Saturday, October 22

Let's Vote on It. Shall We?

Matthew Yglesias

The sentiment on anti-anti-Russian Twitter that the whole roadblock to ending the war is that Joe Biden won’t say Ukraine should give up on Crimea seems wrong to me.  

-------------------

Nobody's sayin that out here.  We're just saying, "America shouldn't be continually funding their territorial fight."  If they can't pull it off with the billions we've sent in weaponry after February's "surprise invasion", then it's a losing game, Matt.

Signed,

Call me "An anti-antiRussian", if namecalling makes you feel bigger.  At some point, you neo-cons are going to have to hear the American voters out on how our taxpayer funds should not be spent on military adventures that aren't in our national interests.  Better learn to listen now than later. Honestly. (You follow the Constitution still, right? They still teach that to Harvard undergrads? Understand the bit about Congress "declaring wars"?  Enough with the loopholes.  Let's vote on it, shall we?  Not unsourced unscientific polls.  But let the American people vote -- though their Congressional representatives -- if we think more billions should be spent addressing America's growing social problems at home, or fixing territorial disputes abroad via the Almighty Dollar and the Great War Machine.  I know who's gonna win that bet, man.  The fix is in -- not.)

Part of defending democracy is accepting as legitimate the notion that political elites should bend their preferences and priorities in the direction of the actual preferences and priorities of the electorate.