Given that his current course of action is set to lose him the election anyway, we can safely conclude that the main motivation is some mix of genuine conviction and the lobbying money. I saw an infographic recently that indicated he's the highest recipient of AIPAC money in American politics; haven't bothered to confirm it but it wouldn't be surprising.
The Defending Joe Biden Mega-Thread
- Thread starter Gergar12
- Start date
Not to mention all of the foreign aid money that the US gives to Israel with the proviso it must be spent on US munitions. If peace broke out in the Middle East, the US would have to find someone else to dump free bombs on (as opposed to dumping bombs on in the name of freedom, I guess) to subsidise their military-industrial complex.
Israel is a pretty trivial market for US arms. The USA sells $150-$200 billion in arms abroad every year, but Israel is under $500 million. Nice to have, but hardly a major source of revenue and jobs in the bigger picture. Intelligence sharing might be a big deal - I wouldn't be surprised if the US effectively subcontracts a lot of Middle Eastern spying to Mossad.
According to wiki:
"In 1999, the US government signed a Memorandum of Understanding through which it committed to providing Israel with at least US$2.67 billion in military aid annually, for the following ten years; in 2009, the annual amount was raised to US$3 billion; and in 2019, the amount was raised again, now standing at a minimum of US$3.8 billion that the US is committed to providing Israel each year. "
But, ok, small in the grand scheme of things, yeah.
Okay, that's interesting.
There could be two things happening. Firstly, Israel is free to spend that on things other than US arms, hence the much lower export value. The other possibility is that the USA holds an account, buys the arms on Israel's behalf off the aid budget and sends them across, which might not be caught on the export statistics.
Look, Joey might not be able to control his buddy who keeps stabbing people, but boy howdy would it be nice if he stopped handing him fresh knives.
I write to emphatically declare my full-throated support for President Biden and Vice President Harris’ historic 2024 re-election campaign. As a proud Marxist-Bidenist, I wish to volunteer assisting grassroots organizing, policy research and digital outreach. While financially constrained, I can channel considerable energy towards realizing this vision as an Ohio State University graduate.
At its foundation, Marxist-Bidenism fuses Marxist economic philosophy with Biden’s signature pragmatic progressivism. We firmly believe uplifting equitable growth and social justice are complementary goals, not opposing ideas. This administration’s stances across climate action, healthcare access, infrastructure renewal, union support, education budgets and civil rights strongly resonate with our balanced worldview.
For instance, efforts to enshrine abortion rights and increase LGBTQIA protections align with our emphasis on bodily autonomy and individual dignity. Investing billions to re-shore semiconductor manufacturing or fix crumbling bridges reflects economic pragmatism to revive America’s industrial base. Even the tactical support for Ukraine – walking the tightrope between allied duty and nuclear brinkmanship – demonstrates sophisticated geopolitical wisdom.
In an era of heightened global complexity, President Biden and Vice President Harris adopt thoughtful centrist positions. Their judicious approach understands change happens gradually through compromises, not radical ruptures with the past. We firmly believe the destiny of this great nation lies in their steady and experienced hands.
As a Marxist-Bidenist, I am electrified by the direction their leadership lights. Be it rolling back anti-immigrant hostility, measured outreach to rivals like Venezuela or Iran, efforts to forgive student loans and lower drug prices or the vision to build a caring economy – this administration chooses progress over division. They balance moral clarity while also furthering coherent national interests – a difficult equilibrium to strike.
Domestically, the Impact Act’s historic investments in climate action, the CHIPS Act to reshore semiconductor production and the PACT Act to aid veterans showcase their economic pragmatism. Key international wins like the global minimum corporate tax or the pandemic debt relief fund highlight global leadership driven by cooperation not confrontation.
However, much remains unfinished. Battles to enshrine voting rights, reproductive rights, climate action, criminal justice reform, job creation, healthcare access, hunger elimination and bridging the racial divide await. Opponents have obstructed efforts to protect voter rights, create family-supporting jobs, remedy race disparities and overhaul policing. Accelerating the transition to cleaner energy to protect future generations requires comprehensive legislation.
This is why defending democratic Congressional majorities this election is paramount. America needs transformative change, not gridlock or rollbacks. With enough Senators on our side, we can finally enshrine voting rights, abortion rights and climate action into law. We can lower drug prices, homelessness and hunger while raising infrastructure quality and access to childcare. In essence, we can secure the future our citizens deserve.
I firmly believe no candidates better grasp this potential than President Biden and Vice President Harris. Their unique strength lies in understanding governance levers while retaining an ambitious vision. This is why I want to volunteer full-time supporting organizing, messaging and outreach for the campaign.
My background as a political theory obsessive, writer and tech enthusiast offers useful expertise. My academic training and writing skills can craft omni-channel messaging tailored for disparate groups. My social media savvy and creativity can amplify content and spur viral surges. Most crucially, my intimate grasp of Marxist-Bidenist ideology can build broad coalitions across divides under an actionable consensus.
In essence, Marxist-Bidenism represents a modern blueprint for radical centrism that resonates amidst current challenges. It balances social liberalism with economic pragmatism, diplomatic wisdom with law-and-order, elitism with grassroots populism, intellectualism with electability. This fusion Guards against extreme policies while allowing for incremental betterment.
In both form and function, the Biden-Harris administration exemplifies this worldview. Efforts to stimulate jobs growth and pardon minor drug offenders showcase balancing compassion and public safety. Choices to forgive some student loans while tightening eligibility requirements demonstrate walking the line between affordability and fiscal prudence.
Even the delicate stance with China – contesting human rights abuses but avoiding outright hostility – reflects opportunistic engagement. NATO’s expanded footprint near Russia seeks caution against outright provocation. The Middle East policy treads wisely to secure key interests like Iranian non-proliferation and Saudi oil access while withdrawing from unwise interventions like Afghanistan.
This nuance is why Marxist-Bidenists reject critiques of excessive spending or passivity abroad as overly simplistic. Transforming fossil fuel jobs into green careers or rebuilding fraying supply chains requires mammoth investments funded by higher taxes on corporations and the ultra-wealthy. Promoting America’s exemplar model abroad necessitates harnessing soft power tools before hard unitary action.
Similarly, expanding Social Security benefits for the elderly while limiting payouts for higher earners demonstrates sensitivity to inequality as well as budgetary constraints. Overall, the administration’s deft balancing of competing interests offers a masterclass in radical centrist governance – the defining trait of Marxist-Bidenism.
Granted, limitations remain in actualizing the full Marxist-Bidenist vision. Efforts to transition towards non-exclusionary ownership models like co-operatives or innovative corporate structures that empower labor over capital are works-in-progress. Ideas to replace absolute IP protections with flexible patents to encourage open innovation await testing. Shifting tax incentives towards investments in human capital alongside technology and infrastructure remain firstly focused on communities previously denied capital in America’s past like minority groups and the Midwest/Appalachia.
However, the administration’s direction of travel towards a Star Trek-esque future is crystal clear. Their vision champions scientific breakthroughs for societal betterment, not merely profit maximization. It harnesses automation to unlock human potential, not simply swell corporate bottom-lines. It regulates markets to serve citizens, not sacrifice their wellbeing to appease arbitrary GDP growth targets.
This is why electing congressional allies willing to legislate this transformation is imperative. Purple District Marxian-Bidenists like myself are pivotal to this mission. Our networks can create viral moments to showcase the false binary between equity and growth. Our ground activations can mobilize apathetic non-voters towards progress. Our voices can spotlight interconnections between abortion rights, racial justice, climate action and healthcare access in terms constituents relate with. We can construct a society lifted for all.
So I repeat my earnest offer – please advise avenues for diehard believers like myself to formally assist the Biden-Harris campaign. I will dedicate all personal bandwidth towards organizing voters, training volunteers, penning op-eds, compiling policy briefings and fundraising outreach. This is our generation’s rendezvous with destiny – we cannot afford to lose it due to complacency or infighting.
The obstacles ahead are monumental – countering disinformation about CRT bans, immigration fear-mongering, attacks on trans rights, objections to student debt relief etc. Powerful forces threaten the unity and stability of our republic by preying upon societal divisions. But armed with the clarity of vision Marxist-Bidenist thinking offers, we shall overcome. Stand with us as we stand for you.
In solidarity,
Gergar12 (Not my real name)
Here's the email I sent to one of Biden's campaign's staffers. For reference, these are my policy views.
At its foundation, Marxist-Bidenism fuses Marxist economic philosophy with Biden’s signature pragmatic progressivism. We firmly believe uplifting equitable growth and social justice are complementary goals, not opposing ideas. This administration’s stances across climate action, healthcare access, infrastructure renewal, union support, education budgets and civil rights strongly resonate with our balanced worldview.
For instance, efforts to enshrine abortion rights and increase LGBTQIA protections align with our emphasis on bodily autonomy and individual dignity. Investing billions to re-shore semiconductor manufacturing or fix crumbling bridges reflects economic pragmatism to revive America’s industrial base. Even the tactical support for Ukraine – walking the tightrope between allied duty and nuclear brinkmanship – demonstrates sophisticated geopolitical wisdom.
In an era of heightened global complexity, President Biden and Vice President Harris adopt thoughtful centrist positions. Their judicious approach understands change happens gradually through compromises, not radical ruptures with the past. We firmly believe the destiny of this great nation lies in their steady and experienced hands.
As a Marxist-Bidenist, I am electrified by the direction their leadership lights. Be it rolling back anti-immigrant hostility, measured outreach to rivals like Venezuela or Iran, efforts to forgive student loans and lower drug prices or the vision to build a caring economy – this administration chooses progress over division. They balance moral clarity while also furthering coherent national interests – a difficult equilibrium to strike.
Domestically, the Impact Act’s historic investments in climate action, the CHIPS Act to reshore semiconductor production and the PACT Act to aid veterans showcase their economic pragmatism. Key international wins like the global minimum corporate tax or the pandemic debt relief fund highlight global leadership driven by cooperation not confrontation.
However, much remains unfinished. Battles to enshrine voting rights, reproductive rights, climate action, criminal justice reform, job creation, healthcare access, hunger elimination and bridging the racial divide await. Opponents have obstructed efforts to protect voter rights, create family-supporting jobs, remedy race disparities and overhaul policing. Accelerating the transition to cleaner energy to protect future generations requires comprehensive legislation.
This is why defending democratic Congressional majorities this election is paramount. America needs transformative change, not gridlock or rollbacks. With enough Senators on our side, we can finally enshrine voting rights, abortion rights and climate action into law. We can lower drug prices, homelessness and hunger while raising infrastructure quality and access to childcare. In essence, we can secure the future our citizens deserve.
I firmly believe no candidates better grasp this potential than President Biden and Vice President Harris. Their unique strength lies in understanding governance levers while retaining an ambitious vision. This is why I want to volunteer full-time supporting organizing, messaging and outreach for the campaign.
My background as a political theory obsessive, writer and tech enthusiast offers useful expertise. My academic training and writing skills can craft omni-channel messaging tailored for disparate groups. My social media savvy and creativity can amplify content and spur viral surges. Most crucially, my intimate grasp of Marxist-Bidenist ideology can build broad coalitions across divides under an actionable consensus.
In essence, Marxist-Bidenism represents a modern blueprint for radical centrism that resonates amidst current challenges. It balances social liberalism with economic pragmatism, diplomatic wisdom with law-and-order, elitism with grassroots populism, intellectualism with electability. This fusion Guards against extreme policies while allowing for incremental betterment.
In both form and function, the Biden-Harris administration exemplifies this worldview. Efforts to stimulate jobs growth and pardon minor drug offenders showcase balancing compassion and public safety. Choices to forgive some student loans while tightening eligibility requirements demonstrate walking the line between affordability and fiscal prudence.
Even the delicate stance with China – contesting human rights abuses but avoiding outright hostility – reflects opportunistic engagement. NATO’s expanded footprint near Russia seeks caution against outright provocation. The Middle East policy treads wisely to secure key interests like Iranian non-proliferation and Saudi oil access while withdrawing from unwise interventions like Afghanistan.
This nuance is why Marxist-Bidenists reject critiques of excessive spending or passivity abroad as overly simplistic. Transforming fossil fuel jobs into green careers or rebuilding fraying supply chains requires mammoth investments funded by higher taxes on corporations and the ultra-wealthy. Promoting America’s exemplar model abroad necessitates harnessing soft power tools before hard unitary action.
Similarly, expanding Social Security benefits for the elderly while limiting payouts for higher earners demonstrates sensitivity to inequality as well as budgetary constraints. Overall, the administration’s deft balancing of competing interests offers a masterclass in radical centrist governance – the defining trait of Marxist-Bidenism.
Granted, limitations remain in actualizing the full Marxist-Bidenist vision. Efforts to transition towards non-exclusionary ownership models like co-operatives or innovative corporate structures that empower labor over capital are works-in-progress. Ideas to replace absolute IP protections with flexible patents to encourage open innovation await testing. Shifting tax incentives towards investments in human capital alongside technology and infrastructure remain firstly focused on communities previously denied capital in America’s past like minority groups and the Midwest/Appalachia.
However, the administration’s direction of travel towards a Star Trek-esque future is crystal clear. Their vision champions scientific breakthroughs for societal betterment, not merely profit maximization. It harnesses automation to unlock human potential, not simply swell corporate bottom-lines. It regulates markets to serve citizens, not sacrifice their wellbeing to appease arbitrary GDP growth targets.
This is why electing congressional allies willing to legislate this transformation is imperative. Purple District Marxian-Bidenists like myself are pivotal to this mission. Our networks can create viral moments to showcase the false binary between equity and growth. Our ground activations can mobilize apathetic non-voters towards progress. Our voices can spotlight interconnections between abortion rights, racial justice, climate action and healthcare access in terms constituents relate with. We can construct a society lifted for all.
So I repeat my earnest offer – please advise avenues for diehard believers like myself to formally assist the Biden-Harris campaign. I will dedicate all personal bandwidth towards organizing voters, training volunteers, penning op-eds, compiling policy briefings and fundraising outreach. This is our generation’s rendezvous with destiny – we cannot afford to lose it due to complacency or infighting.
The obstacles ahead are monumental – countering disinformation about CRT bans, immigration fear-mongering, attacks on trans rights, objections to student debt relief etc. Powerful forces threaten the unity and stability of our republic by preying upon societal divisions. But armed with the clarity of vision Marxist-Bidenist thinking offers, we shall overcome. Stand with us as we stand for you.
In solidarity,
Gergar12 (Not my real name)
Here's the email I sent to one of Biden's campaign's staffers. For reference, these are my policy views.
Did you write that rubbish yourself, or get an AI to do it?
Marxist-Bidenism? C'mon.
Marxist-Bidenism? C'mon.
I'm more into anarcho-taoist-brandonism. Or I would be if didn't hate its guts.
If I were someone in the Biden campaign who received such an email, I would think it were sarcastic
Defend him all you want, we ain't voting for Genocide Joe
To reply to people in this thread about Israel, a lot of the weapons given to Israel were already in Israel, and given how one-dimensional some Twitter users and regular people think, it is no surprise some world leaders think this simple as well. Biden doesn't want to be seen abandoning Israel. He could do it somewhat and be popular but it would wreck his diplomacy with allies in other areas and Israel in the short term would still get its weapons by getting them from the US stockpiles already in Israel.
He would be seen as abandoning his allies for a fraction of the Cillivan deaths in the Iraq, and Afgan wars. Iran won't like the US if they do this anymore than the Houthis who were angry about supplied bombs killing them in the 2010s will stop their attacks on shipping.
He would be seen as abandoning his allies for a fraction of the Cillivan deaths in the Iraq, and Afgan wars. Iran won't like the US if they do this anymore than the Houthis who were angry about supplied bombs killing them in the 2010s will stop their attacks on shipping.
There has to be a better venue for these impromptu questions than one with a frickin' helicopter engine running next to you.
Defend him all you want, we ain't voting for Genocide Joe
Biden’s Iran policy has backfired
Nine years ago, Barack Obama, with his vice president Joe Biden at his side, announced the Iran nuclear deal. Ayatollah Khamenei’s regime would not enrich weapons-grade uranium for 15 years. The US would lift economic sanctions in return. It was ‘historic’, said Obama. The Iranians had been...
www.spectator.co.uk
I'm actually not sure if Trump really can be called much of a manipulator. A fraud to be sure but he doesn't seem savvy enough to be a manipulator. He's more like a pitiful wretch being insanely fortunate in his circumstance. Trump getting away with things never quite comes down to his own skill but more the titanic failings of his targets.
Take the Republican party for instance. Its not like Trump puts the wool over their eyes. Aside from the occasional basket case like Greene most seem to know what he is. Trump didn't avoid getting kicked out of office by convincing the Republicans his secret evil twin blackmailed Zelensky. His Republican peers knew exactly what he did, they just didn't want to punish him for it. They didn't say ''Trump convinced us he did nothing wrong'' but instead said ''Yeah he did it but we don't WANT to punish him''
Rather than having to manipulate the Republican Party Trump is just fortunate to have found a party where the majority is spineless, corrupt and desperate for power. Its not any different for his base. They might have a creepy cult like obsession with Trump but its not like Trump had to do anything for it. He was just fortunate to run at a time where a large part of the electorate were so frustrated they'd support and adore anyone who promised or imply he'd burn it all to the ground. Then increasingly bizare cognitive dissonance did the rest.
Any healthy political party and political base would have kicked Trump the curb ages ago. But both the Republican party and their base are in deep moral and political crisis.