Just a reminder of the racism in general and against Obama...

[randys1]

Before the man said one word as president, before the country had any idea what his policies were other than the generalities of a campaign, NONE of them new, unique or ultra liberal by any means, before he was able to get back to his hotel the night he was elected....

The Republican party met in secret and decided the entire agenda and platform of the Republican party for the next 4 years would be to destroy the man, his presidency, and if necessary the american economy in the process.

The tens of millions of rightwing assholes, many of whom are now teapartiers, HATED the MAN before he uttered a word or did anything and it was based SOLELY on skin color and funny sounding name

AND NOTHING ELSE...NOTHING ELSE

NOTHING ELSE


Remember that.

[madokie]

1. I've essentially been saying this since day one

We are a very racist people here in the good o USA. Not me, not you but many are.

[joshdawg]

64. Same here and friends of mine

have not agreed with me. WTF?
Right-wingers cannot stand the fact that there is a Black Man residing in the White House.

[napkinz]

2. posted by Ampersand Unicode

see http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025792374#post13

[BlancheSplanchnik]

25. god i hate those pics

When I see them occasionally, in my googly wanderings, it always hits like a line drive to the stomach. And then this rotten, sad feeling wells up.

Ugh. And

[Spazito]

3. Yep, and that hate has not diminished, it has grown...

it controls everything they think and do, imo, because everything they have done and not done has not accomplished anything, President Obama was elected and then re-elected despite their racist hate.

[randys1]

4. As a good Black friend tells my learning white butt, white folk are mostly afraid to have to

actually start to compete on an even playground for once

this is what scares them the most

[Spazito]

5. The racist white folk also believe black folks are not entitled to the "American Dream"

it belongs to them and only them. Some beliefs have not changed from the time of slavery, imo.

[F4lconF16]

40. I think it's that, but I also think that they need to feel power, just like playground bullies do.

They're all authoritarians, and so they suck up to the people above them, and anyone that they believe is below them (for any reason, but race is an especially strong motivator in this country) they will treat horribly. They feel a need to denigrate and hurt in order to maintain their supposed higher status. It's much the same with sexism--men are scared that women might be their equals, so they attempt to drive them back down through harassment and intimidation. Change men to whites and women to blacks, and it's hard not to see the parallels.

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

65. Very well said. Thanks for your post!

[TNNurse]

10. Those "respectable" people in congress

Gave others permission to be blatantly racist by their overt hatred of that black man in the White House.

I have decided that until they actually start to govern for the good of the people.... congress will be spelled with a little "c". I may do the same with senator and representative when they are in front of someone's name. When they do their jobs and earn some respect they can get the title back with a capital letter.

[Spazito]

16. Good point, I was taught capitalizing names of people and political structures was...

a sign of respect, as such, I stopped, for the most part anyway, capitalizing 'republican'. It's time to stop capitalizing congress as well, the next two years under repub control will, no doubt, garner little respect from anyone.

[TNNurse]

21. Thanks

For getting my point. I wish we could start a trend.

[Spazito]

24. If we explain why we aren't capitalizing congress when we are posting about it...

maybe others will pick it up as well and it can spread.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

28. very true. leaders do much more than work their job.

And pukes aren't even doing that. But they are setting an example that their fellow pod-people admire. (vomit)

[jillan]

6. Have you seen the movie The Butler? I loved that movie but I cried so hard at the end I couldn't

move. I had to sit there in my chair at the theater for at least 10 minutes just to regain my composure. I was blubbering like a baby.

All that pride that Americans finally elected an African American and all I could I could think was -
and look at how he is being treated! It breaks my heart.

Why did I ever think we were past this level of racism?

[CurtEastPoint]

12. I had that same reaction to the end of that movie. So disrespectful from day one. And before.

[Cha]

7. Mahalo randy~

[heaven05]

8. +10000

right on. With this truth. America is just sick when it comes to racism....been sick for generations. Not getting better, getting worse, last Tuesday proved that.

[noiretextatique]

9. i've been reminding some wingnuts of that all day on facebook

the responses i got were: Islamist, socialist, Benghazi...all the usual rw bullshit. but i kept hammering them. they are willing to believe any nonsense about Obama because of his skin color. they can deny it all they want, but it so obvious.

[handmade34]

11. I don't need that reminder...

but it is worth saying so people don't lose sight of that fact... so sad for our Country

[k2qb3]

13. I think that's wrong.

This is something that's been bothering me for a long time, I think we make a mistake when we attribute this, and a lot of other things, to racism, bigotry, evil. I think that mistake has significant political and social costs.

No doubt racism exists and is commonplace, and no doubt it contributes.

But the divisions in American society aren't truly along racial lines, they're tribal. They cut across so many other cultural and ideological differences that it's an error to attribute it to race.

This nation has become so polarized, it's people don't simply have different opinions they have different facts, different premises, different values... so polarized that the opposition is now perceived as EVIL.

The American political system wields so much power, it's choices are so consequential, that the prospect of the other wielding it is terrifying, and rightly so, to everyone.

I believe Republicans would have devoted themselves to destroying any Democratic president, because you don't compromise or cooperate with evil.

[MannyGoldstein]

15. +1

Bothers me too.

[1StrongBlackMan]

29. All I can say is ...

This nation has become so polarized,

To PoC and women and other "minority" groups ... this nation has never been NOT polarized.

To NOT attribute this, and a lot of other things, to racism, bigotry, evil is denialism, in the face of the evidence.

[k2qb3]

37. Sure.

Not going to argue that.

Just saying if you believe it's all about race, and it's not, in fact, all about race...then you've blinded yourself to some of what it's actually about.

And that sort of thing tends to be costly.

[1StrongBlackMan]

42. Sure ...

it COULD be because President Obama is a Democrat, or it COULD be because he's from Hawaii by way of Cjicago, or it COULD be because he's an ex-smoker; but at what percentage are we to take them at their word and not be blinded to what it "really" is about?

I learned long ago ... when people show you who they are; believe them ... It'll save you from your own excuses.

[Dont call me Shirley]

55. I heard that from Maya Angelou on Oprah, strong women, good women. It changed my life.

"When people show you who they are, believe them", a powerful saying to live by.

[1StrongBlackMan]

58. I don't recall where I picked up that bit of wisdom ...

Seems that I've heard it all my life.

[Dont call me Shirley]

68. Maybe it's been around a long time....

http://www.oprah.com/oprahs-lifeclass/When-People-Show-You-Who-They-Are-Believe-Them-Video

[Doctor_J]

34. I agree. It will be the same for HRC or whoever is president next time.

[1StrongBlackMan]

43. Signs, witch-doctor outfits and watermelon jokes, too? ...

This ought to be interesting.

No one is saying that the next Democratic candidates, or those that came before, will/did not face vitriolic attacks; but come on, the lengths some will go to deny/minimize racism (and you are denying racism here), especially among liberals, amazes me.

[Doctor_J]

44. Other things

testicles in boxes, images of WJC smoking cigars with portly teenagers in the vicinity, and so on. It won't be racial obviously but it will be filthy, personal, and sexist. Just watch.

[appalachiablue]

63. The absolute worst has been over race with President Obama. RE Clintons, yes there has been and

will be more ugly. Recall Limbo announcing the C.'s had a new Dog and showing a photo of Chelsea.
McCain made a remark about Chelsea so vile that his retraction in WaPo couldn't mention it. (That she was the child of H. and Janet Reno). Nothing's off limits to the GOP cretins.

[brush]

41. All of what you said is true but the part on it not being racism

Don't be naive. If it walks like a duck it's a duck.

The racism in America trumps everything to these wingers, especially when it comes to a black person having a powerful position.

[ellennelle]

14. fwiw

i do agree racism has been an enormous factor, but...

i also believe this would have been the republican strategy no matter what dem was elected.

honestly. think about that; this is what the GOP is about now, self-preservation, to hell with the country.

all the better obama was black, though, so they could use latent racism around the country to bolster their agenda of trashing whatever dem was in the oval office.

this is just the southern strategy, reagan style, redux. keeping the N*****s down riles and rallies the base to the polls.

that's all they care about. governing be damned; they just want to win, to stay in power.

obama's election only made the racism abundantly clear.

now we get to see just what they do with all that empty bluster.

methinks we can simply take a long nap.

[dem in texas]

20. The racism is to appeal to the southern states

This can't go on forever because the largest states with the most electoral votes are turning blue, New York and California are already there, with Florida not far behind. The last big state to fall will be Texas. In the meantime, the old white republicans farts are dying off and are being replaced by Hispanics. Going to be interesting what will happen to the political landscape in the next 5 to 10 years.

[TNNurse]

22. Racism

Occurs in every state.... the southern ones are not alone in their hate.

[ellennelle]

26. sad but true

but the southern states set the pace; they are the template.

lived there much of my life; it's pretty damn bad, far worse than everywhere else.

except the wild west.

which was, by the by, made wild by all the renegade confederate soldiers after they lost the civil war. they took their guns and took off to the untamed west.

that whole mentality has infected all through there; just review the red map these days, it's so clear.

just wish folks had enough historical memory to recognize there was a time when citizens were fighting the gun nuts out there, passing local and then state laws against open carry, with signs up telling folks to leave their guns in the sheriff's office upon entering the town.

there's always been good reason for this. but no, that southern 'you're not the boss o' me' attitude will have none of it.

unless, of course, it's applied to women and minorities.

oh, the blinkered myopia!!

hats off to ya for tolerating TN; had to leave, and could never go back, tho my daughter is begging me to move back to n'ville now that she's back there.

nice town, but like austin, just an oasis in hell, as far as i'm concerned.

(is that you? or molly ivins?)

[TNNurse]

62. That is Molly

I miss her a lot.

[randys1]

51. Yep, California has many racists and an extremely rich history of ugly racism...

[silvershadow]

17. And these neanderthal cretins have disrespected him the entire time. nt

[ErikJ]

18. And then started fabricating all kinds of fake scandals as red meat for base

and it doesnt even matter they dont have a single indictment.

[Half-Century Man]

19. I've had this thought for awhile.

Every fault found, every fault fabricated, every scrap of blame laid, every drop of bitter bile laced into absolutely leading questions posed by pundits, every question about his competency, every nightmare inspired accusation, and every ounce of fear spread across the United States; this layer of bullshit spread as fertilizer for discord, all of it is nothing more than smoke.

It all is a smoke screen they employ to disguise the fact they hate him for the color of his skin.

[TheKentuckian]

23. Making "meeting in the middle" and "bipartisanship" even more stupid and crazy.

This shit was no secret, if you didn't know then you have been fucking beyond oblivious.

They've been running on racism for over 40 years. It is the very heart of "the southern strategy". It is what "welfare queens" was all about. It was the Willie Horton debacle.

No fucking shit Obama gives them a tangible target, what did anyone think they were going to do?

Plus, it is 24/7 hammer and tongs anyway. Bill Clinton is white and gave them the fucking store and they still accused, investigated, and impeached on complete bullshit.

Or Jimmy Carter, look at how they abused and cursed that poor man for decades. White, was conservative for the era, Christian as can be and they ran him out after a term but you'd think he was the devil's dick from listening to them jawjack for 30 years.

They are exactly who I said they were and the silly bastards walked right into it and to this very moment haven't learned or they have to be in on it.

You seriously believe these folks are surprised? Why is anyone? Nor can you make it ALL about the racism (not to minimize it either because they are about it) because it isn't they are wicked in a myriad of other ways as well that all play together anyway.

I say it is the avarice and a lot of pitiful ass fear that drives them, the racism, bigotry, sexism, and various weird hatreds are a handy cudgel and spurs to drive the pond scum into foaming at the mouth but it is to rob, pillage, and destroy even more than it is for its own sake, even going back to slavery.

You got to look at the whole picture with these fuckers, and I tell you it is actually even worse than you think and so our response to and handling of these villains is literally and actually insane.

[1StrongBlackMan]

27. Damn, I didn't get in soon enough ...

I was going to write,

No, it wasn't racism. It was because: "he was/is a Democrat, they did the exact same thing to Clinton (well ... without the witch-doctor masks, watermelon jokes, and poor spelling of the word "Nigger" ... but just like that).

Or, some similar explanation. In 3 ... 2 ... 1 ...

But I got beat to it.

[randys1]

52. Is it because some white people just cant admit that other white people are ONLY about that

and nothing else?

Nixon, Reagan and Bush One all used overt dog whistling as major components of their presidential campaigns.

I am sure W did also I just cant think of an instance at the moment, but the precedent was set by these bastards.

The only defense I see here is "No, republicans are such disgusting human beings they will treat ANY American who is not a rightwinger this way"

So either they are racists or they simply hate ALL non rightwingers thus they hate more than half of their own country.

Yes, they do.

So you say you wont vote for Hillary or will vote 3rd party?

Right...(not talking to the person I am responding to now, talking to those liberals who say this)

When you do that you vote FOR the hate of these disgusting people, and yes I had to go there, as much as I dont like Hillary Clinton or any mainstream politician, the alternative is NOT ACCEPTABLE.

[Overseas]

30. Much worse-- professional political PR people stirred up the racism under the surface and made it

much bolder. They provoked the racists to go further and further. Planted some wild posters at the demonstrations in the early days and tossed some trolls into action to wake up the racism that was always there and make it work on behalf of their GOP clientele.

The racism was always there but GOP operatives and astroturf PR specialists made things ten times worse. They needed to do that to stop people from thinking about how great it would be to have affordable health care and work together to get millions of jobs repairing our crumbling infrastructure.

Racism would make a certain percentage of their base recoil at whatever the president proposed.

And that gave their long standing hate mongers like Rush and the Savage Wiener the signal to let it rip.

The GOP wanted to push regressive policies and undo compassionate programs so they roused up the hatred in service of their cruel goals.

[NRaleighLiberal]

31. agreed. K&R for a sad reality.

[leanforward]

32. And I have difficultly with guys like that

I've thought for sometime that all the obstruction is solely to make him look bad. Angry white guys, because he won. BUT, look at what they've done to all the people in the country with the lower incomes. Damage to the President, damaged everyone in the country.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

33. Remember when they claimed he wasn't REALLY the President because Roberts flubbed the Oath?

[kwolf68]

35. This again?

So why do these nutjobs like Ben Carson, Alan West, and the other host of black Conservatives? And why did they treat Clinton and even John Kerry so horrible?

I don't deny there are racial elements at play in some corners, but for these people it's all about ideology, their religion and if we fail to realize that and turn this into a race war then we won't be able to talk about the issues that really matter to people....the issues that can win people to the Democratic side.

[freshwest]

36. I'm reccing but don't totally agree. It is a huge factor for their troglodyte voting block.

But for the leaders, it is all economic.

They railed about Ayres, etc. and his time as a community organizer, meaning 'commie' and his international, interfaith background. Even as a Christian, he was not the right type to appeal to their voters.

It's all a sham. No one should be deluded that this is all about race for the leaders. It is about all of us who need a fairness. That transcends Obama's race.

Making ALL about race doesn't address WHY their leaders are doing this. They are inciting racial hatred and fear among whites to keep them from seeing they are a target, too.

Look! The black people are dangerous! We'll protect you! Vote for us!

But who will protect the people from THEM, the ones who stole everything?

What black people want is economic opportunity and security, no different from any other group. This is why they are scapegoated. as the most obvious victim. They are the ever bleeding wound that proves we do not have equality.

So no equality will be left unchallenged by the GOP as long as they are in power. There is no way to reason to reason with them. There is a quote:

You know the very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common. They don't alter their views to fit the facts. They alter the facts to fit their views. Which can be uncomfortable if you happen to be one of the facts that needs altering.

Tom Baker as Doctor Who in The Face Of Evil

[Snarkoleptic]

38. Video where Newt Gingrich confirms the "Caucus Room Conspiracy"...

[JonLP24]

39. It would be the same for any Democratic president

based on what you said.

I don't rule out or downgrade the amount of racism out there. One of the areas where Obama did the worst for the state Arizona was East Mesa in the 2012 election and there are a lot of racists out there but they wouldn't have voted for a white Democrat in much better numbers.

On edit - I want to be clear. By "the same" I mean solely Senate and House Republicans. Overall Republicans is a different story.

[hfojvt]

45. that's silly

I hated George W. Bush, well before he was ever 'elected', and certainly would have loved to limit him to one term.

[randys1]

46. So a group of Democratic LEADERS met the night he was elected and conspired

to destroy him AND the country in the process if necessary?

REALLY

REALLY



white privilege makes some people blind and deaf

[hfojvt]

47. actually yes

I remember reading at the time

their thought was "let the Bush policies pass, and when they cause the people to suffer, we will win at the polls".

Also remember reading about another group of lawmakers meeting with the purpose of "getting" the President. President Nixon, that is.

Like that group wouldn't have been just as eager to destroy President Biden.

[randys1]

48. Unprecedented obstruction and hate agaiinst the first Black president based solely on his skin

color and name.

The whole world sees it, NOTHING even REMOTELY close to it has EVER happened in the USA before.

Oppose EVERYTHING he proposes even though most of the time they were for it before he was.

based SOLELY SOLELY SOLELY on skin color

TENS OF MILLIONS OF VISCOUS, RABID, FULL OF HATE ASSHOLE RIGHTWINGERS

[TBF]

49. I can argue policy -

and especially argue that very few are looking out for the most vulnerable in our society. BUT I can't argue with what you just wrote. I knew we weren't 100% equal in this country but I had no idea how backwards some people still are. The racism has been startling and much more overwhelming than I ever expected.

[randys1]

50. And yet the Black folk are not surprised (I am white), and I was surprised also like you

but we should not have been and it is our fault we were and it is our fault that racism exists

as in racism is a white person's problem and fault and it is our job to resolve it...

WE have created an uneven playing field which is uneven to this day.

[TBF]

57. Agreed -

when you are white and grow up in a rural area (as I did - in a northern state) you just don't see it because you're not exposed to it. But this has been glaringly obvious and embarrassing.

I'm so glad he's giving them hell this week.

[Dont call me Shirley]

53. The Caucus Room Conspiracy

The 14 conspirators:

US House
Eric Cantor VA
Kevin McCarthy CA
Paul Ryan WI
Pete Sessions TX
Jeff Hensarling TX
Pete Hoekstra MI
Dan Lundgren CA

US Senate
Jim DeMint SC
Jon Kyl AZ
Tom Coburn OK
John Ensign NV
Bob Corker TN

Newt Gingrich
Frank Luntz

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/25/robert-draper-anti-obama-campaign_n_1452899.html

[randys1]

54. And shortly after they met, McConnell made it official

Treason, because part of doing ANYTHING to stop Obama includes helping our enemies

[Dont call me Shirley]

56. RICO laws could possibly convict them.

[FiveGoodMen]

59. I can't agree with 'NOTHING ELSE'

Because they did many of the same things to Clinton.

Before he'd been in office a week they were trumpeting, "He STILL hasn't gotten anything done!"

There certainly is racism. Turns out there's LOT of it, and it IS a big part of why certain voters don't like Obama.

But the GOP leadership is out to take all the money and rule the world. They organize their smear campaigns using whatever they think will have legs.

And they tell their stupid followers whom to hate through Faux, hate radio, and the megachurches.

[jtuck004]

60. Just a note - most black folk don't need any reminder, since long before Obama. Your experience may

have been different.

[IronLionZion]

61. They failed badly

Even though it was less than ideal, the actions of the Dem congress and the president and the federal reserve in those first 2 years has carried us out of the recession. This were from health insurance reform, financial reform, housing programs, infrastructure bills, unemployment benefits, and other stimulus. The fact that many Americans have still been left out is from relentless republican obstruction in the 4 years since then of every reform, every amendment, every jobs bill, etc.

Many of the issues with the ACA for example ought to be amended to fix gaps in coverage and subsidies, but any action at all is blocked purely out of spite because they want it to fail and hang it around the president's and Dems necks.

There are many right here on this board who would love to "destroy the man, his presidency, and if necessary the american economy in the process" as if to teach us all some sick lesson for not giving them their pony.

[EEO]

66. Atwater Republicans.

You can thank Lee Atwater for all of it.

[randys1]

67. He recanted, Rove never will