[Malacite]

If anyone's going to be up late tonight, catch the Replay of Anderson Cooper 360 on CNN.

I'm serious, tonight was an incredibly good discussion with David Gurgon and Fareed Zakaria about the massive challenges that next President and the USA face in the coming years.


This is serious shit that unfortunately too few people are educated on.

[Sabaron]

Hooray for Democrat TV?

Challenges (of the Democratic Party Vision) for the next (Democratic) President.

I'm sure it'll be "fair and balanced" (yes, I realize that this is the slogan for the opposite channel).

1. Create a socialized health care system using the Democratic Party Model.
2. Pander to Democratic Lobbyists.
3. Remove the military from the Fire formerly known as Iraq--we don't need to control it, it'll burn itself out once it consumes the whole forest.
4. Say well-meaning things to people in long-winded flowery and mostly empty speeches.
5. Kiss babies.
6. Pretend to Save Teh Environmints.
7. Pretend to care about "The People".
8. Raise Taxes.
9. Create more well-meaning social programs that wicked men can transform into income vehicles for their own personal gain.

[Malacite]

Actually it was a very unbiased discussion (even though both of these guys support Obama, neither of them really heaped any praise or mentioned them specifically in regards to any of the topics)

They were talking about the problems the country (and the world) faces, and what either candidate will have to do. Drop the cynicism for a moment and try to get a sense of what's going on in the world. Too many people have their heads buried in the sand. They mentioned some pretty hard stuff that neither of the candidates are talking about (at least not for now) because of the harsh reality of it (not to mention political suicide)


Things like the only way to really get China and India on board to use clean coal rather than cheaper, dirty coal would be for the U.S. to subsidize these countries to do so. Anyone who thinks China and India are going to slow their growth and development just for the planet's sake is seriously kidding themselves.

[Sabaron]

I might watch it... but I don't have CNN (the TV station) so only if it was posted on the video feed at CNN.com in some prominent location.

As for the Chinese Coal situation... I don't think we should bribe China to use "better" coal. When you refer to "cheap" and "expensive" coal, are you referring to "cheap" coal as the natural resource of China which is wholly contained within the borders of China and therefore owned by the People's Republic of China and "expensive" coal as the natural resource of Some Other Country from whom China would have to purchase?

Obviously we shouldn't be giving China our own natural resources just to "save the environment". It's an untenable situation.

The obvious answer is one that is already being sought: Find a better way to use the "dirty" coal. High-sulfur coal is common in the US too, we don't burn it because it's VERY VERY bad for the environment (e.g. kills people who live nearby bad). If China burns really dirty coal like that, they'll eventually end up with the same problem we had when we tried it--death and disease leading to civil unrest.

The difference between Us and Them will be how they deal with the unrest.

Bribing China shouldn't be considered as an option for saving the environment. I would prefer a trade embargo which would definitely fix their little (lead-painted) red wagon. The problem is that Americans can't afford to pay Americans anymore because all of our money is sucked up by a small group of very, very rich people, so we are now dependent upon the Chinese to provide for our basic needs and wants.

[Cometgreen]

This is serious shit that unfortunately too few people are educated on.

Too many people have their heads buried in the sand.

I'd be wary saying that kind of stuff. Just because you're watching a political show does not mean you're absorbing useful or even correct information. Not that I can judge this show in particular, but I think one should be very critical of anything presented by the mainstream media.

For instance, subsidizing China and India (especially in the interest of 'saving the world') is ridiculous. Hell, China would lend us the money we'd use to subsidize them.

[Feba]

lol, clean coal.


Really, Malacite.

[Jarre]

The Challenges of the Next President...... To clear up the mess left by the previous one...

[Malacite]

Oh believe me I don't get all my info off CNN. I also check Canadian news and the BBC along with a number of books. Then you got checkthefacts.org (or w/e that site is)etc etc.

That's part of why I endorse Barack so much, 'cause he really does seem to get it unlike Mc Cain. That said, not once in that entire program did either of them get praised or really mentioned except in regards to the troop withdrawl, saying that even Mc Cain will have to realize that the current troop levels of 130,000 men is unsustainable. So even if Mc Cain wins office, he'll have to find a way politically to reduce troop levels without destroying his presidency, and the same holds true for Barack (but at least Barack admits that this has to be done extremely carefully).


The one thing that irked me is when they got to talking about the Surge. They're mostly right in that they really did just stop fighting and weren't actually beaten in combat. However they keep neglecting the fact that Petreus gave the O.K. to paying off some of these people with some of the reconstruction money. (This was all over Canadian and British news a good week or so before CNN and other American stations got so much as a whiff of it, and it quickly died out... gee I wonder why...)


Well it's over and done with now so if you missed it you can always inform yourself through other means. I personally just found this one very good as Zakaria is totally on the ball. Don't forget that Gurgon was an adviser for 4 presidents as well, so this guy isn't talking out his ass either.

[Audioma]

Ever since CNN decided to make coverage of Paris Hilton's arrest priority over General Petraeus' report on the status of the operation in Iraq, their impression of them being a crowd of pandering journalist wannabes has been set in stone with me. Not like he said anything unexpected about the "operation" though :/ The point is, it's the fucking CENTRAL NEWS NETWORK. Not the E! Channel.

Take away the mountain of money they dump in to their programming for all the flashy effects (usually used to sensationalize an otherwise mediocre issue), and you have Journalism Club from a local high school broadcasting to a very, VERY large audience (of easily impressionable sheep, naturally ^^).

I would be suprised if whatever banter they had wasn't half-scripted. :roll:

{Thanks for the offer, but I'll have to pass.}


Blegh..the next president is definitely being handed keys to a broken and condemned home though -.-



Not fun.



Iz obvious I hayte CNN, noe?

[Raydeus]

Originally Posted by Audioma

Ever since CNN decided to make coverage of Paris Hilton's arrest priority over General Petraeus' report on the status of the operation in Iraq...

Some people would say both events were pretty much interchangeable.







...what? <_<;

[Audioma]

Originally Posted by Raydeus

Some people would say both events were pretty much interchangeable.







...what? <_<;

You win ;_;

[TheGrandMom]

Mal, the thing that people must master is the art of listening to both sides openly and without bias. If you can not listen to both sides and glean the good from both then you can't make an objective opinion. It's difficult for many because their heart has already made camp on a side. I am able to do it because I do not get deeply involved until the time comes for me to make a decision. I remember that words are just that......words. Anyone can say anything at anytime to better their outcome. Everyone does it; and even more so in the political arena. Always remember the saying "Talk is cheap" and "Actions speak louder than words." Look back on their deeds and not their words. The measure of a man is in the things he has done and not in the words he can say. Just some friendly advice to go into the political arena with both eyes and ears open.

[Feba]

I have to disagree with TGM on one point-- look back on their deeds AND their words. See how good they are about holding up their promises and the policies they claim to promote. See how often their words change around-- are they actually a reliable candidate, or do they say they'll go with whatever they think will get the most votes?

[assumedvigilance]

what we need is a good old fashioned threat of nuclear war to help people stop being retarded. whats the difference really who wins? we'll still be under the rule of a republicat... and no they wont fix anything, not really. some things will get better for some other things will get worse for others. nothing is ever fixed. so what is the point?

[Feba]

Originally Posted by assumedvigilance

what we need is a good old fashioned threat of nuclear war to help people stop being retarded.

The 80s disagree.