[Wheatfield]

Is shifting arguments just reflex by now? What 'protectionism' are you talking about?

One of the things we've found as your largest trading partner is that when a Democrat is the sitting president, we end up fighting all sorts of protectionist roadblocks, when a Republican is the sitting president, trade seems much smoother.
OTOH, when a Democrat is the sitting president, the world seems to be a more peaceful place, when a Republican is the sitting president, there are a lot more wars going on.
The latter may be coincidence, or Republicans may just want to shoot at things more than Democrats.

[Nesster]

What about when states borrow money in the form of tax exempt municipal bonds that are most attractive to high income people?

If the tax cuts weren't borrowed money, I wouldn't be as insistent on calling them outright redistribution.

State tax exempt bonds represent borrowing from the public, presumably for some reasonable, voter approved common good, and therefore aren't by nature redistributive.

[Nesster]

One of the things we've found as your largest trading partner is that when a Democrat is the sitting president, we end up fighting all sorts of protectionist roadblocks, when a Republican is the sitting president, trade seems much smoother.

Really, you found Clinton protectionist? I would have thought the opposite.

[Parallax]

.
OTOH, when a Democrat is the sitting president, the world seems to be a more peaceful place, when a Republican is the sitting president, there are a lot more wars going on.

It may seem that way, but actually, the opposite is true.
American Leadership and War

[deadwolfbones]

It may seem that way, but actually, the opposite is true.
American Leadership and War

Note that post-Vietnam, the majority have been initiated by Republicans. It's kind of hard to compare pre-Vietnam parties with post-Vietnam parties. The Democrats of the 30s-40s are definitely not the Democrats of today, for instance.

Also, most of the Democrat-initiated involvements after Vietnam were "peacekeeping" missions with either the UN or NATO, and should be viewed differently than, say, WWII or even Iraq/Afghanistan.

[Nesster]

On the other hand, the parties have switched identities over time... so how about wars since WW2? Just under whose administration these wars or military actions started.
Truman - Korea
JFK/LBJ - Vietnam
Reagan - Grenada, Central America, Lebanon, Libya
GHW Bush - Persian Gulf I
Clinton - Persian Gulf II
GW Bush - Afganistan, Iraqi invasion

[Parallax]

On the other hand, the parties have switched identities over time... so how about wars since WW2? Just under whose administration these wars or military actions started.
Truman - Korea
JFK/LBJ - Vietnam
Reagan - Grenada, Central America, Lebanon, Libya
GHW Bush - Persian Gulf I
Clinton - Persian Gulf II
GW Bush - Afganistan, Iraqi invasion

The part about the parties switching identities is correct as are most of your facts. The one exception is that I don't think Grenada could be classified as a war by anybody's definition.

[Ratmagiclady]

The part about the parties switching identities is correct as are most of your facts. The one exception is that I don't think Grenada could be classified as a war by anybody's definition.

Unless you were a resident of Grenada?

[Nesster]

...or another small country in the Western Hemisphere?

[Parallax]

Unless you were a resident of Grenada?

I get your point, but no. They may, from their vantage point, be able to legitimately call it an invasion, even despite its brevity; but war, no. Technically there was some resistance, but I think, from a military standpoint, "smackdown" is far more accurate than "war".

[Ratmagiclady]

I get your point, but no. They may, from their vantage point, be able to legitimately call it an invasion, even despite its brevity; but war, no. Technically there was some resistance, but I think, from a military standpoint, "smackdown" is far more accurate than "war".

Well, there's no question it was laughably-one-sided. Though it wasn't as tidy and bloodless as reports from the rich kids' resort, I mean medical school, might lead one to believe.

(Not that I'm saying that if, say, militant Moonies took over Nantucket, they would deserve a 'sporting chance,' but while the flag-waving was excessive about that relative cakewalk, it did turn some people's home into a war-zone. However briefly. )

[Nesster]

Although the *war like* nature of Reagan policy was clear to the world - and reinforced the image of USA as being *war like*, one thing we can say for his... conflicts: he picked his spots for easy pickings. And Bush I continued that, one may argue, with Persian Gulf I.

[Parallax]

..... Though it wasn't as tidy..... .

Tidy ends when the first shot is fired.

[Ratmagiclady]

Although the *war like* nature of Reagan policy was clear to the world - and reinforced the image of USA as being *war like*, one thing we can say for his... conflicts: he picked his spots for easy pickings. And Bush I continued that, one may argue, with Persian Gulf I.

Well, this much is so: ...but a lot of these 'little wars' were *definitely* not as tidy as we were told by the media. One thing about spending a lot of time with homeless and near-homeless vets, you hear stories of some of the crazy stuff that went on. (While DADT is awful, things were even worse and weirder before it: when I say a lot of LGBT troops joined up to get out of bad situations where they came from and end up with a raw deal, either way, I mean it. Therefore, lots of stories.)


More casualties of the plutocracy and related agendas? Not hard to connect the dots, there.

Just saying, .it's not to make too much light of, even if militarily something's like the New York Giants getting tickertape parades for defeating the Pop Warner team of like Sheboygan, Wisconsin or something.

In a way, that had a lot to do with American military mystique, (something Dubya later utterly demolished,) just so laughably overdone that we sometimes forget that yeah, shots were fired, and people lived there.

[Wheatfield]

Really, you found Clinton protectionist? I would have thought the opposite.

We had all sorts of trade disputes started while he was in office. Softwood lumber, beef and pork exports come to mind. They dragged on well after he was gone, but eventually I believe they got sorted out while Shrub was in office.