February 19, 2017, 02:20:53 AM
The triangle suits my arguement.
Hope you have good shock absorbers on your car then ;-))
wo shiranu thats the first pic i've seen of bannon. That is one ugly dude.
The U.S. would probably not be polarized, if it wasn't for the invention of the GOP and the power of its voice Fox Entertainment Center (GOP -government of the president: invented during the Nixon years, put on haetus because of Nixon, a republican machine whose only purpose was to wipe the Democratic party off the face of the earth at any cost; lie, cheat, or steal)
back to the OP unfortunately at least one evil Democrat got through:a racist, zenophobic bigot by the name of Harry Truman. The U.S. is 100% responsible for the cold war between Russia and the U.S., and he takes most of the credit himself. Not only did he drop nuclear bombs on Japan after they were already trying to surrender just to show Russia what we could do, he also put crooks in the CIA and FBI that caused problems we are still dealing with today.
If you really want to know how the U.S. got so fd up that they voted for 70 yr old little boy, somebody is gonna have to sacrifice themself and actually watch the Fox entertainment I mean Fox propaganda I mean Fox entertainment/propaganda chanel to see what kind of brain washing is going on.
Technically; even though you have the end of the hose laying on the edge of the swamp; you're still draining the swamp, if your sump pump is at the bottom and its turned on.
Quote from: fencerider on February 26, 2017, 03:59:04 AM
wo shiranu thats the first pic i've seen of bannon. That is one ugly dude.
The U.S. would probably not be polarized, if it wasn't for the invention of the GOP and the power of its voice Fox Entertainment Center (GOP -government of the president: invented during the Nixon years, put on haetus because of Nixon, a republican machine whose only purpose was to wipe the Democratic party off the face of the earth at any cost; lie, cheat, or steal)
back to the OP unfortunately at least one evil Democrat got through:a racist, zenophobic bigot by the name of Harry Truman. The U.S. is 100% responsible for the cold war between Russia and the U.S., and he takes most of the credit himself. Not only did he drop nuclear bombs on Japan after they were already trying to surrender just to show Russia what we could do, he also put crooks in the CIA and FBI that caused problems we are still dealing with today.
Truman is not responsible for the end of WWII with Atomic bombs. We had them, he offered to demonstrate one, they refused to observe. Japanese militarism started the war and it led to the horrible conclusion of it.
I also allow they that they have given up on that and are now allies. As are Germany and Italy.
Yes, Bannon will win no beauty contest ;-(
Quote from: Baruch on February 26, 2017, 09:08:04 AM
Yes, Bannon will win no beauty contest ;-(
Beauty killed the Beast (mimicing Baruch)
Roosevelt spent a lot of time working with Stalin to make a friendly relationship with Russia. He also gave Stalin promises of economic aid which Truman said he wouldn't honor. It didnt help that Johnson was paranoid after Truman. continously thinking we had to catch up with Russia's stockpile when in fact we had 10times as many as they did.
Quote from: Cavebear on February 26, 2017, 10:39:46 AM
Beauty killed the Beast (mimicing Baruch)
haha Bannon is the beast. Who is Beauty?
Quote from: fencerider on February 26, 2017, 12:52:17 PM
Roosevelt spent a lot of time working with Stalin to make a friendly relationship with Russia. He also gave Stalin promises of economic aid which Truman said he wouldn't honor. It didnt help that Johnson was paranoid after Truman. continously thinking we had to catch up with Russia's stockpile when in fact we had 10times as many as they did.
haha Bannon is the beast. Who is Beauty?
You.
When a tiger and a bear fights who wins? -time for nature channel
Quote from: fencerider on February 28, 2017, 01:01:28 AM
When a tiger and a bear fights who wins? -time for nature channel
Both are large, violent and smart. That would be a close one. I was surprised to see film of a jaguar killing an alligator though. Mammals rock!
Quote from: Cavebear on February 26, 2017, 10:39:46 AM
Beauty killed the Beast (mimicing Baruch)
Keep trying. Write more like Lovecraft.
Quote from: Baruch on February 28, 2017, 06:57:10 AM
Keep trying. Write more like Lovecraft.
I'm not crazy enough, sorry.