dpogreba's Comments

Intelligent Discontent : Sen. Tester tries to limit third-party advertising in 2012

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 05:10:35 +0000

Look up the word "authoritarian" sometime. You're no better that the Glenn Beck crowd who bleat about socialism every time President Obama speaks. Authoritarian? How about making arguments about substance instead of throwing out wild, hyperbolic nonsense? You might disagree with Senator Tester. Hell, I disagree with Senator Tester on issues including the DREAM Act. But to call him authoritarian is just absurd.

Intelligent Discontent : Making hay when the sun shines, foreign policy style.

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 05:06:43 +0000

When you write things like "low-level totalitarian presenter and enforcer," you're not making terribly effective arguments. Just a thought.

Intelligent Discontent : A Big Day for Washington

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 03:33:59 +0000

From the Wikipedia: Slippery Slope: In debate or rhetoric, a slippery slope (also known as thin edge of the wedge, or the camel's nose) is a classic form of argument, arguably an informal fallacy. A slippery slope argument states that a relatively small first step leads to a chain of related events culminating in some significant effect, much like an object given a small push over the edge of a slope sliding all the way to the bottom.[1] The strength of such an argument depends on the warrant, i.e. whether or not one can demonstrate a process which leads to the significant effect. The fallacious sense of "slippery slope" is often used synonymously with continuum fallacy, in that it ignores the possibility of middle ground and assumes a discrete transition from category A to category B. Modern usage avoids the fallacy by acknowledging the possibility of this middle ground.

Intelligent Discontent : A Big Day for Washington

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 02:08:26 +0000

That's been a real problem in the states and countries that have legalized gay marriage, hasn't it?

Intelligent Discontent : Great New Ad from Steve Bullock

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:36:49 +0000

Not sure how a person can please you, Mark. If an actual achievement doesn't count, what does? Reflexively criticizing every decision a Democrat makes might make you feel smarter, but it doesn't make you any more correct.

Intelligent Discontent : Great New Ad from Steve Bullock

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:35:59 +0000

Yes, it's certainly possible and even likely, given the ideological nonsense coming from the current Supreme Court. It certainly doesn't change the fact that Bullock was right to fight for Montana's law.

Intelligent Discontent : A Bill the 2011 Montana Legislature Could Love

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:25:44 +0000

Only you have the time to respond to it. Thanks for staying on the topic for once.

Intelligent Discontent : Making hay when the sun shines, foreign policy style.

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 19:07:51 +0000

It was also handy for the Bush Administration to keep Uzbekistan quiet about some of our more egregious policies during the so-called War on Terror, too.

Intelligent Discontent : Sen. Tester tries to limit third-party advertising in 2012

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:10:48 +0000

Do you really think you have much credibility when you argue that Senator Tester is "extremely authoritarian"? It's not about pride about being better than Mr. Rehberg. It's about the real people who will lose essential services. You need to confront your privilege if you can live in a world with reduced access to higher education, reduced eligibility for free and reduced lunch, a decreased minimum wage, and the whole host of other policies a Republican Senate will try to impose. The people I know who are barely getting by can't afford to have those things happen. As for me, I'm happy to support someone who will protect those economic rights, along with a woman's right to choose, sane foreign policy, and protection of our civil liberties.

Intelligent Discontent : Sen. Tester tries to limit third-party advertising in 2012

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:35:03 +0000

I think that might be one of the differences. I don't really care about motives. I lack the ability some to have to discern motives and agendas behind every action. I look at results--and as I have said roughly 2,438 times, the results from Senator Tester, imperfect though they may be, are better than the alternative. I'm not suggesting that he is the "lesser of two evils," either. I believe that he does important work for people and values I care about.

Intelligent Discontent : Sen. Tester tries to limit third-party advertising in 2012

Thu, 9 Feb 2012 22:22:45 +0000

Great, but how do you propose Senator Tester makes this happen? I guarantee if he came out with a proposal calling for exactly what you want, you'd denounce it as theater.

Intelligent Discontent : Sen. Tester tries to limit third-party advertising in 2012

Thu, 9 Feb 2012 22:21:27 +0000

I guarantee no one is attempting to insult your intelligence.

Intelligent Discontent : Sen. Tester tries to limit third-party advertising in 2012

Thu, 9 Feb 2012 13:58:27 +0000

Given your obvious belief that you would do a much better job of resisting the influence of corporate cash, how would you address it differently than Senator Tester has? Given the current state of the law, this seems like a reasonable attempt to limit third party spending from the wealthy. Instead of yet another in a series of seemingly endless criticisms of Senator Tester, why not enlighten us all about what plan he should have suggested? I'm waiting eagerly to hear how you would address the issue of third party campaign spending.

Intelligent Discontent : Sen. Tester tries to limit third-party advertising in 2012

Thu, 9 Feb 2012 13:55:37 +0000

Tester will surely be a better Senator for protecting women's rights. He will surely be a better Senator for protecting the environment. He will surely be a better Senator for protecting labor rights. He will surely be a better Senator for protecting the safety net. He will surely be a better Senator for protecting access to education. There's no question about any of those things. That you cannot or will not see it doesn't change the facts. Perhaps you can afford the impacts of six years of Republican rule, but people who depend on access to healthcare, education, equal protection under the law, and so much more cannot. Your simplistic, smug assessments of the Senator don't change any of that.

Intelligent Discontent : Sen. Tester tries to limit third-party advertising in 2012

Thu, 9 Feb 2012 06:04:30 +0000

I have. He's actually accomplished a great deal of good for Montana. Care to enlighten us about what Representative Rehberg has accomplished in ten years?

Intelligent Discontent : Sen. Tester tries to limit third-party advertising in 2012

Thu, 9 Feb 2012 04:48:49 +0000

I deleted a few comments here. Please try to stay on topic. You can question the premise of a post, argue its merits, or contend that it’s false. A post, however, is not a platform from which you can write anything. Have something interesting to say that’s not related to the post/topic? Get your own blog. They’re free.

Intelligent Discontent : Senator Tester Stands for Womenâs Health

Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:46:19 +0000

I'm crazy enough to think that breast cancer screenings are pretty important. I'm also crazy enough to think that access to information about contraception is critical to health, too. So is information about and treatment of STIs. You probably listen to a little too much Fox News if you don't understand the vital role Planned Parenthood plays. But hey, why listen to me? How about the fact that teen pregnancy AND abortion rates are at a 40-year low in the United States? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2098484/T... Way to go, Planned Parenthood

Intelligent Discontent : Senator Tester Stands for Womenâs Health

Wed, 8 Feb 2012 01:38:30 +0000

No, it's pretty clear that many people are actually against women's health when it conflicts with their ideological viewpoints. I'd suggest someone who seems to think that the largest health care provider for women is some sort of "protection racket" probabl;y fits in that category. In a conservative state, it would have been much more sensible for Senator Tester to stay quiet on this issue. That he didn't is a sign that he won't put politics ahead of vital health care services. If only the same could be said of many politicians.

Intelligent Discontent : Senator Tester Stands for Womenâs Health

Mon, 6 Feb 2012 23:05:28 +0000

Given that you see every political issue in exactly the same way, you might want to revisit that whole "unclouded by ideological illusions" bit.

Intelligent Discontent : Senator Tester Stands for Womenâs Health

Mon, 6 Feb 2012 05:26:16 +0000

Just to be clear, you opened with a critique of PW's inability to see nuance before opening into a diatribe about how President Obama and President Bush are following the same agenda?

dpogreba's Comments

Intelligent Discontent : Sen. Tester tries to limit third-party advertising in 2012

Intelligent Discontent : Making hay when the sun shines, foreign policy style.

Intelligent Discontent : A Big Day for Washington

Intelligent Discontent : A Big Day for Washington

Intelligent Discontent : Great New Ad from Steve Bullock

Intelligent Discontent : Great New Ad from Steve Bullock

Intelligent Discontent : A Bill the 2011 Montana Legislature Could Love

Intelligent Discontent : Making hay when the sun shines, foreign policy style.

Intelligent Discontent : Sen. Tester tries to limit third-party advertising in 2012

Intelligent Discontent : Sen. Tester tries to limit third-party advertising in 2012

Intelligent Discontent : Sen. Tester tries to limit third-party advertising in 2012

Intelligent Discontent : Sen. Tester tries to limit third-party advertising in 2012

Intelligent Discontent : Sen. Tester tries to limit third-party advertising in 2012

Intelligent Discontent : Sen. Tester tries to limit third-party advertising in 2012

Intelligent Discontent : Sen. Tester tries to limit third-party advertising in 2012

Intelligent Discontent : Sen. Tester tries to limit third-party advertising in 2012

Intelligent Discontent : Senator Tester Stands for Womenâs Health

Intelligent Discontent : Senator Tester Stands for Womenâs Health

Intelligent Discontent : Senator Tester Stands for Womenâs Health

Intelligent Discontent : Senator Tester Stands for Womenâs Health

Intelligent Discontent : Senator Tester Stands for Womenâs Health

Intelligent Discontent : Senator Tester Stands for Womenâs Health

Intelligent Discontent : Senator Tester Stands for Womenâs Health

Intelligent Discontent : Senator Tester Stands for Womenâs Health