I wasn't listing it in any particular order. The intelligence community runs Russia. When you have a firewall (like China and other countries) that allows only certain information to be view by the general population, I am going to question how happy the people are. Russia, as a nation, isn't doing that great right now from an economic perspective, demographic perspective, and public health perspective. I get it, Russia has their problems and we have ours. It's still a kleptocracy. It's not Venezuela or Nigeria, but that doesn't mean it won't fall apart in a few decades. Russia's demographics are terrible and doesn't have the great vocational schools like it did during the USSR cranking out educated young people. Russia needs to act now as all that saber rattling comes off as a distraction to me. That's why Europe is eyeing North American natural gas. North America, has the most reserves in the world of oil and gas with the infrastructure to use it. The US has reversed it's energy supply chain and is now exporting more nat gas and oil. Can't imagine Russia is too happy about fiercer competition economically when it is already down. It will be interesting to see what market share North American producers retain when energy prices rise. The media is night and day different, there may be a bunch a slanted BS in western media, but we don't use censorship. I've been to China before and the censorship was something to behold. America is number one baby. Suck it comrade. Because Russia still has powerful state-owned companies so it's economically not open like the West. We seem to get along with Japan and S. Korea despite their mixed economies. President of the US is more powerful because the US is a great deal more powerful than Russia. Honey, look around globally. If the "globe" has figured it out then they shouldn't quit their day jobs. America is on the strongest bedrock, economically and demographically. Remember, wealthy Russians and Chinese are investing billions in our real estate to keep safe storage of their assets. I wouldn't trust the Chinese or Russians with my assets either since they manipulate their markets and can seize assets more easily. True, but the Japanese look worse than us during that era before WW2. However, that conflict you mentioned was a mere road bump compared to what followed after WW2. Russia is merely trying to create the buffer zone it once enjoyed before. That's what happens when two countries' have conflicting interests. Trade liberalization is what allowed the globe to grow, which is secured by the US. I won't deny the US made many interventionists problem. Trade liberalization is big because prior to WW2 the British Navy would guard British trade, French navy would guard French trade and so on. Countries didn't trade with each very much since it wasn't a good idea to rely on another country since war could break out. The US changed that post WW2 (Britten Woods system) where as long as you weren't communist (USSR and others) it would allow trade with one another and make sure the shipping lanes were secure.
I spoke recently with a Trump supporter. He explained why he is supporting Trump. I don't agree with it, but it was the only (semi - )sensible thing from a Trump supporter I've heard. He said he doesn't have any faith in what either Trump or Hillary claim they will do. He says people running for office always say a bunch of crap, and rarely does it ever get done. So he automatically discounts everything that both candidates have said they will do or plan on doing. Given that, they're both even. But he feels that with Clinton we know what we will get based on her being an establishment politician. He said he was at the point where he thinks we should toss the keys to a businessman and outsider, and just see what he can do. If we don't like it, then we vote him out after four years, but he wanted to take a chance on something different and new. My problem with what he said, is that whether or not you believe either candidate will accomplish their campaign promises, you can tell what direction they want to go based on the things they say whether they will actually get them all done or not. That being said, it was the only time I've been able to understand why a person would actually support Trump.
Erm. This is a pretty common perspective. As the childish saying goes, you can always tell when a politician is lying ... their lips are moving. Politicians only do anything when its pandering to their voting block or helping the special interest groups that got them into office.
Maybe it's because too much of my trying to understand why a person would support Trump comes from this bbs. His supporters here seem like they are always pretending that he has expressed great ideas/strategies/ideals etc.
His supporters are a blend of anti-establishment voters, anyone but Clinton voters, straight ticket republicans and then alt right types.
Take a look at both Trump's and Clinton's campaign slogan. Trump: Make America Great Again. It's about America. It has a narrative: doing great things. Clinton: I'm With Her. Totally selfish, all about her (Clinton) with no regard for anyone else (America). There is absolutely no narrative in that other than perhaps "I'm a woman".
This is so you. Pretty much any sane person knows that Trump has an ego so big that it's borderline mental.
It's understood that Clinton has already done more for her country than Trump. Trump who doesn't pay his workers and makes them take him to court for their wages. Trump who uses illegal immigration to build a real estate empire then is against now that's it convenient. Trump the freaking reality tv star. Puh-lease.
Can either of you focus on that post's thesis for more than two seconds? Of course Trump is a selfish spoiled-brat - I've said it plenty of times that I fully suspect his sole motivation to become president is to amend the tax-code so that his progeny may inherit as much of his billions and billions of dollars as possible. Clinton on the other hand...
People are happy when they are ignorant and believe what they want to look to verify what they've been told since they were born. You don't really need a firewall to do that -- that's generally the way most people work even when information is freely available. Plenty of global news stories don't make the US news cycle because it's not considered as important as the new Taco Bell breakfast menu. If a person is inclined to find real information, it's not hard to find, and neither China nor Russia has any shortage of people who can circumvent simple firewall rules. It never has, but it's doing better than it was in the 90s, and that's probably what matters if you are a typical ignorant Russian voter. There are also no more subsidized trips to Magadan to work camps because you don't study or work, which is a large part of how the USSR was so "successful." First of all, the US is fifth, and nowhere close to Russia in NG reserves. It also doesn't share borders with any countries in Europe, which currently are getting natural gas from pipelines. You aren't going to be very cost competitive. The EU is Russia's largest energy customer, and that's not going to change any time soon for about 1000 reasons. The US ranks 41st in press freedom, right above Burkina Faso. It's better than Israel (101) where I did most of my work as a journalist, and yes, better than China (176), which is right above Syria. If you think that's an acceptable metric, maybe it's because you are unaware of how unfree you are. Number one in what besides exactly self-congratulation, size of economy and the ability to project military power? In almost every other facet it has been in a long and inevitable decline and will continue to do so as the world becomes more multi-polar. It is attitudes like this that hasten this decline into ignorant decadence. What like ALROSA, the world's largest diamond producer? Lukoil, Gazprom, or Rosneft? They are all publicly traded companies. Russia is a capitalist country and has joint ventures with plenty of western companies. It would be bankrupt otherwise. If shady political meddling in commerce is a concern to you, you can be well assured it isn't nearly as malignant as Nigeria, the Gulf States, or pretty much any other petr-state. The bar is not terribly high and the world's economy gives **** all about "freedom." You seem to have a fundamental misunderstanding of my point. I wonder what it's like to see the world with such simplicity. I wouldn't know where to start to answer to this. The Russian Civil War was a road bump? I don't understand what you are trying to say or what any of this has to do with US-Russian relations or why Putin has political capital or why and how he makes his decisions. That's what my post was about.
Neither of them have an ambition other than unbridled ambition itself. There's an idea since the 90s that somehow the American people have had an obligation to keep Hillary Clinton employed. I don't know how that started, but it's been very successful. Trump is a walking obscenity, a narcissist, most likely of the malignant variety, and a person whose sum total of foreign experience is the impressive stable of attractive Eastern European women he's banged. He lived in a brahmin's bubble of inherited wealth his entire life and has little understanding of anything other than that he can say and do whatever he wants if enough people are getting paid enough. I would vote a Bush/Obama or Obama/Bush for life ticket over either of theirs.
Well if you are only viewing major US media outlets then you will miss some global news. The great thing about living in the US, I can view other countries' new outlets. I don't doubt there aren't a shortage of folks who bypass firewalls in the Russia or China, but we don't have a need to do so here in the US. Which is why I said North America and said oil and gas. The US has the most proven oil reserves as of this year based on independent verification. ME and Russia certainly have large reserves too but they don't exactly let independent verification by other entities. Actually, American LNG is already heading over towards Europe. http://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/US-To-Undermine-Russias-Gas-Monopoly-In-Europe.html Russia will be forced to undercut American producers in order to compete. That certainly bodes will for a petro-economy. Perhaps Europe decides to pay a little more in energy to not deal with the Russians? Certainly, the Europeans have an opportunity to benefit from competition at the expense of Russia. And much better than Russia at 148. Still a pretty subjective metric based, but I suppose it gives some sort of baseline. No, I am still relatively free, even according to your metric and certainly compared to some of the other major global economies. Maybe. But you sure don't want China or Russia taking America's spot. Don't know anything about ALROSA, but Russia still owns a significant portion of the O&G business. Or vice versa. Considering Russia's economy, it may be better idea for Putin to be beholden to something other than his own vision. Start at China then. Their debt accumulation is astounding not just in sheer size but in how inefficient it is. How many times have they had to stop trading for fear of their people withdrawing too much of their assets? They are essentially paying millions of steel workers to do nothing in the face of lower demand for exmaple. They still don't care about profits, just keeping employment as high as possible to appease their citizens. A road bump in the larger geopolitical picture. Are you saying that Russias are still butt hurt over the West involvement in their civil war? During a time when American itself was still developing as a global power and became very isolationist after WW1?
You've bought into the story of how bad Clinton is. Or have been brain washed. I hope she does become President. Then maybe you realize... well, maybe not. If you know anyone personally that have to deal with politic in public sphere, you would understand how someone can be attacked so much that perception of the person is no where close to reality. And I believe Clinton, no where close to being great, but no where as bad as some think she is, fall under that with the constant attacks she have received since she was a first lady... her initial crime was she dare to go against mainstream politic when she was a 1st lady. I agree on Obama. I would pick Clinton over Bush Jr any day. And I would pick Bush Jr or pretty much anyone over Trump any day.
What is the point again? Clinton on the other hand what? Have Republicans finally been able to pin something on Clinton?
1992 was the first presidential election I voted in. If I didn't feel like I had to vote for Bush or Clinton in 1992, why would I feel the need to vote for either major party in 2016? It's like forcing a vegetarian to order a hot dog or a hamburger. I am quite familiar with the Clintons and their rise to power, and I was never a fan. I think her tenure as president is inevitable, but it doesn't mean I have to support it. I don't like the GOP, Green, or Libertarian candidates much either and I'm far more concerned about downballot races. It's not like I'm choosing between Pericles and Frederick the Great, here.
Who are his supporters? There are only one or two people here that I am aware of who actually support Trump. Its bad form to vote 'against' a party, but these days parties are not putting out good candidates. That said, while I fully understand why one does not want Trump and would vote for Hillary, I do not understand why one would support Hillary and defend her 'honor'. There was a time I thought Hillary would have made a better president than Obama, but I was dead wrong.
I think there are only a few Trump supporters on here. I rarely talk politics with folks outside of this message board. None of the folks I've spoken with were Trump supporters. I have listened to some on television, radio, and seen the few on here. I'm not a Hillary supporter, but I can understand why people might support her.
Appears to me that Trump's campaign slogan is that America is not currently great, which is one of the things Kaepernick is protesting. And isn't Kaepernick the same guy that Trump suggested should look for another country since things were so bad here?
Kaepernick is disrespecting the country. Im not surprised you can't tell the difference. Where were you when these words were said: , “People in this country are ready for change and hungry for a different kind of politics and … for the first time in my adult life I am proud of my country because it feels like hope is finally making a comeback.”
