What Obama would do, in a dictatorship...

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I seriously think that a combination of campaign funding reform and a conflict-of-interest policy that ends the revolving-door between corporate boards and policy-making positions would make a world of difference in our political process and public policy.

In other words, we need a legal separation between capitalism and state.

[GrannySmith]

Politics: The act of voting for which slimy bastard you'd like to get fucked in the ass by for the next couple of years

There's no box for "Not being fucked in the ass" so I don't tick any

Apparently this makes me part of the problem

Unlike people who keep voting for what they hope will turn out to be the smallest dick

100% agree
plus as long as politicians are paid by others than the public, they don't work for us so what's the point.

FUCKING BINGO

If you wanted to expand on this I think it would be a perfect theme to include in the Bitter Tea project. Not to be singleminded, but I think that's a really important element.

I'll try but I'm terrible at writing!

[ñͤͣ̄ͦ̌̑͗͊͛͂͗ ̸̨̨̣̺̼̣̜͙͈͕̮̊̈́̈͂͛̽͊ͭ̓͆ͅé ̰̓̓́ͯ́́͞]

Politics: The act of voting for which slimy bastard you'd like to get fucked in the ass by for the next couple of years

There's no box for "Not being fucked in the ass" so I don't tick any

Apparently this makes me part of the problem

Unlike people who keep voting for what they hope will turn out to be the smallest dick

100% agree
plus as long as politicians are paid by others than the public, they don't work for us so what's the point.

FUCKING BINGO

If you wanted to expand on this I think it would be a perfect theme to include in the Bitter Tea project. Not to be singleminded, but I think that's a really important element.

I'll try but I'm terrible at writing!

I don't know, that bit that Nigel bolded is pretty fucking incisive.

[Cain]

Heh. First amendment only applies on american soil.
This is some pretty fucked up shit.

Obama has consistently shown he believes the letter of the law is more important than the spirit of the law, and that human rights apparently end at America's borders, if they even apply in America at all (see: Bradley Manning).

The problem is one cannot simply view America as America, the geographical/state identity.  America is a network of oversea alliances, military and economic linkages, and as such the truth of American power and desires is most clearly expressed in the realm of foreign policy, where legal constraints are at a minimum.

I have no doubt that, were the laws different in the USA, Obama would do the same there, if it were convenient.  That the final tattered vestiges of the Constitution are still taken somewhat seriously by people in the USA, and thus the resulting political clusterfuck that would erupt if such a thing were attempted, is probably the only thing restraining him from doing so.

But then again, there are different methods for the same problem, when they exist in the USA.  FBI entrapment, NSA surveillance etc etc.

[GrannySmith]

Thanks, i am flattered and trying but can't get much further that that phrase so far... Would that not be enough? without attribution...

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Heh. First amendment only applies on american soil.
This is some pretty fucked up shit.

Obama has consistently shown he believes the letter of the law is more important than the spirit of the law, and that human rights apparently end at America's borders, if they even apply in America at all (see: Bradley Manning).

The problem is one cannot simply view America as America, the geographical/state identity.  America is a network of oversea alliances, military and economic linkages, and as such the truth of American power and desires is most clearly expressed in the realm of foreign policy, where legal constraints are at a minimum.

I have no doubt that, were the laws different in the USA, Obama would do the same there, if it were convenient.  That the final tattered vestiges of the Constitution are still taken somewhat seriously by people in the USA, and thus the resulting political clusterfuck that would erupt if such a thing were attempted, is probably the only thing restraining him from doing so.

But then again, there are different methods for the same problem, when they exist in the USA.  FBI entrapment, NSA surveillance etc etc.

There's also the fact that he's Obama. If it were a republican president, conservatives would say that it would be necessary to protect us from our enemies. The liberals would put up a stink, but could safely be ignored.