What a difference four years makes.
In 2008, Democrats were eager to draw a contrast with what they then portrayed as Republican excesses in the fight against Al Qaeda. Since then, the Obama administration has in many cases continued the national security policies of its predecessor—and the Democratic Party’s 2012 platform highlights this reversal, abandoning much of the substance and all of the bombast of the 2008 platform. Here are a few places where the differences are most glaring:
Indefinite Detention
2008: “To build a freer and safer world, we will lead in ways that reflect the decency and aspirations of the American people. We will not ship away prisoners in the dead of night to be tortured in far-off countries, or detain without trial or charge prisoners who can and should be brought to justice for their crimes, or maintain a network of secret prisons to jail people beyond the reach of the law.2012: Nothing. The Obama administration has maintained the practice of indefinitely detaining certain suspected terrorists. It has also made use of “proxy detention,” by which foreign countries detain US citizens under questionable conditions, although the administration did do away with the Bush-era “black sites.”
Warrantless Surveillance/PATRIOT Act
2008: “We support constitutional protections and judicial oversight on any surveillance program involving Americans. We will review the current Administration’s warrantless wiretapping program. We reject illegal wiretapping of American citizens, wherever they live. We reject the use of national security letters to spy on citizens who are not suspected of a crime. We reject the tracking of citizens who do nothing more than protest a misguided war…We will revisit the Patriot Act and overturn unconstitutional executive decisions issued during the past eight years.”2012: The platform is silent on this issue. This isn’t surprising since, at the urging of the Obama administration, congressional Democrats passed up the opportunity to reform the PATRIOT Act when they had a majority in both houses of Congress.
The purpose of this post is not an attempt to persuade anyone to vote Republican, but while everybody is still high on last evenings performance, a little reality check is in order. Read the rest of the list here.
What do you want? Our life in this country has moved past 2001.
Al Queda and the “Arab terrorists” have been internalized, the response to the threats has resulted in a new modus vivende and life keep on spiraling into senescence.
If they had that shit on their electoral platforms now, they’d be criticized for not “moving forward“…
The alternative is to be like the Islamic states, forever stuck in eighth century ideology and tenth century achievements, or like many Slavic countries, fighting yesterday’s battles with tomorrow’s weapons. (Is there anything more pathetic than listening to some politicians drone on with put on passion about things that happened impossibly long ago to people they could not possibly have met.)
That selective culture of amnesia part of the charm of the United States, as well as part of its most loathsome aspect. (Of course, as William Gibson said: “The future is here already, its just not very evenly distributed“.)
Are you saying it doesn’t matter that he failed to do what he promised?
They’re politicians…
You actually listen to any of their promises?
Bwahahahaha…
Promises never have a chance when compared to political expediency.
Push come to shove, they all push you out of their way to the pile of cash and shove you under the bus.
They don’t care about you.
They don’t care about lying to you right to your face.
They don’t care… They’re millionaires, and you’re not.
You’re just the assholes who vote them into office again and again, it doesn’t even matter which party, which platform.
And you’ll keep on voting because you’re too stupid to remember from one election to the next and unless one of them really fucks up, they know you’ll vote the same way for the same shifty character.
None of what you have mentioned has any relevance to quotes/changes above. All changes above reflect one and one thing only: political power that wants and depends on the institution of Big Government is willing to lie and cheat just to get in power. Once in power it is essential for them to use and protect that power. Progressive mind-set. Changes from 2008-2012 reflect the truth about Progressive Left (same as 2000-2008 reflected Progressive Right).
Now to the root of your comment: “The future is here already, its just not very evenly distributed” – who said anything about even distribution but Marxists and Communists. Lived there, done that and same as Progressive Government here, it is just a slogan to get in power. Once in power it is “do it as told or gulag or death”. Obama needs one more term for that level. For human kind to prosper as a whole there MUST be winners and losers. Evolution on any level does not work without losers. Distribute evenly and you get death in mediocrity.
You don’t get change by hoping for it.
Any mention of TSA in the 2012 platform? Do they support expanding it to roads and buses and trains?
> Our life in this country has moved past 2001.
But it hasn’t moved past 2008.
The sad part of all of this is that all the Obama supporters were TOLD this was going to happen and they voted for him anyway.
I’m not afraid to say it:
“I told you so!”
And a man who would do what he did to a dog is going to be better?
Think outside the square.
There’s more to life than the DNC and the RNC.
Under Obama, you are the dog.
Just as the American public supports Clinton despite him causing his family untold emotional distress with all his affairs. Yeah, at the end of the day the American public doesn’t care. You want to be President, check your morals, ethics, and humanity at the door. Its all about sound bites and looking good, lie if needed because you only have to run twice.
I doubt Hilary cares other than how it affects her political goals.
“Care” defined: an issue you make life choices based on.
They are a political couple. Put the emphasis where you will, it comes out the same.
spsffan, your an idiot.
Despite that big article and the call to donate $5 to Mother Jones, the lines are just a small portion of the document, thrown in as a sop for votes. They never meant it, they just wanted certain activists to keep their anger all through the election.
Republican platform is not much better. It mentions TSA, but it can be read as more RapeAScan machines.
Protecting Travelers and their Rights:
Reforming the TSA for Security and Privacy
While the aftermath of the 2001 terrorist attacks
brought about a greater need for homeland security,
the American people have already delivered their verdict
on the Transportation Security Administration:
its procedures – and much of its personnel – need to
be changed. It is now a massive bureaucracy of
65,000 employees who seem to be accountable to no
one for the way they treat travelers. We call for the
private sector to take over airport screening wherever
feasible and look toward the development of security
systems that can replace the personal violation of
frisking.
That’s the hell of it.
The Democrat rank and file now has to confront the fact that by re-electing Obama they will irrefutably be voting for W’s 4th term.
But I guess as long as he whispers sweet communistic nothings in their ears they can still feel good about it.
For most in the DNC convention hall, they’ll vote for anybody who tells them that the state will take responsibility for their well-being and not let them be burdened with economic choices.
And what’s another war or two? It’s not like Obama debt Laden can lose his Nobel Peace prise.
And it’s not like Romney would be any different beyond a slight re-ordering of the pecking order of the parasites.
That and you don’t have to worry about a Mormon circumcising his daughters in the WH.
Further evidence that Democrats and Republicans aren’t really all that different. Republicans aren’t fiscally responsible and Democrats haven’t resolved to end the wars or questionable detention practices.
How is Facebook managing to send me invites? Noone is inviting me to join, but they are sending me mails from X,Y,and Z, where X is someone I’ve e-mailed, and Y & Z are people in X’s address book.
You don’t remember Facebook asking for your email account info so they could help you find your friends on Facebook?
I just said “no”.
I’m not on Facebook. Are you saying that’s what the various Xs did?
I permanently deleted my Faceplant account, all of you should do the same.
But I digress. Party platforms are amusing documents, but they aren’t contracts in any sense of the word. I think we all realize that the candidates can pretty much ignore them without consequence after the election. It’s unlikely that the press will make an issue of it with a candidate they support.
OTOH, it is pretty grim to see that there is nobody in the Democrat tent for whom they feel they need to make noises about peace or freedom.
McCullough–you have your eyes on a valid issue but your thumb on the scales is blind.
You think a good argument to vote Republican is that Obama has failed to correct what the Republicans instituted? THAT is your criticism. In this view of the world, the Right is Right, and the Left is Wrong? Up is Down?
From your own review: Obama stopped Covert Holding Black Sites and has stopped US Torture. Two other things initiated by Bush.
I would criticize Obama for what he is allowing to continue, what he has pushed for himself, promises he has not kept. …. and still he looks better than the Republicans if these were the issues you were voting on. Thats gotta hurt given that Obama supports a wide range of other individual freedoms that the Republicans are also against.
Indeed, its the Party of No versus Obama who can’t correct everything as fast as we would like.
Feel the burn.
bobbo, one true Liberal,
I dare say this is one of your more lucid responses and it’s goes against my prickly grain, but; I agree with you.
Well thank you noname. All my posts come from the same deep well of lucidity. The rest is window dressing, humor, boredom, and premature celebration of my next birthday.
Imagine that?
Moran says most voters are too moranic to understand the difference between the parties. Give me sports and porn and I’ll vote for you.
I don’t know why but I was just reminded of Dennis Leary‘s “I’m an asshole”:
Just change asshole to voter and you’ve got the average of the American electorate.
Obama has prevented terrorists attacks so it’s working. This is where I’m standing shoulder to shoulder with the Teapublican party.
Fort Hood
Assuming this article’s assertion is true. It only helps cement my believe that neither party is in charge, but just following orders. They’re both figureheads, for the Military Industrial Cabal (Complex, Collective – it’s all good), who calls the shots. And doesn’t go to war anywhere, just because the current Administration thinks it’s a good idea (Bush/Cheney). Or ends a war somewhere, because another temporary Commander in Chief says so. Pul-lease. Hundreds of billions of dollars are at stake. And that’s just the US Defense budget. Trillions could be at stake, concerning the defense of the oil fields and pipelines, all over the world.
Before Oil was the most sought after substance in the world. It use to be Gold and Diamonds. And English empire sent soldiers to parts of South Africa to “defend” those regions where new finds occurred, from the local’s control. Thus the Boer War. Queen Liz was just some young gal, at the time. And those running the military, didn’t always do what she commanded. They did what they wanted to do, when they wanted to, and for their own reasons. And let the Monarchy take the credit or blame. It’s probably the only reason they’re allowed to exist, to this day. The Queen is a great dodge, for those really running the show. And probably no American president since Lincoln, has been running things either. There’s just too much a stake, to risk a maverick, screwing it all up.
I am moving to Ecuador where people are free.
Adios.
Try their Galapagos turtle soup.
How do we know they did away with “black sites”? They are more more likely to have changed the label than their behavior.
I still find it appalling that people would happily say we belong to the government. They want to be property…They think if they have an owner the owner will take good care of them. I could ascribe it a huge mass brain fart but these people are leaders and it means something.
Romney shot back at critics who complained that he didn’t mention Afghanistan or praise U.S. troops in his convention speech last week, arguing that he focused on issues that are “important.”
I can’t wait for the debates. Why does Willard hate our armed forces?
http://thinkprogress.org/security/2012/09/07/813831/romney-rnc-speech-troops-important/?mobile=nc
It’s because Romney only supports the troops when they shoot their officers.
If you use Bill Clinton’s jobs math, the scorecard for combat deaths this century is Democrats 300,000 Republicans 6,000. Even using the same time frame as Bill get’s you a 2.4 to 1 ratio D to R.
So–the Dems and Bill did more to protect our Freedoms too!
God Damn Pukes won’t even defend this country!!!!
RICH = CRIMINAL.
Gob smacking that a naked VULTURE CAPITALIST can just lie himself a “job creator” and so many brain dead voters are drawn to him.
Something at the very heart of the country is totally amiss. It gets talked about as we do, but I haven’t heard anything that really resonates with me. Wishful thinking combined with a need to believe all as a substitute for thinking gets in the ball park.
NFS, LL, Ah_Yea, Deowll, Dusanmal===time to shine. Where’s the beef?
>The purpose of this post is not an attempt to persuade anyone to vote Republican,
Logic like that is why the issue is dead, while the NRA wins. NRA voters will switch parties if they don’t get what they like. That’s why gun control hasn’t been on Obama’s agenda to date, despite various public shootings.
Nancy P. used this car as an example of what Democrats have done for the country in her speech at the DNC. Read the article and you decide. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/10/us-generalmotors-autos-volt-idUSBRE88904J20120910
This article is also gettin a lot of interest: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/10/us-generalmotors-autos-volt-idUSBRE88904J20120910