Hot takes on the Democratic frontrunners

[sexobon]

Originally Posted by monster

I tried &start=90, ...

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[slang]

Pete Buttigeig seems like the most reasonable of those democrats running.

He's likable. He's gay but doesn't seem to define his life around that fact.

I don't know if I could ever vote for a democrat but Mr. Pete's not a polarizing personality.

Buttigieg’s immigration policies are very vague — he favors a “path to citizenship.” My own view is that the only Democrat who will beat Trump next year will campaign for control of immigration, legal and undocumented, in a sane and humane way. The issue will be dominant again — because of a huge wave of migrants, many of them rural Guatemalans, who are overwhelming the border, trying to enter the U.S. at a current pace of 100,000 a month. Their ability to claim asylum under current law permits them to show up at the border, get admitted and processed by the Border Patrol, and then released into the interior, to reside here until a court date, which could come up years later. The backlog in the underfunded immigration courts is vast, with more than a million still in line for a hearing. Many of the migrants won’t show up for the court date; those who do can still resist deportation indefinitely.

What this means is that the U.S. now has an effectively open border with Mexico, and, according to the American Bar Association, the immigration system is “irredeemably dysfunctional and on the brink of collapse.” Repeating the Democratic mantra that there is no border crisis will not work for much longer. This year will see more undocumented immigrants than in any year under Obama. And the high rate of success among those trying to enter to the country now encourages more migrants to make the journey, especially given the forces of disorder and climate change that are forcing people to flee. The lesson from Europe in 2015 is that a migrant surge fuels itself, as word gets back home. And then white nationalism takes off.

[glatt]

Originally Posted by slang

This year will see more undocumented immigrants than in any year under Obama.

This is the kind of quote that seems like it's cherry picking information. Why only look at the Obama years unless the author is trying to hide or skew something?

I get your overall point though, and you sound reasonable. I hate the optics of a wall though. We aren't East Germany.

[sexobon]

Originally Posted by slang

… Repeating the Democratic mantra that there is no border crisis will not work for much longer. This year will see more undocumented immigrants than in any year under Obama.[/b] And the high rate of success among those trying to enter to the country now encourages more migrants to make the journey, especially given the forces of disorder and climate change that are forcing people to flee.

[Bold mine]

Not to worry. Corporate America is getting ready for them even if the government isn't. What could possibly go wrong (holy Blackwater Batman)؟

Climate Chaos Is Coming – and the Pinkertons Are Ready

As they see it, global warming stands to make corporate security as high-stakes in the 21st century as it was in the 19th. ...

Now over 150 years old, having long outlived its reputation as Andrew Carnegie’s personal militia, the agency has evolved into a modern security firm. Over the last decade or so, Pinkerton began noticing a growing set of anxieties among its corporate clients about distinctly contemporary plagues — active shooters, political unrest, climate disasters — and in response began offering data-driven risk analysis, in addition to what they’re more traditionally known for. ...

… For Pinkerton, the bet is twofold: first, that there’s no real material difference between climate change and any other conflict — as the world grows more predictably dangerous, tactical know-how will simply be more in demand than ever. And second, that by adding data analytics, Pinkerton stands to compete more directly with traditional consulting firms like Deloitte, which offer pre- and postdisaster services (supply-chain monitoring, damage documentation, etc.), but which cannot, say, dispatch a helicopter full of armed guards to Guatemala in an afternoon. In theory, Pinkerton can do both — a fully militarized managerial class at corporate disposal. …

Unlike the US military, civilian organizations like this are not Constitutionally prohibited from operating within the USA. Government can provide oversight; but, it doesn't have to provide oversite...whichever it feels is in its own best interest at the time.

[Luce]

My hot takes on the dem frontrunners:

Biden: Biden is, I think, running only because he believes that he can beat Trump and nobody else can, and these are not normal times in which you can just wait for the opposition to be done and go home. That being said, his ideas are old and have no bearing on the current economy. On the top economic issue (health care), his position is "everything is fine."

Warren: Warren is basically the Cordell Hull of the modern era. She's as fascinating as watching paint dry, but she's reliable.

Sanders: I am not sure where this man thinks he is. I think he thinks he's at a student rally in 1968. I would still vote for him over Trump, but I would vote for any of the candidates over Trump. I will add that I do like some of the "out there" planks he brought that have now become party policy.

Buttigieg: This man sold his own minority group out for a chicken sandwich. NEXT.


Others:

Harris & Klobuchar: These two are suicide bunting for Warren.

Bloomberg: A bastard and a spoiler. There is no sane reason to jump into the contest after the debates.

Tulsi Gabbard: 2020's Jill Stein.

Booker: Who?

[Ericinabox]

Joe Biden??? Really??? Are we going to pretend how he treats women is "normal"? Right . . .

[Undertoad]

Undocumented immigrants from the south follow the jobs. In 2009 when Obama took over, there had been a massive drop in money and jobs available the previous year. There were actually people leaving across that border.

[slang]

Originally Posted by glatt

This is the kind of quote that seems like it's cherry picking information. Why only look at the Obama years unless the author is trying to hide or skew something?

Maybe, but he had some positive words for Buttigeig.

Originally Posted by glatt

I get your overall point though, and you sound reasonable.

Wow, thanks.

See TW? Reasonable. Not wacko extremist. Not in this thread anyway.

Originally Posted by glatt

I hate the optics of a wall though. We aren't East Germany.

Optics is a good point that I'd not considered. But who would see the wall besides US border residents and naughty "migrants"?

And aside from Maddow viewers seeing endless videos of it.

Originally Posted by Undertoad

Undocumented immigrants from the south follow the jobs. In 2009 when Obama took over, there had been a massive drop in money and jobs available the previous year. There were actually people leaving across that border.

So after the economy crashes we'll need ladders if there is a wall. Or ramps on the inside?

[glatt]

Originally Posted by slang

But who would see the wall besides US border residents and naughty "migrants"?

And aside from Maddow viewers seeing endless videos of it.

Everyone would know it was there, if it was built, just like everyone knew the iron curtain was there without having to go see it in person.

[Undertoad]

Intelligent Yang take from youtube essayist 1791.



(TL;DW: Yang is transformative in a time during which we will require transformation. His ideas attract both lefty and righty audiences and demand consideration.)

[Griff]

I just picked up Yang's book.

[slang]

Mr. Yang has some interesting ideas. Very good ideas.

Sure, if he's elected president guys like me would still end up in FEMA camps but let's hear more.

[Griff]

Are FEMA camps the new death panels?

[slang]

That reference was used as a parody of whacko right wing extremists™.

FEMA camps

FEMA regions map

Old conspiracy theory.

[Clodfobble]

Mr. Clod's company has a service like that on retainer--not just for execs, but for everyone, because they're so big they have dozens of employees overseas at any given time. If you're in Japan and an earthquake hits, for example, you make the call and the helicopter comes to get you.