posted March 26, 2016 01:47 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Randall:
... Obama was the worst President in history...

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I'm guessing you're not old enough to remember Carter

quote:

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Originally posted by Randall:
...and Clinton will surely break that record (and break this country).

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If "protect and defend the Constitution" means anything, then I respectfully submit that Mrs. Clinton should be disqualified from running for office.

Honestly, there are times where I think Hitler could get 45% of the vote as long as he ran as a Dem, and that Stalin could get 45% of the vote as long as he ran as a Republican. And that is why the American people are so fed up that we want outsiders like Trump or Sanders.

As for the Trump followers, the US has been pulled so far left in the last 25 years, especially the last 8, that this is backlash. It's "Future Shock", but socially instead of technologically. Add to that the economic results of globalization. We're told the economy is just great but we're still earning what we did 20 years ago, if we even still have our job...

posted March 26, 2016 05:29 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by athenegoddess:
Wow.. You are all so easily persuaded by the media and their tactics to control your mind and cause a specific reaction.

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But you're not?

posted March 26, 2016 05:41 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Gemini Blues:
For many years I considered Carter "best ex-President" for his charity work.

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Did your opinion of him change?

posted March 26, 2016 06:21 PM            

Established diplomatic relations with China.
Pushed for comprehensive health care reform
Returned the Panama Canal to Panama - very gutsy and magnanimous
Granted amnesty to Vietnam draft-dodgers and closed that chapter.

posted March 26, 2016 07:19 PM              

quote:

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Originally posted by Faith:
But you're not?

How do you even know who Trump is?

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No, I am not.

posted March 26, 2016 08:10 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by athenegoddess:
No, I am not.

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You only answered one of my questions.

You only know Trump through the media, don't you? You two are not personal acquaintances?

posted March 26, 2016 08:14 PM            

Gotta love the pure and genuine antagonism of the transiting Sun conjunct Mercury in Aries, trine transiting Mars in Sag, with the moon in Scorpio.

People are just letting all the bitterness flow, like a river.

posted March 26, 2016 08:38 PM              

And fyi, yes I do know about Trump, personally. In addition, it's called seeing truth... something you may not be acquainted with.

posted March 26, 2016 09:13 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by athenegoddess:
Are you saying being someone's personal acquaintance means you know the cold hard truth about them? Your argument makes zero sense.

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You judge people for knowing Trump through the media.

The only other way to know him is personally.

quote:

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Originally posted by athenegoddess:
In addition, it's called seeing truth... something you may not be acquainted with.

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posted March 27, 2016 01:20 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Faith:
Comment about today:

Gotta love the pure and genuine antagonism of the transiting Sun conjunct Mercury in Aries, trine transiting Mars in Sag, with the moon in Scorpio.

People are just letting all the bitterness flow, like a river.

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Do you really think it's because of Aries? I don't. Although I've been feeling horrible today, I've tried to clamp down on my own reactions to things, and remember my sense of humour. It's been a lot worse since Pluto started squaring my Mercury. I feel so tense, terse, and ready to pop or cry. And then this lovely lady handed me a coupon for something I grabbed tonight - she didn't know me, but had an extra one, and I thought that was the sweetest thing.

posted March 27, 2016 01:42 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Faith:
Did your opinion of him change?

I know almost nothing about him, except for his involvement with, and representation of, the Trilateral Commission.

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posted March 27, 2016 02:05 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Astro keen:

Btw, Gemini Blue, has USA gravitated towards the Left? How come I and the rest of the world missed that. Or do you define anything non Ayn Rand as the Left?

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Despite the barb in the last line, I will attempt to answer without bias.

25 years ago, we had just ended the cold war. Communism was discredited, and anyone who was a self proclaimed socialist was unelectable. Today, one is making a rather serious bid for the white house.

25 years ago, marriage for a homosexual couple was impossible and sodomy laws were constitutional. Not so today.

25 years ago, socialized medicine was dead in a Democrat controlled Congress (Hillary care). Today, Obama care is the law of the land.

posted March 27, 2016 06:25 AM            

Everything on your list is in fact modernism, contemporary Illuminism, if you want (which takes us back to Athene's Illuminati just kidding!), it's the center, the norm, if you want to look at it from the right left center perspective, the fact that some people believe that equal rights/treatment for minorities or genders, public healthcare, refugees integration represent "socialist" measures sounds very weird to most people in Europe, we are not in the 20th century anymore. (by "we" I mean people, all of us). All of these are just....modernization. Progress.

There's no question of left or right in this way in the world anymore, considering that both the "left" - which led to socialism/communism, and the "right" - which led to fascism are outdated, retrograde, compromised concepts. No one wants or believes in lefts and rights anymore.

Europe has experienced the failure and crimes of both fascism and communism, and moved beyond those 25 years ago, and perhaps this is the difference here, between talking about abstract concepts vs experiencing a reality.

If people see a public figure who has a racist, sexist, warmongering speech, they acknowledge it immediately as fascist, dangerous, outdated, a dinosaur from the past no one wants resurrected, and you don't have to have a political orientation or no matter what it is, protesting against racist and extremist speech doesn't make one a lefty, a socialist, this sounds so bizarre in the contemporary context, because it has become a matter of common sense and integrating the global history lessons for the past years. The same would happen if someone spoke of the division of property, if people protest that, it doesn't mean they have a "right" political orientation, it's common sense based on hard-earned lessons.

As for this idea, Athene, that rich people, especially someone who lives by and for money and says money every other word can't be bought, it's hilarious....and scary. These people are the first to be bought.

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I seem to have loved you in numberless forms...

posted March 27, 2016 11:47 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by teasel:
Do you really think it's because of Aries? I don't.

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I think Aries sun-Mercury is the mouthpiece that enables a lot of this fiery (sun trine Sag Mars) energy to be expressed. The Scorpio moon just added more depth (bitterness?) to it.

posted March 27, 2016 11:55 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Gemini Blues:
Despite the barb in the last line, I will attempt to answer without bias.

25 years ago, we had just ended the cold war. Communism was discredited, and anyone who was a self proclaimed socialist was unelectable. Today, one is making a rather serious bid for the white house.

25 years ago, marriage for a homosexual couple was impossible and sodomy laws were constitutional. Not so today.

25 years ago, socialized medicine was dead in a Democrat controlled Congress (Hillary care). Today, Obama care is the law of the land.

These are just three examples of then vs now. There are others. You may see all of the above as mainstream centerest issues. However, a generation ago, they were all positions held by the left. The notion that these are mainstream today in and of itself indicates the country's attitudes have moved to the left.

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posted March 27, 2016 01:14 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by LeeLoo2014:
GeminiBlues, I understand what you mean, but this is what baffles some people, at least Europeans, and not only. The whole use of the concept right vs. left (not yours, but generally in the US, apparently, or at least by some people).

Everything on your list is in fact modernism, contemporary Illuminism, if you want (which takes us back to Athene's Illuminati just kidding!), it's the center, the norm, if you want to look at it from the right left center perspective, the fact that some people believe that equal rights/treatment for minorities or genders, public healthcare, refugees integration represent "socialist" measures sounds very weird to most people in Europe, we are not in the 20th century anymore. (by "we" I mean people, all of us). All of these are just....modernization. Progress.

There's no question of left or right in this way in the world anymore, considering that both the "left" - which led to socialism/communism, and the "right" - which led to fascism are outdated, retrograde, compromised concepts. No one wants or believes in lefts and rights anymore.

Europe has experienced the failure and crimes of both fascism and communism, and moved beyond those 25 years ago, and perhaps this is the difference here, between talking about abstract concepts vs experiencing a reality.

If people see a public figure who has a racist, sexist, warmongering speech, they acknowledge it immediately as fascist, dangerous, outdated, a dinosaur from the past no one wants resurrected, and you don't have to have a political orientation or no matter what it is, protesting against racist and extremist speech doesn't make one a lefty, a socialist, this sounds so bizarre in the contemporary context, because it has become a matter of common sense and integrating the global history lessons for the past years. The same would happen if someone spoke of the division of property, if people protest that, it doesn't mean they have a "right" political orientation, it's common sense based on hard-earned lessons.

As for this idea, Athene, that rich people, especially someone who lives by and for money and says money every other word can't be bought, it's hilarious....and scary. These people are the first to be bought.

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I agree that left vs right fails us to adequately describe policy. We need to add a couple more (at least) dimensions to our discussion. First would be authoritian vs anarchist. Communism, socialism, and fascism all rate very high on the authoritian side of the scale. To put it another way, the question of Comunismsm vs socialism vs fascism is this: Should the government have contorl over the people by abolishing business and private ownership of property, or by partnering with business and property owners? In this regard, I view socialism and fascism as equally leftist, but in reality, they are equally authoritian.

posted March 28, 2016 01:54 PM            

The possibility of TWO independent candidates - if both parties ignore popular votes - is pretty strong this winter...lets see what they do.

In Washington most of the Super Delegates are elected officials with seats to defend in November..with 70% of the vote going to Sanders do you think they will stay with Hillary and risk their constituents desertion or anger?

posted March 28, 2016 01:55 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Catalina:

What I have heard coming out of his mouth is a different matter. Offering to pay legal fees for bashings of protesters .. and then renegging...suggests the violence is not all from plants.

I am loving the way the Repubs are being exposed and its interesting to see Ryan having an epiphany and ditching the Ayn Rand speak...but at times I think Trump is running for Hillary

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Exactamundo!

Trump *HIMSELF* is encouraging this violence. Most of his supporters are in agreement with this foolishness yet they aren't ballsy enough to admit this when confronted. No one wants to be called a racist. Even if they are indeed a racist! Lol. I need them to just own their sh*t or STFU.

And even if Trump is doing all of this *for* Hillary to win, he is still a total psychotic buffoon.

The Aries in me cannot stand this pathetic denial and nonsense...

posted March 29, 2016 06:10 AM            

There has always been an appeal and charisma of dictators for a certain percentage of the population, and blinding even brilliant minds such as Leni Riefenstahl's, I think the reaction to authoritarianism depends a lot on our psychological structure and also what we were exposed to during childhood, parental models, for example some people mistake loud, rude, crude, cheeky characters for power and strength.

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I seem to have loved you in numberless forms...