Generation Null: LOL(some)conservatives Thread

[dieblucasdie]

http://www.thespec.com/news/business/article/659563--take-a-sip-from-tim-hortons-biggest-cup-ever

[Babar]

Now I want you to defend the war on drugs, TSA, the Patriot Act, conducting wiretaps without warrant, the death penalty, the 700 US military bases around the world and the intervening in foreign matters with armed forces. All of which Barack Obama endorses.

x-post: alex is pretty spot on

Ron Paul is not against the death penalty, he is against the death penalty as a punishment for federal crimes
Ron Paul is not against the war on drugs, he is against the federal government regulating drugs. That means both that he thinks that the federal government shouldn't say which drugs are illegal and that the federal government shouldn't have an FDA.
Ron Paul can't do shit about the TSA, even if he were elected president.
Ron Paul can't do shit about the Patriot Act, even if he were elected president. The veto would be overridden.
Ron Paul couldn't contract bases overseas, because the BRAC process is a Congressional process, not a Presidential fiat.
Ron Paul doesn't believe in intervening in foreign matters with the Armed Forces, but again, Congress declares war, and not the President. 

You're confusing "endorses" with "has to live with," and idealism and pragmatism. If you want an idealistic president who doesn't get anything accomplished, super, Ron Paul is your dude. Until he gets tossed out of office by Congress.

I think we fundamentally disagree on how people should decide who to vote for. I think people should look at a candidate's track record and know his position about certain issues and if they find themselves agreeing with him more than the other candidates, they should vote for him regardless of the Congress. The Congress has a 9% approval rate anyway so with that in mind, people want someone that goes against the Congress. If he doesn't get anything done, fuck it, I think it's more important to get out of the vicious cycle then trying to find someone to, basically, be the Congress' bitch. Enter: Ron Paul. All of those things I mentioned, Ron Paul actively opposes while Barack Obama does not and he actively endorses most of them. I would like to get a veto from Obama on truly heinous acts every once in a while if only to bring up discussion in society and media. The 'stand-still' argument is the worst reason not to elect someone because it's like saying people shouldn't vote for someone because he proposes real change and that they should rather vote for someone that stands for more of the same. So yeah, I would much rather have an idealistic president than one of these guys:

[jebreject]

I think people should in fact stop voting altogether

[DCDave]

"Congress" has a 9% approval rating "My Senator/Congressperson" still has an approval rating ~50%.

[dieblucasdie]

After 4 years of a Ron Paul presidency, the executive branch infrastructure would be completely gutted, and Congress would likely be more powerful. Probably he could get a big tax cut package through Congress, if he'd be willing to forgo actually paying for it with spending cuts, though there's an off-chance he'd get enough GOP support to gut Medicare as well. If he'd be able to get through cuts in military spending, they'd be modest ones, something on the order of what they're already doing.

There'd be no more federal voting rights enforcement. He'd restitute the the Global Gag rule, probably in his very first week on the job, if not on the first day. He'd likely get to replace at least one, maybe two, Supreme Court justices. It's not very likely that he'd be able to get wacky libertarians past the nominating process, but he'd sure be able to get anti-choice candidates through, so that would probably be the end of Roe, at least functionally.

We'd still have a drug war.

Like Dave said upthread, the best parts of his agenda he'd be unable to enact, the worst parts of his agenda he'd be able to enact.

When you're against federal power, but running for the most powerful federal position, you're going to have to compromise yourself on something in that equation. Either Ron Paul would end up being much like any other Republican president (except in that he'd cede much of his job to Congress and leave the executive branch decimated for the next guy) or he'd end up getting removed from office. Probably the former.

[cold before sunrise]

at least you can admit how hopelessly right-wing extremist american politics has become since the nixon administration.

[dieblucasdie]

GOOGLE STEPHEN HARPER

[cold before sunrise]

the human butt plug? his nose was basically built for american presidents asses to ride.

[elpollodiablo]

So this GINGRICH ASCENDANT thing was so hysterical and gravely certain that I almost believed it myself, even though just two weeks prior I was in here bitching about Santorum's little contrived, three-day subplot. Seriously ready for this primary season to be over, and I say that as an avowed punter.

[dieblucasdie]

Yeah, I was so PSYCHED when it looked like he'd win FLA, but I guess the $$$ wins those big states after all. He is still leading the national polls, though, and he does genuinely seem to hate Romney a lot, so sadly this thing is going to keep on for a while.

[elpollodiablo]

and he does genuinely seem to hate Romney a lot

Hardly a rare quality. Though the longer he stands out there next to Gingrich, the better he looks.

[dieblucasdie]

Oh, I just mean that Gingrich seems like the sort of person who will stay in the race as long as possible just to be a dick, whereas, say, Santorum will probably drop out and endorse after FLA.

[FreddyKnuckles]

What else does Rick have to do? He'll shoe string it state to state. As long as he's got $ he'll stay in.

[hannah]

He'd likely get to replace at least one, maybe two, Supreme Court justices.

This reminds me—does anyone know if there has been any chatter about Ginsburg retiring before the end of Obama's term? Cuz, like, if Obama doesn't get reelected and then she up and dies on us, Imma gonna be pissed.

[Ignatius]

POLITICAL SCIENCE
For a Moon Colony, Technology Is the Easy Part
By KENNETH CHANG 5:27 PM ET
 
Could America build a lunar base during an eight-year Newt Gingrich presidency, as Mr. Gingrich promised this week? The obstacles would lie in money and politics.

This is a blurb from the NY Times front page. I don't know what thread this belongs in, I think maybe awesome? But this is the first one I saw.

I refuse to read the actual article, please don't anyone tell me what it's about.

[Babar]

It's about Gingrich wanting to have a permanent base on the moon by the end of his eight-year presidency. If more than 13.000 people would live there, the moon colony would become the 51st state, Moonisiana

[jebreject]

Moontana.

The Canadian moon bases have the better names, though. Moonskatchewan, Moonitoba, Moontario, Moonavut.

[coldforge]

Moonhattan, duh

[jebreject]

Reeks of elitism to me!

[coldforge]

If we do it right!

[elpollodiablo]

I love Gingrich's anti-elitism, because nothing so clearly demonstrates the rank stupidity of the GOP electorate as hearing those statements go unchallenged.

[fishjim]

It's too bad the rank stupidity of the GOP electorate doesn't have a thing for Leonard Cohen. We could play them "Sing Another Song, Boys" and be done with it.

Ah, they'll never, they'll never ever reach the moon,
at least not the one that we're after;
it's floating broken on the open sea, look out there, my friends,
and it carries no survivors.

[Antero]

It's about Gingrich wanting to have a permanent base on the moon by the end of his eight-year presidency. If more than 13.000 people would live there, the moon colony would become the 51st state, Moonisiana

Extremely North Dakota.

Drummer from my band suggests "Lunarkansas."

[Thermofusion]

Step 1. Move all New Yorkers to the moon

Step 2. Lower a giant blacklight dome over Manhattan and environs, turning a now-deserted NYC into the world's biggest and dopest lasertag arena

Step 3. No step 3 necessary, everyone is happy

[YojimboMonkey]

step 3 is get a badass cobra tattoo on your belly and an eyepatch and start owning that motherfucking lasertag arena