View Full Version : The Emerging European Influence
Gov. Howard Dean, M.D., December 27, 2004
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The Emerging European Influence
By Gov. Howard Dean, M.D.
Amid the wreckage of President Bush's foreign policy, the United States is at its lowest popularity in decades in every corner of the globe. America’s dominance on the foreign stage was prominent four years ago, but now Europe is beginning to emerge as the champion of Western values, as it becomes less politically dependent on America.
Since President Bush alienated most of our traditional European allies over the Iraq War, there are signs that the European community is finally getting serious about its future and its responsibility.
The European Union has rewritten its Constitution to make decision making easier, never an easy task with 25 member states. France, Britain and Germany recently negotiated a deal with Iran to halt their nuclear program. We are right to be skeptical about whether such an agreement will be honored by the Iranians, but the attempt at least postpones the siren songs of the Neoconservatives who want to do in Iran what President Bush did in Iraq.
The Euro is at an all time high against the dollar, since the members of the European Union are actually trying to keep their budgets in balance. They are not always successful, but making the effort promotes investment. Claiming that deficits are irrelevant, as the American Republicans do, is not only delusional, but it harms the value of the dollar, and ultimately our strength as a nation.
Europeans are also taking a bold lead in an effort to forgive massive amounts of third world debt. Should they be successful, they will significantly reduce the drag on economic development in places like Latin America and Africa – therefore opening the door for trade and investment from European countries.
Perhaps the most courageous development that the emerging European Union has undertaken is the new willingness to consider Turkey as a member. This is unpopular in most European countries among voters, yet the European Union leadership gets high marks for realizing that the long term future of Western values may well depend on true economic integration with Muslim nations that are still attracted to Western democratic ideals.
I know these steps are small and somewhat shaky, but they are incredibly important. Europe is beginning to assert its leadership and independence, filling the vacuum left by America's unrealistic and occasionally petulant foreign policy. In the long run, a strong, independent Europe can pick up the leadership role abandoned by President Bush. And, a strong, independent Europe can continue to promote values such as democracy, tolerance and a more benign form of capitalism in developing countries.
Many people in developing nations are beginning to give up on both democracy and capitalism. And, it’s not a wonder why - multinational corporations, undeterred by labor protections that exist in the developed world have made life harder for many of the world’s citizens – not easier. The developing world needs a more respected salesperson than George Bush to show them that a democratic society and capitalism works. In the absence of American leadership, it seems that Europe is emerging as that salesperson.
Howard Dean, former governor of Vermont, is the founder of Democracy for America, a grassroots organization that supports socially progressive and fiscally responsible political candidates. Email Howard Dean at howarddean@democracyforamerica.com Copyright 2004 Howard Dean, All Rights Reserved
DrMaddVibe
12-30-2004, 11:51 AM
This is the guy you want as President?
Dean looks like he's installing a permanent hinge on his back to he can maintain the bent image for all the world to see.
The EU has lost more ground in my eyes due to it's on ineffectiviness with Bosnia than the UN has since it's creation!
They lost whatever voice they had when they decided to let France speak up for them...collectively!
Sorry Ford...Dean is a douche bag.
You're the douchebag, AssVibe. I guess you missed the point entirely of what Dean was saying.
Basically he's saying that Europe is filling a void in world leadership that was willingly abandoned by the BCE.
Nobody outside of your Red State fantasy land is "boycotting" France. Nobody is hating Germany, or doing any of the other stupid ass things that FAUX News tells you to do.
While you Busheep continue living in your Clear Channel illusion, the rest of the world is moving on without us. The Euro will soon be the dominant currency on this planet and nobody is to blame but George Bush Jr and his incompetent PNAC shitbags.
There really ARE people who care about what Howard Dean says?
DrMaddVibe
12-30-2004, 01:18 PM
Wow...Ford...you really believe the EU is filling some "leadership" role?
You'd have to be dumber than a bag of hammers to buy into that flawed logic! Just when did the EU or even the pre EU ever have a "leadership" role that wasn't rife with enslaving, pillaging and raping a nation? You want our government to colonize Iraq? We'd be right in line with them if we did...say, no wonder they didn't want to side with us. What with their "old ideals" and oil for food kickbacks...they want to see us fail so they can scoop up the remainder.
Nickdfresh
12-30-2004, 02:15 PM
Originally posted by DrMaddVibe
Wow...Ford...you really believe the EU is filling some "leadership" role?
You'd have to be dumber than a bag of hammers to buy into that flawed logic! Just when did the EU or even the pre EU ever have a "leadership" role that wasn't rife with enslaving, pillaging and raping a nation? You want our government to colonize Iraq? We'd be right in line with them if we did...say, no wonder they didn't want to side with us. What with their "old ideals" and oil for food kickbacks...they want to see us fail so they can scoop up the remainder.
You think Bush is?
DrMaddVibe
12-30-2004, 02:34 PM
What? You think Bush is pushing the EU into filling a "global leadership" role? Just what have "they" done?
WTF!
The ONLY reason that they're better off currency wise is because of the stability of the British pound!
If Dean is your guy...you're not gonna like 2008 either!
Nickdfresh
12-30-2004, 02:51 PM
Originally posted by DrMaddVibe
What? You think Bush is pushing the EU into filling a "global leadership" role? Just what have "they" done?
WTF!
The ONLY reason that they're better off currency wise is because of the stability of the British pound!
If Dean is your guy...you're not gonna like 2008 either!
If things keep going to 'hell in a handbasket,' you won't like 2006 dude!
DrMaddVibe
12-31-2004, 09:45 PM
Does the sun ever shine on your planet Nick?
All this doom and gloom and negativity. You know they've linked it to cancer? You might want to get a new set of friends and read more.
Seems like the only time you're happy is when you're telling us how miserable Life is. That's fucked up.
Nickdfresh
12-31-2004, 10:50 PM
Originally posted by DrMaddVibe
Does the sun ever shine on your planet Nick?
All this doom and gloom and negativity. You know they've linked it to cancer? You might want to get a new set of friends and read more.
Seems like the only time you're happy is when you're telling us how miserable Life is. That's fucked up.
WAKE UP!
AssVibe can't help it. The HAARP rays have melted his brain.
DrMaddVibe
01-01-2005, 09:01 AM
That's what I thought...all doom and gloom...never a smile unless it's to badmouth the US or someone not of your political idiology.
That's pretty pathetic..."Lighten up Francis"
Nickdfresh
01-01-2005, 09:59 AM
Originally posted by DrMaddVibe
That's what I thought...all doom and gloom...never a smile unless it's to badmouth the US or someone not of your political idiology.
That's pretty pathetic..."Lighten up Francis"
Give me some examples of things going really well Assvibe, seriously, How is the War in Iaq going? The economy's a little better, but I have serious reservations abouts Bush's ability to contribute to any recovery. Social Security is going to be "privatized" if this shit head get's his way, the rest of the world thinks we are idiots...
You know Assvibe, you're depressing me more.
DrMaddVibe
01-01-2005, 11:45 AM
Nick...go see your family physician. Your constant harping about "the sky is falling" is borderline delusional. There are some uptake inhibitors that you could benefit from and lead a productive life, but YOU have to go to your doctor and seek the help you need.
SS being "privatized"? So what! Like you were ever going to get any of the money you paid into the system anyways! If you're allowed to "invest" a portion of your money at least you'd have something. When the babyboomers clean out SS and Medicare you're gonna wish you did have control of a portion of YOUR money!
Something about elections in Iraq with the secret police coming to pick up your entire family and threatened with prison,rape rooms, torture and mass graves is a huge step to Iraq walking upright.
"Always look on the bright side of Life"
Nickdfresh
01-01-2005, 01:24 PM
Originally posted by DrMaddVibe
Nick...go see your family physician. Your constant harping about "the sky is falling" is borderline delusional. There are some uptake inhibitors that you could benefit from and lead a productive life, but YOU have to go to your doctor and seek the help you need.
No, your mindless defense of the Republicans and of Dubya's agenda is the only thing disturbing...If Dubya ordered you to eat a shit sandwich, conservatives would be lining up 'round the block for Wonder Breadhttp://java.sun.com/j2ee/1.4/docs/tutorial/doc/images/tm.gif and feces. This guys a fool, and you are just too stupid or blind to admit it Busheep.
Besides, I wouldn't want to drive the already excessive price of healthcare up by a needless vist to my physician. The unregulated drug companies might prescribe some useless piece of shit medication that the FDA rubberstamped.
SS being "privatized"? So what! Like you were ever going to get any of the money you paid into the system anyways! If you're allowed to "invest" a portion of your money at least you'd have something. When the babyboomers clean out SS and Medicare you're gonna wish you did have control of a portion of YOUR money!
Bushies' retarded, radical tax policies that benefit only the rich while at the same time spending a billion dollars a week on a stupid and useless war in Iraq is what's cleaning out SS fund and the government budget in in general!
Oh ya', don't forget to write your kids an apology letter for supporting a president which has morgaged their future with massive deficit spending!
Something about elections in Iraq with the secret police coming to pick up your entire family and threatened with prison,rape rooms, torture and mass graves is a huge step to Iraq walking upright.
Oh, so by YOUR own logic, it's okay for the U.S. Gov't to torture people and defeat them 'by any means necessary.' But you then use Saddam's torture chambers as some bullshit justification for our War there. You are, logically speaking, pathetic Assvibe! As I said before WAKE THE FUCK UP AND GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF THE NEOCON ASS BUSHEEP!
"Always look on the bright side of Life"
I'll be sure too!
http://www.dlc.fi/~poroila/life-of-brian.jpg
BigBadBrian
01-01-2005, 05:11 PM
Nick, nobody reads that blue text you post. :gulp:
Nickdfresh
01-01-2005, 08:05 PM
Originally posted by BigBadBrian
Nick, nobody reads that blue text you post. :gulp:
Are you nobody?
DrMaddVibe
01-01-2005, 11:11 PM
Boo-frickety-hoo Nick!
Go build a bomb shelter the sky is falling!
Don't forget...it takes more muscles in your face to frown than it does to smile.
Cheer up fuckhead.
Nickdfresh
01-02-2005, 12:28 AM
Originally posted by DrMaddVibe
Boo-frickety-hoo Nick!
Go build a bomb shelter the sky is falling!
Don't forget...it takes more muscles in your face to frown than it does to smile.
Cheer up fuckhead.
I am laughing at you as we speak. And I think you got the muscles in the face thing twisted around.
DrMaddVibe
01-02-2005, 12:33 AM
Assbag!
http://www.snopes.com/science/smile.asp
Nickdfresh
01-02-2005, 12:48 AM
Originally posted by DrMaddVibe
Assbag!
http://www.snopes.com/science/smile.asp
From Snopes
Claim: It takes a greater number of facial muscles to frown than it does to smile.
Status: Undetermined.
Yes, yes you are an assbag.
DrMaddVibe
01-02-2005, 12:53 AM
Just like any other thread where there's information...you fail to comprehend what you read and go right to what you want to see.
Read the article...Assbag Nicky!
"Yet smiling is not just good for the community in which the sad sack or grouch lives; it is also beneficial to the person doing the grinning. Facial expressions do not merely signal what one feels but actually contribute to that feeling. If we smile even when we don't feel like it, our mood will elevate despite ourselves. Likewise, faking a frown brings on a sense of not much liking the world that day."
Nickdfresh
01-02-2005, 01:05 AM
Originally posted by DrMaddVibe
Just like any other thread where there's information...you fail to comprehend what you read and go right to what you want to see.
Read the article...Assbag Nicky!
"Yet smiling is not just good for the community in which the sad sack or grouch lives; it is also beneficial to the person doing the grinning. Facial expressions do not merely signal what one feels but actually contribute to that feeling. If we smile even when we don't feel like it, our mood will elevate despite ourselves. Likewise, faking a frown brings on a sense of not much liking the world that day."
Okay Assvibe...I'm goin' to go touch myself and make myself smile! "Put on a happy face!":splooge:
DrMaddVibe
01-02-2005, 01:09 AM
Poor Nicky...can't find a date. I already knew you were a huge beatoff...no need to show the entire community.
"Indeed, this cart-before-the-horse effect has been studied and measured by numerous researchers. It has been demonstrated that subjects who produced facial expressions of fear, anger, sadness, or disgust manifested the same bodily reactions that experiencing bouts of the actual emotions would have provoked (e.g., increased heart rate, elevated skin temperature, and sweating). Likewise, in studies of test subjects who were required to smile compared to those who weren't, those instructed to force smiles onto their faces reported feeling happier than their non-grinning counterparts did. In both cases athough test subjects knew they were acting, their bodies didn't, and so their bodies responded accordingly. At least in this chapter of the saga of the mind against the body, the body won.
Smiling makes us feel happier. It is not a cure-all for every situation (that is, don't look to it to remedy overwhelming grief), but in terms of getting us past a small dose of the blues, it can help to lift the sense of sadness being experienced."
Smile Biaatch!
Nickdfresh
01-02-2005, 01:20 AM
Originally posted by DrMaddVibe
Poor Nicky...can't find a date. I already knew you were a huge beatoff...no need to show the entire community.
"Indeed, this cart-before-the-horse effect has been studied and measured by numerous researchers. It has been demonstrated that subjects who produced facial expressions of fear, anger, sadness, or disgust manifested the same bodily reactions that experiencing bouts of the actual emotions would have provoked (e.g., increased heart rate, elevated skin temperature, and sweating). Likewise, in studies of test subjects who were required to smile compared to those who weren't, those instructed to force smiles onto their faces reported feeling happier than their non-grinning counterparts did. In both cases athough test subjects knew they were acting, their bodies didn't, and so their bodies responded accordingly. At least in this chapter of the saga of the mind against the body, the body won.
Smiling makes us feel happier. It is not a cure-all for every situation (that is, don't look to it to remedy overwhelming grief), but in terms of getting us past a small dose of the blues, it can help to lift the sense of sadness being experienced."
Smile Biaatch!
Yes but Assvibe, though I know you love to show off you ninth-grade level internet research skills:
DrMaddVibe
01-02-2005, 01:28 AM
Smile Willis...biaatch!
Mr Grimsdale
01-14-2005, 02:51 AM
Originally posted by DrMaddVibe
What? You think Bush is pushing the EU into filling a "global leadership" role? Just what have "they" done?
WTF!
The ONLY reason that they're better off currency wise is because of the stability of the British pound!
If Dean is your guy...you're not gonna like 2008 either!
Since the UK isn't part of the Euro the pound has no effect on it. If the UK were part of the Euro there would be no such thing as a pound.
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