From: ScottW48@hotmail.com   
      
   On Tuesday, September 12, 2023 at 5:53:57 AM UTC-7, mINE109 wrote:   
   > On 9/11/23 9:22 PM, ScottW wrote:    
   > > President Joe Biden's approval rating with independent voters, a    
   > > critical bloc ahead of the 2024 election, is at 31%, while 80% of    
   > > them say things in America are going "somewhat" or "very" badly,    
   > > according to a new poll.    
   > >    
   > > Cue the music as Joe gets the hook....at his press conference and    
   > > his reelection campaign.   
   > You're generating clickbait from the DailyKos story you mentioned with    
   > links to CNN?    
      
    Get Kos off your brain.   They'd never allow that poll to be posted.   
   >    
   > If you want to understand what's really going on, as opposed to    
   > cheerleading, ask yourself why Biden is getting the "But her emails"    
   > media approach over his age.    
      
   You expect me to defend media?  LoL.   You're just upset that your usual media   
   defenders   
   have changed their behavior.   
   >    
   > I see Republicans are criticizing Biden for being in Alaska on 9/11. I    
   > guess being en route returning from a foreign trip strengthening US    
   > bonds with India and Vietnam as a counter to China isn't a good enough    
   > excuse for them.   
      
   Do you really think Joe's stumbling and mumbling strengthened anything?   
      
   And face reality....this scramble for allies around China is pretty much a   
   friggin joke.   
   These "allies" can't do much of anything that would matter beyond hosting US   
   forces and none are    
   doing that.     
   Here's the conundrum we face and it's not pretty.   We can't militarily stop a   
   Chinese invasion of Taiwan.   
   If we try, we get slaughtered.  But if we admit that and begin to openly and   
   rapidly move to replace   
   dependence on Taiwan goods (TSMC being the most known but there are many   
   others) and    
   all Chinese goods (because economic sanctions is all we'll be able to muster   
   to oppose the invasion)   
   than we're signaling China that we're preparing for their takeover of Taiwan   
   and we either won't militarily oppose   
   it or know we would fail which may hasten their plans.   
   I really don't have a good answer but I would pursue aggressive preparations   
   for a complete shut down of trade    
   with China and Taiwan even if it means signaling China that Taiwan is lost.    
   We might have 5 years and the Chips act isn't nearly enough.   
    I just don't see a choice.   
   In back channel I would tell Taiwan they need to seek peaceful reunification   
   or face annihilation and we won't    
   be sending our Navy to slaughter with them.  Considering how the Hong Kong   
   deal went....that prospect has gotta suck for Taiwan leaders.   
      
   ScottW   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)