The photos of the "crowds" at the tank parade remind me of when Bill Hicks would come on stage in an almost-empty club, scan the room slowly, and announce "I've had more people in bed than this" ...
When the president sends a cabinet member on TV to announce "We are using the military to liberate an American city from its elected leaders," where do you go from there. What is left to say. The idea of that being anything short of a near-universal "Wait, what the fuck is going on" moment proves how far we've backslid.
This is from 2022 but it was absolutely right. The practiced buffoonery of Trump 1, all the "just kiddings" and "seriously but not literallys" absolutely succeeded in desensitizing people who are hardly paying any attention to the harder stuff they always intended to do next. ...
The basic fallacy in chasing votes by being "tough on immigration" is that the modal American's position on the issue is "Deport the Bad ones and keep the Good ones," and they alone know who is which, and that simply does not translate into workable policy. So this kind of gestapo stuff horrifies some of the same people who cheered when Trump promised to do it. There are true sociopaths who love this, but "No, I meant only the BAD immigrants! Not my coworker/friend/neighbor!" is as likely a reaction as enthusiasm. You cannot do immigration policy that satisfies these people because what they want is nonsensical.
So by the time center-left parties fully commit to chasing the far right by "getting tough" on immigration, the backlash has already begun to build and they walk right into it. "I thought you people wanted this!" No, they want something impossible and convinced themselves they'd could have it - the "eat whatever you want AND lose weight!" of immigration policies.
It is hard to grasp but large masses of Americans are both racist/xenophobic AND not racist/xenophobic enough to applaud what Trump is doing. It's goldilocks shit, they want a level of racism/xenophobia calibrated exactly to their personal preferences, and you just can't make that policy. Don't try. ...
AP: Trump extends olive branch, invites Musk to White House cellar to taste some brand new amontillado ...
Christina says:
Thank you!
Jeez Louise, why are people so stupid, blind and willfully ignorant?
pmayo says:
nail, meet hammer.
J.Dryden says:
In the category of "You can lead a horse to water," Obama's speech pretty much achieves "Picture Next To The Dictionary Definition" status. Dear Sweet Merciful Jesus, I've never been more disspirited by public reaction to an event in a long time. It was a brilliant speech that offered an opportunity for–gasp!–honesty on a topic that actually needs addressing, and instead all the professional talkers want to do is discuss whether "Obama Got Out From Under" the artificial scandal they themselves created. "Hey, he didn't completely disown Wright–he must agree with him–man, has *this* brought his campaign to halt because we say so!" I want to weep, and yet only laughter comes…
Mike says:
someone else found this, from cnn.com's posting board things:
holy shit these comments on cnn.com
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whtrpblcn
updated 23 minutes ago
Wow! Shocked how a potential leader of this country can sit on sermons for 20 plus years listening to ignorance and hate all while the congregation had their hands out demanding cheese from the white man. Incredible. I have been impressed with Obama so far and I quietly was intending to vote for him in the general election, however, this is bigger than any of his supposed muslim radicalism. I'm an Ameri Can first. And anything else second.
Jay
updated 23 minutes ago
Obama's mentor and spiritual advisor spouted hatred against not only whites, but America as well. Yet somehow, since I am offended by his words, I am the racist stuck back in the 50's and 60's. You know, in spite of the liberal kool-aid alot of you have had far too much of, racism isn't a problem that is limited solely to the ignorance of whites.
mary
updated 23 minutes ago
Obama, you're boring. I had to listen to history lessons my whole life and I thought you were going to answer your white hate and 20 years in that church questions. You talked nothing about your church and God Damn America. You tried to confuse us with boring words. Obama, the American people are good people and they deserve better than this.
==
"You tried to confuse us with boring words." New. Favorite. Phrase.
Ed says:
Words are for stupids. Like facts.
Michael says:
Well, I suppose the most important thing is that African American men still make up 60% of drug convictions while only 15% of arrests.
Justice?
Anyone who thinks institutional racism doesn't exist needs to read The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison: Ideology, Class, and Criminal Justice by Jeffrey Reiman. 'Course, that falls under the categories of "evidence" based on "research" leading to "facts"; oh well…
On a bit more meta-level, Affirmative Action serves as an ideal foil for those struggling to maintain the status quo, in that giving a leg up to a rich kid because he is African-American, for example, undermines the shining division in America: Class, thus obfuscating this actual underlying problem of all problems in America. Were there not a permanent underclass maintained by fueling infighting amongst and loathing between its members (on the bases of race, religion, geography, language, culture, education, etc.), would the "all-volunteer" military not falter, or at least not be so easily manipulated? Would our national budgetary priorities continue to read like the P&L report for the private military and energy industries?
When Clarence Thomas represents the height of African-American presence in our justice system, things are still broken.
Obama's points about fear of different types of people is right on. How many people in this country have never known a non-white, non-Christian, non-whatever person? This is who the Hannities, Beck's, Limbaughs, Dobbs et al are goosing when they invent doubts regarding Obama's intentions.
pmayo says:
If anyone wants an intimate view into the instutionalized racism in Chicago, institutionlized racism Barack has worked under since 1985, check Arnold Hirsch's Making the Second Ghetto: Race and Housing in Chicago, 1940-1960. This is the sort of thing that has bred the distrust, bitterness, and rage in the African-American community in Chicago.
J says:
I listened to Obama's speech and it was fantastic. Like his other speeches, it nearly moved me to tears. *Nearly*
What I want to know is, did the Clinton campaign make the Wright quotes a news item? Where did it come from?