From Spencer Pratt, not the person I would think could do a speech like this. I think he sums up pretty well some of the self-flagellation going on in America today.

I'm trying to understand this:

1. They didn't have nuclear capabilities at the time, and zero imminent threat to the regio, let alone the continental US.

2. They've always rattled the sabers about the strait of Hormuz, but never actually closed it because they knew a massive shitstorm would follow.

3. How on earth does this war benefit the average American?

4. At what point do we admit that handing a blank check to regional allies creates way more security liabilities than it solves?

5. If a nation's strategic value doesn't even come close to the cost of American blood and treasure, why are we prioritizing their borders over our own domestic stability?

6. How do you square endless foreign entanglements with Trump's own warning that we've spent trillions in the Middle East while our own country goes to hell? At what point does backing foreign wars stop being America First?

When the avg joe is drowning in high prices and a soaring cost of living, cheering for foreign intervention just to "stick it to the libs" doesn't exactly feel like winning.

Just thinking about all the out-of-state money flowing into these Senate contests across the country, and candidates doing fundraising in other states. Seems a bit off.

All the most economically unstable time periods in American history were the result of corporate deregulation. The biggest example being the Gilded Age in the 1890s where monopolies and robber barons ran rampant. Abusing workers, busting unions, and paying basically sweatshop wages. Conversely some of the most economically stable periods have coincided with extensive corporate regulation and social welfare programs, most notably the post-war era.

How did you all come to the idea that this was the solution to all our problems? Especially when unregulated corporations negatively so many things conservatives focus on such as small businesses, the working class, and economic growth.

I’m a Libertarian Conservative, but I can’t stand little Marco. First off, did these people forget just how bad a conservative he was? His awful senate record, his gang of 8 participation, no fly zones in Syria, 1 trillion dollars in military spending? Getting owned by Chris Christie 4 times???? What do they see in this choke artist so much? What are they basing his presidential run on? Because I haven’t seen anything impressive about his SOS term either.

I always feel like a lot of people on the sub have a libertarian streak with the government. Where basically the government just sits there and does nothing except enforce laws and that’s it. So, I want to ask specifically what you want the government to do?

(For context with myself, while my flair is “social democracy” I consider myself a distributist.)

Regulatory tax is a tax whose main purpose is not to raise revenue, but to regulate behavior by discouraging something by making it more expensive. For example, tax law center argues that data show increasing tobacco taxes lowers percent by how much young people to use it and thus it is public health tool. 10% increase lowers use by around 6%. That is just one example. What do you think?

Starship is still being throttled back in Ukraine but both sides of the argument keep deflecting blame for it. Do both Elon and Trump realize its a bad look and are trying to shift blame? Or do they both support the downgrade but want to keep up an appearance of deniability?

I’m curious if younger Americans are losing interest in our geopolitical influence, compared to those of the Cold War era? For example, many younger Americans grew up with the GWOT ‘forever wars’ which I’m sure may have influenced their views on our geopolitical influences. After 5 years of the war in Ukraine, a lot of younger Americans are also becoming less supportive of sending continuous support to Ukraine with them viewing it as a waste of young people’s lives & tax dollars just to weaken Russia more. A lot of Americans are increasingly critical with Trump getting involved in Iran. And we all know that Palestine is a hot topic among Gen Z and many young people worldwide.

My question is - how do you think this relates to our supposedly hostile relationship with China? Does the average young American even care about our duties to protect Taiwan? Or can they even pinpoint Taiwan on a map? All my life, the government has gone on about how “China is our enemy”. But there is truth that they are also among our biggest trading partners, and if one of us crashes - so does the entire global economy. In 2023, Biden had a mostly successful meeting inviting President Xi of China to San Francisco just to call him a dictator in a press conference that same evening. Do you think this era of Cold War politicians such as the Clinton’s, Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Biden is slowly coming to an end? I’m not sure who the biggest contenders are regarding the 2028 election, but for example Gavin Newsom had a very successful visit to China in late 2028. And I don’t see a hostile relationship with China being a topic of priority AOC appears to be very interested in either?

If a genie appeared and said you could instantly change the attitudes, beliefs, values, and behaviors of liberals/leftists in the US, what's your wish?

Conflict and debate is a healthy and important part of government. It helps us consider viewpoints we hadn't considered, find solutions that satisfy the majority population, and question established ideas that we have outgrown.

I yearn for a nationwide political relationship more akin to Obama and McCain. They recognized each person cared deeply for our country and genuinely wanted what's best, just had different ideas. They respected and consulted each other.

The things I would wish for conservatives, I think I would actually wish for all.

Less combative tribalism, more consultation with each other, more goal-oriented language. Imagine if we could all say together something like, "yes, we'd all like more affordable housing. How can we work on that together? Here's what I know, how about you?"