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[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

The only way Greece pays off most of its debt is that we forgive a share of it. That's what I don't get. Either you get some of your money back, or you get absolutely nothing because Greece defaults. So if Germany really wanted its money back, they should do the sensible thing and negotiate a restructuring.

But that's not what they want. They want to make an example of Greece, in order to scare bigger countries like Spain and Italy into complying to their absurd, failed economic and monetary policies. They are literally trying to convince all Europeans that, as Ol' Maggie said, there is no alternative.

[/]

If Grayson is the nominee then the Democrats deserve to lose.

[Blair]

Visit the Parliament!

(and assassinate Aitor Esteban)

[TDAS04]

A little hard to choose from so many recent, well-thought out posts, but...

A true great, for more his promise than his achievements although many will overlook just how important his Presidency was.

His action against US steel, in Mississippi against racist mobs, against the mafia and his effort to scale back the CIA/Pentagon establishment that had grown in the 1950's meant that on domestic front he managed to achieve a great deal. His biggest problem was that congress was dominated by southern democrats who were far too rigid.

On foreign policy there's two rather ironic schools, the loudest is that he was some sort of reckless cold war warrior who was reckless. That's simply not true-his actions over Cuba were easily the best demonstration of US power for 30 years. The fact that he managed to use both soft and hard power so effectively to stop a global crisis should be praised.

Likewise his achievements in beginning Detente are clear-Khrushchev wept when he heard that JFK died, and Castro said 'they'd won' referring to the Pentagon/hard liners. The partial test ban treaty, ending the Loas civil war, the alliance for progress and his clear demand for 'an ethical' foreign policy in the 1960's show his impact on foreign policy. See his speech at the American University to see that he wasn't a cold war warrior, and apart from Reagan he was the only Cold War President who saw that you needed to work with the Russians. In 1963 he begun pushing for an opening with Cuba-the fact it took 50 years to sort it out shows how much leadership he showeed

Then his legacy/rhetoric-sadly this makes up a large part of JFK. He was the first irish catholic, him and his wife Jackie symbolized the new frontier in the 1960's and the team he established around himself was one of the smartest in the white house. He combined the best of American values in my view-the optimism and dedication to Public Service, the need for a strong moral America on the world stage and the importance of fighting poverty around the world. If we give Ike a higher score we're saying that the stale, old school teacher is better than the young, vibrant teacher that teaches us to be bold. We can't let Ike beat JFK

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

My favorite is probably either Thai or Vietnamese.  Italian and Greek are very good too, and Korean was surprisingly good the couple times that I've had it.

[PJ]

If you keep having children when you can't afford the ones you already have, that's child abuse and your children should be taken away.

Some would say it's child abuse to break up families for having the temerity to be poor.

[SATW]

Click here to find out this poster's controversial opinion on Clickbait!

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

I almost threw up, like wtf man.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Very underrated. Three stars.

Very refreshing coming from a right-winger.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Very underrated. Three stars.

Very refreshing coming from a right-winger.

Carter was a good President and a better man. I wish the right would look at his attempts to balance the budget, and sustain an honorable foreign policy. Had he been elected in 1980 instead of '76, he'd be considered one of the greatest President's we've ever had.

-skip-

[SATW]

I don't believe that Pakistan, Nepal, or Bangladesh should exist.

Why Nepal? Its culture and history have been clealry separate from those of Indian States AFAIK.

[H. Ross Peron]

In context:

still a mild FF in my book

[TDAS04]

Context:

I was there.

[Antonio the Sixth]

If I had to pick three I'd say George McGovern, Tom Daschle, and maybe George Mickelson (a decent Republican Governor killed in a plane crash in 1993).

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

For that matter, I wonder if BRTD has ever read the Bible.

[RFayette 🇻🇦]

IIT: The two biggest hacks on Atlas fighting, with King throwing good barbs here and there.

[The Groom]

He's definitely more eloquent than Rick Perry, so he has that going for him.  I would probably say no, but you never know.

[Türkisblau]

I don't know, whose sock is he?

[The Groom]

I'm not a sock.

[VPH]

I actually remember telling my grandmother to stop buying Oberweis dairy because how much of a loser Jim is.

[Fuzzybigfoot]

I like your timeline/election game work:

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=216568.msg4694035#msg4694035

[Antonio the Sixth]

2008 Presidential/Congressional Comparison:



Dark red= Obama/DEM

Light red= Obama/GOP


Dark blue=McCain/GOP

Light blue=McCain/DEM



Map provided by Shilly.

[The Other Castro]

I'm not Greek, but if I was, I'd certainly appreciate your lecturing me about my own country.

[Mr. Smith]

Bernie Sanders Is Not The 2008 Obama to Clinton's 2016

9:37 AM |  Jan 29, 2016 | By HARRY ENTEN




In 2008, the story goes that the Hillary Clinton was the inevitable nominee, squandered a large lead, and eventually lost the nomination to the more liberal and charismatic Barack Obama. This overblown and simplistic account is being used today in reference to the ‘surging’ Sanders campaign. Although Bernie Sanders has solidified the anti-Hillary crowd, it is impossible for him to use this type of base to propel him to victory.

In recent months, the Sanders campaign has staged a record number of campaign events in the early states of Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada. They hope that they will be able to successfully tap into the same network of appeal that let Barack Obama win Iowa (and later the nomination) in 2008. However, they are working on the false assumption that 2016 is like 2008.

Although Clinton’s national lead, as well as her leads in the early primary states, have narrowed to almost within the margin of error, there is much less cause for alarm than most media outlets are reporting. Even in 2008, the polls showed Obama leading Clinton by wide margins in states like New Hampshire, yet she carried the state somewhat comfortably. Sanders may appear to have what some misnomer as momentum, but whatever he has will all but vanish if he fails to even win his neighboring Granite State.

A few months ago, I had written that “The Bernie Sanders Surge Appears To Be Over,” and I completely stand by that. Since that article, the gains that Sanders has made nationally and in the early primary states have been expected, if not underwhelming for a challenger that gets as much media attention as Bernie Sanders. However, much like how these primary campaigns always turn out, his numbers will shrink as the defeats start piling on, and his support will shift back to the more electable Hillary Clinton.

Even if Sanders does win the relatively easy-pickins states of Iowa and New Hampshire (easy as they combine his two main bases of very white and very liberal), any momentum he gains will be quickly dashed before Super Tuesday by Clinton’s expected landslide in South Carolina. Shortly after that, Sanders will look less like Clinton’s 2008 Obama and more like Gore’s 2000 Bradley.


Harry Enten is a senior political writer and analyst for FiveThirtyEight.

[RFayette 🇻🇦]

Hillary WAS GOP 50 years ago, a Goldwater Girl even.