You sir, could not have said it any worse. The race card is underplayed, because of fear of being labeled as pulling the race card? Are you serious? That is 180 degree's from the truth. People are afraid to attack anyone of a different race on any issue, because the race card is pulled and they are labeled a racist. That is the way it really works. Look at Bill Clinton. He was one of the most beloved presidents of recent times, and was even labeled the "first black president". This did nothing to prevent him from being labeled "racist" for campaigning for his wife and saying Obama was living a fairy tale. The comment was not racist in the slightest, and was not intended to be, but it did not stop him from being labeled racist. The Joe Wilson situation is another. He was a jackass for doing what he did, but were all the democrats racist for doing it to Bush? Or are two same actions somehow different because there was more than one race involved? It just doesn't make any sense, and you can't have it both ways. So under your logic all the white Democrats were racist against whites for doing it to Bush? And Obama, The only way one can dislike him is if they are racist? There have been two main parties for a very long time with the one not in power hating the one who is. That is the way it works. Get off your high horse. Obama is not that special. It is possible for one not to like him, because they do not agree with a single one of his policies and could care less about his race. So were all the white democrats racist for not liking Bush? Are the blacks who do not like Obama racist? Bush was attacked more than any president in our history, and I am gonna go out on a limb and say it had nothing to do with race. Over the last 15 years or so the office of President of the United States has lost all of its respect. We do not respect our president, the office he holds, or the amount of damage we are doing to ourselves around the world, by disrespecting our own leaders. If we do not show our leaders any respect, why should anyone else in the world? People also wonder why the children are so disrespectful these days. It also begins right here. If you are taught not to respect the highest authority in the land, how can you have respect for anyone. All of these things have nothing to do with race and everything to do with 24 hour news channels, radio programs, and the internet. Everyone needs a story to fill a time slot, so the president is under a warped microscope like never before from all sides, and the race card is pulled daily on just about any issue dealing with anybody. Why, because these are hot buton issues that get ratings. Nothing more and nothing less. To say the race card is not played enough, because of fear is about the most uninformed, blind opinion I have ever heard. It is basically played on everything where two different races are involved.
This proves my point. Let me reword it I think part of it has to do with a lot of whites not being intimately involved in racial issues before Obama came around. They're not used to seeing a black politician in such a powerful seat that they blast him for everything he does b/c many are uncomfortable. Then they cry race isnt a reason to mask their reservations due to race. Honestly We all are racially bias in some manner. its easy to say blacks voted for him due to race but blacks have voted for white men ever since they could vote, while this is the one of the rare times whites could have a chance to vote for a black man.
Get a grip. The hate being shown toward Obama is on a larger, more intense scale than we have seen toward someone who was being rallied against immediately after taking office. This is different and if you can't see that you're part of the problem.
To clarify, what the hell are people so mad about and why can't they give a logical answer when asked that question? When they do answer the question the problems they discuss were as bad or worse under GWB so where we they then? Why are they rallying, tea partying and threatening to start bringing guns to DC?
Honestly I havent seen that type of disdain for a president in his first few months in office even when Bush was there........2x Tea Partiers werent tripping this hard during Bush nor Clinton. But I digress. Obama handles it like a "G"
Whether it is true or not, I think the racism accusation is damaging to governance. It is an ad hominem attack to discredit the speaker and distract from the debate. We spend more time debating whether Wilson said "You lie!" because he's a racist than we do debating whether illegal immigrants will have access to this healthcare and whether that is good or bad. When you call someone a racist, you're saying you will not debate the issue with them, that you think they have no credibility and that no negotiated solution is possible. They must surrender completely, you tell them, because their position is morally wrong. Now, people who agree with or identify with or are sympathetic to Wilson will dig in, justify their position with one another and counter-demonize the opposition. Their concerns about abuse of the system by illegals will not be addressed and their opposition is guaranteed. This isn't an argument to concede to racism. It's just an argument that personal accusations, like 'racist', are helpful. We'd be better off if Carter could provide a succinct argument for why abuse by illegals won't be a significant problem than his guessing at the hidden motivations of our representatives.
Dave, honestly you are a major part of the problem. You only want to see it as race and nothing more. Again, Bush was attacked more than any president in history. That is not even debateable. Politics are at an all time low in regards to how they treat each other. You don't think hardcore conservatives were frothing at the mouth waiting for their chance to get back at the democrats over Bush. If Clinton was elected you would be saying it is sexism. Again, nothing to do with it other than they are both democrats, and republicans are after them for revenge. This is the way the game is played now.
I have a hard time believing public debate would be any more civil if Hillary was in the Whitehouse. Or Al Gore. Which is pretty sad, really.
There are a few inaccuracies in this post. 1. Clinton was accused of using race as an issue when he compared Obama to Jesse Jackson. 2. The Democrats did not stand up while Bush was speaking to them in a joint session of congress and yell at him that he was lying. It never happened. The Democrats never did to Bush what Wilson did to Obama. I'm not saying everything has to do with race by any means. But when presenting arguments both sides should get the facts straight.
This is an honest question. Could it be that many people only want to see it as everything else except racial? Are there many people who truly dont want to admit its racial b/c it exposes their own hidden deep thought as well To be honest I can see why both sides feel the way they do and both have sustainable arguments.
a lot of blacks aren't intimately involved with politics? Lord have mercy, in thread trying to say the race card is overplayed, you prove it isn't
Again there is a difference in what they are upset about, and the way they show their displeasure. Democrats were upset that Bush lied about the war, authorized torture, and trashed America's name and reputation by many of his other deeds. They were real issues. People have accused Obama of not being an American, being a secret Muslim, wanting to have elderly people euthanized with the health care reform, setting up detention camps, and all kinds of things that aren't real. People believed those things because Obama is different than any President that came before. His name his different, his heritage is different, he looks different. Because of that and people's ignorance they are quicker to believe the kind of garbage I listed above. No opponent of the war was bringing weapons to George Bush rallies. No war protestors against Bush carried signs threatening to come back armed if the policies didn't change. People don't do that unless they are afraid. Why are they afraid? Because they don't trust the differentness about Obama.
Yeah, I'm part of the problem when you are the one calling racism for not liking Obama. Give me a break. you're being ignorant if you don't think part of his support is due to his race.
attacked more than any president in history? um...you might want to run that by those presidents that were murdered.
Racism is about superiority? I thought you just have to not like them because of their race. Case in point: I look down upon thugs in the NBA like Malone or Bowen. But I don't feel any sense of superiority towards NBA thugs.
its not even blacks out there talking about racism, its everyone who is observing the hatred. no matter what you think, there is one side this vitrol comes from. I know a lot of conservative like to claim that bush received a lot of hatred. but that's simply not true. this crap started as soon as clinton got in office. the wingers cannot accept the reagan revolution was over. the al gore/bush campaign was fairly civil from what I remember but then you had the swift boating of kerry. a guy who actually volunteered to serve his country. that kind of hatred has not been seen on the left towards the right. the right cannot accept losing, they are fighting a culture war, they have a view of the country they cannot accept that everyone else does not have. I'm sorry, you can call me biased but that's the way I see. its not racism, its rightism
