Why does our party leadership STILL insist on a "Scoop Jackson" foreign policy?

Ken Burch

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Wed Jul-28-10 02:26 PM
Original message

Why does our party leadership STILL insist on a "Scoop Jackson" foreign policy?

Edited on Wed Jul-28-10 02:28 PM by Ken Burch

"we can do it better on war" would have lost as many states to Nixon in '72 as McGovern did.

It didn't help us when Mondale and Dukakis ran on it.

And "toughness" is no longer of any use whatsoever in solving the world's problems.

Why would anyone in American politics who isn't a right-wing idiot still defend hawkishness at all?

They all KNOW it's useless.

They all KNOW it makes it impossible for our party to do anything progressive.

Why does our party's leadership REFUSE to speak out for an alternative foreign policy?

The status quo is our enemy...they have no reason to defend it.

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Oregone

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Wed Jul-28-10 02:29 PM
Response to Original message

1. You simply misunderstand. It was "right war" vs "wrong war"

Edited on Wed Jul-28-10 02:36 PM by Oregone

It wasn't "we can do it better on war"

The Democrats tied the failing, unpopular war to Bush (Iraq), yet remained strong on defense by pointing out a war they were going to execute that Bush neglected (Afghanistan).

This allows Democrats to posture as "hawkish" yet take advantage of anti-war rhetoric for a failing war.

It was the best of both worlds. It was the perfect political narrative for the time being......until they started to actually believe it.

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Ken Burch

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Wed Jul-28-10 02:33 PM
Response to Reply #1

4. OK...that sounds tragically accurate.

n/t.

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BeyondGeography

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Wed Jul-28-10 02:30 PM
Response to Original message

2. "And "toughness" is no longer of any use whatsoever in solving the world's problems."

Now there's a winning argument in American politics. :thumbsup:

I wish the world were the rational place you apparently envision. Personally, I'd like to see Osama's head on a stick because I was close enough to smell what the motherfucker did with my own nose.

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Ken Burch

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Wed Jul-28-10 02:32 PM
Response to Reply #2

3. Er...what DID he do with your nose?

(or did I read that right?)

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BeyondGeography

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Wed Jul-28-10 02:33 PM
Response to Reply #3

5. Go back to sleep

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Ken Burch

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Wed Jul-28-10 02:34 PM
Response to Reply #5

6. OK.

n/t.

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Ken Burch

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Wed Jul-28-10 02:36 PM
Response to Reply #2

8. I'll amend it to "rigidity"

"toughness" would be fine if the administration EVER displayed against the rich or the Pentagon.

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daleanime

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Wed Jul-28-10 02:35 PM
Response to Original message

7. But we need an excuse.....

to buy all those neat toys!:sarcasm:

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OHdem10

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Wed Jul-28-10 03:14 PM
Response to Original message

9. It takes too much thought and energy to develop a rational foreign

policy. It is easier to imitate the GOP. Furthermore,
it would require real confrontation to argue in favor
and sell a different foreign policy. Spineless are not
big on confronting. It is easier to follow the crowd.

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Ross K

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Wed Jul-28-10 03:42 PM
Response to Original message

10. Scoop Jackson was hawkish on Communism

I don't think he'd approve of us dilly-dallying around in Af/Pak, and he wouldn't have approved of Iraq at all!

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