When you call Senator McConnell an institutionalist, are you referring to the McConnell who refused to hold a hearing for nearly a year on the nomination of Merrick Garland to be a Justice and then rushed hearings on Amy Comer Barrett at the end of Trump’s term and early voting had already begun?
On another note it is interesting that you use the term cowardice to describe Biden and his administration’s policies regarding Ukraine instead of, perhaps, (overly) cautious.
Your biases often are so casually displayed and to which you seem blissfully unaware.
"The American People did not vote for this," at 27:49, in regard to the dismantling of our government institutions. Yes, the We the People who voted for Trump did vote for this. We all have known this is exactly what Trump and the incoming administration want - the destruction of our democratic republic. For anyone who voted for Trump to say otherwise is simply a statement of extreme ignorance.
I would like to address the use of the word ‘cowardice’ at 11:26, describing the Biden administration’s approach to supplying arms to Ukraine.
Up to that point, while I was listening to the discussion of Ukraine and what its future may be in a Trump administration, I found myself thinking of what it might look like in the unlikely event a trump administration does arm Ukraine and perhaps does so more aggressively as Eric and Eliot would like (as would I, I think). In other words, to make likely a result that looks more like a defeat for Putin.
That led me to consider this: How would Putin react in such an event, and how would that reaction be handled by a Trump administration including SOD Hegseth? I’m sure Eric and Eliot would explain to me how it might be fine given all the other people in the Pentagon, etc.
Then I heard the word ‘cowardice’. I’m probably a Biden apologist, but while I have wished we could be more aggressive in arming Ukraine, I have appreciated what I would term the ‘cautious’ approach that the Beden administration has taken, and this for three reasons: First, related to what I mentioned above, which is the need to make sure this engagement can be contained. Second, because while I support and admire Ukraine tremendously for their courage and what they have done, I am not completely unfamiliar with Ukraine’s history and remember how relieved I was then that the nuclear weapons they had at the end of the Cold War were removed. And third because I realized that a not insignificant part of the American people, and a significant part of the Republican Party, including Donald Trump and his acolytes (about to be in power) were opposed. I can bemoan the lack of Biden’s ability to rally the country to the cause, but I can’t ignore that it wasn’t done.
And so to ascribe a term like ‘cowardice’ to a policy with which you disagree I think is beneath the tenor of these discussions, which I enjoy and am usually challenged by. It is the same sort of invective thrown my way when I argued caution in the face of the drive to war in Afghanistan and Iraq, or if I questioned the execution or length of stay. And argue the rightness of those causes as you will, but they both carry some not small weight in what has brought Donald Trump to power.
Agreed! We also really don't know what Putin might have done had the US sent more weapons and authorized broader use. Maybe things would be much better, or maybe it would have created serious escalation. Even if the risk of dramatic escalation was 5% more, that was a serious risk with a nuclear state and an unreliable dictator.
Are politicians supposed to represent their voters, or do they represent the country. Does anyone have a reference to an article or a book that addresses this dichotomy in a republic? I look at the media coverage of Trump’s cabinet picks, and struggle to find any coverage of why they are qualified and competent. All of the coverage is about scandalous disclosures, but nothing about any qualifications.
I understand that most republicans think that the president should have anybody he wants advising him, but is that also true of the those that are running our agencies?
Our elections used to not be about 49% of the country allowed to control everything, and 48% of the country having no say.
If being a veteran qualifies one for leadership in the defense department, let’s get rid of all officers and make every serviceman or women equal in rank and influence. Trump should pick 2 or three homeless veterans to run the defense department. They could use the money, and would also then feel some loyalty for our leader.
I'm so frightened and disgusted. I can almost envision what is going to happen. How can a man who supposedly loves his Country make such bad decisions. Just the 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada will destroy American companies. We export almost as much as we import.
I'm so frightened and disgusted. I can almost envision what is going to happen. How can a man who supposedly loves his Country make such bad decisions. Just the 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada will destroy American companies. We export almost as much as we import.
My guess is trump’s plan will be a band-aid on a gunshot wound. However, I struggle with this pod because eric and Eliot’s recommendations are never realistic given our politics and where Americans are with respect to spending. Americans do not want to fund anything close to what eric and Eliot recommend and they never ever deal with reality. It’s always “just give a speech and tell Americans how important this is!!!!” Come on guys, this can’t really be your solution. Have you seen our politics? Have you heard the American people? They don’t care about Ukraine. They care about the price of eggs.
Although I understand where you're c I ming from, I beg to differ on Ukraine and the price of eggs. I live in a Republican stronghold and we talk with our neighbors all the time. They care. And so do our Democratic friends.
Yes and no. It isn’t that it doesn’t matter in the sense of “fuck it. Let Ukraine be captured by Russia.” It’s it doesn’t matter in the sense they won’t make hard choices such as raising taxes, cutting social security, abandoning Israel/taiwan/europe FOR Ukraine.
The Europeans care too…however they aren’t willing to cut their social spending or raise taxes to increase defense spending. We are all suffering from the same problem…we aren’t willing to sacrifice ANYTHING.
When you call Senator McConnell an institutionalist, are you referring to the McConnell who refused to hold a hearing for nearly a year on the nomination of Merrick Garland to be a Justice and then rushed hearings on Amy Comer Barrett at the end of Trump’s term and early voting had already begun?
On another note it is interesting that you use the term cowardice to describe Biden and his administration’s policies regarding Ukraine instead of, perhaps, (overly) cautious.
Your biases often are so casually displayed and to which you seem blissfully unaware.
"The American People did not vote for this," at 27:49, in regard to the dismantling of our government institutions. Yes, the We the People who voted for Trump did vote for this. We all have known this is exactly what Trump and the incoming administration want - the destruction of our democratic republic. For anyone who voted for Trump to say otherwise is simply a statement of extreme ignorance.
Agree
I would like to address the use of the word ‘cowardice’ at 11:26, describing the Biden administration’s approach to supplying arms to Ukraine.
Up to that point, while I was listening to the discussion of Ukraine and what its future may be in a Trump administration, I found myself thinking of what it might look like in the unlikely event a trump administration does arm Ukraine and perhaps does so more aggressively as Eric and Eliot would like (as would I, I think). In other words, to make likely a result that looks more like a defeat for Putin.
That led me to consider this: How would Putin react in such an event, and how would that reaction be handled by a Trump administration including SOD Hegseth? I’m sure Eric and Eliot would explain to me how it might be fine given all the other people in the Pentagon, etc.
Then I heard the word ‘cowardice’. I’m probably a Biden apologist, but while I have wished we could be more aggressive in arming Ukraine, I have appreciated what I would term the ‘cautious’ approach that the Beden administration has taken, and this for three reasons: First, related to what I mentioned above, which is the need to make sure this engagement can be contained. Second, because while I support and admire Ukraine tremendously for their courage and what they have done, I am not completely unfamiliar with Ukraine’s history and remember how relieved I was then that the nuclear weapons they had at the end of the Cold War were removed. And third because I realized that a not insignificant part of the American people, and a significant part of the Republican Party, including Donald Trump and his acolytes (about to be in power) were opposed. I can bemoan the lack of Biden’s ability to rally the country to the cause, but I can’t ignore that it wasn’t done.
And so to ascribe a term like ‘cowardice’ to a policy with which you disagree I think is beneath the tenor of these discussions, which I enjoy and am usually challenged by. It is the same sort of invective thrown my way when I argued caution in the face of the drive to war in Afghanistan and Iraq, or if I questioned the execution or length of stay. And argue the rightness of those causes as you will, but they both carry some not small weight in what has brought Donald Trump to power.
Agreed! We also really don't know what Putin might have done had the US sent more weapons and authorized broader use. Maybe things would be much better, or maybe it would have created serious escalation. Even if the risk of dramatic escalation was 5% more, that was a serious risk with a nuclear state and an unreliable dictator.
Where’s the video link?
Are politicians supposed to represent their voters, or do they represent the country. Does anyone have a reference to an article or a book that addresses this dichotomy in a republic? I look at the media coverage of Trump’s cabinet picks, and struggle to find any coverage of why they are qualified and competent. All of the coverage is about scandalous disclosures, but nothing about any qualifications.
I understand that most republicans think that the president should have anybody he wants advising him, but is that also true of the those that are running our agencies?
Our elections used to not be about 49% of the country allowed to control everything, and 48% of the country having no say.
If being a veteran qualifies one for leadership in the defense department, let’s get rid of all officers and make every serviceman or women equal in rank and influence. Trump should pick 2 or three homeless veterans to run the defense department. They could use the money, and would also then feel some loyalty for our leader.
I'm so frightened and disgusted. I can almost envision what is going to happen. How can a man who supposedly loves his Country make such bad decisions. Just the 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada will destroy American companies. We export almost as much as we import.
I'm so frightened and disgusted. I can almost envision what is going to happen. How can a man who supposedly loves his Country make such bad decisions. Just the 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada will destroy American companies. We export almost as much as we import.
My guess is trump’s plan will be a band-aid on a gunshot wound. However, I struggle with this pod because eric and Eliot’s recommendations are never realistic given our politics and where Americans are with respect to spending. Americans do not want to fund anything close to what eric and Eliot recommend and they never ever deal with reality. It’s always “just give a speech and tell Americans how important this is!!!!” Come on guys, this can’t really be your solution. Have you seen our politics? Have you heard the American people? They don’t care about Ukraine. They care about the price of eggs.
Although I understand where you're c I ming from, I beg to differ on Ukraine and the price of eggs. I live in a Republican stronghold and we talk with our neighbors all the time. They care. And so do our Democratic friends.
Yes and no. It isn’t that it doesn’t matter in the sense of “fuck it. Let Ukraine be captured by Russia.” It’s it doesn’t matter in the sense they won’t make hard choices such as raising taxes, cutting social security, abandoning Israel/taiwan/europe FOR Ukraine.
The Europeans care too…however they aren’t willing to cut their social spending or raise taxes to increase defense spending. We are all suffering from the same problem…we aren’t willing to sacrifice ANYTHING.
Play _x_. …,