“...it was clear that we will certainly edge closer to another war with almost any Republican in power.”

Well, yeah. But we knew that already. Along with the accompanying tax breaks for the rich to raise the revenue for it.

Some of Conason´s comments reflect ignorance, others of which reflect stupidity.  His comment about Ron Paul, “Yet he also showed why libertarian ideologues like him are unfit to represent American ideals,-” is a combination of both, as if the criminals currently administering USGOV are doing a decent job. 

Conason´s comment about “-  highly successful Bush administration program of HIV/AIDS assistance to poor nations.”  Successful for whom?  AIDS was developed and spread by USGOV biowarfare scientists.  Instead of curing, the pharma-drugs that are used only relieve the symptoms, the cost of which drugs is written off, when the drugs are “donated” out of country, or else paid for by U.S. Taxpayers. 

It is obvious why genuine cures are utilized very quietly by a few physicians - and other persons.  Another area of Conason´s grand ignorance.

charrob,
Your espoused views are not that of a ‘a hardcore liberal’ (in the American), rather the arguments put appear are that of Republican/conservative Lite at best. At worst they reflect similar views to the ignorance of the rump Tea Party movement(sic). i.e. big on latent chauvinistic arrogance and intellectual myopia.
Big on opinion and rhetoric and light on true liberalism (left) underpinning assumptions.

To wit: all humankind are equal.

I find the notion that any country “is an island complete of it’s self” both naive and necessitating the ‘conservative’ notional ideological fictions. 

ergo I think it either disingenuous or self deluding to claim being a liberal let alone a ‘hardcore’ one.

Actually, a word of good cheer to all those worried
about illegal immigration:

Illegal immigration has plummeted since the economic downturn; there may even be net emigration from the U.S. right now.

So stop worrying.

—John

As a hardcore liberal, i believe the left is on the wrong side of immigration.  Those hurt the worst in this country by illegal immigration are those in our poorest class (those who can least afford the competition); african americans have been speaking out for years that having to compete with illegal immigrants has suppressed their wages as they engage in a race to the bottom. 

Illegal immigration hurts us all because we are the ones who have to foot the bill for many families having on average 8 or 9 children.  In the 1950’s, 1960’s, we had around 150 million people in this country:  at over 300 millions, we need more energy, more oil-drilling which kills marine species and wildlife, we need more factory farming so that animals are literally tortured and caged up when, with a smaller population, they may have more opportunity to roam on undeveloped lands.

We need to get rid of the reasons illegals are pouring over our borders:  the stupid ‘war on drugs’, “free” trade pacts and American militarism in their home lands.  If we get rid of any reasons they come here because of actions we’ve done, then they should have every opportunity to build up their own country.  Our country is filled up—to the brim.  And the jobs are needed by Americans born here.

There is a reason that illegal immigrants have been allowed to illegally enter this country by the millions and millions and millions over the last couple of decades, through both Republican and Democratic administrations.  It is because large powerful corporate interests that represent big business want massive unregulated immigration and it’s depressive effect on wages.  They pay (contribute to) both Democrats and Republicans to allow illegal immigration to continue and they get their lower wages for working people across this country.  Newt was just letting these corporate interests know that he would do their bidding and continue to allow the flow of illegal immigrants so businesses can continue to pay low wages.  If you want the continuance of massive illegal immigration, like this author appears to want, don’t worry, corporate power controls this country and therefore the illegal immigration will continue.

Regards,

EmileZ,
Two basic points,
- what is the title of the article?
Answer: “Realism and Compassion: Unacceptable in Today’s GOP”
What is doesn’t say is *A comparison of (et al)*
The author is sticking to the context. Pity you’re not.
e.g. Your response is in essence arguing in answer to “Jack the ripper” was a monster. It to comparing him to “the Boston strangler” ask your self how does that change the asserted facts for for the rippers guilt?
Answer: zip, zero nought,nil, narder, nothing, Boopkiss, bugger and f*** all!
You are entitled to criticise the narrowness topic. But all that is beyond that i.e.  out of context comparisons, Ad homs don’t bode well for your perceived ability to reason or your argument.

I would like Joe Conason or any other person in this
Nation, to tell me how, with conviction just how
increasing immigration at a time when 20 to 25
Million U.S. Citizens are seeking employment could
possibly benefit the Workers in this country.

Usually it is the immigrants from Mexico and South
America that come to this Country to work in the
fields. Certainly not those from Asia, the Middle
East, Europe, and other nations do not come here to
pick Lettuce, or work in the fields as laborers,
instead have their sights set on good paying jobs
usually held by U.S. Citizens, and will do anything
necessary to undercut these same persons and/or
replace them.

Corporate Billionaires and Millionaires like Bill
Gates claimed that he needed the Brightest and the
Best in order to compete with the rest of the World,
so he was allowed to import many from other
countries, but I suppose he found out that they were
not as fine as he initially believed, because he
ended up paying them about 50% of the salary of the
Engineers already employed at Microsoft.

About 12 years ago Pat Buchanan wrote a book
advocating zero immigration into the United States,
one of the reasons given that population growth at
present rate would be more then enough to supply the
needs of employers as far as employees were
concerned. I do not often agree with Conservatives
but on this I do agree.  When Corps. cease to
manufacture goods in these United States and seek to
ship jobs overseas to countries with much lower
wages, can only result in lowering the standard of
living for all workers, Union or otherwise.

Beware all whom are not aware that the Republicans
are out to reduce wages in this country by at least
50%, but are also coming after our Social Security,
Medicare, Medicaid, and any other program that does
not directly benefit the Rich and Greedy.

As almost always, I enjoyed this post by Joe Conason and I agreed with it.

But there was one thing that didn’t please me.

It’s the myth that Bush policy was good on AIDS in Africa. I don’t know why but even liberals seem to think that Bush was good on AIDS in Africa. He was not.

The policies he pursued were wrong-headed. Sure, they facilitated treatment, which is good. But on prevention issues, they were bad: things like abstinence programs and the like—the sort of dumb things that religious conservatives think will work against AIDS and have been proven by objective research NOT to work—and worse yet, actually to exacerbate the epidemic.

Please do a bit of research on this topic before you repeat this canard.

See:
http://prospect.org/article/how-bushs-aids-program-failing-africans

and
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/02/25/opinion/main3873641.shtml

I was rather shocked by Gingrich’s comments on immigration…..he usually plays more to his audience. But the scattered comments that occasionally sounded sane still came from disparate individuals who lack so much sense and compassion on other issues that the overall possiblity of a viable, reasonable GOP candidate continues to look very dim.

” Friends” and “allies”, what a joke.  Empires don’t have friends, they have “assets”
When those “assets”  no longer do the bidding of the empire, they are discarded
and replaced.  And god help any government or people who refuse to play by the
rules of the Empire, because the Empire and its “assets”  are very good at
manufacturing evidence and selling it to its citizens.

Yes the Republicans are evil, but it gets tiresome reading about how the Dim- ocrats will save us.  Just a quick run down of the current policies of Pres. Wall Street Puppet exposes the myth of two separate parties.  His expansion of the Empire’s wars by proxy into Africa, along with a U.S. military and mercenary
build up, his star chamber that decides with no transparency or oversight on where and and why the drones will strike next.  His saber rattling with China and wanting to expand a bloated and colonial presence in Asia.  His “Free Trade Agreements” with the worlds second largest money launderer, a country with
natural resources coveted by the corporate state, and an Asian country that had laws the elite found mettlesome.  He supports Israel’s illegal occupation and genocide against the Palestinians.

At home, he expands the surveillance state, and arms paramilitary police forces meant for population control under the guise of protection against terrorism.  His Justice Department coordinates crackdowns on peaceful protests and goes to court to say there is no right to privacy and the government has the right to track any citizen by GPS for any reason.  He stands idly by while workers rights are usurped.  He protects the previous administrations obvious domestic and war crimes sprees, not to mentions his benefactors on Wall Street from their obvious massive fraud, while breaking up families and setting records for
deportations for the most petty reasons imaginable.  He promotes the cult of consumerism, while simultaneously participating in the manufactured scarcity crisis.  He pays lip service to the climate crisis while making no attempts to curtail it.  And that is just scratching the surface.

“Our current political situation is a bowl of shit looking at itself in a mirror” - Lewis Black

This is actually wonderful news.  The more hardcore the GOP base gets, the less likely they are to have a significant effect on the elections.  Further, this will swing independents away from the right.  And if we have learned anything in the past two or three elections, it is that it is independents who determine the outcome.

As an old codger in the Ozarks said about Newt….“the man talks like the
comic book CAPTAIN AMERICA”.

I suggest that Gingrich’s position on illegals isn’t
based on compassion, but on his corporate masters’
insatiable appetite for low-wage workers.

Carolyn Kay
MakeThemAccountable.com

The Obama administration has cracked down on and deported more “illegals” than Bush.

It is easy to criticize the Republican assholes if you don’t scrutinize the Obama administration.

Actally it is easy to criticize both, but that point may be lost on Mr. Conason who clearly doesn’t really give a fuck about the issues he is selectively editorializing on.