Ukraine / Russia

It's worked a hell of a lot better for the Russians than their actual troops - might as well double down. For some reason, many in the west love being duped by Russian propaganda. I assume Tucker Carlson will get the inside scoop.
People love to bash the mainstream media, but they're currently spending a shitton of time trying to fact check all of this mis-information, while everyone else is pumping it out faster and faster, spreading like a wildfire on a hot windy day. That "love" for mis-information is terrifying, because even when you call it out, they either, 1. don't believe you or 2. don't actually care that it's false.
 
It's a little convenient to put that time frame on that. Basically covering the previous president's term to the present.

It goes much further back than that. I'll point to the enacting of Obamacare as a perfect example. Senator Baucus took single payer off the table before the first committee hearing as a concession to the other side. He also tried for many months to find common ground with Senator Grassley to make it a bipartisan bill. The Democrats dropped the public option in an attempt to find a few GOP votes. The framework of the bill is borrowed from the framework of the Massachustets law that Mitt Romney stewarded thru that state's legislature.

That law in the end was passed on partisan lines.

The problem goes back well before that as well. I'd put it back at least to the 90's.

Regarding Tulsi Gabbard, she is regarded by Democrats similarly to how the GOP views Liz Cheney.
There have always been, and always will be, political lines and party-line votes. Whether you choose 5-6 or 9-10 I don't care, but something in recent history has changed about American discourse. It has become personal and existential in a way probably not seen since the 1850s. Ezra Klein (with whom I rarely agree) wrote a book very much worth reading called, "Why we are polarized". Except for the last two chapters he stays fairly even-handed. I commend it to all who care about this country (not his conclusion, but the discussion)
 
"Clinton suggesting Gabbard is the Kremlin’s chosen agent for destroying the Democrats in 2020? Gabbard accusing Clinton of being the puppet master behind a massive conspiracy against her? Are these people serious?

Unfortunately, the answer to that question is “yes” — in ways that reveal some troubling tendencies among American liberals and leftists today."

Political - good grief!

People are allowed to make mistakes, and bad calls, but for me Gabbard's foreign policy positions are completely untenable.
Syria
Russia

That pulls back my thoughts of the potential, turned leaf Gabbard.
Edit added: Could be said of either party. No partisan play intended. Maybe the cannibalization within brings a bit of "bi-partisanship" and "statesmanship" back to American politics.
 
It's a little convenient to put that time frame on that. Basically covering the previous president's term to the present.

It goes much further back than that. I'll point to the enacting of Obamacare as a perfect example. Senator Baucus took single payer off the table before the first committee hearing as a concession to the other side. He also tried for many months to find common ground with Senator Grassley to make it a bipartisan bill. The Democrats dropped the public option in an attempt to find a few GOP votes. The framework of the bill is borrowed from the framework of the Massachustets law that Mitt Romney stewarded thru that state's legislature.

That law in the end was passed on partisan lines.

The problem goes back well before that as well. I'd put it back at least to the 90's.

Regarding Tulsi Gabbard, she is regarded by Democrats similarly to how the GOP views Liz Cheney.
Yessir...
 
Not saying anyone should vote for her, and, AFAIK, she's not even running for anything. Just interesting that she's everywhere, and is pro free speech, unlike the prevailing Dems censorship drive.

As far as Ukraine being a "hoax" of course it isn't, but they shouldn't be posting beauty queens with Airsoft guns, troops with fake guns, and "fighter pilots" from video games as if they were real. Gives the tinfoil crowd ammo.
 
Finished ready a piece by Zoltan Pozar who is a analyst for Credit Suisse. his thesis is that there is a collateral mismatch between Russian commodities and non Russian commodities which is causing margin calls on all sides. With this we can expect much higher inflation, and that China could use this opportunity to break the USD$ dominance by creating a new international systems. Basically a undoing of the Bretton Woods (1971). This is a very poor attempt to condense the article, sorry.
Much of this is way above my understanding, but I offer it up in the hope that others here could critique. While currently we are looking at the conflict, I am concerned with what comes after the fact.
 
As far as Ukraine being a "hoax" of course it isn't, but they shouldn't be posting beauty queens with Airsoft guns, troops with fake guns, and "fighter pilots" from video games as if they were real. Gives the tinfoil crowd ammo.
But THEY aren't the so called fake-news mainstream media. They're the ones fact checking. You have all these asshats out there creating fake twitter posts and sharing them and because it they fit a predefined narrative that 1/2 this country wants to agree with it runs rampant.

If this conflict has done anything useful it should be to point out that mainstream media is not a terrible source for actual news and facts. It has it's flaws, it has bias, but it's not nearly as bad as FB or YT
 
I remember reading this a while back. current events sure bring some new context to it

Then a couple years later Vox posted this what if? article on Trumps hawkish attack on Assad and Russian mercenary forces in Syria. Reading both articles together sure brings in some new context to it.

 
Finished ready a piece by Zoltan Pozar who is a analyst for Credit Suisse. his thesis is that there is a collateral mismatch between Russian commodities and non Russian commodities which is causing margin calls on all sides. With this we can expect much higher inflation, and that China could use this opportunity to break the USD$ dominance by creating a new international systems. Basically a undoing of the Bretton Woods (1971). This is a very poor attempt to condense the article, sorry.
Much of this is way above my understanding, but I offer it up in the hope that others here could critique. While currently we are looking at the conflict, I am concerned with what comes after the fact.

The saving grace is that China remains unwilling to float the Yuan and until they do there can be no serious discussion of a US dollar alternative. But we do have to remain mindful of the power of a dollar-based world and manage our affairs accordingly.

But I am concerned that this can tip our inflation from “growth inflation” to “stagflation”. Growth inflation isn’t great but does have some upsides and is easier to manage - stagflation is a killer with no easy answers.
 
The saving grace is that China remains unwilling to float the Yuan and until they do there can be no serious discussion of a US dollar alternative. But we do have to remain mindful of the power of a dollar-based world and manage our affairs accordingly.

But I am concerned that this can tip our inflation from “growth inflation” to “stagflation”. Growth inflation isn’t great but does have some upsides and is easier to manage - stagflation is a killer with no easy answers.
For certain if the dollar is no longer the world currency the American standard of living will take a huge hit. No prediction on when or if that happens.
 
ODNI's Annual Threat Assessment was recently declassified. Uses info current to late January 2022, before Russian invasion of Ukraine. Paints a grim picture of anticipated Russian power projection and continued use of hybrid warfare against Western interests.

 
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I can't speak to her range of opinions and have no particular view on her as a candidate, but the particular quote was shared by some very talented folks in the foreign intelligence community. What Putin will or won't do was subject to legitimate debate over the last 5 years.
I agree she was not alone, I also think it's important to have different view points in our politic.

I can't support a candidate, who was a member of our armed forces, who lends credibility to a leader who uses chemical weapons to subdue civilians and who tries to white wash the invasion of another sovereign country.



?

Russia
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1 month prior to invasion.

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10 days, hyper political conspiracy theories... about Hilary Clinton?

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What, literally could the US have done on the 26th "to end this assault"
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Ukraine is not and was not a member of NATO, they gave up their Nuclear weapons, there were not US troops or NATO troops in Ukraine at any time, honestly what is she talking about?
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Syria
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Not saying anyone should vote for her, and, AFAIK, she's not even running for anything. Just interesting that she's everywhere, and is pro free speech, unlike the prevailing Dems censorship drive.

As far as Ukraine being a "hoax" of course it isn't, but they shouldn't be posting beauty queens with Airsoft guns, troops with fake guns, and "fighter pilots" from video games as if they were real. Gives the tinfoil crowd ammo.
IMHO she's a populist, aka clickbait for likes.

Everyone loves the stump speech about freedom, nobody well except for the like 5 adults out there enjoys a rousing nuanced conversation about the difficulties and possible solutions to solving complex problems.


MORE NERDS, we NEED NERDS
 
Within the last hour, President Biden halted the importation of Russian oil and gasoline.
It will squeeze both the Russians and us.

He said that Europe will work toward less dependence on Russian energy.

How this will play out...IDK. But Russia needs the sales of its energy every bit as much as its customers need to buy it.

After this is all over...whenever that is, a 64 million dollar question is how to treat Russian energy on the world markets. They have proven they aren't trustworthy. But, if they have no avenues to generate a valuable export, that leaves them with little to lose by being a bad actor on the world stage.

I asked my wife this morning she thought Putin yet realizes that world history is going to treat him badly. She didn't think he's that point, I don't think so either.
 

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