Comments on: The Enemy of My Enemy http://www.juliansanchez.com/2009/07/01/the-enemy-of-my-enemy/ Just another geek in the geek kingdom Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:05:53 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Barry http://www.juliansanchez.com/2009/07/01/the-enemy-of-my-enemy/comment-page-1/#comment-8294 Barry Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:56:42 +0000 http://www.juliansanchez.com/?p=3330#comment-8294 It's probably fundamentally fatigue, and a hope that a Democratic administration can get some good stuff done. The alternative is not pleasant (i.e., the GOP+right-wing Democratic Senators combine to block enough stuff to keep the US in bad shape, which leads to a resurgant GOP administration in 2012, elected on the principle that Bush II's methods worked in the long run). It’s probably fundamentally fatigue, and a hope that a Democratic administration can get some good stuff done. The alternative is not pleasant (i.e., the GOP+right-wing Democratic Senators combine to block enough stuff to keep the US in bad shape, which leads to a resurgant GOP administration in 2012, elected on the principle that Bush II’s methods worked in the long run).

]]> By: Three Questions «  Modeled Behavior http://www.juliansanchez.com/2009/07/01/the-enemy-of-my-enemy/comment-page-1/#comment-8292 Three Questions «  Modeled Behavior Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:45:48 +0000 http://www.juliansanchez.com/?p=3330#comment-8292 [...] Julian Sanchez summaries many of my views I pull up my feed reader in the morning and get the political news of the day as seen through the prism of two-party political conflict. These fall into two central categories. First, there are issues where Obama is only marginally more sane than Bush, but conservatives are outraged that lip service is being paid to sanity. Second, there are issues where Democrats are grinding along with some well-intentioned but probably harmful plan, and the Republican response is shrill, dishonest, offensive, and—if those fail—flat out psychotic. [...] [...] Julian Sanchez summaries many of my views I pull up my feed reader in the morning and get the political news of the day as seen through the prism of two-party political conflict. These fall into two central categories. First, there are issues where Obama is only marginally more sane than Bush, but conservatives are outraged that lip service is being paid to sanity. Second, there are issues where Democrats are grinding along with some well-intentioned but probably harmful plan, and the Republican response is shrill, dishonest, offensive, and—if those fail—flat out psychotic. [...]

]]> By: Ottovbvs http://www.juliansanchez.com/2009/07/01/the-enemy-of-my-enemy/comment-page-1/#comment-8285 Ottovbvs Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:03:25 +0000 http://www.juliansanchez.com/?p=3330#comment-8285 This seems to be a rather complicated way of saying that the Democrats have the best tunes at present although Sanchez seems to have a generalized, vague and unspecified antipathy to them rather as some people don't like Mahler. Does the odd bum note get play, are the brass not always in tune, does the percussion sometimes come in a bit late.....sure but they are producing recognizable and on the whole pleasing representations of the classics. With the Republicans on the other hand we're in Schoenberg territory. Now there are some that like Schoenberg but he's clearly never going to be a majority taste, in fact for most people listening to him is excruciating. And then there's the matter of the conductors. The current one combines an intelligent if cautious reading with pop star celebrity. Most of the alternatives can't even read a score. This seems to be a rather complicated way of saying that the Democrats have the best tunes at present although Sanchez seems to have a generalized, vague and unspecified antipathy to them rather as some people don’t like Mahler. Does the odd bum note get play, are the brass not always in tune, does the percussion sometimes come in a bit late…..sure but they are producing recognizable and on the whole pleasing representations of the classics. With the Republicans on the other hand we’re in Schoenberg territory. Now there are some that like Schoenberg but he’s clearly never going to be a majority taste, in fact for most people listening to him is excruciating. And then there’s the matter of the conductors. The current one combines an intelligent if cautious reading with pop star celebrity. Most of the alternatives can’t even read a score.

]]> By: Dan Summers http://www.juliansanchez.com/2009/07/01/the-enemy-of-my-enemy/comment-page-1/#comment-8269 Dan Summers Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:42:51 +0000 http://www.juliansanchez.com/?p=3330#comment-8269 I think this analysis is excellent, and shows how utterly the Republican Party has failed. There are reasonable and intelligent critiques and counters to the Democratic agenda, even though I tend to support it as a rule. But the GOP doesn't <i> offer </i> intelligent and reasonable critique, but instead spews forth insulting blather and jingoistic nonsense. I think this analysis is excellent, and shows how utterly the Republican Party has failed. There are reasonable and intelligent critiques and counters to the Democratic agenda, even though I tend to support it as a rule. But the GOP doesn’t offer intelligent and reasonable critique, but instead spews forth insulting blather and jingoistic nonsense.

]]> By: Arieh http://www.juliansanchez.com/2009/07/01/the-enemy-of-my-enemy/comment-page-1/#comment-8259 Arieh Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:56:16 +0000 http://www.juliansanchez.com/?p=3330#comment-8259 "There’s no a priori reason that someone’s position on the morality of abortion or the desirability of single-payer health care ought to correlate with their assessment of the threat of anthropogenic global warming" Is this really true? Say you oppose universal health care because you have a profoundly anti-government streak -- wouldn't you then be more likely to view the evidence supporting the existence of anthropogenic global warming as weaker and more inconsistent as a way of avoiding cognitive dissonance? “There’s no a priori reason that someone’s position on the morality of abortion or the desirability of single-payer health care ought to correlate with their assessment of the threat of anthropogenic global warming”

Is this really true? Say you oppose universal health care because you have a profoundly anti-government streak — wouldn’t you then be more likely to view the evidence supporting the existence of anthropogenic global warming as weaker and more inconsistent as a way of avoiding cognitive dissonance?

]]> By: Kevin B. O'Reilly http://www.juliansanchez.com/2009/07/01/the-enemy-of-my-enemy/comment-page-1/#comment-8252 Kevin B. O'Reilly Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:59:24 +0000 http://www.juliansanchez.com/?p=3330#comment-8252 It's good, Julian, that you're checking yourself. This kind of attitude reminds me of the old just-after-9/11 anti-idiotarian movement, where people spent a bunch of time "Fisking" Noam Chomsky and somehow let torture, warrantless wiretapping and unnecessary wars slip by. There's only so much time in the day: focus on the idiots in power, not the idiots out of power. It’s good, Julian, that you’re checking yourself. This kind of attitude reminds me of the old just-after-9/11 anti-idiotarian movement, where people spent a bunch of time “Fisking” Noam Chomsky and somehow let torture, warrantless wiretapping and unnecessary wars slip by. There’s only so much time in the day: focus on the idiots in power, not the idiots out of power.

]]> By: a http://www.juliansanchez.com/2009/07/01/the-enemy-of-my-enemy/comment-page-1/#comment-8249 a Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:51:56 +0000 http://www.juliansanchez.com/?p=3330#comment-8249 One problem with this analysis, though, is that Republicans aren't impotent. They're quite potent as a voting bloc in congress, and this fact, coupled with their basic insanity on a variety of important issues, seems to be creating a worst-of-all-possible worlds scenario in which Democrats self-deal in order to get legislation passed. Where one might hope to see the ideological give-and-take lead to some sort of improvement in governance, we're instead seeing complete dysfunction. Anyway, my analysis is no doubt oversimplified, but I don't think it's fair to claim that the opposition party is irrelevant to the state of play. One problem with this analysis, though, is that Republicans aren’t impotent. They’re quite potent as a voting bloc in congress, and this fact, coupled with their basic insanity on a variety of important issues, seems to be creating a worst-of-all-possible worlds scenario in which Democrats self-deal in order to get legislation passed. Where one might hope to see the ideological give-and-take lead to some sort of improvement in governance, we’re instead seeing complete dysfunction.

Anyway, my analysis is no doubt oversimplified, but I don’t think it’s fair to claim that the opposition party is irrelevant to the state of play.

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