What Didn’t President Biden Do Now?

The Batlord · 08-28-2021, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoundgardenRocks

I've got respect for the Biden administration for finally getting this done, one way or another. Not that they had a ton of choice with Trump's agreement with the Taliban, but still.

Obama and Trump both kicked the can down the road.

Our entire time there has been a disaster though. It's unfortunate the way that things are shaking out with the violence, the death, and the Taliban regaining control. We should have never been there.

I'm not convinced that this pull out would've been any better with a different president/administration. I kinda agree with jadis, I think the military brass and generals dragged their feet and executed this incompetently because they didn't want to do this. Biden, of course, can't really come out and criticize/blame his generals in front of the public though. Get out, once and for all, and let the Taliban and ISIS(-K) blow each other up.

^ 90% of Americans about anything foreign policy related. Give Biden 2 months max, reap some rewards from legislative success or vaccine success and his approval rating will recover and no one will care any more. Sad, unfortunate, but true.

This. Though I'm dubious about vaccine success or anyone caring about whatever finally gets through the Senate. What he should really be worried about is what happens after the eviction moratorium lapses.

~~jwb~~ · 08-28-2021, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rubber soul

Wasn't it Donald Trump that had started the pull out to begin with? But I guess he's totally blameless in all this. After all, he wouldn't have done anything ridiculous like pull the troops out of Syria leaving the Kurds sitting ducks for the Turks, right?

PS- How many people actually remember that? I'm with Batty on this one.

obviously it was a massive success. And even if it wasn't a success, then the failure is clearly Trump's fault and not Biden's. It was dumb when Trump said to do it but smart when Biden did it.

And even if it was a major **** up, nobody will remember in a week anyway so it's all good. Anyone who says otherwise is a neoliberal war mongerer. Go team USA!!

The Batlord · 08-28-2021, 03:02 PM

I'm glad Trump made peace with the Taliban and I'm really not up on how he supposedly pussed out on following through with the withdrawal but I'm sure he sucked at it as he does most things but if it was Hillary we'd still be in Afghanistan. So Trump did a thing I like for once.

I wish Biden had started getting Afghan refugees out of the country earlier but considering the bar set by the last 20 years of letting civilians die by the thousands I'm going to just take the win I got.

Am I a meanie faced lefty still?

jadis · 08-28-2021, 03:16 PM

I think it's worth noting here that Americans get most if not all their coverage and punditry about "the foreign policy stuff" from people who see no issue with literal trillions in taxpayer dollars being funneled to the top defense and weapon producers.

What Didn’t President Biden Do Now?-e9fjvhevcauskpf.jpg

What you're not very likely to hear is that those corporations are at this point so fused with the state that you need a top level CIA security clearance to know where CIA begins and Lockheed Martin ends.

Does this invalidate every criticism of the pullout? Of course not. But something to take into account as part of the bigger picture.

The Batlord · 08-28-2021, 03:23 PM

Church. These mainstream media ghouls get all their opinions handed to them by officials and think tank pundits embedded in the military industrial complex and it just feeds their own version of the City on a Hill view of America so when America is embarrassed they don't like it for the same reason scum**** neocons don't like it even if they're too up their own asses to see it. CNN can pick up rifles and go fight the war themselves if they're so concerned.

~~jwb~~ · 08-28-2021, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Batlord

I'm glad Trump made peace with the Taliban and I'm really not up on how he supposedly pussed out on following through with the withdrawal but I'm sure he sucked at it as he does most things but if it was Hillary we'd still be in Afghanistan. So Trump did a thing I like for once.

I wish Biden had started getting Afghan refugees out of the country earlier but considering the bar set by the last 20 years of letting civilians die by the thousands I'm going to just take the win I got.

Am I a meanie faced lefty still?

nah we just disagree. I'm really perplexed to hear you guys say you think this thing was handled well. I guess time will tell but i really don't think so. I think this is Biden's "Iran hostage crisis" moment tbh. Like Carter i think he will go down as a generally luke warm weak and ineffective leader with one obvious blunder and this is it

**Frownland** · 08-28-2021, 03:38 PM

Do you care or do you just care about who cares?

The Batlord · 08-28-2021, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwb

nah we just disagree. I'm really perplexed to hear you guys say you think this thing was handled well. I guess time will tell but i really don't think so. I think this is Biden's "Iran hostage crisis" moment tbh. Like Carter i think he will go down as a generally luke warm weak and ineffective leader with one obvious blunder and this is it

1. I don't think there was a good way to handle it. It was always going to be a cluster****. That's not to say Biden deserves a gold medal as opposed to a participation trophy but I don't see anyone knocking this pullout out of the park.

2. Iran Hostage Crisis came right along with the stagflation crisis and telling people to tighten their belts so putting that all on one humiliating thing is a stretch, especially when just getting out of Afghanistan has been a thing people have wanted for years. We're also decades into the malaise Carter was bitching about so that humiliation probably had a different ring than this one.

3. Not even saying he won't be a one term. He's probably going to be pretty underwhelming but this probably won't be what kills him compared to all the other **** sandwiches being shoved into his face.

rubber soul · 08-28-2021, 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwb

nah we just disagree. I'm really perplexed to hear you guys say you think this thing was handled well. I guess time will tell but i really don't think so. I think this is Biden's "Iran hostage crisis" moment tbh. Like Carter i think he will go down as a generally luke warm weak and ineffective leader with one obvious blunder and this is it

Maybe, but Carter's crisis was late in his administration. He was still negotiating with the Iranians as Reagan was about to be sworn in. Plus Carter was struggling with the economy among other things. I even voted against Carter and I'm decidedly left of center (I voted for Anderson- it was my first election) because he (Carter) implemented draft registration and I was one of the first men affected by it. Anyway, Biden still has plenty of time to redeem himself as far as the independents go.

~~jwb~~ · 08-28-2021, 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Batlord

1. I don't think there was a good way to handle it. It was always going to be a cluster****. That's not to say Biden deserves a gold medal as opposed to a participation trophy but I don't see anyone knocking this pullout out of the park.

you don't think there was a better way to handle it. One that didn't look quite so frantic, weak and chaotic?

Quote:

2. Iran Hostage Crisis came right along with the stagflation crisis and telling people to tighten their belts so putting that all on one humiliating thing is a stretch, especially when just getting out of Afghanistan has been a thing people have wanted for years. We're also decades into the malaise Carter was bitching about so that humiliation probably had a different ring than this one.

maybe, but it seems to me the vibe biden has been projecting is one of an absentee slumlord. Like he has prepped us for such lack luster expectations that we will accept excuses such as " there was literally no good move" as rationalizations for defending poor policy.

Quote:

3. Not even saying he won't be a one term. He's probably going to be pretty underwhelming but this probably won't be what kills him compared to all the other **** sandwiches being shoved into his face.

can hardly think of a worse one so far

08-28-2021, 03:16 PM	#134 (permalink)
jadis Music Addict Join Date: Jun 2021 Location: dont ask Posts: 1,359	I think it's worth noting here that Americans get most if not all their coverage and punditry about "the foreign policy stuff" from people who see no issue with literal trillions in taxpayer dollars being funneled to the top defense and weapon producers. What you're not very likely to hear is that those corporations are at this point so fused with the state that you need a top level CIA security clearance to know where CIA begins and Lockheed Martin ends. Does this invalidate every criticism of the pullout? Of course not. But something to take into account as part of the bigger picture.

08-28-2021, 03:38 PM	#137 (permalink)
Frownland SOPHIE FOREVER Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: East of the Southern North American West Posts: 35,541	Do you care or do you just care about who cares? __________________ Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth. d e a f b o x