Is anyone actually excited that Hilary will be next president?

[First]

I am not excited about Hillary becoming president. What I worry about most is her policy on the Middle East and Syria. She strikes me as much more of a warmonger than Obama. I have no doubt that the Republicans will back her in attacking Assad. It is my fervent hope that she is stymied in some way from engaging in this fool's errand. I am also interested to see what bones she will throw to the banking industry and Saudi Arabia. From my perspective, I would anticipate her Presidency to loosely follow GW Bush's.

Thankfully voters won't stand for it, even in the Republican party the appetite for war with ground troops is basically non-existent, especially so in the base of the Democratic party. I take this as a wonderful bipartisan evolution in how the public looks at war and its consequences, a viewpoint undoubtedly courtesy of the Iraq disaster wrought upon us by the GWB administration.

 

[bshole]

Thankfully voters won't stand for it, even in the Republican party the appetite for war with ground troops is basically non-existent, especially so in the base of the Democratic party. I take this as a wonderful bipartisan evolution in how the public looks at war and its consequences, a viewpoint undoubtedly courtesy of the Iraq disaster wrought upon us by the GWB administration.

I honestly believe the average voter doesn't give a shit. This particular issue just happens to be extremely important to me and a small minority of other people.

 

[First]

I honestly believe the average voter doesn't give a shit. This particular issue just happens to be extremely important to me and a small minority of other people.

Nah they definitely give a shit when soldiers come home dead. See 2006 elections.

 

[Jhhnn]

I'll just be happy if Trump isn't in the White House. GOP voters really set the bar pretty low this election cycle.

Lower than whale shit.

 

[Jhhnn]

hillary is going to be much worse than obama, much, much, much worse.

I know, I know. The whole govt will be poisoned by estrogen, right?

After that, you'll be forced to hold hands & sing Kumbaya around the fire at the FEMA camp.

 

[Vic]

I'm better off than I was 8 years ago, so more of the same is fine by me.

 

[theeedude]

The right wing hysteria about Clintons is there because they know how well Clintons can run this country compared to them. These are people who can't do anything but obstruct. When they had their way, we got the Bush years.

 

[Skyclad1uhm1]

Enough people don't like Clinton to cause the Repuiblicans to win Congress again after she gets elected. But she probably will get elected seeing that the other option is a fascist that's too extreme even for some Republicans.

 

[Puffnstuff]

Trump's website looks like it was designed by a couple of middle school kids on lunch break.

 

[Genx87]

I still have no clue WTF a search warrant has to do with blowing up a terrorist in a foreign country.

Or Police.

Or Domestic Policy regarding drones, they aren't flying over Detroit taking out gangs.

Are you intentionally being obtuse? Eskimospy is laying why having a President with powers to be judge and executioner is a bad idea. Why in the history of this country we never give that kind of power to a single person until Obama.

 

[Jhhnn]

I'm better off than I was 8 years ago, so more of the same is fine by me.

That's true for the country as a whole. Righties act like the financial crisis of 2008 was somehow the result of Dem policy rather than non-oversight of the financial sector during the Bush years. It seems unlikely that will happen under a Clinton presidency.

Some people learn while others just go into denial.

 

[Jhhnn]

Are you intentionally being obtuse? Eskimospy is laying why having a President with powers to be judge and executioner is a bad idea. Why in the history of this country we never give that kind of power to a single person until Obama.

Bullshit. The first American known to be killed in a drone strike was Kemal Darwish in 2002-

http://www.juancole.com/2012/11/how-us-drone-assassinations-all-began-woods.html

Drawing a distinction between fugitive American citizens abroad & foreign nationals is also bullshit. Americans seeking the protection of our laws must necessarily submit to them. That hasn't changed since the days of the Old West & "Dead or Alive" warrants.

 

[Genx87]

Bullshit. The first American known to be killed in a drone strike was Kemal Darwish in 2002-

http://www.juancole.com/2012/11/how-us-drone-assassinations-all-began-woods.html

Drawing a distinction between fugitive American citizens abroad & foreign nationals is also bullshit. Americans seeking the protection of our laws must necessarily submit to them. That hasn't changed since the days of the Old West & "Dead or Alive" warrants.

This is quite different than having an American on a kill list and then executing them without trial. Unless you have something else that shows the Bush administration had Kemal Darwish on a kill list and actively targeted him. This is not similar except that an American was killed.

That said this illustrates the terrible policy of using drones to take out targets. We cant identify those we attack 100%. Thousands have died that had little to do with terrorism because of this policy. It also eroded our moral highground. And in this case an American citizen was killed away from the battlefield.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

As I've said before Hillary is like the tenured, experienced middle manager at work. Not that great of a speaker but very competent and gets shit done.
You have to really be an extreme Monday morning quarterback to say shit didn't work well under Bill. We had some level of tax reform, a tech explosion, record jobs & increasing income, welfare reform and I'd be the majority of AT adults during Bills Presidency did better then than now in either pay, happiness or both. I know I did.
I'll accept that the Republican Congress had something to do with it but that's the same scenario we have now.
In summary, Hillary is a boring Candidate and a boring speaker but there is a track record for good things.

 

[Commodus]

As I've said before Hillary is like the tenured, experienced middle manager at work. Not that great of a speaker but very competent and gets shit done.
You have to really be an extreme Monday morning quarterback to say shit didn't work well under Bill. We had some level of tax reform, a tech explosion, record jobs & increasing income, welfare reform and I'd be the majority of AT adults during Bills Presidency did better then than now in either pay, happiness or both. I know I did.
I'll accept that the Republican Congress had something to do with it but that's the same scenario we have now.
In summary, Hillary is a boring Candidate and a boring speaker but there is a track record for good things.

Bill wasn't perfect. He laid the groundwork for some problems that would happen down the line (some financial regs and the lack of competition stemming from the Telecommunications Act). However, it's always funny how Republicans in the modern era paint Democrat presidencies as national nightmares... even though they're frequently the periods of greatest prosperity, recovery and social progress. Not that the Dems are uniformly responsible for it, but they're at least decent stewards.

And regarding the original question, who's excited for Hillary? Probably every American woman who has ever dreamed of taking political office... well, except for people like Sarah Palin.

 

[ivwshane]

This is quite different than having an American on a kill list and then executing them without trial. Unless you have something else that shows the Bush administration had Kemal Darwish on a kill list and actively targeted him. This is not similar except that an American was killed.

That said this illustrates the terrible policy of using drones to take out targets. We cant identify those we attack 100%. Thousands have died that had little to do with terrorism because of this policy. It also eroded our moral highground. And in this case an American citizen was killed away from the battlefield.

Both policies, kill lists and drone attacks, were authorized by Bush and continued by Obama. Just because Bush didn't get the chance to kill Americans without a trial doesn't mean he wouldn't have done it.

http://www.salon.com/2010/01/27/yemen_3/

This is simply yet another instance where Congress has failed to do their job of keeping the executive in check.

 

[Genx87]

Both policies, kill lists and drone attacks, were authorized by Bush and continued by Obama. Just because Bush didn't get the chance to kill Americans without a trial doesn't mean he wouldn't have done it.

http://www.salon.com/2010/01/27/yemen_3/

This is simply yet another instance where Congress has failed to do their job of keeping the executive in check.

Kills lists for Americans is an Obama admin creation. He had the DoJ formulate a legal framework to justify it. The WP article that salon article is talking about claims this is an extension of a Bush policy. Yet we know of nothing about targeted Americans from Bush nor the legal framework with which Bush would had to create to justify it. Glenn Greenwald discusses it pretty well as usual.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/feb/05/obama-kill-list-doj-memo

Bush contribution to this scar on our history is his DoJ created a legal framework for torture. What a wonderful series of administrations we have had since the turn of the century.

 

[sontakke]

If Hillary were smart, after getting elected herself but not getting the majority in congress, should push for policies that she actually hates. That way, republic congress will pass exactly what she really wants! She should just troll the congress.

 

[Jhhnn]

This is quite different than having an American on a kill list and then executing them without trial. Unless you have something else that shows the Bush administration had Kemal Darwish on a kill list and actively targeted him. This is not similar except that an American was killed.

That said this illustrates the terrible policy of using drones to take out targets. We cant identify those we attack 100%. Thousands have died that had little to do with terrorism because of this policy. It also eroded our moral highground. And in this case an American citizen was killed away from the battlefield.

Please. al-Awlaki fled American jurisdiction to engage in civil war in Yemen & to plot terrorist attacks against us. No terrorist abroad enjoys the protections of our legal system, citizen or not. I too object to the whole drone program but it's ridiculous to grant American citizen terrorists abroad some kind of pass because of their citizenship.

 

[fskimospy]

Please. al-Awlaki fled American jurisdiction to engage in civil war in Yemen & to plot terrorist attacks against us. No terrorist abroad enjoys the protections of our legal system, citizen or not. I too object to the whole drone program but it's ridiculous to grant American citizen terrorists abroad some kind of pass because of their citizenship.

Who decides who is a terrorist or not?

 

[bshole]

Who decides who is a terrorist or not?

The bomb decides. America has never bombed anything other than terrorists. So if the bomb lands on somebody, by definition we know that that person was a terrorist.

And NO, dropping bombs on people is not terrorism like planting bombs on the side of the freeway. Those are two completely different things.

 

[MongGrel]

Guilt by association has always been a strong factor there.

I'd imagine one of the best ways to avoid being killed in a drone strike is to not travel to a foreign country and hang out with people who have openly declared war on the country who control the drones.

It really is not a giant leap mentally to figure that one out.

 

[fskimospy]

Guilt by association has always been a strong factor there.

I'd imagine one of the best ways to avoid being killed in a drone strike is to not travel to a foreign country and hang out with people who have openly declared war on the country who control the drones.

It really is not a giant leap mentally to figure that one out.

What if you're that person's child?

 

[werepossum]

What if you're that person's child?

Exactly the same. Sure, kids make smaller targets, but they can also take less damage. Ergo they too should avoid traveling to a foreign country and hanging out with people who have openly declared war on the country who control the drones. Sure, children don't usually get a voice in that decision, but that's why they have parents. If those parents make stupid decisions, then their kids suffer, as they always have and always will.

Know who else has children? Americans watching the Boston Marathon, working in the Twin Towers or on military bases or in recruiting offices or in synagogues. Iraqis shopping in open air markets. Israelis drinking coffee in cafes. Turks trying to get to work. French citizens trying to enjoy a national holiday. One side is trying to protect all these children while at least trying to avoid killing the children of and around the terrorists. The other side is trying to think up strategies to kill more children while using their own as shields whenever possible.

President Obama has certainly put the drone Americans policy into overdrive, but in a way that list is also due process. A fair number of people have input into whether or not that person is a legitimate target, and if so, what level of likely civilian casualties is acceptable to kill that target. Sure, it's an imperfect and potentially dangerous system. All systems involving the taking of life are inherently imperfect and potentially dangerous systems. Doing nothing, or allowing terrorists to use civilians and/or children as absolute shields, is also inherently imperfect and potentially dangerous. This is the world that we and the Muslims have built.

 

[glenn1]

That's true for the country as a whole. Righties act like the financial crisis of 2008 was somehow the result of Dem policy rather than non-oversight of the financial sector during the Bush years. It seems unlikely that will happen under a Clinton presidency.

Some people learn while others just go into denial.

So exactly what "oversight" do you think would have prevented the crash? I'll even humor your ideas for what you think the primary and contributing causes of it were. Coming from someone as ridiculously partisan as you and so seemingly bereft of critical thinking skills I'm sure that your response will be comedic gold.