dagblog - Comments for "Clint, I'm letting go. "

I thought you meant pack

Ramona — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 21:17:01 +0000

I thought you meant pack animals like this. I don't know how macaques howl; up here it's coyotes. But yes, that's how it is.

Not sure packs require a

PeraclesPlease — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 20:00:13 +0000

In reply to I don't see us as pack

Not sure packs require a leader.

Still, seems perception bifurcates. Why, I don't know.

And yes, we guard territory, growl, show teeth. And howl like macaque monkeys.

So any war we wage the

PeraclesPlease — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 19:50:47 +0000

In reply to If you think Obama

So any war we wage the President runs without co.ngressional approval is okay if it's over within 6 months?

Talk about questioning judgment

We are attacking people in other countries with armed drones - typically considered acts of war. But somehow this is war-not war.

And have no doubt, without the US pulling the weight on armaments, logistics, intelligence, no fly zones, France and Britain wouldn't have entered much less won the proxy rebel war in Libya.

And somehow it didn't seem to help us set a precedent for Syria, so I still don't understand what it was about.

I don't see us as pack

Ramona — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 12:26:55 +0000

In reply to Actually, I though Clint

I don't see us as pack animals. That would require a leader. I think it's more likely we all seek out those who agree with our own world views and we're comfortable enough in those settings to express our thoughts freely. When someone agrees or comes up with an aha moment, we're not being sheep by locking hands or slapping backs. We're following the patterns of all society since the days of the cavemen. Solidarity. Camaraderie. All for one and one for all.

If someone comes at us in what might be perceived as a threatening or menacing way, we've established a bond that requires that we band together. It's what makes us human, and as humans we're about as imperfect as we are awesome.

Actually, I though Clint

PeraclesPlease — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 06:07:53 +0000

In reply to Partisans spin to defend

Actually, I though Clint sounded like my old man with Alzheimers and the delayed stuttering and mumbling, but instead of ending up pointless nowheres, Clint's somehow always ended up at the actual point or joke. No, physically can't go fuck myself, no won't shut up, why don't we just leave Afghanistan tomorrow, conservatives in Hollywood undercover/not hotdogging, crying like a baby, a lot of unemployed...

I of course could slap down each of the points, but in terms of speech given to the crowd, I think each cheering and laughing point was authentic - he gave them red meat as a "no country for old men" guy, and despite criticisms about "going on forever", it was a lot more intriguing and captivating than a standard America-fuck-yeah speech.

Anyway, after the peanuts thread, I'm trying to fathom the more basic point of why there are these eclectic cliques that see things in pretty much exactly the same way, whether middle class white boy from the south or immigrant girl from horn of africa or Nova Scotian/Oxford hybrid Canadian/Brit or Lulu whatever his story, while several other cliques form that manage to see things in a completely different way, and then the Republicans and their various cliques.

It's the same for how we see Clint, fathom health care, talk about Afghanistan or Gitmo, Wall Street - why are we such pack animals, and how can there be so many ways of looking at things to support all these cliques? Objectively someone may be "right", but that's less my point. Who's making all these varied realities, and how are they programming the cliques?

Oops, tinfoil hat slipped off, be back in a sec...

If you think Obama

NCD — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 01:26:49 +0000

In reply to I don't admire Obama. He

If you think Obama 'ruthlessly slashed assistance to the poor' I wonder what adjective you would use for the Romney/Ryan planned cuts of funding for Medicaid, food stamps and Medicare? All to be used to balance tax cuts on millionaires and billionaires?

As to 'dragging us into the war in Libya' the military action was approved by the UN Security Council, France and Britain took the lead in the air strikes, the US did not have one service member who was injured or killed, no US forces entered or are occupying the country, and the 'war' or civil uprising was over within 6 months. If you think that is mismanagement of US foreign policy I would frankly question your judgment.

I don't admire Obama. He

Aaron Carine — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 00:16:59 +0000

In reply to Clint, I'm letting go.

I don't admire Obama. He ruthlessly slashed assistance to the poor; he signed the bill authorizing detention without trial, he dragged us into war in Libya; he didn't realize it was time to get out of Afghanistan. If I vote for him, it will be to prevent an invasion of Iran

Just watched Clint's speech

EmmaZahn — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 21:11:00 +0000

In reply to Clint, I'm letting go.

Just watched Clint's speech and, yes, it was strange but at least it teed up some populist issues for Obama/Biden/Democrats to swing at next week. It would be risky but fun to see correspondents' dinner Obama respond to empty-chair Clint rather than empty-suit [fill in the blank]. For example, remind him that who actually created the Afghanistan, Gitmo and financial messes he has had to deal with.

Did you notice how the crowd cheered at the prospect of government job creation? Though oddly just as much for the prospect of a businessman President who has done so much to offshore, outsource and lay off so many.

Now back to the RNC's YouTube channel to watch Ryan and Romney. Yawn.

Oh, I'm fully acquainted with

Ramona — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 20:44:59 +0000

In reply to Partisans spin to defend

Oh, I'm fully acquainted with senior moments. All of us old folks have them (I had them when I was young, too). Most of us know how to compensate for them, and all of us would know to never, ever go up on a stage, even at the local fire hall, without being completely prepared. Because we know about those senior moments. What happened with Eastwood didn't seem to be senior moments as much as an attempt at improv gone flat.

I'm betting he thinks he did just fine last night. And why wouldn't he? The crowd loved him.

I hear what you are saying

A Guy Called LULU — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 20:39:40 +0000

In reply to Partisans spin to defend

I hear what you are saying and I think that it, partisan spin, is often the case or the explanation. I do not think it is the entire case this time. The original Facebook post was put up by my nephew who is in his early 40's and who I have never known to be particularly interested in politics. The responses are from his friends. I think they liked The old fart just as much as they said they did.

Did I forget to mention that they are Texans too. Might not have been fair to leave that out.