Why Libertarians Are Hopeless • Christopher Cantwell

originally posted by: ketsuko
a reply to: TrueBrit

Did you read the very, very long essay?

As it says, voting is part of the problem because people do not vote on what is best for all but only on what they can grab for themselves.

so why has the top 0.1 "grabbed so much more", compared to being vastly outnumbered in vote count by the general populace?....

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: John_Rodger_Cornman
a reply to: greencmp

Libertarians have a tough sell to people that are apolitical. We do a terrible job differentiating ourselves from RepubliCorp Ltd and DemoCrook LLLP. Democrooks offer free stuff from the tax payer to wallstreet investment firms/banks and decree marxist carbon taxes on the general population for the 0.001%. RepubliCorp offers tax breaks for wallstreet banks/investors/Big oil/Big War contractor and insider deals them.

What can we offer big business and war contractors? Less wars and no corporate income taxes?

The left authoritarians love their abortion and charitable services(libertarians can do better if allowed to).
The Right authoritarians love their anti-immigration and gun rights(libertarians can do better here also. We are pro-gun too)

The biggest difference between authoritarians and libertarians...

Libertarians

-NAP
-against the monopoly of force/violence
-pro-individual power over state power.
-against rulers but not rules or social organization
-against coercion,exploitation(theft) and threats of violence
-We allow you to live the way you like and not try to "manage" you or change you. We are not the Borg.

Authoritarians

-Libido dominandi(Might is right. Weak is wrong.)
-for the monopoly of force/violence
-pro-state power over individual power.
-for rulers. Most of the time many rulers.
-for coercion,exploitation(theft), and threats of violence.
-They love steam rolling their authoritarian ideals on others(via force or threats of force) Like the Borg. Be assimilated or be destroyed.Individuality and true self expression is irrelevant.

How are you going to sell freedom to people that don't even know they are enslaved? That is why the media is constantly trying to put the public into a fear based survival mind state all the time.

I think there is beginning to be a wider recognition of the value of minimal government. If there is to be a unifying principal, it ought to be that.

Reinforcing that realization and actually cutting the scope, size and authority of government will breathe life into the economy directly benefitting everybody.

It is possible that all of the "Dark Ages" were times of Libertarian values. Bionic Mosquito has posted about the technological advances, mostly mechanical, done during the Medeval Period of Europe. bionicmosquito.blogspot.com...

Murray Rothbard wrote of a continent wide commercial system bringing Eastern spices and such in the last Climatic Warm Period, 1300 AD. The trade was distributed by production until the Nations began to squat on the market locations and collect taxes.

The expansion of medieval production and trade and the concomitant cultural progress of Europe came to an abrupt halt at the beginning of the fourteenth century. As wealth and capital continued to accumulate in Western Europe from the eleventh century on, this growing wealth provided great temptations to Power to seize and divert that wealth for its own nonproductive, indeed antiproductive, purposes. This power loomed in the emerging nation-states of Western Europe, particularly in France and England, which set about to confiscate and drain off the wealth of society for the needs and demands of the emerging state. Internally, the state siphoned off the wealth to nurture an increasingly elaborate and expensive state apparatus; externally, the state used the wealth in expensive wars to advance its dynastic power and plunder. Furthermore, the states increasingly regulated and intervened in, as well as taxed, the market economy of Europe. The several nascent states of the modern era ruptured the harmonious and cosmopolitan social and economic relations of medieval Europe. A unity in free-market relations was sundered and ravaged by the imposed violence and plunder of the governments of the new nation-states.

Rothbard, Murray N. (2011-01-25). Conceived in Liberty (LvMI) (p. 7). Ludwig von Mises Institute. Kindle Edition.

Thus ended the "Dark Ages".

originally posted by: Semicollegiate
Trump has money and his own publicity. That could be equivalent to an army, transposing power from Classical Rome to our time.

If the pattern holds true, the next Caesar will be a movie star, rock star, or athlete. Most likely a movie star that testifies as an expert witness to Congress about Human Caused Global Whatever. Leonardo DiCaprio come to mind. Obama reputedly got the necessary attention from one speech in 2004. So any body could be there in 2020.

General Richard Trumka?

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate
Trump has money and his own publicity. That could be equivalent to an army, transposing power from Classical Rome to our time.

If the pattern holds true, the next Caesar will be a movie star, rock star, or athlete. Most likely a movie star that testifies as an expert witness to Congress about Human Caused Global Whatever. Leonardo DiCaprio come to mind. Obama reputedly got the necessary attention from one speech in 2004. So any body could be there in 2020.

General Richard Trumka?

Do you mean Trumka specifically or is he an example of a Union leader?

I never heard of him before.

originally posted by: Semicollegiate

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate
Trump has money and his own publicity. That could be equivalent to an army, transposing power from Classical Rome to our time.

If the pattern holds true, the next Caesar will be a movie star, rock star, or athlete. Most likely a movie star that testifies as an expert witness to Congress about Human Caused Global Whatever. Leonardo DiCaprio come to mind. Obama reputedly got the necessary attention from one speech in 2004. So any body could be there in 2020.

General Richard Trumka?

Do you mean Trumka specifically or is he an example of a Union leader?

I never heard of him before.

Yeah, he's the AFL-CIO President.

Richard Trumka is president of the 12.5 million-member American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the largest organization of labor unions in the country. An outspoken advocate for social and economic justice, Trumka is the nation’s clearest voice on the critical need to raise workers’ wages in this slow and painful economic recovery. He heads the labor movement’s efforts to create an economy based on broadly shared prosperity and to hold government and employers accountable to working families.

Elected president of the federation in 2009, Trumka shapes the economy in two primary ways—by leading the mobilization of masses of working people through a nationwide network of state and local labor federations, and by working one on one with government executives, legislators and business leaders. The goal is adopting progressive, pro-worker laws and policies at every level to improve life for working families.

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate
Trump has money and his own publicity. That could be equivalent to an army, transposing power from Classical Rome to our time.

If the pattern holds true, the next Caesar will be a movie star, rock star, or athlete. Most likely a movie star that testifies as an expert witness to Congress about Human Caused Global Whatever. Leonardo DiCaprio come to mind. Obama reputedly got the necessary attention from one speech in 2004. So any body could be there in 2020.

General Richard Trumka?

Do you mean Trumka specifically or is he an example of a Union leader?

I never heard of him before.

Yeah, he's the AFL-CIO President.

Richard Trumka is president of the 12.5 million-member American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the largest organization of labor unions in the country. An outspoken advocate for social and economic justice, Trumka is the nation’s clearest voice on the critical need to raise workers’ wages in this slow and painful economic recovery. He heads the labor movement’s efforts to create an economy based on broadly shared prosperity and to hold government and employers accountable to working families.

Elected president of the federation in 2009, Trumka shapes the economy in two primary ways—by leading the mobilization of masses of working people through a nationwide network of state and local labor federations, and by working one on one with government executives, legislators and business leaders. The goal is adopting progressive, pro-worker laws and policies at every level to improve life for working families.

Wiki said he is a lawyer and has been in Union leadership since a little after 1990.

If he is the only thing keeping the coal plants turning out electricity that is a good bet.

I don't think he would win an election like a celebrity would. And a celebrity has no real obligations, if he can use his own money. Total flexibility fro maximum opportunism.

originally posted by: Semicollegiate

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate
Trump has money and his own publicity. That could be equivalent to an army, transposing power from Classical Rome to our time.

If the pattern holds true, the next Caesar will be a movie star, rock star, or athlete. Most likely a movie star that testifies as an expert witness to Congress about Human Caused Global Whatever. Leonardo DiCaprio come to mind. Obama reputedly got the necessary attention from one speech in 2004. So any body could be there in 2020.

General Richard Trumka?

Do you mean Trumka specifically or is he an example of a Union leader?

I never heard of him before.

Yeah, he's the AFL-CIO President.

Richard Trumka is president of the 12.5 million-member American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the largest organization of labor unions in the country. An outspoken advocate for social and economic justice, Trumka is the nation’s clearest voice on the critical need to raise workers’ wages in this slow and painful economic recovery. He heads the labor movement’s efforts to create an economy based on broadly shared prosperity and to hold government and employers accountable to working families.

Elected president of the federation in 2009, Trumka shapes the economy in two primary ways—by leading the mobilization of masses of working people through a nationwide network of state and local labor federations, and by working one on one with government executives, legislators and business leaders. The goal is adopting progressive, pro-worker laws and policies at every level to improve life for working families.

Wiki said he is a lawyer and has been in Union leadership since a little after 1990.

If he is the only thing keeping the coal plants turning out electricity that is a good bet.

I don't think he would win an election like a celebrity would. And a celebrity has no real obligations, if he can use his own money. Total flexibility fro maximum opportunism.

He's the face of the AFL-CIO on C-SPAN so I guess I'm just used to seeing him.

I was pointing out that he has an actual army and trade unions are by definition syndicalist/guild socialist. Public sector unions are their natural allies and would fall in lock step as well.

The constitution is not a document widely celebrated amongst union leaders.

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate
Trump has money and his own publicity. That could be equivalent to an army, transposing power from Classical Rome to our time.

If the pattern holds true, the next Caesar will be a movie star, rock star, or athlete. Most likely a movie star that testifies as an expert witness to Congress about Human Caused Global Whatever. Leonardo DiCaprio come to mind. Obama reputedly got the necessary attention from one speech in 2004. So any body could be there in 2020.

General Richard Trumka?

Do you mean Trumka specifically or is he an example of a Union leader?

I never heard of him before.

Yeah, he's the AFL-CIO President.

Richard Trumka is president of the 12.5 million-member American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the largest organization of labor unions in the country. An outspoken advocate for social and economic justice, Trumka is the nation’s clearest voice on the critical need to raise workers’ wages in this slow and painful economic recovery. He heads the labor movement’s efforts to create an economy based on broadly shared prosperity and to hold government and employers accountable to working families.

Elected president of the federation in 2009, Trumka shapes the economy in two primary ways—by leading the mobilization of masses of working people through a nationwide network of state and local labor federations, and by working one on one with government executives, legislators and business leaders. The goal is adopting progressive, pro-worker laws and policies at every level to improve life for working families.

Wiki said he is a lawyer and has been in Union leadership since a little after 1990.

If he is the only thing keeping the coal plants turning out electricity that is a good bet.

I don't think he would win an election like a celebrity would. And a celebrity has no real obligations, if he can use his own money. Total flexibility fro maximum opportunism.

He's the face of the AFL-CIO on C-SPAN so I guess I'm just used to seeing him.

I was pointing out that he has an actual army and trade unions are by definition syndicalist/guild socialist. Public sector unions are their natural allies and would fall in lock step as well.

The constitution is not a document widely celebrated amongst union leaders.

That crossed my mind at the 12.5 million. They would be rifle (militia) level technology... 50/50 odds, not counting circumstances which boost their odds to the max.

The political winner has all of the magic technology and millions of folks who can do it the easy way, with lots of material and psychological support.

I have been missing C-SPAN since they required a cable subscription to watch live on the internet. Used to watch it a few hours per day.

originally posted by: Semicollegiate

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate
Trump has money and his own publicity. That could be equivalent to an army, transposing power from Classical Rome to our time.

If the pattern holds true, the next Caesar will be a movie star, rock star, or athlete. Most likely a movie star that testifies as an expert witness to Congress about Human Caused Global Whatever. Leonardo DiCaprio come to mind. Obama reputedly got the necessary attention from one speech in 2004. So any body could be there in 2020.

General Richard Trumka?

Do you mean Trumka specifically or is he an example of a Union leader?

I never heard of him before.

Yeah, he's the AFL-CIO President.

Richard Trumka is president of the 12.5 million-member American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the largest organization of labor unions in the country. An outspoken advocate for social and economic justice, Trumka is the nation’s clearest voice on the critical need to raise workers’ wages in this slow and painful economic recovery. He heads the labor movement’s efforts to create an economy based on broadly shared prosperity and to hold government and employers accountable to working families.

Elected president of the federation in 2009, Trumka shapes the economy in two primary ways—by leading the mobilization of masses of working people through a nationwide network of state and local labor federations, and by working one on one with government executives, legislators and business leaders. The goal is adopting progressive, pro-worker laws and policies at every level to improve life for working families.

Wiki said he is a lawyer and has been in Union leadership since a little after 1990.

If he is the only thing keeping the coal plants turning out electricity that is a good bet.

I don't think he would win an election like a celebrity would. And a celebrity has no real obligations, if he can use his own money. Total flexibility fro maximum opportunism.

He's the face of the AFL-CIO on C-SPAN so I guess I'm just used to seeing him.

I was pointing out that he has an actual army and trade unions are by definition syndicalist/guild socialist. Public sector unions are their natural allies and would fall in lock step as well.

The constitution is not a document widely celebrated amongst union leaders.

That crossed my mind at the 12.5 million. They would be rifle (militia) level technology... 50/50 odds, not counting circumstances which boost their odds to the max.

The political winner has all of the magic technology and millions of folks who can do it the easy way, with lots of material and psychological support.

I have been missing C-SPAN since they required a cable subscription to watch live on the internet. Used to watch it a few hours per day.

Holy poop! I didn't know that C-SPAN was blocking access at all!

I just checked an old article that says that they dropped the live streams of the broadcast channels but the library is still directly accessible. Whew!

It means you can't call in for Washington Journal since you can't watch it until later on that day. I wouldn't be surprised if that is why they did it.

Not cool but, if you've ever listened to the live listener calls on WJ every morning you would have permanent handprints on your face. Afterwords is a good call in that would be lost as well.

originally posted by: greencmp
Is Cruz the best we can hope for at this point?

TPTB used Rubio to drag him under. It's a cleverly done deal at this point. So much hate up there.

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate
Trump has money and his own publicity. That could be equivalent to an army, transposing power from Classical Rome to our time.

If the pattern holds true, the next Caesar will be a movie star, rock star, or athlete. Most likely a movie star that testifies as an expert witness to Congress about Human Caused Global Whatever. Leonardo DiCaprio come to mind. Obama reputedly got the necessary attention from one speech in 2004. So any body could be there in 2020.

General Richard Trumka?

Do you mean Trumka specifically or is he an example of a Union leader?

I never heard of him before.

Yeah, he's the AFL-CIO President.

Richard Trumka is president of the 12.5 million-member American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the largest organization of labor unions in the country. An outspoken advocate for social and economic justice, Trumka is the nation’s clearest voice on the critical need to raise workers’ wages in this slow and painful economic recovery. He heads the labor movement’s efforts to create an economy based on broadly shared prosperity and to hold government and employers accountable to working families.

Elected president of the federation in 2009, Trumka shapes the economy in two primary ways—by leading the mobilization of masses of working people through a nationwide network of state and local labor federations, and by working one on one with government executives, legislators and business leaders. The goal is adopting progressive, pro-worker laws and policies at every level to improve life for working families.

Wiki said he is a lawyer and has been in Union leadership since a little after 1990.

If he is the only thing keeping the coal plants turning out electricity that is a good bet.

I don't think he would win an election like a celebrity would. And a celebrity has no real obligations, if he can use his own money. Total flexibility fro maximum opportunism.

He's the face of the AFL-CIO on C-SPAN so I guess I'm just used to seeing him.

I was pointing out that he has an actual army and trade unions are by definition syndicalist/guild socialist. Public sector unions are their natural allies and would fall in lock step as well.

The constitution is not a document widely celebrated amongst union leaders.

That crossed my mind at the 12.5 million. They would be rifle (militia) level technology... 50/50 odds, not counting circumstances which boost their odds to the max.

The political winner has all of the magic technology and millions of folks who can do it the easy way, with lots of material and psychological support.

I have been missing C-SPAN since they required a cable subscription to watch live on the internet. Used to watch it a few hours per day.

Holy poop! I didn't know that C-SPAN was blocking access at all!

I just checked an old article that says that they dropped the live streams of the broadcast channels but the library is still directly accessible. Whew!

It means you can't call in for Washington Journal since you can't watch it until later on that day. I wouldn't be surprised if that is why they did it.

Not cool but, if you've ever listened to the live listener calls on WJ every morning you would have permanent handprints on your face. Afterwords is a good call in that would be lost as well.

I thought the callers where informative about what was being pushed by the MSM. The occasional Libertarian caller was priceless. All things considered I think the WJ hosts themselves are pretty fair. The callers are talking marching orders usually.

Right now you could know how close the Global Warming legislation or anti gun legislation is by how many segments and callers there are in favor.

Obamacare was the daily topic before it passed.

originally posted by: Snarl

originally posted by: greencmp
Is Cruz the best we can hope for at this point?

TPTB used Rubio to drag him under. It's a cleverly done deal at this point. So much hate up there.

I think Cruz is actually the candidate.

Besides the fact that everyone in government hates him (default slot one in my book), he is conjuring an underdog profile that may serve to underpin a big uptake later on this year if it tapers off into a Trump/Cruz race and people sober up a bit more.

Rubio's a young'n and he has made an impressive national appearance on the scene elevating his already enviable popular recognition. Good for him I say. It's unfortunate that his fame is as a proponent of amnesty, that's what the Democrats are afraid of but, it disqualifies him from the Republican race.

He should endorse Cruz as soon as he drops out of competitive range. Time to sit down to cheers.

originally posted by: Semicollegiate

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate
Trump has money and his own publicity. That could be equivalent to an army, transposing power from Classical Rome to our time.

If the pattern holds true, the next Caesar will be a movie star, rock star, or athlete. Most likely a movie star that testifies as an expert witness to Congress about Human Caused Global Whatever. Leonardo DiCaprio come to mind. Obama reputedly got the necessary attention from one speech in 2004. So any body could be there in 2020.

General Richard Trumka?

Do you mean Trumka specifically or is he an example of a Union leader?

I never heard of him before.

Yeah, he's the AFL-CIO President.

Richard Trumka is president of the 12.5 million-member American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the largest organization of labor unions in the country. An outspoken advocate for social and economic justice, Trumka is the nation’s clearest voice on the critical need to raise workers’ wages in this slow and painful economic recovery. He heads the labor movement’s efforts to create an economy based on broadly shared prosperity and to hold government and employers accountable to working families.

Elected president of the federation in 2009, Trumka shapes the economy in two primary ways—by leading the mobilization of masses of working people through a nationwide network of state and local labor federations, and by working one on one with government executives, legislators and business leaders. The goal is adopting progressive, pro-worker laws and policies at every level to improve life for working families.

Wiki said he is a lawyer and has been in Union leadership since a little after 1990.

If he is the only thing keeping the coal plants turning out electricity that is a good bet.

I don't think he would win an election like a celebrity would. And a celebrity has no real obligations, if he can use his own money. Total flexibility fro maximum opportunism.

He's the face of the AFL-CIO on C-SPAN so I guess I'm just used to seeing him.

I was pointing out that he has an actual army and trade unions are by definition syndicalist/guild socialist. Public sector unions are their natural allies and would fall in lock step as well.

The constitution is not a document widely celebrated amongst union leaders.

That crossed my mind at the 12.5 million. They would be rifle (militia) level technology... 50/50 odds, not counting circumstances which boost their odds to the max.

The political winner has all of the magic technology and millions of folks who can do it the easy way, with lots of material and psychological support.

I have been missing C-SPAN since they required a cable subscription to watch live on the internet. Used to watch it a few hours per day.

Holy poop! I didn't know that C-SPAN was blocking access at all!

I just checked an old article that says that they dropped the live streams of the broadcast channels but the library is still directly accessible. Whew!

It means you can't call in for Washington Journal since you can't watch it until later on that day. I wouldn't be surprised if that is why they did it.

Not cool but, if you've ever listened to the live listener calls on WJ every morning you would have permanent handprints on your face. Afterwords is a good call in that would be lost as well.

I thought the callers where informative about what was being pushed by the MSM. The occasional Libertarian caller was priceless. All things considered I think the WJ hosts themselves are pretty fair. The callers are talking marching orders usually.

Right now you could know how close the Global Warming legislation or anti gun legislation is by how many segments and callers there are in favor.

Obamacare was the daily topic before it passed.

I know what you mean, Greta and Pedro are approaching seniority now and the new faces are pretty good. Brian even does the occasional interview still.

They are all nearly impossible to decode, true representatives of apparent journalistic indifference.

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate
Trump has money and his own publicity. That could be equivalent to an army, transposing power from Classical Rome to our time.

If the pattern holds true, the next Caesar will be a movie star, rock star, or athlete. Most likely a movie star that testifies as an expert witness to Congress about Human Caused Global Whatever. Leonardo DiCaprio come to mind. Obama reputedly got the necessary attention from one speech in 2004. So any body could be there in 2020.

General Richard Trumka?

Do you mean Trumka specifically or is he an example of a Union leader?

I never heard of him before.

Yeah, he's the AFL-CIO President.

Richard Trumka is president of the 12.5 million-member American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the largest organization of labor unions in the country. An outspoken advocate for social and economic justice, Trumka is the nation’s clearest voice on the critical need to raise workers’ wages in this slow and painful economic recovery. He heads the labor movement’s efforts to create an economy based on broadly shared prosperity and to hold government and employers accountable to working families.

Elected president of the federation in 2009, Trumka shapes the economy in two primary ways—by leading the mobilization of masses of working people through a nationwide network of state and local labor federations, and by working one on one with government executives, legislators and business leaders. The goal is adopting progressive, pro-worker laws and policies at every level to improve life for working families.

Wiki said he is a lawyer and has been in Union leadership since a little after 1990.

If he is the only thing keeping the coal plants turning out electricity that is a good bet.

I don't think he would win an election like a celebrity would. And a celebrity has no real obligations, if he can use his own money. Total flexibility fro maximum opportunism.

He's the face of the AFL-CIO on C-SPAN so I guess I'm just used to seeing him.

I was pointing out that he has an actual army and trade unions are by definition syndicalist/guild socialist. Public sector unions are their natural allies and would fall in lock step as well.

The constitution is not a document widely celebrated amongst union leaders.

That crossed my mind at the 12.5 million. They would be rifle (militia) level technology... 50/50 odds, not counting circumstances which boost their odds to the max.

The political winner has all of the magic technology and millions of folks who can do it the easy way, with lots of material and psychological support.

I have been missing C-SPAN since they required a cable subscription to watch live on the internet. Used to watch it a few hours per day.

Holy poop! I didn't know that C-SPAN was blocking access at all!

I just checked an old article that says that they dropped the live streams of the broadcast channels but the library is still directly accessible. Whew!

It means you can't call in for Washington Journal since you can't watch it until later on that day. I wouldn't be surprised if that is why they did it.

Not cool but, if you've ever listened to the live listener calls on WJ every morning you would have permanent handprints on your face. Afterwords is a good call in that would be lost as well.

I thought the callers where informative about what was being pushed by the MSM. The occasional Libertarian caller was priceless. All things considered I think the WJ hosts themselves are pretty fair. The callers are talking marching orders usually.

Right now you could know how close the Global Warming legislation or anti gun legislation is by how many segments and callers there are in favor.

Obamacare was the daily topic before it passed.

I know what you mean, Greta and Pedro are approaching seniority now and the new faces are pretty good. Brian even does the occasional interview still.

They are all nearly impossible to decode, true representatives of apparent journalistic indifference.

I can't help thinking Susan and Greta are progressives, but even so they ask good followups against those positions. I think Steve and Libby (not as many samples of her) are conservative. Brian is close to the bone truth whatever he is. I don't know who all is there now. I didn't see Pedro that much, or the guy who does the CSPAN upcoming show voice, he has been host there a few times.

originally posted by: Semicollegiate

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate
Trump has money and his own publicity. That could be equivalent to an army, transposing power from Classical Rome to our time.

If the pattern holds true, the next Caesar will be a movie star, rock star, or athlete. Most likely a movie star that testifies as an expert witness to Congress about Human Caused Global Whatever. Leonardo DiCaprio come to mind. Obama reputedly got the necessary attention from one speech in 2004. So any body could be there in 2020.

General Richard Trumka?

Do you mean Trumka specifically or is he an example of a Union leader?

I never heard of him before.

Yeah, he's the AFL-CIO President.

Richard Trumka is president of the 12.5 million-member American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the largest organization of labor unions in the country. An outspoken advocate for social and economic justice, Trumka is the nation’s clearest voice on the critical need to raise workers’ wages in this slow and painful economic recovery. He heads the labor movement’s efforts to create an economy based on broadly shared prosperity and to hold government and employers accountable to working families.

Elected president of the federation in 2009, Trumka shapes the economy in two primary ways—by leading the mobilization of masses of working people through a nationwide network of state and local labor federations, and by working one on one with government executives, legislators and business leaders. The goal is adopting progressive, pro-worker laws and policies at every level to improve life for working families.

Wiki said he is a lawyer and has been in Union leadership since a little after 1990.

If he is the only thing keeping the coal plants turning out electricity that is a good bet.

I don't think he would win an election like a celebrity would. And a celebrity has no real obligations, if he can use his own money. Total flexibility fro maximum opportunism.

He's the face of the AFL-CIO on C-SPAN so I guess I'm just used to seeing him.

I was pointing out that he has an actual army and trade unions are by definition syndicalist/guild socialist. Public sector unions are their natural allies and would fall in lock step as well.

The constitution is not a document widely celebrated amongst union leaders.

That crossed my mind at the 12.5 million. They would be rifle (militia) level technology... 50/50 odds, not counting circumstances which boost their odds to the max.

The political winner has all of the magic technology and millions of folks who can do it the easy way, with lots of material and psychological support.

I have been missing C-SPAN since they required a cable subscription to watch live on the internet. Used to watch it a few hours per day.

Holy poop! I didn't know that C-SPAN was blocking access at all!

I just checked an old article that says that they dropped the live streams of the broadcast channels but the library is still directly accessible. Whew!

It means you can't call in for Washington Journal since you can't watch it until later on that day. I wouldn't be surprised if that is why they did it.

Not cool but, if you've ever listened to the live listener calls on WJ every morning you would have permanent handprints on your face. Afterwords is a good call in that would be lost as well.

I thought the callers where informative about what was being pushed by the MSM. The occasional Libertarian caller was priceless. All things considered I think the WJ hosts themselves are pretty fair. The callers are talking marching orders usually.

Right now you could know how close the Global Warming legislation or anti gun legislation is by how many segments and callers there are in favor.

Obamacare was the daily topic before it passed.

I know what you mean, Greta and Pedro are approaching seniority now and the new faces are pretty good. Brian even does the occasional interview still.

They are all nearly impossible to decode, true representatives of apparent journalistic indifference.

I can't help thinking Susan and Greta are progressives, but even so they ask good followups against those positions. I think Steve and Abby (not as many samples of her) are conservative. Brian is close to the bone truth whatever he is. I don't know who all is there now. I didn't see Pedro that much.

Susan is Brian's protégé so that would imply that Brian is as well. I think that's right because the very idea of C-SPAN was about bringing policy to the public, a very Democratic idea and Brian was its creator. Steve Scully is a fairly obvious liberal but, still a great interviewer.

I like to think of it as an exercise in transparency but, it's far more likely that it was meant to be a vehicle for progressive policy exposure.

Whatever their politics, here's to the nerd stars!

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate
Trump has money and his own publicity. That could be equivalent to an army, transposing power from Classical Rome to our time.

If the pattern holds true, the next Caesar will be a movie star, rock star, or athlete. Most likely a movie star that testifies as an expert witness to Congress about Human Caused Global Whatever. Leonardo DiCaprio come to mind. Obama reputedly got the necessary attention from one speech in 2004. So any body could be there in 2020.

General Richard Trumka?

Do you mean Trumka specifically or is he an example of a Union leader?

I never heard of him before.

Yeah, he's the AFL-CIO President.

Richard Trumka is president of the 12.5 million-member American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the largest organization of labor unions in the country. An outspoken advocate for social and economic justice, Trumka is the nation’s clearest voice on the critical need to raise workers’ wages in this slow and painful economic recovery. He heads the labor movement’s efforts to create an economy based on broadly shared prosperity and to hold government and employers accountable to working families.

Elected president of the federation in 2009, Trumka shapes the economy in two primary ways—by leading the mobilization of masses of working people through a nationwide network of state and local labor federations, and by working one on one with government executives, legislators and business leaders. The goal is adopting progressive, pro-worker laws and policies at every level to improve life for working families.

Wiki said he is a lawyer and has been in Union leadership since a little after 1990.

If he is the only thing keeping the coal plants turning out electricity that is a good bet.

I don't think he would win an election like a celebrity would. And a celebrity has no real obligations, if he can use his own money. Total flexibility fro maximum opportunism.

He's the face of the AFL-CIO on C-SPAN so I guess I'm just used to seeing him.

I was pointing out that he has an actual army and trade unions are by definition syndicalist/guild socialist. Public sector unions are their natural allies and would fall in lock step as well.

The constitution is not a document widely celebrated amongst union leaders.

That crossed my mind at the 12.5 million. They would be rifle (militia) level technology... 50/50 odds, not counting circumstances which boost their odds to the max.

The political winner has all of the magic technology and millions of folks who can do it the easy way, with lots of material and psychological support.

I have been missing C-SPAN since they required a cable subscription to watch live on the internet. Used to watch it a few hours per day.

Holy poop! I didn't know that C-SPAN was blocking access at all!

I just checked an old article that says that they dropped the live streams of the broadcast channels but the library is still directly accessible. Whew!

It means you can't call in for Washington Journal since you can't watch it until later on that day. I wouldn't be surprised if that is why they did it.

Not cool but, if you've ever listened to the live listener calls on WJ every morning you would have permanent handprints on your face. Afterwords is a good call in that would be lost as well.

I thought the callers where informative about what was being pushed by the MSM. The occasional Libertarian caller was priceless. All things considered I think the WJ hosts themselves are pretty fair. The callers are talking marching orders usually.

Right now you could know how close the Global Warming legislation or anti gun legislation is by how many segments and callers there are in favor.

Obamacare was the daily topic before it passed.

I know what you mean, Greta and Pedro are approaching seniority now and the new faces are pretty good. Brian even does the occasional interview still.

They are all nearly impossible to decode, true representatives of apparent journalistic indifference.

I can't help thinking Susan and Greta are progressives, but even so they ask good followups against those positions. I think Steve and Abby (not as many samples of her) are conservative. Brian is close to the bone truth whatever he is. I don't know who all is there now. I didn't see Pedro that much.

Susan is Brian's protege so that would imply that Brian is as well. I think that's right because the very idea of C-SPAN was about bringing policy to the public, a very Democratic idea and Brian was its creator

I like to think of it as an exercise in transparency but, it's far more likely that it was meant to be a vehicle for progressive policy exposure.

Whatever their politics, here's to the nerd stars!

Long live the Nerd Stars

And the gun control caller " Here's my opinion on gun control *gunshot*... 3 seconds...*gunshot**"

a reply to: greencmp

We agree fundamentally. The devil's in certain details. I can't see a Rubio endorsement for Cruz. His handlers are the ones who control that and they set him upon Cruz for a reason. I wonder if they won't let him go under in the next election cycle and find a less hi-vis position for him. My most conservative friends would back Rubio, but when I attack him as a RINO in argument they back right down.

That Cruz was once a Tea Party favorite is about the only 'rabbit' left in the hat. He could play that if it was a one-on-one race against Trump. Playing that card would drop him out of the race with Marco nipping at his heels.

The one thing I 'hope' for with Trump is that he's got too much of a personal fortune to risk in not winning the Presidency. It's also why I think Bloomberg is readying himself in the dugout as Trump's pinch hitter.

There's two things I consider:
1. The pending economic collapse
2. A foreign invasion

When the economy collapses, whoever is seated will become the dictator. That person needs to be in control of the military and have unfettered access to 'the football'. You won't see a reliable transition of power to a Libertarian in such conditions. I think you'd only get that via revolution ... And a revolution can't happen if the ultimate outcome is a successful invasion by the Chinese and the Russians (and you know they'd love to make that happen). Trump doesn't want to be POTUS ... he wants to be dictator as does Bloomberg. They just won't risk going broke in the process. LOL

originally posted by: Semicollegiate

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Semicollegiate
Trump has money and his own publicity. That could be equivalent to an army, transposing power from Classical Rome to our time.

If the pattern holds true, the next Caesar will be a movie star, rock star, or athlete. Most likely a movie star that testifies as an expert witness to Congress about Human Caused Global Whatever. Leonardo DiCaprio come to mind. Obama reputedly got the necessary attention from one speech in 2004. So any body could be there in 2020.

General Richard Trumka?

Do you mean Trumka specifically or is he an example of a Union leader?

I never heard of him before.

Yeah, he's the AFL-CIO President.

Richard Trumka is president of the 12.5 million-member American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the largest organization of labor unions in the country. An outspoken advocate for social and economic justice, Trumka is the nation’s clearest voice on the critical need to raise workers’ wages in this slow and painful economic recovery. He heads the labor movement’s efforts to create an economy based on broadly shared prosperity and to hold government and employers accountable to working families.

Elected president of the federation in 2009, Trumka shapes the economy in two primary ways—by leading the mobilization of masses of working people through a nationwide network of state and local labor federations, and by working one on one with government executives, legislators and business leaders. The goal is adopting progressive, pro-worker laws and policies at every level to improve life for working families.

Wiki said he is a lawyer and has been in Union leadership since a little after 1990.

If he is the only thing keeping the coal plants turning out electricity that is a good bet.

I don't think he would win an election like a celebrity would. And a celebrity has no real obligations, if he can use his own money. Total flexibility fro maximum opportunism.

He's the face of the AFL-CIO on C-SPAN so I guess I'm just used to seeing him.

I was pointing out that he has an actual army and trade unions are by definition syndicalist/guild socialist. Public sector unions are their natural allies and would fall in lock step as well.

The constitution is not a document widely celebrated amongst union leaders.

That crossed my mind at the 12.5 million. They would be rifle (militia) level technology... 50/50 odds, not counting circumstances which boost their odds to the max.

The political winner has all of the magic technology and millions of folks who can do it the easy way, with lots of material and psychological support.

I have been missing C-SPAN since they required a cable subscription to watch live on the internet. Used to watch it a few hours per day.

Holy poop! I didn't know that C-SPAN was blocking access at all!

I just checked an old article that says that they dropped the live streams of the broadcast channels but the library is still directly accessible. Whew!

It means you can't call in for Washington Journal since you can't watch it until later on that day. I wouldn't be surprised if that is why they did it.

Not cool but, if you've ever listened to the live listener calls on WJ every morning you would have permanent handprints on your face. Afterwords is a good call in that would be lost as well.

I thought the callers where informative about what was being pushed by the MSM. The occasional Libertarian caller was priceless. All things considered I think the WJ hosts themselves are pretty fair. The callers are talking marching orders usually.

Right now you could know how close the Global Warming legislation or anti gun legislation is by how many segments and callers there are in favor.

Obamacare was the daily topic before it passed.

I know what you mean, Greta and Pedro are approaching seniority now and the new faces are pretty good. Brian even does the occasional interview still.

They are all nearly impossible to decode, true representatives of apparent journalistic indifference.

I can't help thinking Susan and Greta are progressives, but even so they ask good followups against those positions. I think Steve and Abby (not as many samples of her) are conservative. Brian is close to the bone truth whatever he is. I don't know who all is there now. I didn't see Pedro that much.

Susan is Brian's protege so that would imply that Brian is as well. I think that's right because the very idea of C-SPAN was about bringing policy to the public, a very Democratic idea and Brian was its creator

I like to think of it as an exercise in transparency but, it's far more likely that it was meant to be a vehicle for progressive policy exposure.

Whatever their politics, here's to the nerd stars!

Long live the Nerd Stars

And the gun control caller " Here's my opinion on gun control *gunshot*... 3 seconds...*gunshot**"

People have no idea how awesome America is at 6AM.

originally posted by: Snarl
a reply to: greencmp

We agree fundamentally. The devil's in certain details. I can't see a Rubio endorsement for Cruz. His handlers are the ones who control that and they set him upon Cruz for a reason. I wonder if they won't let him go under in the next election cycle and find a less hi-vis position for him. My most conservative friends would back Rubio, but when I attack him as a RINO in argument they back right down.

That Cruz was once a Tea Party favorite is about the only 'rabbit' left in the hat. He could play that if it was a one-on-one race against Trump. Playing that card would drop him out of the race with Marco nipping at his heels.

The one thing I 'hope' for with Trump is that he's got too much of a personal fortune to risk in not winning the Presidency. It's also why I think Bloomberg is readying himself in the dugout as Trump's pinch hitter.

There's two things I consider:
1. The pending economic collapse
2. A foreign invasion

When the economy collapses, whoever is seated will become the dictator. That person needs to be in control of the military and have unfettered access to 'the football'. You won't see a reliable transition of power to a Libertarian in such conditions. I think you'd only get that via revolution ... And a revolution can't happen if the ultimate outcome is a successful invasion by the Chinese and the Russians (and you know they'd love to make that happen). Trump doesn't want to be POTUS ... he wants to be dictator as does Bloomberg. They just won't risk going broke in the process. LOL

Could be hard for his campaign staff to give up but, we've already seen the admirable ownership of responsibility that he displayed about the debate gaff which was really just truth excessively repeated in an inelegant fashion. I think he has the heart and stones for it.

I can't see Rubio supporters going to Trump so the risk is that they might actually go to an independent or even the Democrat so an endorsement would be appropriate.

If I thought Johnson could get in for a second I would back him but, this is where the rubber meets the road. It's critical that we don't get a packed court.

I'm also pro 'pay attention to what your state of war and with whom' is.

Trump is better than a Democrat in rhetoric and foreign policy (did I say that!?) but, essentially indistinguishable in domestic policy.

originally posted by: Snarl
a reply to: greencmp

We agree fundamentally. The devil's in certain details. I can't see a Rubio endorsement for Cruz. His handlers are the ones who control that and they set him upon Cruz for a reason. I wonder if they won't let him go under in the next election cycle and find a less hi-vis position for him. My most conservative friends would back Rubio, but when I attack him as a RINO in argument they back right down.

That Cruz was once a Tea Party favorite is about the only 'rabbit' left in the hat. He could play that if it was a one-on-one race against Trump. Playing that card would drop him out of the race with Marco nipping at his heels.

The one thing I 'hope' for with Trump is that he's got too much of a personal fortune to risk in not winning the Presidency. It's also why I think Bloomberg is readying himself in the dugout as Trump's pinch hitter.

There's two things I consider:
1. The pending economic collapse
2. A foreign invasion

When the economy collapses, whoever is seated will become the dictator. That person needs to be in control of the military and have unfettered access to 'the football'. You won't see a reliable transition of power to a Libertarian in such conditions. I think you'd only get that via revolution ... And a revolution can't happen if the ultimate outcome is a successful invasion by the Chinese and the Russians (and you know they'd love to make that happen). Trump doesn't want to be POTUS ... he wants to be dictator as does Bloomberg. They just won't risk going broke in the process. LOL

Mostly I think Trump is going to win. I don't know what he can do, or wants to do.

I think he will win because its the Republicans turn and he's got something like Reagan had as far as the media goes. Maybe all he has in common with Reagan is that the media don't like him. They called Reagan flat out stupid from time to time, but Reagan talked like it was all his idea. A 2000 History Channel conspiracy show said Reagan didn't get the Riot Act read to him until he won the primary.



The Reagan part is just after 29.00