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The Next President of the USA will be?


TULedHead

Who will win the Presidency in 2008?  

282 members have voted

  1. 1. Who Wins in 2008?

    • Hillary Clinton
      47
    • Rudy Giuliani
      9
    • John Edwards
      7
    • Mike Huckabee
      7
    • John McCain
      42
    • Barack Obama
      136
    • Ron Paul
      21
    • Mitt Romney
      9
    • Bill Richardson
      1
    • Fred Thompson
      3


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That pretty much sums it up. Unfortunately.

Trust me, I hate feeling like this. But I have to call things as I see them, with no prejudice involved.

Reverse discrimination and "white bashing" is all the rage these days. <_<

So is reverse chauvanism. I still know women who need men to dance around and follow orders just to prove they're not chauvanist pigs. Why does everything have to be extreme? It's like black or white, up or down, left ot right....no middle ground. I wish we could all trust ourselves and trust each other. I was raised feminist, but it didn't involve hating men. I was also raised to be open to all people and cultures, but it didn't involve feeling guilty for being white.

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That pretty much sums it up. Unfortunately.

Trust me, I hate feeling like this. But I have to call things as I see them, with no prejudice involved.

Reverse discrimination and "white bashing" is all the rage these days. <_<

What experience do you have of actually being a victim of racial discrimination in your life?

Tell me, Rock,.. what opportunities in life have been denied you because you're White?

How often do you go out into your community and feel that you're in the racial minority?

How often have you been in the racial minority at the schools you've attended?

How often do you go out into your community and feel unsafe from people of other races?

How often do you see a cop and fear that you're going be hassled simply because you're White?

Do you feel that you are systemically discriminated against in your life?

FYI.. figures from the US Census Bureau, year 2000:

White persons: Bend, OR: 94.0%; OR: 86.6%

African Americans: Bend, OR: 0.3%; OR: 1.6%

Hispanic/Latino: Bend, OR: 4.6%; OR: 8.0%

:whistling:

94 out of every 100 people in your community are White.

And yet you're complaining about "reverse racism"?

Dude.. cry me a Deschutes. :rolleyes:

^_^

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I don't think he was saying he was a victim of it. I took it to mean that the OJ Simpson verdict was an indicator that it exists; someone rich and well-known getting off for committing a crime because they're black, rather than white. Like it usually is.

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Well, I for one, am not in any way denying racism in this country. I've known people who have been pulled over by the cops on a weekly basis and asked if their car is theirs. I've also frequently been the only white person in a group of white people who objects to racist comments (not jokes- vicious hateful comments). It can't be minimized. Those are only two examples of many I could go into.

But the (very) uncomfortable truth I'm dealing with now is that my friendly and unassuming kid regularly gets run over ( and I mean plowed over, pushed aside, pushed into walls) in the high school halls by kids who are then furious with her for even being there....when she's just trying to get to class. And if she says anything ( which she only dared to do once), she is verbally assaulted in a way that is shocking even to this mother with a foul mouth.

They have a gay/straight suport group at that school, and I really wish they had one for students and parents to deal with race issues. Because my pollyanna vision of this wonderful diverse experience I thought she was having turns out to be not so accurate. And I'm sure the black kid's parents feel the same. If there was a group for that, I'd be the first to sign up, busy as I am. I want to lay it all out on the table and discuss it, and listen and learn, and make it a better place for all our kids.

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What experience do you have of actually being a victim of racial discrimination in your life?

Tell me, Rock,.. what opportunities in life have been denied you because you're White?

How often do you go out into your community and feel that you're in the racial minority?

How often have you been in the racial minority at the schools you've attended?

How often do you go out into your community and feel unsafe from people of other races?

How often do you see a cop and fear that you're going be hassled simply because you're White?

Do you feel that you are systemically discriminated against in your life?

FYI.. figures from the US Census Bureau, year 2000:

White persons: Bend, OR: 94.0%; OR: 86.6%

African Americans: Bend, OR: 0.3%; OR: 1.6%

Hispanic/Latino: Bend, OR: 4.6%; OR: 8.0%

:whistling:

94 out of every 100 people in your community are White.

And yet you're complaining about "reverse racism"?

Dude.. cry me a Deschutes. :rolleyes:

^_^

Allow me to answer this question for him (Rock). Ill tell you that I held a good position as a forman at a job I held for over 15 yrs. After being injured on the job, they filled my position before the doctors reports came back. I hired a lawyer who knew government law very well, in fact was the lawyer for the government company I worked for. She was going to sue them under the americans with disabilities act but told me I could not because I WAS WHITE!!! She said, if I were black I would have had them on their knees. So it does exist! And I speak from experinece!

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What experience do you have of actually being a victim of racial discrimination in your life?

Tell me, Rock,.. what opportunities in life have been denied you because you're White?

How often do you go out into your community and feel that you're in the racial minority?

How often have you been in the racial minority at the schools you've attended?

How often do you go out into your community and feel unsafe from people of other races?

How often do you see a cop and fear that you're going be hassled simply because you're White?

Do you feel that you are systemically discriminated against in your life?

FYI.. figures from the US Census Bureau, year 2000:

White persons: Bend, OR: 94.0%; OR: 86.6%

African Americans: Bend, OR: 0.3%; OR: 1.6%

Hispanic/Latino: Bend, OR: 4.6%; OR: 8.0%

:whistling:

94 out of every 100 people in your community are White.

And yet you're complaining about "reverse racism"?

Dude.. cry me a Deschutes. :rolleyes:

^_^

No offense Hermit, but either you're a minority or you're blind.

It may not happen on the scale that it does with blacks or hispanics but it happens every freakin day in subtle ways and blatant for a white person to claim racism these days is like a guy claiming rape! I've been passed over for promotions due to racial diversity :huh: by people obviously less experienced. Ignored in check out lines by minorities and cut in front of numerous times. It doesn't really piss me off that they do this as much as the double standard in society and I'm not trying to compare these minor instances to some of the crap minorities have put up with in the past or present. But I don't have to put up with this reverse bullshit when I go out of my way to try and be fair to all. My family never owned slaves or pissed on anyone because of their race so why should I be fucked over for no reason and yes when I was younger the cops used to harass me for having long hair. :wtf:

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p.s. And i'm fucking sick to death of my kid being afraid to walk to her goddamned clases. If that had been me in the 80's I'd be dead, because it would have been a full on brawl if somebody did that to me.

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White persons: Bend, OR: 94.0%; OR: 86.6%

African Americans: Bend, OR: 0.3%; OR: 1.6%

Hispanic/Latino: Bend, OR: 4.6%; OR: 8.0%

:^_^

so Rock, is their any houses for sale there.

wait......

never mind, i just looked at the local pipe fitters union and i would have to take a $13hr drop in pay and i would have to do Sprinkler fitter work, but i would be home by 11:30 every day tho...

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Allow me to answer this question for him (Rock). Ill tell you that I held a good position as a forman at a job I held for over 15 yrs. After being injured on the job, they filled my position before the doctors reports came back. I hired a lawyer who knew government law very well, in fact was the lawyer for the government company I worked for. She was going to sue them under the americans with disabilities act but told me I could not because I WAS WHITE!!! She said, if I were black I would have had them on their knees. So it does exist! And I speak from experinece!

I know plenty about the *ADA*, Desperado, and I know for a fact there is

NO exclusionary criteria based on race. There is simply no.. such.. criteria.

What your lawyer may have meant was that you had no claim under ADA based on disability, but if you were Black she might have been willing to roll the dice playing the race card in trying to file a racial discrimination suit. Who knows? huh.gif

Then again.. maybe "your" lawyer simply outright lied to you. I cant help but wonder: do you think it was wise to hire the company's lawyer to file a suit against the company on your behalf? How much money do you think she saved her boss (the company),.. and how much do you think she bolstered her position within the company's legal department,.. by telling you that you didn't have a case against the company? :whistling:

I bet she got a nice big Christmas bonus from the company that year. <_<

Sorry about your OTJ injury and you being replaced, bud. That totally sucks.

Blame your former boss who let you go though,.. not "reverse discrimination".

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No offense Hermit, but either you're a minority or you're blind.

It may not happen on the scale that it does with blacks or hispanics but it happens every freakin day in subtle ways and blatant for a white person to claim racism these days is like a guy claiming rape! I've been passed over for promotions due to racial diversity :huh: by people obviously less experienced. Ignored in check out lines by minorities and cut in front of numerous times. It doesn't really piss me off that they do this as much as the double standard in society and I'm not trying to compare these minor instances to some of the crap minorities have put up with in the past or present. But I don't have to put up with this reverse bullshit when I go out of my way to try and be fair to all. My family never owned slaves or pissed on anyone because of their race so why should I be fucked over for no reason and yes when I was younger the cops used to harass me for having long hair. :wtf:

Yes, of course racism toward Blacks/minorities and racism toward Whites both do exist in America. I have never denied that or suggested otherwise. I merely said that Whites have never been the victims of widespread systemic racism/discrimination in our country whereas Blacks definitely have.. and in many ways still are. And I pointed out that "I would never vote for a White man to POTUS" and "hang that whitey candidate from a tree" are not beliefs held, or expressed, by many Blacks; whereas those kinds of sentiments made by Whites (usually, but not exclusively, republicans) about a Black candidate are not uncommon at all. Heck, republicans in this very thread have suggested over and over again that Obama cannot win because voters in America will not elect a Black man to serve as POTUS. They say this despite the incredible support Obama has garnered by White people all across this country. Republicans who maintain that 'America will not vote for a Black candidate to be POTUS' are merely projecting their own beliefs onto America as a whole; they refuse to recognize that the widespread enthusiasm and support that Barack Obama has garnered all throughout this country is evidence in direct contradiction of their claim. Millions of White Americans iARE willing to vote for a Black man to be POTUS.. and have made it perfectly clear that they do in fact intend to vote for a Black man in this upcoming election.

Look.. it's no secret that republicans are going to make race an issue in the general election. They are going to repeat the claim that "America is not ready to elect a Black president" as many times as they can in the hopes that America's dumbed-down population will believe the claim to be true, despite the evidence to the contrary. And of course there are those.. in the republican party.. who really do believe it to be true.. and why?.. because THEY themselves would never vote for a Black man to be POTUS... simply because he's Black.

I think its great that we're discussing race. If those of you who dislike Barack Obama would take the time to listen to his *http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWe7wTVbLUU* speech, you would hear that he does not dismiss or discount your anger and resentment over racial issues; in fact he validates your anger, resentment, and mistrust. He also acknowledges the basis for Black anger an resentment. Its an issue that does cut both ways; and Obama addresses the issue head-on. Are you (generic sense) willing to set your racial biases (however subtle they may be) aside and give him a chance?.. enough to hear him out on this one topic at least: 'race issues in America'? If you're not willing him to grant him 30 minutes of your time to hear him out on this issue, then you gotta ask yourself why that is. You gotta ask yourself with ruthless self-honesty: is it simply because he's Black that I won't take 30 measly minutes to listen to what he.. a presidential candidate.. has to say about race in America? Do I discount him.. or distrust him.. simply because he's Black? If there's some other reason you wont grant him 30 minutes of your time,.. what is it?

Like him or not.. it is undeniably a damn good speech. It's fair; it's balanced; it's

thought-provoking; it's honest; and it's certainly quite inspiring.. for all Americans.

It's a speech worth watching/listening to.

Its a speech that has the potential to start us on the path toward racial healing.

That is, afterall, what we all.. well, most of us anyway.. want, isn't it? Racial healing?

:hippy:

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While we're still on the racial subject..

Clinton Beats Obama Handily in West Virginia

By PATRICK HEALY

Published: May 14, 2008

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton won a lopsided victory on Tuesday over Senator Barack Obama in the West Virginia primary, where racial considerations emerged as an unusually salient factor. Mrs. Clinton drew strong support from white, working-class voters, who have spurned Mr. Obama in recent contests.

The number of white Democratic voters who said race had influenced their choices on Tuesday was among the highest recorded in voter surveys in the nomination fight. Two in 10 white West Virginia voters said race was an important factor in their votes. More than 8 in 10 who said it factored in their votes backed Mrs. Clinton, according to exit polls.

With Mr. Obama solidly ahead of Mrs. Clinton in the delegate fight, the West Virginia results are unlikely to hurt Mr. Obama’s chances of winning the nomination. A strong Clinton victory in another general election battleground state like her victories in Ohio and Pennsylvania could raise fresh questions about Mr. Obama’s ability to carry swing states in a contest against Senator John McCain.

With 92 percent of the precincts reporting, Mrs. Clinton had 67 percent of the vote and Mr. Obama had 26 percent. John Edwards, who pulled out of the race but whose name remained on the ballot, had 7 percent.

The surveys showing a strong racial component in the West Virginia voting suggest that Mr. Obama would face pockets of Democratic resistance if he becomes the first black nominee of the party. Although he has argued that he could broaden the Democratic base in the fall, given his popularity with independents and strong showing in traditionally Republican states like Colorado and Virginia, the Clinton camp has pointed to his modest support from white voters and blue-collar workers as weak links for him.

Obama supporters accused Mrs. Clinton of playing the race card last week when she said she had more support among “white Americans” than he did. However blunt she was, white and financially struggling voters in West Virginia and in Kentucky, which votes next week and which Mr. Obama has all but conceded, have become a major force keeping her in the race.

“There are some who have wanted to cut this race short,” Mrs. Clinton said at a victory party in Charleston, W.Va., where the crowd at one point chanted, “It’s not over!” “I am more than ever determined to carry on this campaign until everyone has had a chance to make their voices heard.”

In promising to press forward until the June 3 end of the nominating contests, Mrs. Clinton faces daunting math. Coming into Tuesday, Mr. Obama needed 150 delegates to reach the 2,025 required for the nomination.

Even if Mrs. Clinton won all the delegates in the remaining contests, a practical impossibility, she could not gather the delegates needed to win the nomination. Her fading hopes rest in seating the Florida and Michigan delegations. Those delegations have been barred from the convention because the states held primaries before party rules allowed. Mrs. Clinton also hopes for a larger share of superdelegates than she has been accumulating.

The West Virginia results raised troubling signs for Mr. Obama. Although exit polls in other states have indicated that many Clinton supporters, including many whites, would back him in the fall, more than half of West Virginia voters said they would be dissatisfied if Mr. Obama won the nomination, according to the surveys by Edison/Mitofsky.

As the Clinton campaign noted in a strategy memo on Tuesday, no Democrat has won the White House without winning West Virginia since 1916. Bill Clinton carried it in 1992 and 1996. Al Gore and John Kerry lost the state in 2000 and 2004, respectively.

Mrs. Clinton seized on the West Virginia results in an area where she needs particular help, fund-raising. Roughly $20 million in debt despite $11 million in personal loans from Mrs. Clinton, her campaign sent a text message to supporters’ cellphones less than an hour after the polls closed hailing the victory and urging them to donate at her Web site. A similar pitch arrived by e-mail two minutes later. “With your help, I’m going to carry the energy of tonight’s victory into the next contests in Kentucky and Oregon,” Mrs. Clinton wrote in the e-mail message, referring to the primaries on May 20. “You have worked your heart out, put yourself on the line for what you believe in and given generously. And I’m not about to turn my back on you.”

Mr. Obama, who largely skipped campaigning in West Virginia and spent Tuesday in another battleground, Missouri, said at a campaign event there he was confident he could unify the party as the nominee.

“There is a lot of talk these days about how the Democratic Party is divided,” Mr. Obama said. “But I’m not worried, because I know that we’ll be able to come together quickly behind a common purpose. There’s too much that unites us as Democrats. There’s too much at stake for our country.”

Mrs. Clinton’s campaign chairman, Terry McAuliffe, said in an interview Tuesday night that despite the heavy debt, "we will have the money to play in the next three weeks" until June 3.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/14/us/polit...p;ex=1210910400

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I know plenty about the *ADA*, Desperado, and I know for a fact there is

NO exclusionary criteria based on race. There is simply no.. such.. criteria.

What your lawyer may have meant was that you had no claim under ADA based on disability, but if you were Black she might have been willing to roll the dice playing the race card in trying to file a racial discrimination suit. Who knows? huh.gif

Then again.. maybe "your" lawyer simply outright lied to you. I cant help but wonder: do you think it was wise to hire the company's lawyer to file a suit against the company on your behalf? How much money do you think she saved her boss (the company),.. and how much do you think she bolstered her position within the company's legal department,.. by telling you that you didn't have a case against the company? :whistling:

I bet she got a nice big Christmas bonus from the company that year. <_<

Sorry about your OTJ injury and you being replaced, bud. That totally sucks.

Blame your former boss who let you go though,.. not "reverse discrimination".

She was the best choioce for a lawyer because she had the motivation to nail them. They let her go when teh Republicans temporarily lost the seat and then they got it back. She wouldl have loved nothing morer than to stick it to them. And she does know the law and yes it did make a differance being white. The bottom line is if I were black I could have sued them easily and being white I could not. This reverse racism sure shows up in this election. Look at Hillary's kick ass win last nigth in WV. 95 % white state. Look at the percentage of blacks voting for Obama when previously they would have come out in small numbers and supported whichever dem was running. Pathetic.

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Well Hermit, it looks like some folks stepped up and explained my position concerning reverse discrimination. Well done, all.

The plain fact is, reverse discrimination has hurt me personally. Ever hear of "Affirmative Action"?? Back in the early 80's I had planned to go to work where my father had a career for 30 years. I took all the tests, went to all the schools and passed with flying colors. I worked my butt off. I didn't get the job, but several minorities (some of which barely spoke English)were hired. A few years later, my father got pushed into early retirement (he was only 52) so they could make room to fill their "quota".

It really happens. Don't kid yourself. If you say otherwise you're talking out of the wrong end of your body. I've seen it firsthand. That's what happens when you get old- you see a lot of shit. :lol:

ps, smartass.... :P

I've only lived up here for 5 years. I spent most of my life in the San Francisco/San Jose area. So can the demographics, because they don't mean shit. ;)

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Well If obama wins, and he dies before the electoral college meets, the electoral college are free to choose anybody they want, including Hillrod. Since I doubt Hilrod would be BHO VP, If McCain dies after the electoral college meets and is awarded President elect, and he has a women VP, she will become president, or even IF Obama and McCain have a male VP and both of the P/VP elect dies after the elctoral college meet. Nacy Peloisi becomes president. Unless the dems lose control of the house or she is fired from her job.

So yes you are most likely will be right, but a few bad chicken sandwichs can change all of that.

Or. another to state it.... is ...

The Next President of the United States ...

Will be wearing Pants ! :D

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE REPUBLICAN FISHERMAN

A woman in a hot air balloon realized she was lost. She lowered her

altitude and spotted a man in a boat below. She shouted to him, 'Excuse me, can you

help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know

where I am.'

The man consulted his portable GPS and replied, 'You're in a hot air

balloon, approximately 30 feet above a ground elevation of 2346 feet above

sea level. You are at 31 degrees, 14.97 minutes north latitude and 100

degrees, 49.09 minutes west longitude.'

She rolled her eyes and said, 'You must be a Republican.'

'I am,' replied the man. 'How did you know?'

'Well,' answered the balloonist, 'everything you told me is technically

correct, but I have no idea what to do with your information, and I'm still

lost. Frankly, you've not been much help to me.'

The man smiled and responded, 'You must be a Democrat.'

'I am,' replied the balloonist. 'How did you know?'

'Well,' said the man, 'you don't know where you are or where you're going.

You've risen to where you are, due to a large quantity of hot air. You made

a promise that you have no idea how to keep, and you expect

me to solve your problem. You're in exactly the same position you were in

before we met, but, somehow, now it's my fault.'

I'm not going to be happy, no matter who gets into The White House.

It'll be boondoggles and govt. waste .......

No matter who gets in there...

They're ALL P-l-a-y-e-r-s !!!

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Many people across the country, especially in the North and West, have this blinder on when it comes to realizing the extent of racial discrimination across the country toward Whites. They even have a hard time believing major discrimination, toward Blacks exists, even in the South.

Outright visible discrimination I argue, has decreased over time, but privately it exists in a big way.

Why people have a hard time understand and believing this I don't understand. Is it just a wish they want to project, or is it truly ignorance to the facts. It's difficult to tell.

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Many people across the country, especially in the North and West, have this blinder on when it comes to realizing the extent of racial discrimination across the country toward Whites. They even have a hard time believing major discrimination, toward Blacks exists, even in the South.

Outright visible discrimination I argue, has decreased over time, but privately it exists in a big way.

Why people have a hard time understand and believing this I don't understand. Is it just a wish they want to project, or is it truly ignorance to the facts. It's difficult to tell.

Well put. I agree wholeheartedly.

People focus too much on those "the more you know" commercials. Real life ain't that way...

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Billary stating the past is...well...the PAST. :mellow:

Just because something has happened since 1916, doesn't mean it can't change. :)

And it will. Obama will wrap it up with delagates because HE has the popular vote.

Bow out gracefully Hill, and unite the party!

:cheer:

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Billary stating the past is...well...the PAST. :mellow:

Just because something has happened since 1916, doesn't mean it can't change. :)

And it will. Obama will wrap it up with delagates because HE has the popular vote.

Bow out gracefully Hill, and unite the party!

:cheer:

If he does get the nom, it would be a wise choice to put Hillary on the ticket as VP. This would be a sure winner. If he doesnt, he will alienate one half of the party that will not vote for him. The exit polls show that 65 percent of those who support Hillary, WILL NOT vote for Obama. He has too many issues with white working class voters. He will need these to defeat a Republican, who could win this election if he changes his tune on Iraq just a little. The red states will remain red states unless he takes her on board. Thats assuming he wins, which he hasnt yet. The Florida argument is a valid one and both Obama and Hillary want them to be seated. Though I think Obama is only saying it. Why in the world would he want them seated when he lost big time. I am betting that the Democratic ticket will be the two of them together in the end, and this would pretty much be a sure bet against McCain. But then again, Gore was a good bet and had it stolen from him.

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Well Hermit, it looks like some folks stepped up and explained my position concerning reverse discrimination. Well done, all.

The plain fact is, reverse discrimination has hurt me personally. Ever hear of "Affirmative Action"?? Back in the early 80's I had planned to go to work where my father had a career for 30 years. I took all the tests, went to all the schools and passed with flying colors. I worked my butt off. I didn't get the job, but several minorities (some of which barely spoke English)were hired. A few years later, my father got pushed into early retirement (he was only 52) so they could make room to fill their "quota".

It really happens. Don't kid yourself. If you say otherwise you're talking out of the wrong end of your body. I've seen it firsthand. That's what happens when you get old- you see a lot of shit. :lol:

ps, smartass.... :P

I've only lived up here for 5 years. I spent most of my life in the San Francisco/San Jose area. So can the demographics, because they don't mean shit. ;)

Wtf?!?.. you telling me that Rock Action nepotism lost out to Affirmative Action? Well dammit all to hell! tantrum.gif

:P:D

For the umpteeth time..

I never said racism and/or discrimination against Whites doesn't exist; it does.

[Lemme make sure you get this point before I proceed..]

I never said racism and/or discrimination against Whites doesn't exist; it does.

I never said racism and/or discrimination against Whites doesn't exist; it does.

I never said racism and/or discrimination against Whites doesn't exist; it does.

I never said racism and/or discrimination against Whites doesn't exist; it does.

I never said racism and/or discrimination against Whites doesn't exist; it does.

[ok? is that clear now?]

My main point [which I can't help but notice no one has disputed] was that "I will never vote for a White man to be president" and "hang that Whitey candidate from a tree" are not sentiments that are held or expressed by many Blacks, whereas "I will never vote for a Black man to be president" and "hang that darky from a tree" are sentiments that are (sadly) still quite common in the republican party. In other words, there is still a lot of overt racism.. anti-Black sentiment.. in the republican party. Even among those republicans who don't "hate" Blacks, there is the widely held sentiment that "America is not ready for a Black president", which in actuality means "I am not ready to vote for a Black man to be president". That is the rejection of candidate based souly.. oops, did it again *wink*.. based solely on his race. That is racism.

Would anyone care to dispute the fact that there is a racist element of the republican party? :whistling:

As an add-on point,.. in response to the hue and cry of "reverse discrimination!" made by the downtrodden victims of White discrimination in this thread (all republicans I can't help but notice), I pointed out that Whites have not been subjected to systemic discrimination and racism in the country like Blacks have. Affirmative action (in America) was started by JFK in 1961 and served as a precursor to the Civil Rights Act [Executive Order 10925 was signed by President John F. Kennedy requiring government contractors to "take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin." It established the President's Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity, which later became the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in the Civil Rights Act of 1964.]. Given the fact that violent racism toward Blacks, discrimination against Blacks, and segregation of Blacks were all an everyday fact of life in America at that time.. and had been for the entire almost-200 year history of America.., I don't think anyone would argue that affirmative action wasn't perfectly appropriate.. and just.. when it was implemented in 1961.

Over the last 70 years there have been enormous and wonderful strides forward made with regard to equal opportunities for all races. Case in point: Barack Obama is now in a very realistic position of becoming the first ever African American POTUS in American history. His candidacy represents a success story.. not just for himself, but for America. But along the way.. over those 70 years.. Whites have been stung by Affirmative Action; Whites have missed out on job opportunities on account of affirmative action. That sucks. But in the bigger picture, America has been made better by it... by the lessening of the divide of opportunity based on race.

Barack Obama addressed affirmative action in his "More Perfect Union" speech. He acknowledged and validated the resentment and anger that many Whites feel on account of it. And he encouraged his fellow Blacks to also acknowledge and validate it, just as he asked us.. his fellow Whites (his is mixed race afterall, right? *wink*).. to acknowledge and validate the anger and resentment felt by Blacks as a result of the long history of racial violence and oppression that Blacks have experienced in this country. Racial segregation of Blacks ('back of the bus' type shit and 'Colored only/White only' drinking fountains) is not ancient American history; that stuff was alive and well.. was the status quo.. barely over 50 years ago. There are African Americans alive today who lived through it and who are still quite angry and bitter about it *cough*Rev Wright*cough*. "Hang that darky from a tree" does not harken back to some time in ancient American history. Racist lynch mob hate sentiments evoke, for many African Americans, vivid memories of events that transpired in their own lifetimes.

Do Whites get stung by affirmative action sometimes? Unfortunately, yes. But you might see how "I didn't get a job because of affirmative action" as a claim of racial victimization pales (pardon the pun) in comparison to the dark (pardon the pun), ugly, hateful racism that is conveyed by sentiments like "hang that darky from a tree" and "I would never vote for as Black man to be president."

..eh?

The democratic party believes in "..requiring government contractors to "take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin." It established the President's Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity, which later became the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in the Civil Rights Act of 1964".. and is very enthusiastic about the prospect of electing an African American man to serve as POTUS (and was also enthusiastic about the prospect of electing a woman to serve as POTUS). The democratic party's priority is addressing the needs of working class Americans and the less-fortunate among us; the dem party is based on humanistic values; the dem party is the party of environmental awareness, the protection of civil liberties, and national security.

The republican party believes "America is not ready for a Black man to be president" and includes a good number of members who hold the position that "I would never vote for a Black man to be POTUS" and many of whom would (and do) say things like "hang that darky from a tree". The repub party agenda serves the needs of the wealthy at the expense of working class Americans; turns a blind eye to the less-fortunate among us; stomps on civil liberties; and.. under the guise of patriotism.. undermines national security and profiteers from war mongering.

The democratic party's values and principles are certainly more in line with my personal values and principles. But I understand that others feel the republican party values and principles are more in line with their personal values and principles.

To each, his/her own! B)

:hippy:

Go Obama!! :cheer:

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