DonCoquixote
DonCoquixote's JournalWhy we need multiple candidates in the 2016 Democratic primary
Ok, I realize here that to many, Hillary is not only ordained to be the Party's candidate, but ordained as president. Some have noble reasons, some merely never stopped the 2008 campaign. However, the point of this op is about the Primary itself, as in, why we NEED people to run in the Primary.
Now, let's go ahead and say we know, with a 2 + 2 = 4 level of certainty, the Hillary will win both the primary and election. The problem is, right now, she has NO reason to even humor the left. Go ahead and read the Huffington Post, and you will see people like Mark Penn who support Hillary, but trash anything left at every turn. Yes, these are people who share the GOP delusion that Obama is a leftist. They actually think Hillary needs to tack to the RIGHT.
First off, that is a recipe for disaster. If the GOP runs a Chris Christie, then he can get props for attacking Hillary in a rude, nasty way, which will make Jane and Joe sixpack happy. If all Hillary offers is "I like the right wing too" then she will get mowed down trying to act more like a right wing jerk than the people who are the real thing. As Truman put it, people will pick the real republican over fake ones every time, and sadly, Clinton does not seem to get that. Now, if the GOP gets desperate, and runs someone like Rand Paul, things get UGLY, because while we all know Paul is, at best, a Trojan horse for the Billionaires, he can be different enough in tone. Imagine a debate where Paul discusses peace with Iran, while Hillary keeps making a case that "Assad must go!" We will bleed the vote among people who, ranging from the Medea Benjamins, to the veterans, who are just sick of war already!
So, the purpose of let's say a Robert Reich or Bernie Sanders or Liz Warren would be to pull Clinton to the left, because we know there is a very strong pull to the right already. The left needs to show that yes, we are here, yes you do have to listen to us. The fact this would be done in the Democratic party itself insulate against third party trojan horses that are simply meant to divide the left again.
Is Bitcoin in any way valuable?
In light of the MT. Gox blowup, I wish to start an discussion; is there any real value to Bitcoin?
I will offer my opinion, which I admit, can be wrong.
The idea behind bitcoin is not a terrible one. We DO need some form of currency that is not based in traditional sources, if nothing else because those sources tend to be running out, or at the very least, sources of national strife. There does need to be a way of defining value in other forms, energy, labor, not just geological stuff.
That being said, there is nothing backing or regulating bitcoin. If the UN got involved, maybe there could be something, as they could value currency and have the reach to prevent the shenanigans that every state engages in.
As is now...it is nothing, a con game at best. My hope is that perhaps it could be retooled into an actual tool, something to prevent the wars that will result from gold or petroleum.
Profile Information
Member since: Thu Apr 17, 2008, 05:51 PMNumber of posts: 13,616