Thursday, July 28, 2016

Understanding conservatives.

MORE DISCLAIMERSBefore I drop tonight's cut and paste job, I have to mention a couple of stories that had me scratching my very bald head today.

They really make me question the sanity of some people.

The first one has to do with Donald Trump Jr. accusing Barack Obama of plagiarizing some of his speech. Think about that for a minute. The young Trump actually lifted the same lines from the president who used them long before his daddy decided to run for president, and yet he has the audacity to accuse the president of lifting his lines. Unbelievable!

"Melania Trump, the elder Trump’s wife, came under fire last week when it was revealed that she had plagiarized from a speech first lady Michelle Obama delivered at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. 

Inexplicably, Trump Jr. appears to be trying to spark similar outrage by claiming the president stole material from him. 

He has failed, largely because the line he’s claiming to have coined wasn’t even his ― elected officials, including Barack Obama and former President George W. Bush, have been using it for years." 

Then there is Bill O'Reilly, a popular conservative talk show host who actually had the nerve to declare on his popular talk show that slaves were well fed, and had proper  lodging while they built the White House.

It's nothing new, of course, conservatives have a long history of trying to delegitimize  the stain and pain of slavery. But to see one of them do it so openly and without hesitation was shocking.

Now, of course, after all the backlash, he is trying to clean up his statement.

 "As any honest historian knows, in order to keep slaves and free laborers strong, the Washington administration provided meat, bread and other staples, also decent lodging on the grounds of the new presidential building. That is a fact. Not a justification, not a defense of slavery. Just a fact. Anyone who implies a soft-on-slavery message is beneath contempt."'

Bill, that is a "soft on slavery message", and you are beneath contempt. But we all already knew that; your history, both professionally and personally, proves it.  

So on to the must read article of the day:

"It is not Barack Obama’s fault that Donald Trump is the Republican presidential nominee, any more than the proverbial hurricane is the fault of the proverbial butterfly. But just like the butterfly and the hurricane, the fact that Trump’s ascension comes at the end of the Obama era is hardly a coincidence — and it’s hard to imagine one without the other.

More specifically, Obama’s election helped pave the way for Trumpism: not the idiosyncratic and often incomprehensible campaign that Donald Trump himself is running, but the anti-immigration, anti-trade, "law and order" populist sentiment that he’s brought back into the American mainstream and that will probably outlast his (probable) loss in November.

One of the reasons Trumpism has surprised political and media elites with its passion and strength is that it draws from a deep well of anxiety about America losing its culture and values in the face of (among other things) multiculturalism.

The idea that America is being both overrun and taken over by people with different values is partly inspired by reminders of difference in everyday life: seeing people in the streets who "look like" unauthorized immigrants; having to press 1 for English. But it’s also reinforced by the media, and by who represents America on the world stage.

And for the past eight years, that’s been a man of Kenyan ancestry — with, as Obama himself said during his 2004 convention speech, "a funny name."

Obama’s election was the result of the underlying demographic changes that have provoked so much anxiety that something’s being lost in America. But it was also a symbol of it.
More importantly, it offered a way for people to express those anxieties under the banner of disagreement about politics — which is acceptable in polite company — instead of under the banner of "complaining about nonwhite people," which is generally considered racist and frowned upon discussing openly.

Accusing African Americans or immigrants of being un-American or disloyal is a longstanding theme, but it’s not a polite thing to say. But asking whether President Obama was really born in America anyway, or saying he has a "Kenyan anti-colonialist" outlook because of his father, or darkly hinting that he is more sympathetic to America’s Islamist enemies than its allies because he has something in common with them? All of those are pretty strong and ugly criticisms, but they’re criticisms of a politician — of the most powerful man in the world, in fact. That makes them more acceptable than if they were about someone else.

Birtherism, of course, is the issue that made Donald Trump a conservative hero in 2011. The swell of support he felt then was almost enough to tempt him into a run in 2012, and it was definitely enough to tempt him into a run in 2016.

Trump had been toying with a run for president for decades. And while some of his policy stances have definitely shifted (to say the least) since then, his history as a racial provocateur goes back decades.

But Trump is a good marketer. He understood, when he ran this time, that his ability to make controversial statements was a close relative of the conservative resentment of "political correctness," and the yearning to more openly express certain people’s fears without courting offense or censorship. He saw his time had come." [Source]





31 comments:

  1. Anonymous12:18 AM

    Boy, they really are like 5th graders. "See, he did it too". Just like when they have find blah on white racism to even things out. The Trumps are a joke.

    PX

    ReplyDelete
  2. Limpbaugh12:51 AM

    There should have been a bigger anti establishment push after Bush. Bill Clinton did a lot to increase the need for it by letting big corporations buy up the media, and making trade deals that exported our jobs. I am not a conservative, but I think Hillary Clinton and even Jeb Bush have more to do with why we need to elect anti establishment candidates than Obama does. Obama wasn't that bad, until he supported ISIS to overthrow Libya and Syria. And he wasn't convinced to do it as fast as other politicians from both parties were. It took a series of international events in places like Yemen and a lot of convincing from people like Hillary and other establishment politicians to convince him to recruit and arm John McCain's moderate rebels. Corporations, lobbyists, and PACs own our government and media.

    A lot of things like who copied who aren't important. Now the Democrats have a conspiracy theory that Russia supports Trump. Maybe they do. I'm sure they don't want us to attack Iran, or for us to tell Israel to go ahead and attack them, as Hillary has already suggested. But rigging the election is the more important issue, and not besides the points as the Democrats want us to believe. They say we have to support the candidate who stole our votes. And yes, it wasn't just the DNC. The media and Clinton colluded with the DNC to steal the nomination. Tim Kaine is being rewarded for getting Wasserman Schultz in as head of the DNC in the first place. She was Hillary's 2008 campaign manager at the time.


    I voted for Sanders but if Jill Stein or Gary Johnson Johnson can't get close enough to having a good chance of winning, I will vote for Trump. I think the downside of Trump is exactly the type of thing Field wrote about, Bill O'Reilly downplaying slavery and birtherism. He would set a bad example that makes racism more socially acceptable. For someone to beat Hillary they should highlight her downside, like her supporting ISIS. They should give details and site sources like the Pentagon report Judicial watch obtained, etc. Hillary is a death merchant, arranging deals for her weapon manufacturer donors to sell weapons to Clinton Foundation donor countries. They should be quoting examples that David Sirota reported. Bring stuff up like that in a presidential debate and the media will have to report it. But don't forget to point out that the media has been hiding it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mr. Avenue12:59 AM

    I'm not a conservative or Republican, but I would vote for Trump over that bitch Hillary. Fuck her and her supporters.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Puerto Rican food is nasty shit1:17 AM

    Indeed, Trump's loss in November will actually be pretty anti-climactic.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I Hate Spics, Gooks, Kikes, and Faggots1:46 AM

    So proud of Hillary and Obama and the Democrats! Can't wait for the debates to start and watch Hillary roast that pig Trump!
    #ImWithHer

    ReplyDelete
  6. Perhaps Trump is a good marketer, at least to some people; he sort of had to be in order to cheat and screw as many regular people as he has, but he gets his marketing skills from a very bad strain of American history. That would be his former mentor, and Joe McCarthy's attack dog Roy Cohn. Trump's despicable campaign tactics are all right there in Cohn's wheelhouse, and a Trump presidency would be a little like elevating McCarthy himself to the job. None for me, thanks.

    -Doug in Oakland

    ReplyDelete
  7. Go Pack Go2:34 AM

    Trump had every right to question Obamas citizenship. With a name like Barack Hussane Obama you should.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous6:49 AM

    Hillary's speech was that bad? What a shame.

    ReplyDelete
  9. No, actually it was a pretty good speech. But I think u already knew that.

    That thing getting away from u is called objectivity, if u hurry up can catch it.

    ReplyDelete
  10. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Limpbaugh8:49 AM

    Important information about Sandra Bland just came out!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Go Pack Go12:57 PM

    Why cant Obama steal from Trump? Oh thats right, blacks are just perfect and can never do any wrong.

    ReplyDelete
  13. The Fixer ™1:45 PM

    Why cant Melania steal from Michelle? Oh that's right, whites are just perfect and can never do any wrong.

    There

    ReplyDelete
  14. Puerto Rican food is nasty shit3:06 PM

    Now is when the real work begins. Now is when Hillary and her team must convince all undecideds, moderates, independents, disenfranchised Bernie supporters, and anyone else to vote for her. Not for a third party, not for Trump. It's gotta be for Hillary.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I Hate Spics, Gooks, Kikes, and Faggots3:34 PM

    I have the utmost confidence in Hillary! She is a brilliant woman! She will get it done!
    #ImWithHer

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous5:23 PM

    They select them,then they want you to elect them,LEAVE THE FUKKIN BALLOT BLANK!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Looks like Cheeto man got his wish regarding the Russians hacking Hillary's campaign data.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Lance Cockstrong8:18 PM

    O'Reilly is notorious for issuing racially inflammatory "facts" and then proclaiming them to be just random "facts" devoid of context, and as such anyone who would infer racism are themselves racist.

    ReplyDelete
  20. celia8:37 PM

    Obama plagiarizing Trump is shameful, especially since he has a whole staff of speechwriters in the White House! Thanks for sharing this field.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Anonymous8:40 PM

    Hillary Clinton has three main public speaking modes:

    1) Angry landlady
    2) Disappointed high school principle
    3) Mom got into the sherry

    ReplyDelete
  22. Cooter8:47 PM

    I can't tell if people are more angry at the things Trump didn't actually say or the things he doesn't plan to do but you think he will.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Cooter8:58 PM

    Yīshēng said...
    Looks like Cheeto man got his wish regarding the Russians hacking Hillary's campaign data.


    The six pack I just bought minutes ago for the weekend is missing bottles of beer. Apparently by Russians.

    ReplyDelete
  24. "O'Reilly is notorious for issuing racially inflammatory "facts" and then proclaiming them to be just random "facts" devoid of context, and as such anyone who would infer racism are themselves racist."

    Well, for years he took his marching orders from the alleged skirt chasers over at FOX VIEWS.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Anonymous9:14 PM

    O'Reilly is a buffoon, but slavery really wasn't that bad for most slaves.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Lance Cockstrong10:02 PM

    O'Reilly was a notorious skirt chaser too ... No wonder the Foxes ... Hoover, Ham, Beckel (who knows, he could be kinda Foxy if Ailes gets drunk enough) are all fleeing to CNN ... and Megyn will soon be joining them ... maybe Gretchen too

    ReplyDelete
  27. Anonymous10:06 PM

    "Looks like Cheeto man got his wish regarding the Russians hacking Hillary's campaign data."

    If you mean Trump, then of course he did. But it was not a wish, it was an order. Trump is head of Russian Disinformation. He was KGB before KGB was cool. He was Cheka before anyone knew Cheka. Putin takes orders from Trump. And I am the King of Prussia.

    It's all true!

    Now take another gulp of your purple drank.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Cooter10:13 PM

    I ran over a nail and it stuck in my tire. Apparently by Russians.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Anonymous10:14 PM

    Charles Evers, the 93-year-old brother of slain civil rights icon Medgar Evers endorses Trump.

    Get on board the Trump Train while there are still good seats!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Anonymous10:27 PM

    The Clinton Campaign was warned by the FBI that they were the target of a cyber attack but they REFUSED TO COOPERATE.

    Another clearly disqualifying detail but the corrupt media will focus on possible Russia involvement.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Limpbaugh4:49 AM

    Is it just me, or did anyone else notice that Fox News suddenly became more sympathetic to Hillary. Rupert Murdoch is 100% establishment and he likes Hillary. Trump negotiated the severance package for Ailes' long time PR guy. Trump probably had all kinds of dirt on Ailes. Maybe Ailes was fired because Trump controlled him. The fact that Ailes was a pervert could have been completely besides the point and just a convenient excuse. Any news pundit who isn't a prostitute isn't on TV anymore. There's no news there.

    ReplyDelete