tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6993164.post235657876978158455..comments2023-10-31T08:50:43.614-05:00Comments on ANEKANTAVADA: Debating Nader with J-Friend BeckyQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10444952585830773530noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6993164.post-5469367964126597382008-03-21T18:40:00.000-05:002008-03-21T18:40:00.000-05:00I concede that every US president, Democrat or Rep...I concede that every US president, Democrat or Republican, has continued the imperialist trend. I do not disagree that all have done a lot to cause harm across the world. I certainly agree that the Dems in Congress often seem to be spineless creeps who can't vote against anything, but I also must recognize that even if they had all moved to stop the Prez at any stage, they did/do not have the votes to override a veto. I do hold it against them that they voted for the Iraq war and the PATRIOT Act, but at least some of them didn't and some of them are now trying to do damage control on these issues and others.<BR/><BR/>I'd like to note that there are few issues that the Democrats so shiningly do differ from Republicans on. Most obvious first: One is equal rights for all Americans, including homosexuals. Another is abortion rights (which may matter more to me, as a female, than you). A third is actually doing something about GCC. A fourth is health care and a fifth is cutting taxes for the wealthy vs. giving services to the poor (you're likely to throw Welfare Reform in my face, right now, but if I remember correctly, most Dems were against it and the bill that passed came out of a Republican-majority Congress). <BR/><BR/>I guess on the subject of stuff like sanctions, I have to say that while sanctions are stupid, because they never work and they hurt the citizens, not the governments, of countries we 'don't like', I think sanctions must be preferable to bombing the s*&t out of a country (or two) and then occupying it.<BR/><BR/>I agree that it would be nice to have a leader who is not involved in any of the deplorable actions that our nation has undertaken in the last 100 years and one who is actually interested in solving some of the real problems in America today. However, I don't think Nadar is the guy to do it. Katha Pollit, my current favorite writer, recently summed up my feelings about Ralph much better than I can:<BR/>http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080317/pollitt<BR/>I'm not arguing that the Dems are great, I'm just saying Nadar's popping up every 4 years doesn't do what he claims to be trying to do.Becky Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13822321397527695015noreply@blogger.com