The Political Discussion Thread

[SoulReaver]

I disapprove: there's no reason to shoot a robber (as long as it ain't my stuff they're stealing) that's just plain wrong :/

[KEK]

Failed assassination attempt:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4BUac_yVhU

[Girlbot]

Failed assassination attempt:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4BUac_yVhU

Me thinks he forgot to take the safety off

[The Flyattractor]

I hate it when assassians do that.

[The Flyattractor]

Its Martain Luther King Day....So why do Bankers/Post Office employees and Teachers get the day off?

I do not think that MLK would approve.

[mad_gater]

not all teachers get the day off....NY Institute of Massage was still open, and therefore still had to attend

[Girlbot]

Its Martain Luther King Day....So why do Bankers/Post Office employees and Teachers get the day off?

I do not think that MLK would approve.

They made it a "National Holiday", so that denotes no mail, and no banking, and the stock exchange closes.

[The Flyattractor]

SO in otherwords. It just the fat cats scratchin der own backs with our claws....Same old SAME OLD!

[aretood2]

They made it a "National Holiday", so that denotes no mail, and no banking, and the stock exchange closes.

Which this apparently doesn't extend to State funded projects >.>

[Falcon Horus]

So, what do the inhabitants of the Political Discussion Thread think of Obama's 2nd inaugural speech?

[KEK]

Failed assassination attempt:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4BUac_yVhU

Turns out it wasn't an assassination attempt at all. It was a gas pistol with pepper spray and 'noise makers' in it. THe guy left a note saying that he wasn't try to kill anyone, just show him that he wasn't untouchable. He didn't expect to survive the stunt.

[Womble]

It's elections day in Israel, and I voted. For Netanyahu, for economy and infrastructure-related reasons. So did my boss, who, unlike me, is a long-time Leftist and die-hard Netanyahu hater, but who voted for him because he realized that the Left is too delusional to be allowed anywhere near Prime Minister position. He and I did a quick unscientific poll in our office, and to our shock girls turned out to be much more hardline than guys; almost all the girls who work with me are voting for right-wing Naftali Bennett.

[lordofseas]

It's elections day in Israel, and I voted. For Netanyahu, for economy and infrastructure-related reasons. So did my boss, who, unlike me, is a long-time Leftist and die-hard Netanyahu hater, but who voted for him because he realized that the Left is too delusional to be allowed anywhere near Prime Minister position. He and I did a quick unscientific poll in our office, and to our shock girls turned out to be much more hardline than guys; almost all the girls who work with me are voting for right-wing Naftali Bennett.

And...results: LINK!

[SoulReaver]

differences between Netanyaho & this Bennett chap??

[Womble]

differences between Netanyaho & this Bennett chap??

The differences are mainly on the "peace process" issues.

Netanyahu, contrary to how he has been portrayed in ever-clueless Western media, is a moderate rightwinter who is a centrist at heart, but he is also a hardcore pragmatist. He isn't opposed to Palestinian independence as a matter of principle, but he won't let Israel be suckered into a faulty agreement on bad terms the way Obama and the Europeans would have him do.

Bennet is pretty decent on social and economic issues, but he is a former head of the Yesha Council (settler lobby), ideologically opposed to the very idea of a Palestinian state, advocates annexation of about 60% of the West Bank and opposes more or less any action against settlers' illegal outposts. Basically, Bennet is how your media describes Netanyahu.

I can't wait for how the media will misinterprete these elections. A few things to be kept in mind when you read those op-eds:

1) The "peace process" was a complete non-factor in these elections. Resurgence of the Left is due to its reorientation towards primarily social and economic agenda.

2) Resurgence of the Left will have no impact on the peace process, which was killed by Abbas with generous help from Obama, and which will remain dead for the foreseeable future. Yecimovich and Lapid may occasionally talk about restarting it,, but they know it won't work. Plus they're more or less on the same page as Netanyahu on most Palestinian-related issues.

3) Bennett's popularity "miracle" is not due to some kind of sudden radicalization of the Israelis; his party simply absorbed the hardliner vote that used to go to Lieberman's party before its merger with the Likud.

4) The real surprise is the popularity of Yair Lapid. Until about a year ago he was known mostly as a celebrity journalist on TV and the son of Yosef (Tommy) Lapid, an extremely popular figure in the Israeli life and culture (Holocaust survivor, TV and radio journalist and at one point a government minister, with a gift for hilarious sarcastic quips). Lapid's main strength is that he looks good in a leather coat.