Walker Bragman is a wanker.
A much better use of your time is to read Jim DiEugenio’s long review of David Talbot’s new book on Allen Dulles: The Devil’s Chessboard.
Peter Beinart says that Hillary Clinton’s domestic policy will be significantly to the left of Obama’s, but primarily because the people will tolerate it and, to some degree, demand it. Keep in mind, though, that even if Beinart is right about Clinton’s proposals, it’s really the makeup of Congress, not the electorate, that determines how progressive a president’s legacy will be.
Also, Beinart used to worry about Democrats pandering to blacks but he’s learned to stop.
What’s on your mind?
When has Beinart ever been correct about anything?
As I’m in the middle of The Devil’s Chessboard and will wait until I finish it before reading DiEugenio’s review. My preliminary review of The Devil’s Chessboard is: You. Must. Read. This. Book.
he’s right all the time. Also, often very wrong.
Is he ever right when no or few others are also right? If not, I prefer those others that get it right as often (usually more often) as Beinart and never get it very wrong.
re: The Devil’s Chessboard
As the author writes, for the Dulles brothers, “Democracy … was an impediment to the smooth functioning of the corporate state.”
If there was ever a sound bite description of GOtPers back even to Eisenhower’s time, this is it.
The only difference from then to today is;
Back then even people as powerful, as the dulles criminals, had to do most of their anti democracy destruction inside the USA in the shadows ……
… now a days they blatantly act it out.
True if we assume that there is less “in the shadows” and more in the open today. No way to test that until decades from now when more will become known about the current shadow plays. It’s possible that there’s simply more anti-democracy efforts that aren’t hidden from the public and the shadow games are as robust as ever.
Should also note that an external, as contrasted with internal, anti-democracy agenda was the Dulles Bros primary turf. The players/factions did overlap but more as awareness of each other than coordinated actions/missions.
McCarthy was one who dared to trample on the shadow games. Ike and John Foster feared challenging him. (Hundreds of State Dept employees were purged to satisfy McCarthy. Possibly the “best and the brightest considering the poor international relations we have had since then.) When McCarthy got around to the CIA, Allen wasn’t about to let the pipsqueak look at or interfere in his operation. That was the beginning of the end for McCarthy.
Kurt Waldheim
Speculation as to what the USSR may have known, but no speculation required for what the US knew. Protecting Nazis was one of Dulles’ personal shadow games. Quite shocking to me to read this and see how much of it figured in the post-WWII German government.
What is on my mind?
I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a safe,peaceful and healthy holiday season and years to come. Thank you for all of your hard work.
To all the rest here, may all of you and your families have peace, be safe and stay healthy during this holiday season and in the years to come.
Life is a walk that one must travel with numerous different paths to choose from. May all of you chose the best path for you and yours.
Ray.
Thanks, Ray.
Same to you and yours.
“…Hillary Clinton’s domestic policy will be significantly to the left of Obama’s, but primarily because the people will tolerate it and, to some degree, demand it.”
Whut? Does Beinart live in la-la land (not Los Angeles)? “People” have been demanding something much more to the left of Obama, except for the “people” who count, aka corporations, the .000%.
OTOH, color me utterly skeptical re HRC’s domestic policy being to the left of Obama’s. Remember that it was the Big Dawg who signed away Glass-Steagel and signed into NAFTA. Yeah, that was so left-y.
Granted that Congress does make a difference, but really? Pull the other one.
My main takeaway from that Beinart piece was how much he really really really wants Rubio to be the R nominee.
WaPo explains math to Hillary (so, I don’t have to write a long and boring comment on what “average” means). Guess “average” isn’t one of those concepts covered at elite universities. (These are the types of people we put in charge of our national budgets.)
She didn’t state what the students at the schools she would shutter are supposed to do, but in her campaign she has reversed course from her prior support for charter schools. That was sufficient to satisfy teachers’ unions and get their endorsements. (Behind the scenes Eli Broad — a mega-charter school supporter — was assured that she’s still with charter schools and that satisfied him enough to become co-chair of “Ready for Hillary” SuperPac)
Her campaign spokesperson said that Clinton’s statement about closing schools is not what she meant. She was speaking in favor of more state funding for underfunded schools in Iowa. She just neglected to say that.
(Would be remiss in not noting the Obama administration hasn’t been a friend to public schools.)
She must be talking about schools in Lake Woebegone.
Really, this is the person to represent the USA to the world? She must take lessons from W.
I’ve got DiEugenio’s book, just waiting for me to finish the book I’m reading now.