# If I ran for President of the United States as a (D) from MA **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 14, 2010, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-ran-for-president-of-the-united-states-as-a-d-from-ma/557102 "2010-10-14T07:29:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-ran-for-president-of-the-united-states-as-a-d-from-ma/557102/21 "2010-10-14T18:00:04Z")
> [@](#): > > 8)Split Iraq into Sunni and Shiite provinces, grant Kurdistan independence, adding in Turkish Kurdish regions > > 9)Force: > 1.N. Korea to repudiate nuclear program > 2.Iran to disavow terrorism > 3.China to cede: Tibet, Macao, Hong Kong and Taiwan. So you’re going to start wars with Iraq, Iran, Turkey, the rest of NATO, North Korea, and China? I don’t think those troops are going to stay on the Rio Grande for very long. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-ran-for-president-of-the-united-states-as-a-d-from-ma/557102/22 "2010-10-14T18:40:27Z")
I predict the resulting World War III to make the OP’s long-term economic goals moot. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-ran-for-president-of-the-united-states-as-a-d-from-ma/557102/23 "2010-10-14T19:09:47Z")
Does “moot” mean “awesome?” ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-ran-for-president-of-the-united-states-as-a-d-from-ma/557102/24 "2010-10-14T19:50:42Z")
Some answers to your (GREAT) questions: I’m not especially handsome, and I’m not Lyndon Larouche. What I believe AA is: casting a wider net to find QUALIFIED candidates, what (IMO) most people think AA is: quotas In regard to my Mid-East and Asian policies: “force” is too strong a word, but can’t think of lesser word they’d take seriously. BTW, Assume I’m 2 years out of being the Governor of MA for two terms. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-ran-for-president-of-the-united-states-as-a-d-from-ma/557102/25 "2010-10-14T20:13:42Z")
Okay, so you believe that affirmative action is what it actually is. I’m not sure what most people think it is, but if I had to guess, most people do think (incorrectly) that it’s quotas. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-ran-for-president-of-the-united-states-as-a-d-from-ma/557102/26 "2010-10-14T20:27:06Z")
[QUOTE=Bryan Ekers] I predict the resulting World War III to make the OP’s long-term economic goals moot. [/QUOTE] I predict that the lack of traction the OP would gain (he or she might not even get their own families vote…the only vote they could be sure of is the OPs own) would render the entire platform mute. 😛 -XT ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-ran-for-president-of-the-united-states-as-a-d-from-ma/557102/27 "2010-10-14T22:31:49Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > In regard to my Mid-East and Asian policies: “force” is too strong a word, but can’t think of lesser word they’d take seriously. They’re not going to take your threats seriously either. Not if you have no way of making them happen. > [@](#): > > BTW, Assume I’m 2 years out of being the Governor of MA for two terms. How did you get elected there? ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-ran-for-president-of-the-united-states-as-a-d-from-ma/557102/28 "2010-10-14T23:09:45Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > > [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > > > While I by no means approve all of Chinese policies in Tibet, one is forced to admit that China’s occupation of Tibet for the last half century has resulted in it civilizing and modernization from a corrupt feudal Buddhist theocracy. > > They’re exterminating a culture because it contradicts their ideology. It’s a little surprising to hear you defend a Communist (well, sorta) government that is destroying a religion. And I am opposed to cultural genocide. However I am saying all things considered Tibet is better off under Chinese control than under a Lamaist mediaeval theocracy. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-ran-for-president-of-the-united-states-as-a-d-from-ma/557102/29 "2010-10-14T23:15:45Z")
The trouble being how one determines what is ‘better’ for someone else…and also the fact that the Chinese didn’t do it out of the goodness of their hearts or a sense of civic duty. Deciding you know what is ‘better’ for a people leads to the same kind of slippery slope that got us into Iraq, after all… -XT ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-ran-for-president-of-the-united-states-as-a-d-from-ma/557102/30 "2010-10-14T23:23:27Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > > [@Marley23](#): > > > > They’re exterminating a culture because it contradicts their ideology. It’s a little surprising to hear you defend a Communist (well, sorta) government that is destroying a religion. > > And I am opposed to cultural genocide. However I am saying all things considered Tibet is better off under Chinese control than under a Lamaist mediaeval theocracy. Interesting sidenote: “I am opposed to genocide but” gets very few google hits. 😛 By the same token I don’t have anything positive to say about theocracy. But if China wanted to improve infrastructure in Tibet or reform its government, for example, they could do it without wiping out the local culture. The primary aim is destroying the culture because Communist governments and authoritarian governments need to do that to non-state religions. ---
**Author:** ![Baboonanza](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f475e1/32.png) [@Baboonanza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baboonanza)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-ran-for-president-of-the-united-states-as-a-d-from-ma/557102/31 "2010-10-15T10:59:51Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > > [@Marley23](#): > > > > They’re exterminating a culture because it contradicts their ideology. It’s a little surprising to hear you defend a Communist (well, sorta) government that is destroying a religion. > > And I am opposed to cultural genocide. However I am saying all things considered Tibet is better off under Chinese control than under a Lamaist mediaeval theocracy. And saying ‘it’s better now than it was then’ doesn’t necessarily mean that Tibet wouldn’t be better off in the future being independent. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-ran-for-president-of-the-united-states-as-a-d-from-ma/557102/32 "2010-10-15T13:39:43Z")
I actually agree with you on quite a few (but not all) of these policies, which is why it’s usually so hard for me to find a candidate I lke. ETA: but your foreign policy positions are wacky. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-ran-for-president-of-the-united-states-as-a-d-from-ma/557102.md?page=1)