silenced/locked – what's the difference?

The point here is that Bernie Sanders is amazing and his running for your President is exciting.

JECE American elections are NOT global elections, despite Democrat fund-raising activities. America is the dominant country in the world precisely because we do NOT mimic the rest of the liberal governments.

The Democrat party in the US is as far left as it had ever been. It is not "moderate center right" by any *rational* analysis of AMERICAN politics.

Leave it to a ridiculous foreigner to not grasp the concept that the US (presumably) is still a free country that governs itself without foreign meddling...

Bernie Sanders being the holy Grail for anyone is proof that the Democrats are as far left as they have Ever been, since Sanders himself admits and self-problems to be a far leftist Socialist! Good lord.... the childishness of people refusing to acknowledge what is actually said in the world, versus what they WANT to hear, is quite pathetic.

By the way JECE.... way to be a modern liberal. You don't want to debate, so you call for opposition to be silenced. Good little authoritarian, aren't you...

Pathetic.

Sanders =/= The Democrats. If he won the nomination, you may have a point, but for now you really don't.

Lol. Sucker. Sanders is a "former" Democrat who went "independent" when it became politically unpopular to where the "D" in an election cycle. He caucuses with Democrats, and is running as a Democrat.

Any fool foolish enough to be fooled by Sanders label-shifting tactics isn't intelligent enough to cast a vote in any election.

@ krellin: Why do you feel it is meaningless to compare one country's politics with that of others?

Comparing US political parties to parties in other countries is not "foreign meddling".

"America is the dominant country in the world precisely because we do NOT mimic the rest of the liberal governments."
You believe in the superiority of some countries over others, krellin? Don't tell me you're a fascist now too. Oh, wait, I already knew that trolls could be anything they wanted to be.

"By the way JECE.... way to be a modern liberal. You don't want to debate, so you call for opposition to be silenced. Good little authoritarian, aren't you..."
Way to have more interest in trolling than reading what you're (not) replying to. I was suggesting that this thread could be locked (or muted) because of your babbling. Of course, true champions of authoritarianism like yourself don't debate with political opponents; instead you use empty labels and phrases to channel hatred and create Goldstein-like pariahs.

"American elections are NOT global elections"
Last I checked, political spectrums are globally based. We're all humans. And America is a continent, not a country

"Leave it to a ridiculous foreigner to not grasp the concept that the US (presumably) is still a free country"
Leave it to a propaganda sponge to think that phrase has any meaning. Also, I am citizen of the United States from birth.

"since Sanders himself admits and self-problems to be a far leftist Socialist!"
Bernie does not admit anything He proudly identifies as a democratic socialist/social democrat, which are neither Marxist nor leftist positions within socialism.

"Pathetic."
I know you are but what am I.

"Any fool foolish enough to be fooled by Sanders label-shifting tactics isn't intelligent enough to cast a vote in any election."
The denial of suffrage, eh? Oh no, that's not authoritarian rhetoric at all.

"Lol. Sucker. Sanders is a "former" Democrat who went "independent" when it became politically unpopular to where the "D" in an election cycle."
"Lol. Sucker." Bernie Sanders has never registered as a Democrat nor run as a Democrat. Before becoming an independent, he was a member of the Liberty Union Party. Since becoming an independent he has basically been the poster-boy of the Vermont Progressive Party. Yes, of course he caucuses with the Democrats. What would you expect him to do in Congress? Sit in a corner and mutter to himself?

@krellin - the Democratic Party foreign policy and economic policy is closer to Reagan than Carter. On social issues it is right about middle-of-the road. When was the last time an Establishment democrat talked about Labor rights? Single Payer Health Care? These are Liberal positions, and the democrats don't take them. THey're not left wing at all.

Give me a break. To you fools if the party doesn't talk in the MOST EXTREME language on EVERY topic they care therefore conservative. Are you all really that stupid/naive/gullible?

Wall Street won't let Sanders or Warren make it past the primaries. The D/R Wall St parties will both have center/center-right candidates. I will be supporting Dr. Jill Stein on the Green Party ticket even though she will not win because she actually reflects my social and political values. I'm glad Sanders is running though, he should force Clinton to address issues in the primaries she will avoid in the General Election.

For the last couple of elections I've wished that Ron Paul would win the nomination, not because I wanted him to be president but because he could really change the scope of debate.

I hope that Sanders will have this effect, even though he has very little chance of actually winning.

Look krellin, you can be conservative. Just don't be openly in denial. The mainstream Democratic Party is widely considered center-right. That doesn't have to upset you. You can still vote fascist.

Don't believe a word Hilary Clinton says to you during this election.

"The mainstream Democratic Party is widely considered center-right"
Complete and utter bullshit. Where is you're proof of this nonsensical statement? Because a bunch of wanna-be college pukes and recent college grads with their hands out for guve-aways don't think the government is giving enough??

If the Democrats are so damned mainstream, explain to me how the hell they took the BIGGEST election loss in damned near 100 years in the last election.

You morons are *completely* delusional. Or you simply feel the need to continually lie in order to persuade those more gullible/more stupid than you. Either way, TRUTH AND FACT do not reside within you. Truly pathetic.

Thucy - by the way, I'm sorry you ignored my outreach prior to my recent NOLA visit. Would have lived to buy you dinner and a beer.

The Democrats are center-left by US standards, and centre-right (see what I did there?) by global standards. For better or worse, the US political center is further right than most other countries. I'm kind of amused how this argument isn't about which position is better, but where they are on a spectrum!

Republicans and Democrats are only slightly different, and most of that difference is rhetoric. Bernie Sanders is more different. I disagree with him on a good bit of things, but I can see that it's nothing but refreshing.

Yes, he discribed himself as a (Democratic) Socialist, but is that so crazy? (I ask this from a perspective to the right of center economically.) Ed Miliband, who I think will become Prime Minister of the UK, has described himself as a socialist. The President of France is a member of the Socialist Party. They're hardly Stalin. It's left-of-center, but it's not an extremist viewpoint--nor an unreasonable one--at all. Again, I say this as a committed capitalist.

@JECE, wait, am I a pseudo-libertarian? I assure you I am a libertarian. I'm certainly not conservative nor progressive. Few politicians in the main two parties have represented my views, but Ron Paul is the closest.

Leinad, the discussion of "where Democrats lie" on the political spectrum is important because of this: Gullible fools, who think that they are voting for a political position, based upon nonsensical political campaign rhetoric, actually think they are voting for something they want...and yet, when the fools they place in office start to enact policy, it often ears *little* resemblance to the things the stupid gullible voters actually thought they were getting.

Thus, the discussion of *perception* is just as, if not more, important, because the ideological fools that are more interested in snappy 10 seconds sound-bites and idealistic sounding philosophical bullshit ignore that fact that every slick Democrat lie is just the lube the cretins use when they end you over for another season of citizen abuse.

Intersting that you point to, for example, the Socialist Pesident of France. How's that working out for them? Money is fleeing the country, and the French "economy" Yeah...not something anyone anywhere is bragging about.

@ krellin: Which policies of the Democratic party would you describe as strongly left-wing in character?

@ LeninadT: Ed Miliband is not a socialist. He uses the word "socialist" occasionally, but he is not a socialist. He endorses free-market capitalism and has stated his opposition to the concept of nationalisation. Calling oneself a socialist does not make one a socialist. I could go around calling myself an "astronaut", and it wouldn't make it any more likely that I would ever go into space.

@Jece:You could ask him nicely.

@krellin: I'm not defending socialism as the right position, I'm just trying to say it's not *too* far out of the mainstream.

@Jamiet: true, but again, I'm just pointing out that if one describes themselves as a "socialist" it doesn't mean they're an extremist. And I'm confused to why you're calling me "Leninad." Is that a typo or are you comparing me to the Soviet leader? Again, I'm not defending Socialism as correct, just defending it as not extremist.

Regarding Sanders, I'm not going to vote for him, but I'm glad that he's running. Politicians are supposed to represent the people, and he's representing people like JECE and bo who have previously not been represented.

We need one more person for http://webdiplomacy.net/board.php?gameID=159746

Jamiet99uk: The Labour Party is socialist by definition. New Labour got pretty far from its roots with Tony Blair, but The Red Flag is still the anthem of the party.

Lein - Socialism isn't anywhere near mainstream American thinking. Nowhere. Of it were, Republicans wouldn't have SWEPT the last elections. You are either an ignorant European, or a mind-numbed college puke who's thinking has been proved by far-left nonsense on campus shown as if it were reality.

Elections count; by the last election, left wing Democrats were SOUNDLY rejected by the American people.

Krellin, about New Orleans, I replied to you when you mentioned it. You must not have seen it. I was saying I was probably going to be working, which I believe I was. I also, afterward, mentioned that and said sorry. Would have enjoyed meeting you too.

@krellin

No, I'm just an American who likes international politics. I just don't think that "Socialism" as a label should garner the same response as "Communism" or "Fascism" or "Cannibalism" would garner. You seemed to paint Sanders as an extremist because he calls himself a "[Democratic] Socialist." I guess because you believe the Cold War era American propaganda that anything left-of-center economically is evil. I'll agree that a free-market system works better, but I see the validity of a socialist one.

Me and you probably see eye to eye on more things that you assume, I'm just way more respectful of those who disagree with me.