This tends to happen. It’s a complete non-story. Ain’t the first time, or the fifth.
But understandable why you latch on to something like this.
The Biden Presidency
- Thread starter Raoul
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But understandable why you latch on to something like this.
Military officer in joining military manufacturer as an advisor when a civilian shocker!
yes the reason is because raytheon is an evil corporation and having a person with direct ties to weapons manufacturers in charge of the defense budget for a dying empire is bad.
understandable why you would ignore something like this, biden does have a d next to his name after all
Ugh I know. Can't we go back to having armed insurrectionists beating capitol police officers to death? Simpler times.
wow you nailed it. when I posted of clip of some msnbc talking head saying cringe, what i really meant was "i hope there's another riot in the capitol". brilliant work beachryan
Wow. You make it seem like this is the first time this ever has happened. It’s happened dozens of times in the past, multiple dozens of times. This isn’t newsworthy, this isn’t even a ripple in reality. This is the government, regardless what side of the political spectrum. This isn’t a shocker. It’s actually common sense for this position.
To think that a potential SecDef wouldn’t have dipped a toe into the defense industry is just laughable. It’s surreal.
have you ever considered that not everyone is a craven political hack who filters all information through a dem/rep filter? have you considered that some people are opposed to sexual assault, drone strikes, military industrial complex, etc on principle and not just as a way to score points against the other team?
Oh, yes, the ultimate arbiter of social conscience speaks. Oh, to be as enlightened.
Brother, we agree on much, but your contrarian fever dream of a government that doesn’t currently exist (& won’t probably ever) tends to get old. You often make salient points, but your inability to embrace the reality of the situation, or your obvious enjoyment of just being a contrarian hack, lessens your impact.
You must enjoy constantly screaming into the wind.
if opposing raytheon board members as secretary of defense is hack, that says more about you than it does about me.
It speaks volumes of US politics that there are actually people defending these political mechanisms and call it a nonstory. This should be a huge story and something that shouldn't be happening. Just shows the apathy that stems from living within a broken system.
Yawn. You try to apply such perverse logic at times. You obviously don’t know what the SecDef’s role in government is.
You’re the type that needs to have the last post. I’ll let you have it. No point in continuing the chess match with the pigeon. It’s tedium.
Most of the important cabinet picks have been underwhelming to be fair, bar maybe Yellen as long as you’re a fan of Keynesian economics.
How in the world could you think that it's okay for a board member of an arms manufacturer to become the SecDef and thus have influence on the way government contracts get handed out? Have you learned nothing from Cheney and Halliburton?
“This tends to happen” no shit. Maybe ask yourself why that is instead of making bad-faith arguments defending the military-industrial complex like a psycho.
in the con column, he murdered innocent people
in the pro column, he's black
so it all evens out
If you’re discussing the SecDef having spent time working for a defense contractor, that’s virtually a requirement for the SecDef. The SecDef is the country’s defense minister, the second most powerful person in the military command structure. This person literally wages war, there’s no way around this. Understanding how the military industrial complex operates from the inside is essential to the job.
There’s plenty of criticism to foist on Biden’s other cabinet choices, but a SecDef having worked for a defense contractor isn’t a criticism of a SecDef, not is it a ‘huge story.’ It’s virtually a job requirement.
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You're so close to getting the issue here. So very close.
Again, didn't you learn anything from Cheney and Halliburton?
Dozens of SecDefs have worked in the defense industry, dozens. It’s gone back far longer than just Cheney. This isn’t anything new nor will it ever change. Having that experience is a virtual requirement for the position.
I’m sure that other country’s defense ministers have often spent time in their respective country’s defense industries. You kind of need to understand how the defense industry works if your going to craft budgets, war plan, you know, basically be a defense minister. Or a SecDef.
Acknowledging that Obama was the first black president, or that Harris will be the first woman/black/SE Asian VP does not "even out" any of the bad he did or she might/will do. It is still worth acknowledging their place in history.
You don’t understand that SecDefs have been defense industry alums since probably Eisenhower?
Just to add, that until recently (basicall Trump and now Biden), the gap rule for retired military to serve as SecDef meant that you had to install someone from the defense industry if you wanted the person in that role to be familiar with defense matters.
And they wage war in order to make money for these companies. How in the world could you be okay with that? Do you really give no shit at all about the victims these practices cause? The estimates for victims of the Iraq war go all the way up to 600.000. The sole reason being that Cheney wanted to get rich and make his buddies richer. And you are defending the mechanisms, the nepotism and the corruption enabling such crimes?
And you don't get that this is the reason that the US wages war upon war all over the world in order to get these companies rich? How can you perfectly describe the issue but refuse to acknowledge it's horrible consequences?
You’re very mistaken here. I’m not defending the MI complex, you haven’t heard me once say that I even agree with the absolute fact that SecDefs come from the defense industry. They have since the 60s & they will continue to be from such jobs for the foreseeable future.
It’s probably some internalized shit I have to go through.
Haven’t been asked about my feelings on that. We spend far too much militarily to quench our military thirst. The things that my country has done militarily & continues to do have been absolutely abhorrent at times. Many SecDefs have rightly been categorized as war criminals & their actions have been utter embarrassments to my country. It’s often incredibly shameful.
But there’s always going to be armed conflict around the globe. Countries have defense ministers for a reason. It would be wonderful if they didn’t have to have them, but that’s peak Pollyanna thinking. Until we can reach that Xanadu, defense ministers will have defense industry experience on their CV.
Cheney is a war criminal. McNamara was a war criminal. This is not debatable.
I never said that I agree with this setup, but I comprehend the reality of it. Until there’s not a need for a defense minister in every country, defense ministers will often come from the defense industry. We can all hope for a different future where this doesn’t occur, but unfortunately that doesn’t comport with reality.
I am sure he understands it. But it’s acceptable because the guy ordering the drone strikes is a democrat now.
"I am not making a case for the MI complex but here is why someone who served on the board of Raytheon is the right person for the job!"
You are performing significant leaps in reasoning when making statements like these.
As I hold Raytheon stock I think he's a fantastic choice.
You're all so cute when you are angry. You just worry about stuff you can actually change and not big boy things like realpolitik.
You're all so cute when you are angry. You just worry about stuff you can actually change and not big boy things like realpolitik.
Yes, the SecDef position often employs those who have spent time in the MI complex. It’s virtually a job requirement, especially as @WI_Red discussed with the cooling off period. It’s a typical jump from upper echelon retired military to go into the defense industry. It’s from there that prospective SecDefs are mainly chosen. Someone in that position needs to understand the industry that builds the military.
This isn’t rocket surgery, it’s objective reality.
Realpolitik is a fun discussion.
I've got stock in Threads About Going To Europe. Keep up the great work
“Yay if he starts wars I’ll get rich.”
Pretty sure people are full and well aware of what you just described. The difference however is some of us find it abhorrent but it’s business like usual for people like yourself.
I actually used the word ‘abhorrent’ in regards to how I feel about many of my country’s military exploits, yet I can appreciate the reality of a situation.
Alas, it’s about the same finding it abhorrent or finding it as business as usual; both emotions will have the same ultimate effect on changing what is often a typical happenstance in my country’s government, not much at all.
There is a difference between the acknowledgement of a bad situation and sheer apathy bordering on acceptance. I understand why it's tempting to accept these things as given and normal. But the truth is, they aren't. These things aren't written in stone and can be changed. Many countries are proving it. The issue is, people in the US have become apathetic and don't know a different system. This doesn't just relate to military industrial complex, but is an issue throughout US politics. People accept their misery, because they are made to believe there is no other way. Healthcare is a great example of this. But you can't just stoically sit there and accept the misery. And even worse, you can't go on and actually defend the system as something that one has to come to terms with.