2009 Election/Politics thread Part 1

[Jared]

I don't have to. Those assholes don't belong in our own legal system. They have no rights as American citizens; they AREN'T American citizens, for cryin' out loud. But to hell with that-let's treat them BETTER than some US citizens, despite the fact that at least SOME of them have KILLED US citizens.

***

I find it unsurprising, yet amazing that the guy spends his first day in office completely ignoring the financial crisis, and instead just panders to the looniest of his base. Centrist, my ass.

First, the ones that killed Americans are enemy combatants, etc. etc. HOWEVER, there are likely people in Guantanamo that haven't done anything wrong. And, being America, there needs to be some way to figure out if that's the case, because we don't just lock INNOCENT PEOPLE up for no reason. That's not what this country is all about.

As for Obama, it's a big stretch to say he's ignored the financial crisis, considering he introduced his financial plan before the inauguration and has been working on it since then. As for Guantanamo being "pandering to the looniest of his base"...

CNN Poll

A new national poll suggests Americans are split over whether the U.S. should close the detention facility in Guantanamo Bay. But the CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Wednesday indicated that support for closing the detention facility has increased dramatically since 2005.

Fifty-one percent of those questioned in the survey support the closing of prison at Guantanamo Bay, with 47 percent against the closing. That's basically a split, when taking into account the survey's sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

So yes, Obama is pandering to the looney fringe that makes up the majority of the country.

[Smurfy]

I'm starting to wonder how many Americans in these forums hate their constitution and their founding principles more than the Taliban do?

I take this back. Even as joke, "hate" is too strong a word for what I am referring to.

[ProvoAnC]

http://hotair.com/archives/2009/01/22/v ... ite-males/

and

Obama's Victory -- A British view An editorial from the London Daily Mail

A victory for the hysterical Oprah Winfrey, the mad racist preacher Jeremiah Wright, the mainstream media who abandoned any sense of objectivity long ago, Europeans who despise America largely because they depend on her, comics who claim to be dangerous and fearless but would not dare attack genuinely powerful special interest groups. A victory for Obama-worshippers everywhere. A victory for the cult of the cult. A man who has done little with his life but has written about his achievements as if he had found the cure for cancer in between winning a marathon and building a nuclear reactor with his teeth. Victory for style over substance, hyperbole over history, rabble-raising over reality.
A victory for Hollywood, the most dysfunctional community in the world. Victory for Streisand, Spielberg, Soros and Sarandon. Victory for those who prefer welfare to will and interference to independence. For those who settle for group think and herd mentality rather than those who fight for individual initiative and the right to be out of step with meager political fashion.
Victory for a man who is no friend of freedom. He and his people have already stated that media has to be controlled so as to be balanced, without realizing the extraordinary irony within that statement. Like most liberal zealots, the Obama worshippers constantly speak of Fox and Limbaugh, when the vast bulk of television stations and newspapers are drastically liberal and anti-conservative. Senior Democrat Chuck Schumer said that just as pornography should be censored, so should talk radio. In other words, one of the few free and open means of popular expression may well be cornered and beaten by bullies who even in triumph cannot tolerate any criticism and opposition. A victory for those who believe the state is better qualified to raise children than the family, for those who prefer teachers' unions to teaching and for those who are naively convinced that if the West is sufficiently weak towards its enemies, war and terror will dissolve as qu ickly as the tears on the face of a leftist celebrity. A victory for social democracy even after most of Europe has come to the painful conclusion that social democracy leads to mediocrity, failure, unemployment, inflation, higher taxes and economic stagnation. A victory for intrusive lawyers, banal sentimentalists, social extremists and urban snobs.

Congratulations America!

[bdoughty]

http://hotair.com/archives/2009/01/22/v ... ite-males/

Yea, I was listening to that on some talk radio show tonight. What else do you expect from the left? As if there are no poor Caucasian males. The very fact that they specifically target "white men" is just reverse racism. This is the administration that put a guy in charge of the treasury department that apparently is not that familiar with the tax code. I expect many more hilarities (not funny hah hah mind you) over the next four years.

Something I heard on the Dennis Miller a few days ago struck me as a really good idea. Drug testing before you can get unemployment checks. You smoke crack all day, no unemployment for you.

[JRod]

Day 2 -- and the perceived persecution against white males begins.

Well that didn't take long.

[JRod]

http://hotair.com/archives/2009/01/22/v ... ite-males/

and

Obama's Victory -- A British view An editorial from the London Daily Mail

A victory for the hysterical Oprah Winfrey, the mad racist preacher Jeremiah Wright, the mainstream media who abandoned any sense of objectivity long ago, Europeans who despise America largely because they depend on her, comics who claim to be dangerous and fearless but would not dare attack genuinely powerful special interest groups. A victory for Obama-worshippers everywhere. A victory for the cult of the cult. A man who has done little with his life but has written about his achievements as if he had found the cure for cancer in between winning a marathon and building a nuclear reactor with his teeth. Victory for style over substance, hyperbole over history, rabble-raising over reality.
A victory for Hollywood, the most dysfunctional community in the world. Victory for Streisand, Spielberg, Soros and Sarandon. Victory for those who prefer welfare to will and interference to independence. For those who settle for group think and herd mentality rather than those who fight for individual initiative and the right to be out of step with meager political fashion.
Victory for a man who is no friend of freedom. He and his people have already stated that media has to be controlled so as to be balanced, without realizing the extraordinary irony within that statement. Like most liberal zealots, the Obama worshippers constantly speak of Fox and Limbaugh, when the vast bulk of television stations and newspapers are drastically liberal and anti-conservative. Senior Democrat Chuck Schumer said that just as pornography should be censored, so should talk radio. In other words, one of the few free and open means of popular expression may well be cornered and beaten by bullies who even in triumph cannot tolerate any criticism and opposition. A victory for those who believe the state is better qualified to raise children than the family, for those who prefer teachers' unions to teaching and for those who are naively convinced that if the West is sufficiently weak towards its enemies, war and terror will dissolve as qu ickly as the tears on the face of a leftist celebrity. A victory for social democracy even after most of Europe has come to the painful conclusion that social democracy leads to mediocrity, failure, unemployment, inflation, higher taxes and economic stagnation. A victory for intrusive lawyers, banal sentimentalists, social extremists and urban snobs.

Congratulations America!

You have to love when the bloggers find something to latch on to. The Daily Mail is like reading something the NY Post writes. I guess we could read Nuclear policy on page 3 from The Sun(UK).

[greggsand]

Day 2 -- and the perceived persecution against white males begins.

Well that didn't take long.

LOL, cue Kayne West "Obama doesn't care about white people"...

[bdoughty]

"Obama doesn't care about white people"...

You sir have created the title to Toby Keith's next album.



I love the "perceived" bit from Jrod. I am guessing that was a viral Republican video blog showing Obama's economic advisor talking, with tons of edits.

Do that same speech, replace Reich with say, J.C. Watts and replace white males with black males. You tell me how well that would go over.

[greggsand]

"Obama doesn't care about white people"...

You sir have created the title to Toby Keith's next album.

True dat.

[Teal]

Day 2 -- and the perceived persecution against white males begins.

Well that didn't take long.

Nothing like a white man with false guilt, and a hair trigger. Reich said it...take it up with him.

[fsquid]

Day 2 -- and the perceived persecution against white males begins.

Well that didn't take long.

REICH: …”I am concerned, as I’m sure many of you are, that these jobs not simply go to high-skilled people who are already professionals or to white male construction workers…I have nothing against white male construction workers, I’m just saying there are other people who have needs as well.”

[fsquid]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opxuUj6v ... r_embedded

[XXXIV]

I'm starting to wonder how many Americans in these forums hate their constitution and their founding principles more than the Taliban do?

I take this back. Even as joke, "hate" is too strong a word for what I am referring to.

Maybe they dislike murderers who would kill them and their loved ones and then throw a party after?

Random thought.

[XXXIV]

Day 2 -- and the perceived persecution against white males begins.

Well that didn't take long.

I find your perception far more interesting.

[Brando70]

I'm pretty sure Reich is not starting a crusade against Joe the Construction worker. His point, once you get past the screeching boldface of "white people" and "others" (LOL, gotta love that code word), is that these programs do tend to benefit white men. Know why? Because despite the bleating of white men who are crying about their slight loss in social status, white men pretty much own everything in this country, and when you conduct big government projects like construction, they tend to get the lion's share of the benefits. That's what he means when he says the benefits should not simply go to high-skilled workers (i.e. white collar workers) and the construction sector, which is dominated by white male owners and workers (when they're not using illegal aliens to do their work).

I would say that white men still run everything, too, but one of the "others" is president now.

[Brando70]

Works for Jack Bauer!

Sadly, I've seen more than a few people make that argument without tongue planted in cheek.

I do love when I spot an earnest "What would Jack Bauer do?" in the wild.

[Jackdog]

Day 2 -- and the perceived persecution against white males begins.

Well that didn't take long.

Nothing like a white man with false guilt, and a hair trigger. Reich said it...take it up with him.

Are you kidding? That would mean he actually clicked on the link and understood what you guys are discussing.

[Jackdog]

I would say that white men still run everything, too, but one of the "others" is president now.

We have 647 black mayors in this country. You honky's don't run everything.

[Jared]

Are you kidding? That would mean he actually clicked on the link and understood what you guys are discussing.

I'm nipping this stuff in the bud. If I didn't make it clear in the last thread, I will make it EVEN CLEARER now. Keep up the comments about the intelligence, comprehension, etc. of other posters, and I will go ban-crazy or lock the politics thread forever.

[RobVarak]

Ah, Robert Reich. Nobody quite brings to mind those halcyon days of chaos and clusterfrack that were Clinton's 100 days quite like this d*****bag.

[Feanor]

He also talks a lot of nonsense about international trade.

[DivotMaker]

or lock the politics thread forever.

In light of how previous political threads have fared, might not be a bad idea.....

[fsquid]

I just hope that white can do what's right.

[GameSeven]

I'm pretty sure Reich is not starting a crusade against Joe the Construction worker. His point, once you get past the screeching boldface of "white people" and "others" (LOL, gotta love that code word), is that these programs do tend to benefit white men. Know why? Because despite the bleating of white men who are crying about their slight loss in social status, [snip]

Please, spare me, "screeching" "bleating" "crying"

My uncle is a retired Navy sailor with a genetic condition affecting one of his arms/hands and is as hard a worker as I know. He hasn't maintained regular work as many times he's brought on for contract type work and when the work dries up, so do his jobs. Many of them are laborer and construction jobs and he hardly has it easy or "owns everything."

Despite this, he's got one of the nicest hearts and will do anything to help you at the drop of a hat. Of course, he's white. So according to Reich, let's make sure he doesn't take too much advantage of the goverment handout

Is it really unfair to call attention to this or discuss this in a reasonable manner? Many of us that are offended by this type of speech have been brought up to *not* consider race as a qualifier for anything yet we are to accept that our color should *exclude* us from certain benefits such as to work under the benefits of this new proposal?

[Brando70]

I'm pretty sure Reich is not starting a crusade against Joe the Construction worker. His point, once you get past the screeching boldface of "white people" and "others" (LOL, gotta love that code word), is that these programs do tend to benefit white men. Know why? Because despite the bleating of white men who are crying about their slight loss in social status, [snip]

Please, spare me, "screeching" "bleating" "crying"

My uncle is a retired Navy sailor with a genetic condition affecting one of his arms/hands and is as hard a worker as I know. He hasn't maintained regular work as many times he's brought on for contract type work and when the work dries up, so do his jobs. Many of them are laborer and construction jobs and he hardly has it easy or "owns everything."

Despite this, he's got one of the nicest hearts and will do anything to help you at the drop of a hat. Of course, he's white. So according to Reich, let's make sure he doesn't take too much advantage of the goverment handout

Is it really unfair to call attention to this or discuss this in a reasonable manner? Many of us that are offended by this type of speech have been brought up to *not* consider race as a qualifier for anything yet we are to accept that our color should *exclude* us from certain benefits such as to work under the benefits of this new proposal?

Fair enough, GS. I'll turn the sarcasm off.

The current economic climate is definitely affecting everyone. White workers, especially those that are in industries like construction, are hurting.

But what I think is happening here is that what Reich said is being seen as exclusive rather than inclusive. I watched the clip, and that's how I saw it, despite the attempt of the person who put the clip together and the blog author to add outrage about reverse discrimination.

In terms of workers, the banking bailout will benefit white people disproportionately, because the financial services sector is heavily white. That's not a slam or anything, just a demographic observation. The bailout obviously helps people in that industry keep their jobs.

As for providing aid to companies like construction companies, the majority of those companies are owned by white men. The reason why the government has gone out of its way to open contracts to construction firms owned by women and minorities is because of this disproportionate ownership. I don't think that disproportion is because of racism necessarily. I think what Reich is trying to say is to make sure money gets to these people as well. I didn't see him proposing the exclusion of whites from the process.

I guess what irritates me is, despite the evidence showing that white men people still pretty much run everything in disproportionate numbers to their population, they are often bitching about reverse discrimination. I've heard it plenty over the years in my own family. Sometimes there is a real case, sure, but a lot of times I think it's the Caucasian version of the race card, used as a crutch.

That's what bothered me about the blog post, and that was the bleating I was thinking of.