Warren totally bombs on Venezuela
Elizabeth Warren supports Juan Guaido. Supports sanctions of Venezuela. Says Maduro is starving his people even though she acknowledges that the US has economic sanctions and that she supports those sanctions.
She's horrible and a threat to Latin America. pic.twitter.com/2FTH2yufXV
— (@AlytaDeLeon) November 18, 2019
This is just atrocious that she is spouting the global hegemony line and blames the 40,000 deaths on Maduro and not our sanctions against Venezuela.
If she feels this way about Venezuela, I have no doubts in my mind that she supports the coup in Bolivia.
She talks about meddling in Latin America. The USA needs to stay out of Latin America. I hate her even more now. I can't believe people still call her progressive. pic.twitter.com/WBgnymZ7JS
— (@AlytaDeLeon) November 18, 2019
Comments
I'm not sure
"enlisting our allies" does much more than put a larger fig leaf -- OAS Plus -- on the fact that it's still the US big-footing around the world, especially in this hemisphere, leading the way to impose its will on other countries.
I think it's Bernie's Stance Plus as well. Bernie basically called Maduro a "vicious tyrant" in a recent debate. But not sure if he also went further and called for rounding up the usual allies in order to pressure Maduro, basically in order to force him out.
This from Liz is not encouraging. But I suppose not entirely unexpected when the Left years ago, esp during Obama, abandoned the FP playing field and acquiesced to a range of unfortunate and aggressive US policies. The prog grass roots just aren't organized and energized in sufficient numbers to compel our left-leaning pols to do the right thing. And so from them we get NeoconLite attitudes, or cowardly stances on issues like VZ, Bolivia and, still, Russia.
Tulsi's response to Venezuela
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
~Hannah Arendt
Warren will never get my vote.
I took in a divorce case for a vet. He has lots of issues, and a violent wife.
I casually asked him his branch, etc...he was Army, Intel, in the 80's, was in the Granada invasion, but basically got stationed in every single country in Latin America.
Who the hell were we fighting?
How many coups took place then?
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Mass occupation must still be profitable
otherwise Washington wouldn't do it.
I do believe though that most people in a decision-making capacity couldn't answer why the USA is there, pick your location. It just seems like the American thing to do.
great observation, Le Frog
Good grief. Empires all crash. When? When does it finally happen for the US?
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
I think the decline is now,
I just don't know how far along. A strong indicator is when the oligarchy is frantically divvying up what is left of the spoils.
We're not really an empire.
You have to be a country first.
We're where a large, violent bunch of wealthy international capitalists keep their weapons and a large part of their propaganda infrastructure.
We used to be an empire. That already fell, because the capitalists in question decided it was no longer useful.
All the old-fashioned nationalist and imperialist stuff seems to me to be one more set of pretexts at this point. What remains are the impulses that motivated people to be imperialists.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Well well well well
On one hand, this magnificent implosion of fake progressivism is a delight to watch, and I can only hope Warren flip-flops her way to the top tier that Kamala Harris currently occupies. Did someone hand her the Hillary Clinton Path to Victory campaign binder?
On the other hand, this fits right in with American foreign policy in general, so I'm not going to get overheated. Warren is basically in step with 200 years of standard Washington policy.
I read that Warren met with Hillary
and it was after that when she changed her plan for MFA. Dunno if it's true or not, but didn't she meet with her earlier in her candidacy?
But I'm hoping that one debate will focus on foreign policy issues and Warren is asked about her views on Venezuela, Bolivia and the war of terror. The other candidates should also be asked those questions. I'm not going to hold my breath through this will happen. FP seems to be an after thought for voters anymore when it should be one of the most important issues going because of how much money it sucks out of us.
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
~Hannah Arendt
This might seem up the wall, but hear me out
All of my years spent discussing, debating, and yes, sometimes fighting with, Americans online has taught me a couple of things. Many if not most Americans do not at all understand and cannot grasp how the rest of us fear your government. If your government sets its sight on us, it's game over. As a Canadian and a millenial, I am pretty positive that the USA is going to attack Canada over the Great Lakes and the Arctic when water riots hit here the way we currently see them in India and Bangladesh. I don't know if it will be militarily, economically, but I'm frankly hoping I'll be dead by then and give it a miss. And sure, I have less to fear living in Canada than I would living in say Iran.
My second point is that this lack of concept of fear is because the long and systemic conditioning and misinformation has been really successful. History taught in schools, media propaganda, corporate bullshitting, all of it has turned the American military into some kind of global purveyor of order and justice for all these dumb countries (meaning all of them), because every other foreign government is full of crazy and dangerous people who hate freedom and liberty AND WILL TRY TO TAKE YOURS. Perfectly sane people who know intellectually that what you did to Iraq was not a war, but an illegal invasion and occupation, but any peep of a question is un-American and a betrayal of "the troops." Intelligent people believe that what's happening in Central and South America is an alleged threat to the United States and not at all orchestrated by you. Add in that Washington deliberately obfuscates and complicates how military spending is tracked and reported, and of course people powered by fear and exhaustion can't keep up. (And choose your issue, this applies to everything.)
So I'll finish by saying that I while I am frustrated by how many Americans just don't get it (not all), I have come around to a grumbling acceptance; I don't blame regular citizens choosing between a mortgage payment, groceries, or a doctor's appointment for not grabbing Dubya by the ankles and hauling his war criminal self to the Hague's war crimes court or the local guillotine. One can only carry so many pitchforks. Shit is going to get real when Washington is going to be flat broke and some other country, probably China, will be ready to launch its version of a military coup here, and the U.S will be the new Bolivia or Venezuela or choose whichever country. There will be literally no one left to help.
I really can't imagine this
I have asked people who are supportive of our military invasions to ask themselves how they would feel if they woke up to this scene in their cities.
Or this
Why we think it's acceptable for our military to invade countries and kill anything that moves is so beyond my ability to comprehend.
Yep! We won WWII. We won the Cold War. We won the ----- war when we haven't won a war in a very long time, but that doesn't stop us from finding new ones to enter. And they aren't really wars are they?
I wish I could apologize to everyone in the countries that we have ruined or overthrown their government. That our wars are never even discussed during the debates should anger every one of us because it's the ever increasing military budget that has put sanctions on the American people, but people don't see that. America is falling apart or burning up, but congress doesn't care because they don't have to deal with it and they won't allocate money to fix it.
Not a strange comment my maple friend. I wonder how many people in countries on our radar are wondering when the USA axe will fall.
How is it that people don't understand this?
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
~Hannah Arendt
One way to do this is stop calling them "wars"
and I don't mean you specifically, just everyone in general. I will never call it the Iraq "war." To your point about the before-and-after photos of an American Freedom Parade in foreign cities, a truly independent press doing its job would be splashing them around day and night. And for anyone calling the invasions of Syria, Libya or anywhere "war," please locate on a map for all of us where these countries attacked the U.S. first, thanks. (War, my ass.)
The fear thing is really difficult to explain, to articulate what being on the receiving end of imperialism is like. The denial is everywhere. Even on this site, among people I believe twig what I'm talking about, I've had comments directed towards me suggesting I am self-righteous and what I would characterize as dismissive of my critiques of certain politicians, because, the rationale goes, at least they are speaking out. I mean... I do not respond but all I can think is "so the fuck what that they are speaking out, does that bring millions of people in the Middle East back from the dead?" (Totally a person's prerogative to challenge me, I'm not saying no one should!) Anyone running for office, especially for POTUS, who voted yes on Iraq, is written off in my eyes; the only way to come back from that is to be patching up roads, laying bricks, and digging wells with bare hands in Iraq. Otherwise, they can fuck right off with the nonsense of the benefit of hindsight. I find my cats more credible when I demand to know who puked on the rug and they stare at me innocently.
Good point
I do try to call them invasions instead of wars. I agree with you that there have been comments here where they have been dismissive of foreign policy. "People aren't really focusing on our foreign policies and don't think it's important that candidates tell us where they stand." I ran into this last election, but I pushed back as much as I could. No candidate will ever get their domestic policies passed as long as the military budget is as high as it is. This seems to have started during Obama's tenure after those same people were against war during Bush's presidency. I'm sorry that your experienced that here. I too will never vote someone who is pro war and I think both Bernie and Tulsi need to tell us about their foreign policies views. Tulsi says she is against regime change and sending her brothers and sisters into war zones, but for some reason she is still in the military.
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
~Hannah Arendt
The sheer ignorance
is mind-boggling, like the co-worker who talked about how much more freedom women had in Iraq after Saddam was taken out. How could he not know what a BS claim this was?
The smaller the mind the greater the conceit. --Aesop
They are wars, but the descriptor is incomplete; they are
Wars of Aggression, also known as prima facie war crimes and crimes against humanity since Nuremberg.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
The blindness you describe
is one of the most frightening things to me. Especially over the last three years, when people I've agreed with my whole life, including people I respect and love, have come to parrot Russiagate talking points at me, as well as telling me earnestly that Juan Guaido is the president of Venezuela and Maduro is a dictator who ignored the results of an election.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Ordinary citizens never had the ability to drag Dubya
anywhere, unfortunately.
What we did was the only way to express serious opposition under the system we thought we had: repudiate him and his actions by overwhelmingly supporting what was supposed to be his political rival from the opposition party.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Here is the position most of us have come to in the US
WE CAN'T DO A FUCKING THING ABOUT STOPPING IT. EVEN IF A VAST MAJORITY OF US WANTED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT, WE ARE POWERLESS.
If you think voting will help -- newsflash -- it won't. There is ample evidence to show that ordinary voters never get what they want.
If you think rioting in the streets will help -- newsflash -- that won't work either. A lot of us would die for absolutely nothing.
The idea that Americans somehow have control over their military (or their government) is a total myth; yet this myth is believed by countries and their citizens all over the world.
It will take other countries to stop this because the American people do not have the ability to stop our military, at least not by themselves.
We didn't win the Revolutionary War against Britain without substantial outside help.
While you wait for us, we will be waiting for you.
On Liz's backsliding
on M4A, and perhaps her stance on VZ and Bolivia, I read it as more Liz hearing the centrist footsteps of one Mayor Pete, climbing his way to the top in IA, probably pulling away some of Liz's college-educated white support. It's no longer Liz with the momentum, but Pete, the younger, smarter Biden alternative.
For whatever reason she is doing that
it shoots her credibility big time. If she flips and flops to keep centrist candidate at bay then she was never serious about implementing her plan.
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
~Hannah Arendt
Liz has done herself in
because at this point, I doubt that anyone knows where she really stands on any issue. I have never seen a candidate so easily destroy their credibility all by themselves like she has.
Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy
Warren's MFA is nowhere close to single payer or free
I am reading Brainwrap's diary on Warren's plan after she flipped it to implementing it during her 3rd year and here are a few highlights.
More:
Umm, okay. First she is going to fix the ACA, but later she will offer a PO for Medicare??
It really seems that she is all over the board.
Haven't we heard this before? And more than once?
This just seems to be too confusing for people to understand when they thought she was actually going to offer a real MFA plan like Bernie's. But what still astounds me is the number of people who are defending the ACA instead of pushing for Universal Health Care like they wanted back when Obama was offering it. Ponies are not wanted anymore for some reason and defending the ACA that has left millions without health insurance and 500,000 people a year declaring bankruptcy because the hideously flawed ACA did nothing to help people have affordable health insurance/care. I still don't get it how people can want to keep a bad system in place.
I posted this in this essay cuz the MFA essay is probably dead and wanted people to see Warren's new discombobulated plan.
ETA
Yes let's think of the insurance companies instead of people suffering because they can't afford to see a doctor. It's my understanding that Bernie is not going to outlaw private insurance companies. People can still buy coverage if they want, but the goal is to give people their human right to have health care. Coverage, not access to it.
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
~Hannah Arendt
Keep in mind that congress is trying to defund
M/M as as well as many other programs, but so far the only person who has addressed it was Bernie. To me that means candidates are floating proposals that they know might be defunded in the next year or so. And so far this is not getting the attention it should be.
Just read this:
Capping the out of pocket expense is $500 according to what she said a few months ago. So for a few years or more than a decade we are still going to be left with the ACA in place while she works with congress to implement her free MFA that will take 13 years to happen. For those of you buying your health insurance now how old will you be in 13 years? How many years left do you have buying high priced insurance that still pads the pockets of rich people who don't care if you live or die including the congress members who are keeping us from having universal health care?
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
~Hannah Arendt
Here's the formula for Med4America
If you are interested in her plan Brainwrap has done a detailed explanation of it. Very detailed.
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
~Hannah Arendt
That's my thought, too
Mayo Pete, for no good reason at all, is showing well in the polls. Liz "I'm just like Bernie" Warren is now Liz "I'm just like Bernie or Pete if you prefer him" Warren.
lol
"I'm just like..well take your pick."
Good one!
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
~Hannah Arendt
There is no anti-war candidate. Period
The foreign policy of every candidate sucks. They are all in step with 200 years of warmongering. It is a race to the bottom. Who will be the biggest and baddest warmonger? There was a time when the Democratic party had some candidates who seemed semi-serious about putting the brakes on war. But not today.
I recall both Dennis Kucinich and Ron Paul slamming war & empire
and both being sabotaged, savaged, ridiculed, and dumped by their respective parties for their trouble.
Ron Paul was right about the Federal Reserve Bank system, too. It plays a key role, particularly the New York Fed, in keeping exponential amounts of money flowing upward to Wall Street and the elites instead of downward to Main Street.
Re: Bolivia
Good. It makes it easier in many ways if they come right out
and tell you who they are. If I ever doubted that she is playing for the neoliberals' team this puts that doubt to rest once and for all.
I'm really disappointed with
I'm really disappointed with her. This latest escapade of hers clinches it
When the mask falls, it really makes a thud
maybe Team Warren will get a reprieve when Joe Biden says or does something cringeworthy and embarrassing.
Like this?
"I believe that marijuana is a gateway drug." Joe Biden 11/17/2019
Groan.
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
~Hannah Arendt
FOR REAL?!?!
just when I think it can't get any worse, I have to downgrade my expectations!
I will find it for ya
Yep he really believes that.
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
~Hannah Arendt
Oh , the irony!
Is marijuana the reason Hunter Biden became a well known coke head?
Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy
Here you go
It's not all bad though. I think he makes some good points, but keeping marijuana on on the same list as prescription drugs just needs to go away. Especially because so many states have already legalized it.
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
~Hannah Arendt
I can't help but wonder
what excuse he'll come up with for that statement once Pharma gets in on MJ and pushes for full Federal legalization once their patents are in place. Will it still be a gateway drug Joe when Merck is selling it?
Only a fool lets someone else tell him who his enemy is. Assata Shakur
Bingo
This is when it will get legalized for sure and then we will see the rules changed for who can sell it I bet. Might need to be a registered pharmacist like Utah is requiring to be able to disperse it. But right now that is what will hinder Utah being able to patients take it for medical reasons. It is against federal policy so what pharmacist would risk their license to sell it? Catch 22.
Joe does say that people convicted for possession should be let go so there is that. BUt it was his bill that got them locked up in the first place. No on Joe.
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
~Hannah Arendt
"when the mask drops ..."
Sad ...
The guy who was elected President twice (Maduro) she calls a "dictator," and that we should support a guy who never ran for the Presidency in those last two elections in Venezuela (Guaido). Saying Guaido is the legitimate President of Venezuela because the legislature said so is sort of like saying Nancy Pelosi is the President of the US because the House turned Democratic in 2018 and voted for her to be its leader.
So, while Warren's comments on Venezuela are disappointing, and Bernie seems to be hedging a bit, I do believe there's one candidate in the race (Rep. Gabbard) who does understand the situation, as she's repeatedly said it should be the people of Venezuela who select their leader, not the US. In fact, it's kind of ironic that many of the Dems who have been complaining about Russia meddling in the US elections since HRC lost to Trump are OK with the US meddling in Venezuela or Bolivia or Syria or anywhere else.
Huh?
Why would anyone feel like they have to attack Mayo Pete? I don't believe his poll numbers are really that good. I think it is just more media pushing whatever candidate they are hoping will beat Bernie.
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
~Hannah Arendt
Pete = Herman Cain 2020
I can’t take credit for the analogy (Chapo Trap House) but remember going into 2016 when Herman Cain had this come from behind moment and the media hyped him as the new front runner, leaving everyone paying attention scratching their heads? I think we’re looking at the same deal.
I’m really starting to think the Dems are trying to use the Repubs 2016 playbook for some reason. Maybe they fly HER in to play the Trump role?
Idolizing a politician is like believing the stripper really likes you.
More Warren dishonesty?
I read about this earlier, but there wasn't any information that backed it up, but now it looks like her campaign is taking dark money. Someone said that her campaign manager is a huge bundler. Remember that she said that she wouldn't take money from big donors and then back tracked and said just during the primary. Then we found out that she had transferred money from her senate campaign and it was loaded with money from big donors. Sheesh. Warren has flipped on so many issues already and we haven't had one vote yet.
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
~Hannah Arendt
I have come to the conclusion
that Warren is not very intelligent either.
Long ago I said she was Obama 2.0 without the charisma. Warren is another empty suit, or in her case, an empty cardigan sweater.
Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy
She really is.
That pathetic "I don't know, I haven't seen it, I need to look into it I just don't know" while it stuns me it really really should not. This will be her MO throughout her campaign if she wins the nom. And I'm sorry, but Trump will rip into her with NO mercy and he'll look good doing it to perhaps not only his fans but those who are sick and tired of "I just don't know yet." All part of the plan for a Trumpolini 2020 win?
Only a fool lets someone else tell him who his enemy is. Assata Shakur
Downright Reaganesque if you ask me.
And I know no one did.
Idolizing a politician is like believing the stripper really likes you.
Not surprising
with her continuing visits to the would be queen/empress. And Warren's main go to foreign policy advisor being Madeline Albright.
this "Mad" woman ?
omg
As soon as Warren saw the possibility of victory she signalled
the Establishment that she was "safe". This is a reenactment of Clinton and Obama. Her heinousness did not need to signal in 2016 as she was already firmly in the bought-and-paid-for camp. Warren is now ready to move into the White House with no meaningful program and surrounded by all the usual swamp creatures. This is a well known formula- appear to be a Progressive ("change you can believe in") and then move hard to "business as usual", nothingness. What surprises me is that Clinton and Obama were each able to pull this off twice. What is particularly disgusting about Obama is that he had a grassroots army and a large majority in both houses, yet he kissed the ring of royalty. I consider him to the "most disappointing president" in US history. I want my contributions back. But I won't make that mistake with Warren.
Capitalism has always been the rule of the people by the oligarchs. You only have two choices, eliminate them or restrict their power.
clinton had it easy, economy was really
in good shape and all his escapades weren't
to hit until later, ie "the great recession"
as for zero he got away w/it only cuz he followed
dubya.
w/tRumpolini everything is being exposed, ameriKa
the biggest con ever is right in the open for everyone
to see
I never knew that the term "Never Again" only pertained to
those born Jewish
"Antisemite used to be someone who didn't like Jews
now it's someone who Jews don't like"
Heard from Margaret Kimberley
An ad running on football games
Little kids writing to veterans saying without you (the military) we wouldn't have football games.
Propaganda. Pure propaganda. Anyone remember when Saddam threatened to nuke the Super Bowl? How about ISIS' bold plan to take over the NFL Network?
Meanwhile, Warren is being exposed.
The last time the US military made a dent for freedom
Was when they called up to protect black children to enforce integration. The military certainly played no role in getting women the vote. Or ending American Jim Crow.
Very disappointing.
I am beginning to wonder if a democratic president in 2020 will start up more wars than Trump.
It's obvious.
On one of those visits to She Who Should Be King the real Elizabeth Warren was replaced with a Stepford Elizabeth Warren.