Bush's speech was well delivered -- but crazy and scary

[Armstead]

Bush's speech last night was well delivered and rational sounding. Posibly inspiring to many people.

But it was crazy and scary. It was a call for a New Crusade at home and abroad. We're guided by a vision "from beyond the stars." Hmmmmm...Could that be Heaven?

Bush does not want to merely make us safer. He wants to "spread freedom around the world." Well, don't we all? But Bush has his own notions of "freedom" and he is proposing doing it at the point of a gun, and by kicking over the beehive. That is a formula for aggressive military expansionism and empire building. That is what he was talking about. Iraq was just Round One. Make no mistake. If Bush is re-elected, there will be more Iraq Wars.

At home, he gave a lot of moderate pablum. Buthe really spelled out his plans to take away freedom at home for everyone except big business.

Bush gave the Kerry campaign a lot of ammo there. Bush laid out the stakes and they are huge. But will Kerry offer a big campaign? That is the $50 question.

[MidwestMomma]

1. Pretty sure countries round the world are looking over their shoulders

Wondering when the "Liberty Century" tour will be heading their way....

Step right up folks..100 years of neo-con style liberation heading to a country near you.

Pretty damn scary.

[Armstead]

8. Yes, I'm sure it went over big in the Middle East

[LisaL]

2. Yes, I wonder what he means by spreading freedom around the world?

Right now he thinks he is spreading Peace around the world.
And that has been going splendidly, hasn't it?:eyes:

[BJ]

3. "A more hopeful America" was one of King George's themes.

What the hell's that supposed to mean?

Hope we get out of Iraq with a shred of national dignity?

Hope the unemployment numbers out today aren't too low?

Hope that a risky scheme to "save" Social Security doesn't cause an economic crash in...what 2010, 2012?

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. the liberty century crap

was out of the PNCAC Plan, it was that transparent

[Armstead]

7. He's not even trying to disguise it anymore

It was a Neo-Con litany.

People think Bush is selling safety. But the product is really a formula for endless war.

That has to be spelled out somehow.

[snippy]

11. True. The new 100 year Reich. n/t

[GreenPartyVoter]

5. Very scary!

---------------------------------------------------------------
And God told His children: "I love you. Play nice."

Would Jesus love a liberal? You bet!
http://www.geocities.com/greenpartyvoter/liberalchristians.htm

[Not Me]

6. He must have been up on his meds.

n/t

[WyLoochka]

9. The line about

"this has got to be the best country in the world to do business" was one of the scariest.

Clearly, big business thinks it is better to "do business" where it can get away with exploiting people for labor while paying them as little as possible. Big business also prefers to "do business" where it can raid resources and befoul environments with no hindrances whatsoever.

Unless strong corrective measures are inserted into international trade agreements that assure the growth of a global middle class, and also protect the environment globally, there will be tremendous downward pressure on compensation for labor here in the USA and the middle class will crumble into poverty.

Make no mistake about it: a vote for BushCo is a vote for devolution of the middle class in the US and the establishment of an entrenched, global feudalist economic system, so that every place in the world will be "the best place to do business."

I am more pissed off then ever at the DLCers and that includes Clinton. Their policies of "incrementalism" have been devastating. They were dead flat out wrong to have signed onto NAFTA etc without FIRST insisting on altering these agreements to lock in real economic development, instead of exploitation, of workers abroad. The approach "we'll take this first step and then get it corrected later" does NOT work. We are on a downward spiral, as far as compensation for work goes here, and if BushCo actually succeeds in fooling enough people and gets elected it's going to be a very long hard fall into deprivation for younger generations of Americans. Thanks for making this possible DLC.

[Merlin]

12. You're right. But then, you're wrong.

You're absolutely right when you say:
Unless strong corrective measures are inserted into international trade agreements that assure the growth of a global middle class, and also protect the environment globally, there will be tremendous downward pressure on compensation for labor here in the USA and the middle class will crumble into poverty.

But then you say that Clinton was wrong to do NAFTA and WTO and that
The approach "we'll take this first step and then get it corrected later" does NOT work.

Not so. That approach does work and it's the only approach that can be taken most of the time when moving in a new, visionary direction. You get agreement on the basics, implement, then fine tune.

One reason it hasn't been done yet is that the Democratic reign was interrupted, remember, in 2000. Another reason is that we Democrats--except for a few isolated voices like you and me crying in the wilderness--aren't screaming bloody murder to get it done. Another problem is that organized labor can't get its head wrapped around this issue, and begin bringing the kinds of pressure needed to induce international labor condition reform via trade agreement enforcement.

It's somewhat promising to hear JK talking about this. I doubt he'll actually follow through, though, without pressure from the outside, and I don't see that developing any time soon. Meantime, pressure from big biz to leave the status quo in place will remain persistent and powerful.

So in the end, the enemy is us.

[WyLoochka]

16. Look

Had Clinton/Gore INSISTED on the appropriate, middle class growing, modifications of NAFTA and WTO BEFORE aiding and abetting Republicans to beat down Perot and get what has turned out to be Robber Baron trojan horses galloping - we would NOT be in this sinking boat.

It was not at all urgent to get NAFTA and the WTO going when it was done. It should have been done the right way or not at all. We had time then. The opportunity has passed and, short of a revolution, I see virtually no way to get back to that point where these agreements can be made beneficial for everyone. The next generations will experience nothing but the "sucking" downward economically to which that nutball who was right, Ross Perot referred.

Clinton/Gore and the DLC could have "triangulated" more effectively by leaning toward and incorporating some of the Perot side of the arguments and using that "coalition" to club the neo-feudalists over the head making THEM back down.

Nope - the neo-feudalists got exactly what they wanted. Clinton/Gore "triangulated" by coalescing with them and clubbed the Perotists over the head instead of doing the right thing when the opportunity presented itself. The opportunity is not going to come back. It's a done deal.


God damn the DLC. I hope Al From burns in Hell, because that is what his cooperation with what is obviously the enemy has wrought for future generations.

[seabeyond]

10. i say bush doesnt have to wait until after election like kerry

to fulfill his promises. gonna do all these things for america, what better campaign for him to get his ass to washington and get on it. show us that he is seriously gonna give us all these things. we have been waiting four years, why should we wait another two months. he is after all still on the job

i think we should all demand it of him. gonna promise, show us, or forget it, will justhave to assume he is lieing again

full of hot air

[kentuck]

13. At first, he sounded like a second grader trying to read...

"The dog jumped over the fence"

[Armstead]

15. Well, I was being nice about it

But it wasn't as horrible as he sometimes is

[Entente]

14. Freedom, the new Aids!

Liberty, the new black...