The American Politics thread

[silentstriker]

After White House assurances, Lockheed won't send out layoff notices - Washington Times

But the new guidance sent Friday provided assurances to defense companies that the federal government wold cover the costs of employee terminations if the contracts ended up being canceled — but only if the companies did not issue the notices.

Ugh.

[smalishah84]

Am in the states these days and was passing through Maryland

Found some really innovative types of supporting vehicles for Romney

for e.g. a scarecrow in a corn field said I want to vote for Romney ...haha

[Top_Cat]

There's an argument that, at least among other things, the increased spending by the US on armaments under Reagan helped send the USSR broke. I don't know how true that I'd and I CBF looking it up, but it's an argument I've heard raised before.

What I've read suggested the Soviet desire to try to out-spend the Yanks started with Kruschev. The info from Oleg Penkovsky was the first indication that the USSR's finances wouldn't withstand trying to compete with the US and that were bluffing about how many ICBMs they even had, completely in opposition to what Kruschev was saying publicly.

[L Trumper]

What I've read suggested the Soviet desire to try to out-spend the Yanks started with Kruschev. The info from Oleg Penkovsky was the first indication that the USSR's finances wouldn't withstand trying to compete with the US and that were bluffing about how many ICBMs they even had, completely in opposition to what Kruschev was saying publicly.

Yeah I think it is around 1960, when Kruschev started the false premise that the Soviet Union had already achieved the lower stage of communism or socialism and was now in transition to the higher stage of full communism and promised that the Soviet Union would achieve full communism and have the highest standard of living in the world and hard manual work would be a thing of the past. Most of this is a propaganda to make sure soviet working people don't look at the consumer capitalism, social democracy of the west and get disillusioned with their own wretched conditions. Since about mid 70s their entire economy is stagnated and waiting for some kind of a miracle really.

[silentstriker]

Yea, it's a really odd argument to say that the US had no influence on Soviet Collapse. EVERYTHING each of the two countries did had a big influence on the other for fifty years. Trying to outcompete an economy like the US was always going to be futile with how they ran theirs, which definitely helped. The war in Afghanistan which the US used to bankrupt them at the end was just the final straw.

[silentstriker]

Romney is doing well right now.

[Fusion]

There was a false expectation that Obama will clean his socks. Romney is just a good debater as Obama. I expect that by the end Obama would do slightly better, but Romney will get a bigger boost in the polls because the expectations were so low for him.

[Fusion]

Weakest debate moderator ever btw. Has no control of what's going on.

[silentstriker]

Weakest debate moderator ever btw. Has no control of what's going on.

Yea, what the hell? It'd be better just to have the two talk over each other.

Romney beating Obama though.

[nightprowler10]

He's talking in circles and not actually saying anything substantial, but he's doing it well.

[silentstriker]

Yeah.

[Burgey]

Why do Americans believe the oft repeated myth that they have "the best health system in the world." They plainly don't.

[silentstriker]

Because when you say America is the best at _____, people will generally believe it. Most people have no idea about other countries.

In any case, news from people in the Romney campaign is that they are extremely happy at this point, as they should be. Apparently, Rob Portman was excellent debate prep (he was the Obama stand in)....

[Burgey]

Yeah Romney has done well. Pretty widely held low expectations together with not being in power help, but he's performed well.

Next debate Obama should let himself off the leash a bit. He seemed too controlled. Should tear Romney a new one.

Lehrer was a terrible moderator. I don't think that favours anyone in particular, mind you.

[nightprowler10]

Next debate Obama should let himself off the leash a bit. He seemed too controlled. Should tear Romney a new one.

I think he's playing it safe for this debate and not come off as a negative nelly, see how it affects the polls, and take it from there. Not a bad move considering that he's ahead in the polls.