You're implying that there's a hard and fast dichotomy between Obama-style "liberalism" and Bush-style "republicanism." The two are incredibly similar and appealing to fears not only is a way to get votes, but is a perfect justification for the expansion of state power.
-
-
-
How does the fear-based expansion of state power help Democrats? Or Obama? It just promoted a Republican majority and then President. Why would they trade off an opportunity to do some nice evil against a political *loss* for themselves?
-
1/2 I think that you're still assuming that pre-Trump Republicans and Democrats were radically different. Both were two sides of the same neoliberal coin with the roughly similar donors. In other words, it doesn't matter who is in control so long as the donors are happy.
-
2/2 To answer more directly, however: expansion of state power by any means helps the Democrats by making it seem as if the government is always there to help and protect. The Republican take over was an expected result that absent Trump would still feed the same interests.
End of conversation
New conversation -
-
-
I’ve often wondered the same. Only theory I have was that upside is small but the downside of being blamed for any future attack, even if not precipitated at all by rationalized airport security, would be blamed on him@
Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
-
-
-
Insurance
Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
-
-
-
The National Security state wanted it, and Obama was not their enemy.
Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
-
-
-
He couldn't afford to be seen to be "soft on terror"
Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
-
-
-
It doesn't, but the risk is that if you ratchet down the fear and then an attack happens, you'll be blamed for not doing enough.
Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
-
-
-
There was zero external political cost to maintaining status quo, and massive potential downside to changing status quo. Plus there is probably high internal/bureaucratic political cost (NatSec establishment would push back; is it worth the internal fight, leaks, etc?)
-
People underestimate the enormous power wielded by the bureaucracy. POTUS asks the TSA for options on reducing security hassle; they give options that est. 20% higher chance of successful attack. If POTUS signs off, his name is literally on that.
-
The TSA is going to poison any policy they don't like with analysis baking in negative consequences of doing so. DoD did this with the Afghanistan surge. Gave Obama 3 choices: Let it fall to the Taliban, send 30K more troops, or send 60K more troops. What do you pick?
-
The middle option is obviously the one they want. POTUS can keep ordering new plans, but DoD will just keep baking in negative outcomes to whatever option they don't like. Effectively, they'll back him up politically if their option goes sideways, but if his option does...?
End of conversation
New conversation -
-
-
Risk of something happening of course? If there was an attack on airplanes, they would need to show that they had done everything they could.
Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
-
-
-
I attribute a modest probability that the decision was rational, marginalizing over all (unknown to me) knowledge sources available to him. That we hadn't since have any major incidents increases my belief on that a bit — but just a bit, as incidents are rare to begin with.
Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
-
-
-
Think of the TSA as another government backed program to create jobs.
Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
-
-
-
The deep state is a real thing
Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
-
-
-
Step 1) Ramp up airport security Step 2) Introduce $100 TSA Precheck program to allow us to get through security quicker Step 3) Profit
Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
-
-
-
Because they are both part pf the deep state elite
Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
-
-
-
Here's the donations by the union that represents TSA employees: https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/totals.php?id=D000000304&cycle=2014 … .
Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
-
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.