Rubio

[Pointedstick]

Marco Rubio has next to no private sector experience and jumped into government very soon after graduating from college.

Marco Rubio, in his chosen profession (politics), has never faced a truly challenging election and mostly won in lopsided races due to ethnic solidarity or or split tickets.

Marco Rubio has never accomplished anything particularly noteworthy in his entire life, in either the private or public sector.

Marco Rubio is incapable of managing his personal finances and has been repeatedly bailed out by a billionaire. (citation)

Marco Rubio has been eagerly, even desperately adopted by the same Republican establishment that has made the world more dangerous the the USA less free.

Marco Rubio owes a great deal to powerful people for facilitating his rapid rise to power.

Marco Rubio is a beneficiary of birthright citizenship.



I honestly don't see anything attractive about the man.

[Pointedstick]

Let me say it even more clearly: The man is a puppet. That's simply the correct word to describe him. He is young and naive, has no political accomplishments, and can be found dead broke most of the time. Marco Rubio is a bought-and-paid-for political tool of whomever pays him the most, both on a political level and personally. And who has bought Rubio? The big business neocon GOP establishment. A Marco Rubio presidency will continue to decimate the rest of the world with stupid wars, outsource American jobs to foreigners, invite in the world's poor to take what's left of them, and pass cronyistic laws favoring giant corporations under the guise of "free trade." Mark my words, that is what a Marco Rubio presidency would look like. If you didn't like Bush II or Obama, Marco Rubio should pretty much be dead last on your list.

[Pointedstick]

Oh yes, I was in high school at the time and a flaming liberal. I read the entire report and was thoroughly chilled by it, especially the part where they acknowledged that some kind of mass attack would be necessary before they could manipulate people into blaming Iraq.

Little wonder most Millennials have become liberals.

[Pointedstick]

After the invasion, Abu Ghraib, Valerie Plame, etc., I could finally see what the W administration was all about.  They were obsessed with lying, killing and power.  It must have been quite a time for liberals, to see their worst fears played out in front of them.

It sure was. A whole generation (mine) came of political age during this time. George W Bush probably did irreparable harm to the Republican brand among my generation. I'm still amazed the Republicans managed to bounce back so quickly. It's telling that they're now the most popular at the state and local levels where foreign policy doesn't make an appearance. Once Millennials actually start voting, Republicans are gonna need to make some changed to stay competitive. To be fair, I see ample evidence that they already are.

[Pointedstick]

I thoroughly enjoyed your critique of Rubio, PS.

Here's another one from a slightly different vantage point:

Republican Obama
* Gives a good speech
* Dreamboat
* Minimal political life prior to the Senate, minimal accomplishments in Senate
* After just 4 years in the Senate, declares for presidency

Thanks Tenn!

There are even more:
* Sailed into political success mostly due to good timing, bad opponent selection, and other quirks of fortune
* Embarrassing criminal extended family members
* (Potentially) first of his ethnicity to become president
* Easily manipulable; preferred by his party's Lizard Illuminati to other older, more experienced candidates

I have to give credit to Obama, though--he at least managed to practice law and become a college professor before going into politics, and he also succeeded in making millions of dollars on his own.

[moda0306]

Oh yes, I was in high school at the time and a flaming liberal. I read the entire report and was thoroughly chilled by it, especially the part where they acknowledged that some kind of mass attack would be necessary before they could manipulate people into blaming Iraq.

Little wonder most Millennials have become liberals.

Wow, I can just imagine the feeling. 

I was a Republican at the time.  Right after 9/11, I was so happy we didn't have a president Al Gore.  I admit to feeling purely hateful and reactionary, and I was eagerly waiting for Bush to bring the hammer down on the filthy terrorists.  I waited.  I was really impatient with our slow response to 9/11.  We knew it was "Al Qaeda" a day after the attacks; what was taking so damn long to respond?  Finally, we began our half-hearted invasion of Afghanistan.  And at the same time, the propaganda machine for the Iraq war cranked up.  The two top liars in the administration, Condi Rice and Dick Cheney, were in the press full time, pounding the drums for war and irresponsibly trying to link 9/11 to Iraq.  I was dumbfounded .... I became a recovering Republican.  After the invasion, Abu Ghraib, Valerie Plame, etc., I could finally see what the W administration was all about.  They were obsessed with lying, killing and power.  It must have been quite a time for liberals, to see their worst fears played out in front of them. 

As much as I'm disappointed with Obama, nothing he's done has come close (in my mind) to the W admin's transgressions.  And the investigation into Hillary's Benghazi?  Laughable.  Not because she did no wrong, but because her wrongs are so small and almost pathetic in contrast to the mass murdering W admin.

Funny how we can politically change so much over time. Some, anyway. I've had enough 180 degree shifts in opinion on topics that I am pretty desensitized to having to tell myself, "well, dumbass, you were wrong again."  It may surprise some here but I was actually sorta conservative in college. Didn't buy the liberal anti-war "agenda."  I had very little civil libertarian in me, but quite a bit of economic libertarian.  I find GWB and Dick Cheney far more distasteful in hindsight today than I did at the actual time. Now, and especially in the last year or so, I've become extremely civil libertarian. Which gets you all sorts of weird looks when people wanna talk about the lack of transparency in calculating inflation adjustments to SS or corruption in the BLM and I am like "yeah well how about your beloved military and all their secrets and wars in defense of the corporatocracy!!??"

Back to the topic... I can sort of see why you like Rubio.  Even when he's on the attack, he sort of has a "nice guy" feel that can be welcome on a stage where you get so many prickly conservatives.  And who couldn't help feel bad for the guy after that ridiculous water incident. He's got a George W. Bush quality to him... However that should scare the hell out of us. Not lull us in again.

Overall I think PS is spot on.  He is bought and paid for. Not evil. Just a "useful idiot." We don't need more of those.

Shoot... Here you've got me practically advocating for Trump. Dammit.

[Pointedstick]

Overall I think PS is spot on.  He is bought and paid for. Not evil. Just a "useful idiot." We don't need more of those.

Shoot... Here you've got me practically advocating for Trump. Dammit.

Believe me, I was as surprised as anyone to be attracted to Trump. Part of it was the ridiculous ways that people were attacking him, especially the news media! These attacks just rubbed me wrong because they were so hyperbolic and mean-spirited. Like the Huffington Post's decision to cover him in the Entertainment section even after he became the frontrunner. Just really mean and disrespectful. So I dug into it a bit and found that I sort of liked what I saw. I don't think he's the ideal candidate by any stretch of the imagination, but I like his political independence and how he's succeeding in re-making the Republican party to delete the parts of it that I find most distasteful. And I'll admit that I have a very personal soft spot for intelligent, competent technocrat types. I think we've had far too many naive, inexperienced, well-meaning, incompetent boobs who are manipulated by their party's Lizard Illuminati. I think Donald Trump really has the potential to touch the untouchable broken parts of our society. It's what he constantly talks about. That alone is such a breath of fresh air. I'm sick of accepting that certain things will just suck forever. Like Amtrak. Trump hasn't said a word on the subject to my knowledge but it's exactly the kind of thing that I think he'd love to fix. And by "fix" I don't mean, "pour more money into it" like most politicians would, I actually mean fix. As in, make it work and then slap a big TRUMP logo on it. If the price of modern 150 MPH bullet trains is a Trump logo, I say bring it on.

If you're interested and haven't already seen this, I highly recommend Scott Adams' take on Trump:

http://blog.dilbert.com/tagged/Trump

[moda0306]

Overall I think PS is spot on.  He is bought and paid for. Not evil. Just a "useful idiot." We don't need more of those.

Shoot... Here you've got me practically advocating for Trump. Dammit.

Believe me, I was as surprised as anyone to be attracted to Trump. Part of it was the ridiculous ways that people were attacking him, especially the news media! These attacks just rubbed me wrong because they were so hyperbolic and mean-spirited. Like the Huffington Post's decision to cover him in the Entertainment section even after he became the frontrunner. Just really mean and disrespectful. So I dug into it a bit found sort of liked what I saw. I don't think he's the ideal candidate by any stretch of the imagination, but I like his political independence and how he's succeeding in re-making the Republican party to delete the parts of it that I find most distasteful. And I'll admit that I have a very personal soft spot for intelligent, competent technocrat types. I think we've had far too many naive, inexperienced, well-meaning, incompetent boobs who are manipulated by their party's Lizard Illuminati. I think Donald Trump really has the potential to touch the untouchable broken parts of our society. It's what he constantly talks about. That alone is such a breath of fresh air. I'm sick of accepting that certain things will just suck forever. Like Amtrak. Trump hasn't said a word on the subject to my knowledge but it's exactly the kind of thing that I think he'd love to fix. And by "fix" I don't mean, "pour more money into it" like most politicians would, I actually mean fix. As in, make it work and then slap a big TRUMP logo on it. If the price of modern 150 MPH bullet trains is a Trump logo, I say bring it on.

If you're interested and haven't already seen this, I highly recommend Scott Adams' take on Trump:

http://blog.dilbert.com/tagged/Trump

Woah... You're for bullet trains?  I LOVE the idea of getting bullet trains around this country. If trump can pull it off, I'll be impressed.

Well after listening to Dan Carlin explain why he'd rather have Romney as president vs Obama I can sort of see why Trump wouldn't be all bad. While I don't think I'd call him an "intelligent technocrat," (give me Warren Mosler any day. THAT guy is an intelligent technocrat and actually polite too so he's got both going for him), liberals would, unlike now, actually be motivated to call out executive overreach. When you have Obama in the White House, 80% of liberals put their pitch forks back in the shed and have a good cry over gay marriage getting passed and put rainbows all over everything. Maybe, just maybe.... Put Trump in the White House and he won't be able to sneeze in the direction of the Middle East without half the country pointing at him and yelling "baby killer!"

And since I'm a MR'ist I'll forgive his awful math in assuming his massive tax cuts to the rich will result in anything but a massive deficit.

He does wear his flaws on his sleeve. And I have a new-found appreciation for the effect that will have on society. That's why I also really like Bernie Sanders. You know he really believes every word he says. He has the balls to run as a socialist in a country that mostly doesn't know what the word means but hates it anyway. And while I think Trump is full of a lot of hot air, he wears his policy goals on his sleeve, and liberals will HATE him, and finally get back to doing their job and calling out American military bullsh!t.

Perhaps I can plug my nose and support the idea of him in spite of... Well HIM.

[Pointedstick]

Woah... You're for bullet trains?  I LOVE the idea of getting bullet trains around this country. If trump can pull it off, I'll be impressed.

Dude… I want to get some fuckin' bullet trains in this country. And then I want the Amtrak equivalent of everything else that sucks for no good reason except for dumb politics to be turned into its equivalent of a bullet train. Let's make everything fucking fast and awesome and then we can feel positive about ourselves as Americans for good reasons again.

[moda0306]

Woah... You're for bullet trains?  I LOVE the idea of getting bullet trains around this country. If trump can pull it off, I'll be impressed.

Dude… I want to get some fuckin' bullet trains in this country. And then I want the Amtrak equivalent of everything else that sucks for no good reason except for dumb politics to be turned into its equivalent of a bullet train. Let's make everything fucking fast and awesome and then we can feel positive about ourselves as Americans for good reasons again.

Yes!

It's official. "Fucking bullet trains" is at or near the top of the Anarchist-Statist-Technocrat Unity Party platforms. No details. No no budget. Just "fucking bullet trains."

Right next to it is one-page tax returns and nuclear power plants.

AMERICA!!!!

[Ad Orientem]

I could live with Rubio, though I have problems with his support for illegal immigration.

[Pointedstick]

Yes!

It's official. "Fucking bullet trains" is at or near the top of the Anarchist-Statist-Technocrat Unity Party platforms. No details. No no budget. Just "fucking bullet trains."

Right next to it is one-page tax returns and nuclear power plants.

AMERICA!!!!

Hot damn, nuclear power plants.

[Pointedstick]

By the way, Moda, a little duckDuckGo'ing (DuckingDuckGo?) revealed the following:

http://video.foxnews.com/v/4586873/trum ... ear-energy

http://dailycaller.com/2015/05/13/trump ... -elect-me/

[MachineGhost]

I honestly don't see anything attractive about the man.

Welllllll, most of his policies are better than Bush's!

[MachineGhost]

It sure was. A whole generation (mine) came of political age during this time. George W Bush probably did irreparable harm to the Republican brand among my generation. I'm still amazed the Republicans managed to bounce back so quickly. It's telling that they're now the most popular at the state and local levels where foreign policy doesn't make an appearance. Once Millennials actually start voting, Republicans are gonna need to make some changed to stay competitive. To be fair, I see ample evidence that they already are.

The oldest Millennial is now 35.  At what point do they start to vote?

[MachineGhost]

I have to give credit to Obama, though--he at least managed to practice law and become a college professor before going into politics, and he also succeeded in making millions of dollars on his own.

Um, no way.  He got rich off his books he wrote for his campaign!

[MachineGhost]

I could live with Rubio, though I have problems with his support for illegal immigration.

I have problems with his support for corporate immigration.  If that attempted giveaway wasn't proof of how he is a puppet, I don't know what else is.  This is why we need term limits and kill off the political class as a career.

[Pointedstick]

I have to give credit to Obama, though--he at least managed to practice law and become a college professor before going into politics, and he also succeeded in making millions of dollars on his own.

Um, no way.  He got rich off his books he wrote for his campaign!

Dreams From My Father was published in 1995.

[WiseOne]

I could live with Rubio, though I have problems with his support for illegal immigration.

I have problems with his support for corporate immigration.  If that attempted giveaway wasn't proof of how he is a puppet, I don't know what else is.  This is why we need term limits and kill off the political class as a career.

PS is spot on - the man is a tool of whoever contributes votes & campaign dollars, and I don't know that he holds any positions out of a belief that it's actually the best approach for the country.  I'm pretty sure he is banking on a big chunk of the Hispanic vote, so of course he'll go as far in that direction as he dares.  Also, I don't see much practical difference between him and Hilary Clinton - on this topic or anything else.

Trump really may turn out to be the best option here.  When you think about it, what's a President's job?  It's mainly to be a figurehead/cheerleader, to appoint & manage the people who actually run the government (Cabinet etc), and to direct political attention to places where it's needed most.  I'd like to know who Trump would pick for his VP and Cabinet, but assuming he makes reasonable choices there he could very well excel at jobs #1 and #3.  And, I assume that he would be far better at people managing than Obama has been.

[MachineGhost]

Dreams From My Father was published in 1995.

Okay, let me try and understand this...  Who the fuck cared about OBAMA! in 1995?!!

What gave this guy the right to be audacious and write a book that anyone would give two shits about?  And he made millions from it?

I smell a rat.

Then again maybe the book languished NOWHERE until his primary speech and later campaign?  I can buy that one, but I wouldn't call it a success.  That's lucky.

[Pointedstick]

There's a great one today.

http://blog.dilbert.com/post/1324080863 ... -the-world

But let’s talk about the frightened citizens who genuinely believe Donald Trump could be a disaster as president, with his narcissism, xenophobia, bullying, huge ego, and selfish capitalist greed. That’s a scary list. But today we will view this list with the Master Persuader filter. The Master Persuader Hypothesis says that a persuader of Trump’s caliber will (always) send a large chunk of the population into a form of temporary irrationality called cognitive dissonance. I have predicted that you will see more of it, and that you can identify it by the tells.

So today I will describe some of the fears I hear about a potential Trump presidency. I will try to be objective.

Fear 1: Trump is a bully with a big mouth and no diplomatic nuance. He might offend a world leader and trigger a war. In unrelated news, we continue to be puzzled at how Trump has been a terrible person for several decades and yet we hear only glowing reports from the people who know him best, including his family, business associates, and friends. Even his ex-wife, Ivana, is pro-Trump.

And Trump often reminds us that he was against the Iraq war. As a general rule, people who own tall buildings don’t like to start wars with people who blow up real estate for a living. If Trump is looking out for Trump assets, he isn’t going to be starting wars.
[...]
Fear 6: Trump is all hype. If he had invested his inherited fortune in an index fund and never worked a day in his life he would be worth more than he is now. But instead, Trump entered a variety of businesses, succeeded at many, learned from his mistakes, and employed tens of thousands of people while developing one of the most famous brands on earth. And now he will probably be president. Was that the wrong play?

Fear 7: Trump is a closet racist. We can tell by the way he talks about immigrants. For example, Trump wants more immigrants with technical skills to become citizens of the United States, and he wants fewer of the criminal types.

We also know Trump is a racist because of his proposal to ship eleven million illegal immigrants back home. Granted, Trump wrote a book describing how he always makes an aggressive first offer, every time, without exception, yet we are sure he didn’t mean it this time.

There's much more! http://blog.dilbert.com/post/1324080863 ... -the-world

[Pointedstick]

It's because Trump is interesting. Rubio is not. He's a garden variety shill for the wealthy and powerful. There simply isn't much there.

[Reub]

Yes, but Trump (not Rubio) really hates Rosie O'Donnell. Can we trust a guy like that?

[MachineGhost]

Yes, but Trump (not Rubio) really hates Rosie O'Donnell. Can we trust a guy like that?

I hate Rosie O'Donnell too and people trust me.  She's nothing but a fat fuck face stuffer with drug addictions lounging around in her stained sweatpants.  And a loud annoying mouth.

[MediumTex]

I think that what's happening is that all of the rules of politics are being re-written and the bar is being lowered dramatically.

In the past, the news media saw itself as a Woodward and Bernstein-type gatekeeper.  It simply wouldn't cover vanity projects like Trump and Carson.  In a world where the Kardashians are some of our biggest celebrities, however, the news media now simply wants to have something to write about to stay relevant.  Who cares if what they are covering is stupid, as long as they are getting clicks.

I think that what is happening as this new reality unfolds is that people are realizing that anything goes, and there own personal reservations are also loosening up.  We saw it at the state level with Ventura and Schwarzenegger, and then we saw it at the national level with Obama and perhaps Trump or Carson.  No one cares about substantive issues any more, which means that the substantive decisions are being made by people whose names no one even knows.  The "leaders" today are more just figureheads than they have been at any time in our history.

I think that Beastie Boys were looking ahead to all of this depressing dumbing down of our national leadership back in 1994 when they sampled the following line in "B Boys Makin' With the Freak Freak": “Shit, if this is gonna be that kind of party, I'm gonna stick my dick in the mashed potatoes!”

How far away are we from President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho? 

President Camacho talks about violence on television: https://youtu.be/llwgHjfagBo (1:48)

President Camacho gives his State of the Union address: https://youtu.be/sGUNPMPrxvA (2:22)

The Press coverage of scandals under President Camacho: https://youtu.be/uxoiOJ280LI (1:32)