Republican Primaries

[Jamie J. Skibicki]

Spar,

You're asian? I just thought you had jaundice and squinted a lot.

[JM3]

The birther question is tedious- and Im sorry I don't remember the references directly,
But at one time I got involved in an argument with a bunch of obnoxious liberals from Princeton after making a distinction like the one Dr Who made. Googling around led me to the conclusion that it started out with the '911 inside job' crowd and was quickly turned into a dog whistle talking point by racist politicians like Sen Sessions (R) from Alabama.
It has become intertwined with a bunch of redneck racist bullshit in the south certainly.
Im on a lot of conservative email propaganda lists- and yeah, its racist as hell from my reading of it. My mom was an Obama voter and she dare not divulge that in the crowds down south- they very much hate Obama because he is black- and likes to spend a lot of money of course.
The question is fair I suppose.. The original impetus seems to me to be more about conspiracy theory than racism- it just got utilized in such a way as to feed racist anger against Obama.

I think a much more interesting question - and germane to the thread topic is whether the Voter ID laws recently passed in Virgina are fair- or race/class based. Im of two minds on that one.

[Mark E. Hurling]

The birther question is tedious- and Im sorry I don't remember the references directly,

Give it the fuck up! I accept Obama's citizenship. Sheriff Joe is being a butt in this although I agree with him on much else. Holder shouldn't have fucked with him. This is payback. Just poorly thought out on Joe's part.

But at one time I got involved in an argument with a bunch of obnoxious liberals from Princeton after making a distinction like the one Dr Who made. Googling around led me to the conclusion that it started out with the '911 inside job' crowd and was quickly turned into a dog whistle talking point by racist politicians like Sen Sessions (R) from Alabama.

I really dislike the term dog whistle. I know that you're not part of that crowd JM3, but it has always smacked to me of a cheap easy term to toss around when someone else says things you don't like. Our current President is in over his head, a boob, and a damn fool. So was Jimmah Carter.

I think a much more interesting question - and germane to the thread topic is whether the Voter ID laws recently passed in Virgina are fair- or race/class based. Im of two minds on that one.

I find it hard to believe that confirming the identity of a voter is anything but Civics 101.

[DoctorWho]

Sure. This happens, too.

Prejudice is a complicated and multi-faceted thing that can have many manifestations. I don't know why people think it's so simple.

It's not simple, especially when people refer to Thomas as "atypical," which I interpret as "not thinking how black men are supposed to think." If people say to you that you're not one of "those Asians," you need to hang out with a better group of people.

I write the above not for their content, but to illustrate how easy and sloppy it is to throw around serious but essentially un-disprove-able charges. If you want to believe that racism is fueling birthers and other opposition to Obama and statism, you're welcome to it.

[DoctorWho]

Can someone explain to me the hatred that comes out of the left?


http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...DDLETopOpinion

[DrRuffleburg]

Can someone explain to me the hatred that comes out of the left?


http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...DDLETopOpinion

I don't really understand the left-right battle. Both sides seem to have so much in common. Both sides like big government, they like the wars, ... I take that back, if both sides just got along, no one would listen to talking heads. I think thats really the only reason you have a left right dichotomy. During the Bush administration Fox news was unwatchable, I watched Olberman and Maddow all the time. Nowdays I can't watch more than a few seconds of MSNBC without vomiting. Thats the one thing I've learned in my relatively short time following pollitics, just because you're calling the kettle black doesn't mean you're a golden teapot. To have bush and obama pretty much pushing the same policies, yet having the media totally flip on what is acceptable is simply absurd. Breitbart said this about media bias and I think its great (paraphrasing) "Media bias is like those magic pictures, you can stare at them for a long time and see nothing, but once you see the picture, you can't unsee it." This holds true for the left and the right. Fox and MSNBC are both shit with different color hats.

[Draft]

I don't really understand the left-right battle. Both sides seem to have so much in common. Both sides like big government, they like the wars, ...

It's almost like someone wants people fighting over nothing. Like maybe so they're distracted. Hmm...

[DrRuffleburg]

It's almost like someone wants people fighting over nothing. Like maybe so they're distracted. Hmm...

I think thats part of it, the illusion of choice allows those with power to stay in power. Thats what the politicians get out of it. And in return, the media gets stories to run to increase their ratings and get more money. In the end you're left with money and power, the most basic motivators.

[Dastardly]

I like the way you break things down Ruffleburg.

[DoctorWho]

I think thats part of it, the illusion of choice allows those with power to stay in power. Thats what the politicians get out of it. And in return, the media gets stories to run to increase their ratings and get more money. In the end you're left with money and power, the most basic motivators.

A lot to agree with in the above, but that applies for the people who stand to benefit. I understand why people vote in their economic self-interest, and why people vote based on their prinicples, and why people in their minds demonize their opponents. But is there a corresponding case of a media personality on the left dying, followed by many people (a least a few of whom are mainstream journalists) writing hateful things? I recall Pat Robertson making some pretty far out comments, but I don't really listen to anything he has to say, so maybe I have a selective filter.