It's gonna be a long two years, homey.
Like most people in America, I spent the majority of this evening flipping back and forth between various news stations watching as the election results came in. What most people assumed was going to happen is pretty much a certainty: the Republicans have taken back the House of Representatives and removed the supermajority that Democrats enjoyed in the Senate.
Obama’s own Senate seat that went unopposed just a few years ago was won by an Illinois Republican. Like it or not, the people have spoken. Just like they did back in 2008 when Obama was historically elected President.
A lot can change in two years.
Nobody – common man, pundit, or crackhead – is delusional enough to believe that this wasn’t largely an indictment on President Barack Hussein Obama. Obama campaigned heavily on hope and this belief that he could foster change in Washington. Most of us, much due to our own delusion, believed that it was possible for this one man to come into Washington and change a culture that has spent decades mired in political deadlock. For some reason, we all thought that despite the fact that an entire half of the country voted against him in favor of a man who can’t hi-five anybody and a woman who might actually usher in the hell promised in 2012, somehow, someway, Congress would ultimately work towards this greater goal of a unified government with a focus on the greater good.
We didn’t get that. In fact, what we got were a lot of things largely rammed through Congress using the fact that Congress was Democratic in both houses. Basically, using the majority present, Obama pushed through bills that, right or wrong, were largely opposed by huge sects of people. Health care reform, while necessary, was a beast that nearly derailed President Clinton in the early 90s. What we got was a confusing piece of legislation that even lawyers argued about where a significant portion of the provisions don’t even go into effect until 2014. It’s not to say that this was a bad thing, but it does speak to the main thing everybody wants from their government, especially during a time of recession: transparency.
Obama’s goal for transparency hasn’t necessarily been met. Most of us are very smart around here and short of the names of many of the bills and their intended goals, most of us – who don’t work directly on such things – probably couldn’t tell you the finer points of the health care reform bill, his financial reform package, or where most of the money for the two stimulus packages went.
Mind you, I’m not saying that Obama hasn’t done his job. I think he has done the best job he could with the resources and situation he was given…to a point. Communication is the corner stone of any strong relationship. Despite being the President who has to have clocked more face time than any other, when it came to the actual policies, I’d bet a lot of people really have no clue whats been going on. This is how Sarah Palin can use the words “death panel” and it becomes a hot topic in middle America. There are a lot of unsmart people in this nation. The only way to effectively get a message across is to make sure that even the slowest individual can get it.
Which leads us to where we are today. Republicans have convinced people that this Congress and President have been freewheel spending and forcing government down their throats. They are preaching an agenda that they probably can’t uphold either, but the fact is, thats what happens in politics. You sell promises and then do what you can to see your special interests through. The party in power that’s failed to live up to whatever alleged promises they made takes the hit. The Republicans went through this in 2006 after 12 years at the helm.
We are a whimsical bunch of people. We want change without really having any idea how to go about it or what that really means. Our only source of feeling like we’re affecting it is to vote for the people that represent us and craft the laws of the land. And what does that mean for the next two years? Well, a President who’s received very little help from Congress in general, or at the very least more opposition than perhaps any other President, will have a tougher job getting any of his policies implemented. But he’s still the President. And he still has two more years to attempt to right a ship that everybody agrees needs righting. And the Senate is still Democratic.
America is in an odd place right now. Obama was given a trick hand to play. However, he openly accepted that and has been doing his best to win with that hand since he took office. And he’s going to continue to have to do the same thing. I don’t feel bad for Obama. He’s the President. Part of the job description is to catch rocks being thrown at you by the people who didn’t vote for you. It’s on page four of the job description.
I was told at one point that the point of Congress is not to foster the passage of good ideas, but to hinder the progress of bad ideas. If that is true, this Congress will be living proof of it. But where do we go from here? I have no clue. I’m curious like the next man. The biggest tragedy in all of this, yet the one anomaly that make sense is this…
…Alvin Greene did not win the Senate seat. And for that we are all better off.
Anyway, what are your thoughts on this election night? Anger, frustration, hope, joy, etc? Good people of VSB, what does it all really mean to you?
-VSB P aka THE ARSONIST aka TANGLE JIG P aka SPANKY SPANKADOCIOUS aka GIIIIIIIIIIIIIRL HE A 3
Statistically speaking, midterm elections generally roll the same way. If one party controls the executive and legislative branch, the opposing party usually gets control during midterms. Happened during Clinton’s administration and Bush’s administration, so I wasn’t surprised by what happened. In the end of the day, Obama has to unite his base.
Democrats have the problem of not having a very unified platform. Ask 10 democrats what the democrats stand for and you will get 10 different opinions. Republicans have a very solid and simple base and they get all the patriotic people with their american dream rhetoric. However, democrats are more about social welfare…without being socialist.
Personally, I wish the Dems would just drop the center-left bs and actually care about the social welfare of the people. The rent is too damn high! I find debunking Republican ideology extremely easy, but why don’t the democrats do it?
I’m so done with the political system. No one wants to take a strong position because they don’t want to alienate the rest of the public. I’m so sick of it.
you know who does want to take a stand? our boy in NY. our rent is too damn high and he knows it. if we had more karate experts, the world would be a better place.
His rent is too damn high song needs to his itunes asap!
On the real, there need to be more no-BS folk like Jimmy McMillan. This whole battle with the media and speaking in sound-bites is really what is effing up America. >_< Jon Stewart tried to explain this at his rallies but he failed epically. lol
if we had more karate experts, the world would be a better place.
dead.
ok, thanks to dia de los muertos, im back from the dead…
Ask 10 democrats what the democrats stand for and you will get 10 different opinions. Republicans have a very solid and simple base and they get all the patriotic people with their american dream rhetoric.
this is true. the dems are weak, and have been for far too long. and sadly, i dont think these mid-term elections are going to help them see any clearer.
Co-sign this comment. I grow frustrated at the ineptitude of the democratic party. At least republicans are assertive with their ideas (despite the idiocy of most of them) and find ways to get them done.
I’m seriously tired of the complacency in our country. I see protesters in places like France, Greece, etc. and I’m waiting for most people here to wake up and take to the streets for action, because clearly, our elected officials are not getting the job done.
Bond.
you and i are >>here<<
my mom and i had a long discussion about this very thing. its like–its cool and necessary to be ultra conservative or else you get slammed by the party for being too moderate. yet, for dems its not acceptable to be too liberal and they will do anything they can to not come off as liberal.
Same ish different day. This is politics folks, I am not surprised as history has taught us this is how things go. I think we all need to take a step back and look at the people who are running for office. We honestly can’t expect the haves to do anything in the interest of the have nots. Not to mention the Democrats are no different than the Republicans, at least the Republicans own up to their ish. You have a lot of conservative Democrats who regardless of whether we are in the majority or not, will always serve as a hinderance to the party overall. The party is too divided and wears too many different faces to ever come together on an issue and actually do something about it. We knew the Republicans were going to be a problem for Obama but let’s not act like the Democratic party is completely on board with his agenda. I am not a Bush fan but people forget there was a government sitting idle as he pushed agenda after agenda and it wasn’t all Republicans supporting him either. This is why I am not shocked that Republicans are winning their seats back. I honestly don’t know where Democrats stand but I can tell you where Republicans do. They stand united with their bullish. I always felt that Obama’s idealogy was too liberal and it was going to alienate some folks, not saying he is wrong just saying we should’ve all been prepared for this to happen.
The righties successfully made “liberal” a four letter word a long time ago. As a result, it’s a kryptonite that the left and more centrist Democrats want no part of.
The far-right really think they own the country and anyone else is just hijacking it for a flight to Cuba. And they have bible thumping rural America in their pocket…whereas the corporations have the right in theirs.
yuuup pretty much
“The far-right really think they own the country and anyone else is just hijacking it for a flight to Cuba. And they have bible thumping rural America in their pocket…whereas the corporations have the right in theirs.”
This right here! *claps*
Ironically, all of the moderate, Blue Dog Democrats were the ones who got booted out. Most of the Dems left are the really liberal ones.
That right here tells us that Dems need to cut this “reach across the aisle” bullish. No one truly wants that. It’s all about appearances, IMO. Why do Dems have to be the one to bring everyone together? Clearly ish ain’t being brought together if Repubs/Tea Partiers are just gonna take their country back.
@BlkBond
I’m seriously tired of the complacency in our country. I see protesters in places like France, Greece, etc. and I’m waiting for most people here to wake up and take to the streets for action, because clearly, our elected officials are not getting the job done.
It’ll never happen for one reason. The primary difference between those countries and us is simple. In France the government fears their people. They’re afraid of them marching, afraid of them acting out. In France, that’s what people do. That’s how they institute change. In the U.S. we fear our government, and our government knows it.
I cosign this statement. In Britain and many European countries, there was a major guilt from the government after WWII. These government systems decided to improve their people as a whole so they implemented policies for the people…and it worked! This is one reason why political awareness is so strong in the rest of the world. When I travel abroad, I can feel it. They question everything and are outspoken about their beliefs. It brings about change. Not us, we’re too spoiled for that. We lived such a pampered life that we turn a blind eye to issues that we think do not affect us. It wasn’t until our recession that people started to pay attention. Very sad.
You guys do realize that these governments (France, Greece, England, etc.) have done a right job of spending themselves into a ditch, right?
It’s all fine and good to want to help people, but resources aren’t infinite. So whatever programs you’re supporting better be getting some amazing results or you’ll find yourself with an even bigger mess when the problems don’t get solved and you run out of money to throw at them.
@second opinion
You guys do realize that these governments (France, Greece, England, etc.) have done a right job of spending themselves into a ditch, right?
yes. but so has EVERYONE. what the PEOPLE get for being in that ditch is making the difference.
as a Cdn (that votes), I hate that our taxes are as high as they are..and that they are always trying to claw back what we get for the taxes we already pay. But at the end, there are things I wouldn’t give up for the world. (OHIP aka Ontario Health Insurance Plan).
@Second Opinion…. co-sign. Logic and not emotion, I love it.
Hardly anyone votes off of logic anymore. We are guilty of voting off of emotion just like any other country. And saying other countries spend themselves into a ditch is like saying PEOPLE over spend because everyone/entity does it. Governments are just like business that like to see a return on their investment. Countries like Britain and France realize that if the common people are doing better…so is their economy. Basically, what’s good for the masses. This country (and many others like us I know) put greed above more important issues. Instead of putting in policies that help the general, we like the freedom of I and ME where I look out for me and you look out for you. That’s the basis of the Republican party. Governments built off of this thinking (like China) will surely run a good capital business for a while but will eventually crumble economic wise like we are right now…and many other countries in the world. Of course this is all figuratively speaking because we are far from crumbling.
What I like about foreigners is, no matter what they are fighting for, they make sure to stay on top of their governments practices. Even if they don’t always get change, the government is so fearful of peope up-rising that they appease them in small ways. Americans are like a bunch of people on a cruise ship, you can see the land as a whole but have no idea what’s going on there.
Not sure if you’re aware, but hired protestors is a significant industry in the EU. Also, France is horrible political comparison. They’ve had, what, 5 constitutions or so since their revolution (which occured AFTER ours)?
To mirror many opinions already here, I don’t know who really expected sweeping changes to occur. THe person in office makes NO difference. The bureaucratic entities behind the office(s) are what maintain the status quo no matter what. Look what happened to Kennedy if you doubt. And yeah, Americans are pretty much stupid when it comes to gov’t. Most of us (even candidates) don’t know a thing about the Constitution much less the administrative mechanics of government. Nothing will ever change except by external force in such a scenario.
Also, France is horrible political comparison. They’ve had, what, 5 constitutions or so since their revolution (which occured AFTER ours)?
is that such a bad thing?? your country is trying to operate under a document that was written with bias, by men, EONS ago in COMPLETELY different times.
im not saying it should change as often as KimmyK changes men..but gotta learn and adapt..
too much time is spent looking at what was, instead of what is and what will be…
Change is slow here in the U.S. Granted our constitution has been amended many times over, our people tend to be lead like a flock of sheep.
As a poli sci major, I think Americans forget one of the major functions of our government is to PREVENT rapid changes. There are three branches of government, checks and balances, and a bicameral legislature for a reason. The Founders considered the Senate a cooling chamber to counteract the passions of the public.
The Founders didn’t intend for the Constitution to change so they made the Amendment process so long and drawn out (34/50 states must ratify an amendment and that’s just a part of the process) They wanted the changes to come from compromise in Congress, which it ultimately does. What has changed is the public’s access to information. We can find a rep/Sen’s voting record on a myriad of issues or even if they show up for votes.
If we want special interests (which are us by the way) to be removed then we need to support more public money being set aside for campaigns.
“I’m seriously tired of the complacency in our country. I see protesters in places like France, Greece, etc. and I’m waiting for most people here to wake up and take to the streets for action, because clearly, our elected officials are not getting the job done.”
Between black-lash and apathy lies our future… the thrill is gone.”
I have been working the last few weeks with an Illinois organization that focused on improving voter turn out. The organization is non-partisan the goal is participation… you can’t win if you ain’t in the game.
As everyone in the country now knows Illinois lost Obama’s Senate seat to a Republican by 100,000 votes.
Why?
Both candidates were side eye worthy… you got Alexi Giannoulias (democrat branded the thief) and Mark Kirk (republican proven a liar)… the standard choice of political evils.
But the public didn’t so much choose the lesser… they voted against Obama or didn’t vote.
Personally I am a registered independent who believes that if you don’t have a voice in both parties you don’t have a a voice in either.
So I make ninja’s work for my vote… but I’m gonna vote.
Illinois is proof that we can’t afford to be indifferent and silent… because then we become irrelevant.
I only hope that Illinois can serve as a cautionary tale for 2012.
The black community REGARDLESS of economic status is suffering from a severe case of if you don’t know, you don’t know.
My president is black is sexy and we get that… but we don’t seem to understand that the machine extends beyond the Oval Office… it starts at home… in the streets… on the corners.
To stay winning we have to… talk, read, write, debate, expose, disagree, protest, compromise, educate, understand…
And vote ~JS
As of today…I am an Independent as well. What you just wrote was more info than I can stomach right now….truly sickening. All we can do is hope for/pursue a better frame of mind.
I essentially wrote the same below. The problem is we are educating the wrong people. LOL
Well at least I am hoping that everyone who is reading this are nor only voters, but responsible voters.
I don’t see protests in the near future. America’s attention span is approx. 2 seconds. That’s why police can get away with such atrocious brutality, people are starving, losing their jobs and homes. All we need is to have one distraction and…… Hey look a squirrel!
DEAD @ the squirrel.
*waits for cheekie’s infamous gif.
Did someone say dramatic chipmunk? http://bit.ly/ccEjWe
Or were you actually looking for a squirrel gif. Got that too: http://bit.ly/8YIpNm
#takethattakethat Bad boy, baby. Ciroc Obama.
im so mad at you right now for combining diddy and barack. in the same sentence. LOL.
@KB,
It ain’t my fault! No Limit game proper. I’m merely quoting Diddles with the “Circoc Obama” term. I would never claim making that up, even if I did. Which, I didn’t.
LMAO. this is why you hot. #reggaeremix
I’m laughing my arse off at this whole exchange! hahahahahaha
http://blog.okcupid.com/index.php/the-democrats-are-doomed-or-how-a-big-tent-can-be-too-big/
Sums up that point pretty well – Republicans pretty much only have a lock on one demographic – working-class whites. Now, that’s a huge portion of our country, which explains why they can still win. But it’s easy to be homogeneous in opinion when your base itself is so homogeneous.
@TheTalented Ms.Fiasco
“Personally, I wish the Dems would just drop the center-left bs and actually care about the social welfare of the people. The rent is too damn high! I find debunking Republican ideology extremely easy, but why don’t the democrats do it?”
We are here ><. I'm tired of it too. Everything gets watered down b/c of the center-left nonsense. The POTUS wasted a lot of political capital on bipartisanship when the other side didnt want to play. Well he can have all the bipartisanhip he wants now. Debunking Republican ideology is easy but it's tough for some people to not buy into it. It appeals to the self-serving side of people and as long people feel they will one day be at the table with the elites and money fixes everything it will be an existing idea.
“Democrats have the problem of not having a very unified platform. Ask 10 democrats what the democrats stand for and you will get 10 different opinions. Republicans have a very solid and simple base and they get all the patriotic people with their american dream rhetoric.”
Exactly! Dems are too worried about ostracizing folks and being the “bigger man” by reaching their arm across the table, while Republicans don’t get a eff. It’s about what they believe in, and I can’t knock that even when I disagree. I guess that’s why they’re called Rethugs? Anyway. These mofos are at either end of the spectrum for a reason. Democrats just gotta accept it and stop p**syfooting around. They have no idea that while they’re over there pandering to please everyone, they’re actually pleasing no one.
Oh, and Panda?
This:
“if we had more karate experts, the world would be a better place.”
SMDH. LMAO. I wish I knew how to quit you.
your second para is truth to power.
when i went to the Netroots Nation 10 conf this year in Vegas, I conducted a training on ‘slogans, taglines, & branding’ where i implored the left to get their communications in order. we can’t win what we can’t communicate.
I agree with you. I am completely dissapointed in my party and their lack of risk taking. However, I’m not going to support the GOP officials because they take a greater stance. It’s not about who’s more assertive but action that will benefit me most at the end of the day. The republican party has made it clear where they stand and I disagree with many of their principles of individualism. I agree we need to stop spending and Obama has done too much spending but like I said below, it’s the lesser of two evils. And if you ask 10 diff Republicans about their stance, you will get 10 diff answers just the same.
Thanks for reminding me of what I already knew. No really. No sarcasm. After watching Boehner cry on tv, I was so pissed that I couldn’t sleep. Then I came here hoping you guys had a new post and I was reminded of why I can’t let this ish get to me. Love you guys for being able to give readage to my pms-infused logic (as in, this is how i really feel. my anger is my woman’s work. ugh). I’m gonna go back to creeping now
the fact that Alvin Greene received approximately 260,000 votes is just… as a South Carolinian in DC i’m very often embarrassed at the mention of SC & politics… but this is definitely going to be a trying time for Americans (no matter the party) and Obama both…
It’s already been a trying time. We have now entered the age of the cluster f*ck.
and P, I’m not sure if today’s topic was already in the mix, or this was actually a fulfillment of my request on Twitter, but either way, I am very appreciative. I take back all those things I said about your mother. All she needs is some good electrolysis, and that moustache will clear right up. She fancy. #OneLuv
i feel sorry for your mother. do you know why? bc your moms got a peg leg with a kick stand.
and i was informed of your tweet whilst writing this post. so we’ll call it a draw.
“your moms got a peg leg with a kick stand.”
Classic.
From a SC voter who didn’t vote for Alvin Greene: The majority if not all of those votes are from straight party ticket voting. As a South Carolinian, I got a bigger problem than Alvin Greene….our new governor-elect (Nicki Haley) otherwise known as Gov. Mark Sanford 2.0.
Darlin’ Nikki’s election is vexing me a bit too. I still wan’t Lindsey Graham to shank Jim Demintt in the Senate showers.
Don’t feel bad. We’ll SCers will be okay. Every state get’s its turn as the class screw up and this is ours. Sooner or later another member of the until will take our spot. Hey we still have Mississippi!
Hold your head.
Hey we still have Mississippi!
This needs to be incorporated into all tourist billboards, flyers, etc.: “Come to S. Carolina…We’re NOT Mississippi (We’re Easier to Spell, too)”
My name is Wu F. Young and I support this message.
Back up off of Mississippi!
Big, sigh. Voters have very short memories. There are still too many people not registered to vote or registered but not voting. It is a sad day for the country because this time it is fueled by a lot of HATE, DISRESPECT and BLATANT RACISM. I am almost sad to be American. I will pray and have faith in God to work a miracle for our country and its people. We really need to call on Jesus.
Fall and Decline of the US Empire! I went to a lecture by Johann Galtung in April and he made a lot of points about the United States losing its influence in the world. Some Chinese official made a quip about capitalism failing after the recession hit. Its true, capitalism fails and needs to be saved, but I think this time people are really rethink our economic system.
I think the US should just reinvent itself with a democratic socialist society. It would be great! This whole neoliberal BS is what is causing all our problems.
Very poignant point. We are losing our influence in the world, which has been our social capital for decades. Most Americans do not understand–I’m trying to persuade my friends & family to start learning secondary languages (Arabic, Mandarin, Farsi, Punjabi, etc.) because of the effect this will have on future ability for work, school, etc.
We’re truly in a state of emergency. Only a certain segment understand this because of the massive propaganda that the US does to brainwash people into believing that our country is “Number 1″, when (a) every country does that to it’s citizens and (b) it’s just not true.
Our education system is horrible. We are in so much debt to China, that may have to change the statue of Liberty to a statue of Mao. I’m frustrated and very disappointed. Trying to stay 2 steps ahead of the economic downfall that’s eliminating the middle class w/ every day that passes…
Bond.
*nodding head*sad but so true
Co-sign your commment and will try to pick up a 2nd language in the next decade.
I read a story in the Washington Post about the Chinese gaining influence in the world and it talked about a new Top Gun or Wargames remake that has China as the main aggressor. It isn’t getting made because MGM is going bankrupt. The Chinese message boards are giggling their a$$e$ off about it.
“Some Chinese official made a quip about capitalism failing after the recession hit. Its true, capitalism fails and needs to be saved, but I think this time people are really rethink our economic system.”
Yup, the US dollar is falling faster than Brett Favre right now. Last I heard the Canadian dollar is starting to pass US by. But, I don’t think USA can give up its capitalism love affair. Actually, it would be easier to teach kids the metric system than admit as a nation that we would have to re-evaluate our economic system.
@mr gundam
cdn dollar closed yesterday at 99.16.
even at par, it doesn’t do our country any good – NAFTA doesn’t change, prices dont change, but US tourists drops.
I dont think socialsm is the answer. Capitalism can work in a society where people genuinely care about each others well being and don’t depend on the government to do all the caring.
Umm… But that’s not these United States of America.
So, in essence, capitalism doesn’t work.
@It Figures!
wow, you’ve said just about EVERYTHING that i wanted to say!!!!!! i ditto, second, co-sign, high-5, amen and YASSSS this entire comment.
if this comment were a hot chocolate (the drink or a man) i would snuggle up with it in front of a fire place while wearing my favorite pajamas.
God helps those who help themselves. It’s not on Jesus, it’s on us.
“There are still too many people not registered to vote or registered but not voting.”
Yeah these statistics are alarming, at best. I’ve seen 4.7% African-American voted, then later in the night saw 10% (from here: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20021551-503544.html) I’m not sure if in this statistic, they’re just counting Blacks who are legally ABLE to vote (I’m hoping so), but either way the fact remains. The young vote, the Black vote, those that were hot points in the 2008 election have cooled off dinna mug. I’m not sure where this “midterm elections ain’t as important” idea came from, but it needs to effing disappear. WTF, America?
In particular my state, Illinois where a Republican (even though he is a self-proclaimed moderate…some say his voting record says otherwise…) takes President Obama’s Senate seat in a state has a history of “GOP, what?! We Democrat here.” In addition to the obvious voter apathy during midterm, I’m still left to wonder how Giannoulias (someone Obama reportedly wasn’t too enthused with but at the end of the day had to support and someone voters viewed as the “lesser of two evils” [um, John Kerry anyone?]) even got to the point of being the Democratic representative running for arguably one of the most coveted Senate seats in the country. Something is wrong here…
I don’t even want to walk outside today out of embarrassment at those numbers.
@It Figures
I cosign. I’m just sick of reading statistics on my people from voting, to HIV to child abuse, etc. WE NEED HELP. It’s almost a joke. It has to be. We are literally going backwards from when we were actually fighting to have rights in this country. We care more about Lil Wayne getting out of jail. I can’t even put my usual “not all but many” disclaimer to be politically correct because numbers show it is majority. I asked some of my Black co-workers if they voted and no one answered my email. One said she had to meet her trainer because she paid for her session. Really????? This whole system is set up for us to fail if we don’t have money. We can see the blatant discrimination we face and we STILL don’t care. I’m impressed with everyone’s knowledge of our governmental affairs on here (how many of us actually voted?) but VSB is not the real world and many of our people are playing the ignorant card right now.
I co-sign your whole statement. I always wonder why we care so much about the stuff that has no actual effect on our lives but the things that actually matter gain no recognition. I heard so many people saying “well my vote doesn’t count so why should even vote?”. If you took all of those people and sent them to the polls there would probably be a massive shut down of the precincts. They probably wouldn’t be able to accommodate all those people.
Exactly. I think the fear of failure in black people. We’ve been kicked so much, that we are afraid to push ourselves. Blacks in the 40′s-60′s weren’t distracted by the media as much and had many leaders to focus on a common enemy. Now, our racism is more subliminal so we are very distracted. We got much of what we were fighting for so there’s this “non-urgency” among many of us. The numbers are showing us how we are failing and think it’s mostly do to fear of failure, lack of leadership and role models (few father presence), and the media distractions we have. I’m really not sure if I can blame slavery anymore.
I change my mind on my last statement. Slavery definitely put us at a disadvantage but when I think of how we revolutionized our status in this country during the 40′s-70′s and then I look at our ignorance now, I can only think it’s more us than them. Part cycle, part the reasons I listed above.
“We got much of what we were fighting for so there’s this “non-urgency” among many of us.”
This is really it. Sh*t just ain’t that bad. (And it really isn’t in comparison to many other people in the world.) We can do whatever we want whenever we want to and now that we have a black president, we can be whatever we want to be. We’ll soon see uprisings similar to the civil rights movement from illegal immigrants that come to work. They are now the group facing the most discrimination.
YES! lol That’s why I say we’re so spoiled. A bunch of spoiled children with short attention spans.
Good points. I would comment further on your points, but it’s after 4pm and I’m lazy…
There are actually a few scholars who argue that integration that occurred during this time was actually somewhat harmful for the Blk community, as it resulted in many blk professionals (i.e., doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs, etc) leaving the very communities that needed them most. As they left, their absence manifested in a lack of positive role models within the community, less circulation of the Blk dollar within the community, and fewer Blk-owned businesses therein.
That makes sense.
I love this site. I usually just lurk, but I agree with those scholars you cite. Segregation was plain wrong and had to go. But Black folks should never have given up the capital they had amassed in creating a viable world of Black business under the guise of full participation in an integrated society. The U.S, is a capitalist nation, and only those with capital can truly be heard at the table. We Black folks need to decide to move back to/stay in our communities and do the work to improve our schools, reduce crime, and create businesses to employ ourselves and our people. Politics is a pay to play game. If we’re going to play to win, we need the dollars to do so.
How can we do anything when the rent is too damn high?
at the end of the day, thats all that really matters. lol
As a karate expert, I approve this message.
I can’t hear you over the sound of that child’s empty stomach rumbling…
Ok I am done with all of you lmao!
can i say that my rent actually isnt that high..it’s my paychek that needs to be higher?
*ruins fun.
@keisha brown
“it’s my paychek that needs to be higher?”
(making a note to say this during my year-end review)
: )
@cnotes
yes. tell em i sent you. then thank me later. lol.
President Obama spent/wasted too much time early in his term being too bipartisan. He tried to welcome the Republicans into his kingdome and they stayed the party of ‘no’.
So then The House and Senate pushed through the agenda at a rushed pace: HealthCare, stimulus, Auto Bailout, Credit-Card Reform, Student Loan Reform, Close Gitmo/Can’t Close Gitmo/Don’t Close Gitmo, Cash for Clunkers, Remove Troops from Iraq/not all of them/Send’em to Afganistan. All of this like an Italian mother woh can’t stop effing feeding you.
It became too much, and it made Pres. Obeezy [(c)Riley Freeman] look like a muddled puppet for the ‘Socialist’ Democratic Party.
Personally I wished he didn’t even bother with the GOP initially. 8 years of bad policy shoved down our throats and you ask ‘them’ for assistance in fixing it? We needed less Barack Obama and more Brian Pumper 2 years ago. He should’ve just rammed his legislation through from jump.
Right now we see some signs of improvment from policies implemented 6-8 months ago. More service projects, infrastructure repairs, etc. thanks to the stimulus. Unemployment has stayed bad recently, but hasn’t dropped. Some say its projected to improve in 6months time. If his programs were rubber stamped earlier, those improvements would’ve been relevent come mid-term time.
Sorry for the rant, just really disappointed right now…
Personally I wished he didn’t even bother with the GOP initially. 8 years of bad policy shoved down our throats and you ask ‘them’ for assistance in fixing it?
this is true and i mostly agree… but why’d you have to go and do me in with this…
We needed less Barack Obama and more Brian Pumper 2 years ago. He should’ve just rammed his legislation through from jump.
Yeah, that Pumper quote kilt me. I thought I’d never see the day where those two would be in the same sentence or worse yet, compared. I love my people. As Panda would say, “f**kery enthusiasts FTW!”
“President Obama spent/wasted too much time early in his term being too bipartisan. He tried to welcome the Republicans into his kingdome and they stayed the party of ‘no’.”
I understand what you’re saying on some level I agree…to me the portrayal of the President and his wife on the cover of the New Yorker (July 2008) magazine spoke volumes. I don’t think President Obama could have started off telling folk- look this is how it is, and this is what we’re gonna do. He really would have strummed their fear and more chaos could have ensued- The Tea Party + m i l i t i a movement…
At any rate, I’m scared to think of what even 4 years of a republican president would do to this country at this point. Unregulated capitalism is what it is. Capitalism balanced by morals is one thing, capitalism influenced by an immoral society = a country full of reproach.
“Capitalism balance by morals” is the exact way I would define the ideal America. I think we’ve teetered this ideal for a while. Most people can pay their bills, go to a doctor if they get sick (even if it is an emergency room) and get help if they lose their job. But right now we need money to support our morals. I think Obama was just trying to do too much too fast and it threw some for a loop. I want Obama in office; I plan on reelecting him in 2012 (if the world doesn’t end). I hope the results of this election will be a good balance of ideas.
“I don’t think President Obama could have started off telling folk- look this is how it is, and this is what we’re gonna do. ”
But that is exactly what he NEEDED to do. It’s what Republicans STAY doing. He is the “Leader of the Free World”. It’s what people expect. USAmericans do not respond well to diplomacy and reasoning.
And please stop believing that capitalism will work in this country. The US is a the Country of ME. We screw over the least in our country for the slightest inkling of a profit. Being moral isn’t good for business.
Well whether is has “worked” remains to be seen. I’m not sure how long to test a society to determine whether it has worked. Most people are doing OK, (honestly I’m really not sure how much more one can ask for) but we know that a lot of BS is happening which means things could be better. Whether we screw each other over or not has more to do with the human condition than the system of government.
But why subscribe to a system of government that exploits that particular condition?
1- Well I agree, capitalism does exploit that condition because individuals must compete, but competition helps to breed innovation (amongst other things)
2- Because it allows for individual accountability where other systems may not
3- That particular condition is not an absolute; beyond the scope of business people can take care of each other. We do it everyday. No system is perfect.
Being moral isn’t good for business
TRUTH. sad truth.
Why do you have so much interest in capitalism?
wait, did you just refer to McCain as “the man who can’t hi-five anybody” ?!?!? LOL #iseriouslycantwithyou *off to read the rest of the post…*
In a world of instant gratification, this should come as no surprise. We (as Americans) expected this man to walk in and wave some kind of magical change wand and fix all of our problems instantly. Real life doesn’t work that way so why in the world did we expect this to? The optimist in me wants to believe that everyone will come together and try to fix what’s broken through compromise and effective planning but when we have a bunch of adults that bicker and fight worse than pre-schoolers, I’m sadly doubtful.
Let’s hope they can agree on something…
yep – microwave society!
Although I read this everyday I never comment on your articles….BUT, I have to agree with you that Alvin Greene not winning in S.C. is a silent win for Democrats, Black people, the inventors of SoulGlo and the afro pick with the fist!!! But that crazy a** mofo still got votes!! I’m from Ohio and live in S.C. now, and I think that S.C. is the most backwards place on the face of this earth!! There were still crazy a** mofo’s that voted for him. I wanted to unplug the machine at the ballots this morning just looking at his damn name!! SMDH!!
“It became too much, and it made Pres. Obeezy [(c)Riley Freeman] look like a muddled puppet for the ‘Socialist’ Democratic Party.”
We don’t have much of a left at all! The left is too busy pandering to the neo-conservatives in the heartland. I don’t know why they got punked into dropping the public option. That was an failure of epic proportions.
With unemployment, if you think about the late 1970s, unemployment was very high, but they didn’t do so much about it because it would balance itself out later on. The problem is that if you try to fix unemployment, inflation will go up. So there is a trade-off between the two and inflation would be a bigger problem.
Anyway, I feel your frustration. I think I pissed off my politics and mass media class, but calling them sheep on the low. Seriously, I expect a lot from college students, but everyone is just acting plain stupid everything. >_<
Oh, we have a left. They’ve just been overshadowed by two things: the Tea Party and the fact that the left is/was in control. Progressives were all the rage two years ago, but after the election the story quickly – and quietly – became centered on how they were pushed to the side when the president dragged his feet on issues such as DADT. His playing [s]Crist[/s] centrist turned them off and they were upset about it…but they kept getting swept under the rug thanks to other big stories (Sotomayor, stimulus, health care, Gates/Crowley, etc).
“I don’t know why they got punked into dropping the public option.”
This is the one thing that seriously made Obama lose points with me. I’m still riding with the dude, but I didn’t even see him attempt to implement the PO(something he promised on his campaign trail). He had plenty opportunity to make a case for it and the House could of passed a separate bill for it, but in the end they didn’t even try. Without the PO I really feel as though Obama turned his back on us for corporate interest. This is probably the biggest upset many people on the left had with him and allowed support to be lost among independents.
You know what kills me? When people complain about things not changing, yet don’t exercise their right to vote. Not too long ago we had to be tested and had to pay for the privilege of voting. Now we have this fool in Chicago that opposes abortion, even in cases of rape and incest… This is what we’ve come to?!? What the f u c k man?!? This man shouldn’t have had as many votes as he has.#titanicfail If this man gets elected, it won’t be safe for any female. Rant over..and I’m going to need a bigger purse for what I have in mind. Yes,I know my hoodness is showing..
I feel like it’s a no win for Obama and I disagree with the commenter that said this is usual for midterm elections, I believe this result would be usual if Obama was in his second term but not in his first four years. I continue to repeat this the president can do very little to improve the economy but he can do a lot to hurt it. Unfortunately most people don’t believe that last statement so he’s stuck like chuck. The Fed, the regulatory agencies, and the private sector are the ones that can fix this economy the most and even then they need help other things working in concert to really make it work. But honestly I’ll take a slow sustained recovery over another boom then bust, even though my wife was a victim of the housing bubble that burst and took her job with it.
It is usual, has been throughout history. The president’s party has always lost seats in the legislature during elections – I think the one exception that was anywhere near recent was GWB in 2002, and there was a pretty significant event the previous year to which that aberration can be attributed. I do, though, agree that the recovery will have to be slow and sustained(/sustainable) to be successful.
Yup, was looking at MSNBC and they were discussing how Americans (as a whole) always tend to go the opposite direction, revolting against whatever party is in control at the moment if they’re unhappy with the current state of affairs.
*sigh*
Ok.
It is what it is. The one race I’m concerned about (Florida governor) is still in doubt at the time of this writing, although it’s looking good for Rick Scott – which means it’s looking bad for me. I’m guessing it won’t be decided until the morning, and only Maryam Nemazee can make me stay up all night to find out sans sleep.
The greatest thing that can result from this election is that people learn something that should have been patently obvious: change does not happen in one day or with one ballot. Change is an ongoing and evolutionary process…but that part got lost in the shuffle two years ago. Everyone who voted in 2008 basically threw away that vote if they didn’t go to the polls in 2010. Yes Barack Obama winning was great. It showed us we can do anything and all that stuff. If the wave from this election cycle keeps up for another two years, though, his election will be nothing but a footnote in American history…and that time will come while we’re still alive – probably at some point after Marco Rubio is elected in 2020.
To answer the central question, it means different things to different people. If you’re liberal, it means your people are going to go through it for the next two years – if they survived this election. If you’re conservative, it’s time for your people to put up or shut up. If you’re independent, it means the same thing it’s always meant: you need to stop playing and pick a side…at least until a viable third party emerges, and that’s not happening anytime soon. If you don’t care about politics at all (I’ll save that speech for another time), you’ll find even more reason to be grounded in your opinion as the pending gridlock slows everything to a halt. If you are not a resident of the United States, you fit into one of two categories: 1) amazing e-boo, or 2) someone who can laugh at the endless circle known as American politics (although member – not members, member – of the former group can certainly be in the latter). Shoot, you can laugh if you are a resident of the United States.
Now back to finding out whether Rick Scott will have a chance to put the finishing touches on what Jeb Bush started re: the ruination of this state.
For the right, putting up is yelling “na na na na boo boo” on the radio about the eeeeeevil Democrats and never shutting up about it. They do this even when they are in the power they obsess with having.
I hope Rick Scott can make Florida some money. Florida is broke. Scott is a billionaire.
“Everyone who voted in 2008 basically threw away that vote if they didn’t go to the polls in 2010.”
Truth.com right there. The CNN Exit Polls for the House races show that 44% of all voters were between the ages of 45-64. Only 11% were between 18-29, which means all of the young voters who came out in droves 2 years ago didn’t do crap this election.
Well it appears that Rick Scott won.
Yo, your last few posts have been straight heat.
Viable. Third. Party.
This is what I think we need–we have a nation of logical, result-oriented, creative and YOUNG people that I believe we can create one. I often ponder if an entire ‘new’ party needs to be created, or simply a revamped version of an existing party (i.e. Green Party).
Generally speaking, alot of brothers I know are morally conservative (capital punishment, etc.), actively liberal (civil rights, etc.), and consciously aware (green energy, etc.) that I think a third party would be the refreshing change necessary to spark a real revolution in this country.
You have me thinking now…we need responsible corporation/non-profit/think tanks/ etc. and a few converts (Dems & Reps) who have a genuine interest in change. I think it’s possible.
I got a few guys on both sides that would be ideal. Yo, I’m really going to think about this…
Bond.
I hope you don’t mind but I had to tweet this:
“Everyone who voted in 2008 basically threw away that vote if they didn’t go to the polls in 2010″
Thanks Panama for writing about this. It kills me to read my time line on Twitter or news feed on Facebook and NO ONE is discussing this. It’s like nothing even happened…
P,
i dont think having the Repub party in control of the House is whats the most disappointing (although, its pretty damn upsetting considering unfortunate circumstances such as the so-called Tea “Party”–p.s. how you your own party running on another party’s ticker?? #justaskin).
for me, what pisses me off is the people who are apathetic to voting and/or think that both parties are full of morons (which is true in many cases) and thus don’t deserve a vote (not realizing they can still NOT vote for either party’s candidates but still vote but whatever. and these are p.o.v’s from people who are EDUCATED and very aware whats at stake and still choose not to exercise their right to vote. not at the federal level, not at the state level, and damn sure not at the city level *smmfh*
there are plenty of ignorant a$s, racist a$s, sexist a$s, homophobic a$s, hatin anything different a$s, radically religious a$s, non-karate expert a$s, 2+2 not knowin what it is a$s muhfuggas in this world that vote early and vote often. yet we got so-called VerySmartPeople walking around complaining and acting like they dont want to take part in the political system yet they have to live with and by the political system regardless. if you dont want to be bothered with democracy, move your non-voting a$s to sudan. #problemsolved.
i just…. cant with the American people. they disappoint time and time again. and always wanna complain about something but dont want to do anything about it. go eff yourselves, non-voting America.
And it always seems like the people who don’t vote love to complain and degrade every politician! If the apathetic took some interest in what is happening, maybe we could get some fresh ideas flowing.
“there are plenty of ignorant a$s, racist a$s, sexist a$s, homophobic a$s, hatin anything different a$s, radically religious a$s, non-karate expert a$s, 2+2 not knowin what it is a$s muhfuggas in this world that vote early and vote often.”
Thank you for bringing up my spirits with this good belly laugh I’m having. I told my brother last night: bigots vote. The conservative, non thinkers vote. The rich vote. The very people who are not for you and me, vote. If you pay taxes, you are a part of this system. Our government is running whether you (not you) believe in it or not. Some of the biggest complainers are the non voters. I honestly think many non voting Black people use their fears as an excuse to live in ignorance. And I have a family member that voted for Bush because he was against gay marriage and for war. WHAAA? I stopped talking to him except on his birthday, educated hindu FOOL. I’m so disappointed in my people right now. But THIS:
“if you dont want to be bothered with democracy, move your non-voting a$s to sudan”…I want to put on bumper stickers so I can slap on the fat booties of women that men care so much about or maybe put on the fans that the good church folk use to fan themselves with.
This.
All of it.
I will return with actual thoughts, but I have to exclaim one thing: That pic of Barry O is the best and effing sexiest pic of him in the history of photography.
#VSBAfterDark
X__gem of the ocean__
I LOVE and Hate Michelle at the same time. I almost wish I was 45.
He’d have to quit smoking though..but I’d give him something else to foucs on..
.
Thanks @P for writing about this topic, I can appreciate this very much.
Unfortunately, without the overwhelming hate, the divided and over opinionated sects of the Democratic party turn out to be self indulgent punks.
Lesser of two evils. Complaining means we don’t know what to do about it….well, those powers that be tell us all the time and we got a karate expert to follow in the footsteps of…we need to get involved.
Maybe I’m only speaking for myself, but, it is time that we begin running for office and campaigning to share the message….each one teach one…in an open discussion way.
The only hope its to persists, keep marching towards the future with heads held high and knowledge of self type determination.
You know in Iraq, the people in different towns elected their own non-government supported officials because they did not agree with the US sponsored government. It would be slightly hilarious if every district elected its own officials and put them up in a de facto Congress. Coup d’etat motherf*ckers. Wait…this is on the Internet…*waits for CIA to raid apartment*
you are now on a watch list
i’m too mad and tired to write anything, but i thought I’d share this link. I saw it on twitter tonight and then my friend reminded me about it just now. some of the language may set off your censors AT WORK, so check it out at home: http://whatthef*ckhasobamadonesofar.com/
I TOOK OUT THE U in the address ABOVE, so that I wouldn’t get moderated.
Honestly, Obama is the only politician I have really appreciated in the fact that he’s represented my centrist views. I haven’t always agreed with his methods, but I understand compromise is simply a part of the political process. Obama has performed admirably.
I disagree with the notion that you need to go far left or far right to right the sinking ship that is our economy. You need rational level headed people willing to compromise for the good of the nation, but unfortunately, I think we as a nation are simply too narcissistic to do so, even when it is in our long term best interest. Realistically, what does that mean? That means cutting spending across the board (except in education, if there is anything close to being a magic bullet for society’s ills, it’s education and more educated citzens.) The problem with cutting spending is that it always seems to disproportionately comes at the expense of the have-nots, unfortunately.
As mentioned up thread, the US has lost a lot of social capital, but honestly, this has been a long time coming. The US has been coasting for the better part of 30 years at this point, and so, we are simply returning to a state of balance.
I think the outright refusal to entertain the idea that the US will probably not make a return to its economic hey-day for a very long time (or if ever) is a denial of a laundry list of problems (social and economic) that the country is facing internally and externally.
Everything in life is about balance. Even politics.
Another word- local politics matter. It’s much easier to affect change on a smaller scale (in a meaningful way to you) versus on a national scale. It’s much more tangible.
“Another word- local politics matter. It’s much easier to affect change on a smaller scale (in a meaningful way to you) versus on a national scale. It’s much more tangible.”
Co-sign this.
I haven’t really invested too much in National Politics in this election, except to pay attention to the general majority rule in the House/Senate. My state (California) pretty much voted Democratic for House and Senate, and they always do. So, on a National level it was probably a slam dunk (Carly Fiorina tried..but failed).
I’m not mad at Obama or what he has tried to accomplish. I figure he tried to push through his agenda the best he could while he had the best momentum possible. Health care was going to be a beast and he probably figured he had better do it with Dems running things. He probably ‘knew’ that Dem party rule wouldn’t last, so it’s “do what you can while you can as quickly as you can” type thing.
My focus was local; in my state of California and my city Oakland. I was all about the local mayor race and the one thing I learned was that money talks to those that don’t do their research. And unfortunately, the majority of voters don’t. I went to three debates/forums and although one candidate was clearly better prepared and had great ideas- she didn’t win because she didn’t have the money to reach people who didn’t take the time to find out who she was and what she was about.
It’s a darn shame that people complain about what is going on in their city or local town’s and then don’t do the work required to make change! This probably extends itself to the jerks complaining about what is going on Nationally, but are sitting on their butts and not DOING anything about it. THAT is why the TEA PARTY is won- these crazy local ‘racist’ conservatives gave their time, money, and energy.. then told the Dems to bend over so they can kick their ass, and it worked.
You can’t just vote once and call it a day. Change requires real work- not just from the President, but from all of us. Do you think they would have caved on the public option if enough of us called our elected officials and demanded that it be saved?
To sum: If you really care about making change in this country, your state, your local city- don’t let election time be your only foray into politics. Go to district and city council meetings. Facebook/Twitter the White House- Obama (his interns) is very forthcoming about what he is doing. Write to your elected officials. You are paying their salary- make them work for you.
–
On the other hand..money doesn’t work if you shoot yourself in the foot as publicly as Meg Whitman did. LOL
Question (proposed at a conference for women): Will you stop with the negative campaigns?
Jerry Brown (paraphrase): Yes- we both have very good ads that just display what our platform is. I propose we just air those ads up until election. (Applause!)
Meg Whitman (paraphrase): Um..no. (BOOOS!)
She spent millions of her own money on negative ads that began in February! #epicmassivefail
Comepletly agree! As a new commenter on VSB…I am waaaay excited about conversing with like minded individuals on topics that matter…Mid term elections were a big deal and I feel like a majority of Dems and Independents dropped the ball by not voting…all I hear the GOP saying is “lets reduce spending”but where iin the hell will money for social service programs come from if we drastically reduce taxes? And as a resident of Illinois I am blown by our inability to hold Obamas senate seat… #danmshame I’m not looking forward to the next 2 years in politics its going to be a bumpy ride :/
“I went to three debates/forums and although one candidate was clearly better prepared and had great ideas- she didn’t win because she didn’t have the money to reach people who didn’t take the time to find out who she was and what she was about.”
Money talks… bullsh*t runs the marathon… we need to discuss why we as a community don’t put our money behind those who are going to support the goals of our community.
So I amend my comment upthread…
You don’t vote or donate you are irrelevant to the process ~JS
@Shay
“I disagree with the notion that you need to go far left or far right to right the sinking ship that is our economy. You need rational level headed people willing to compromise for the good of the nation, but unfortunately, I think we as a nation are simply too narcissistic to do so, even when it is in our long term best interest.”
I agree. But the problem is when one side has one unified message and follows in lock-step and the other is all over the place. I’m not a Republican and I know their message. 1. cut taxes 2. deregulation 3. pro-life 4.strong defense. I can’t do that for Dems. You can’t get anything done when one side is hard in their stance and compromise means agreeing with them. You see more variance in ideology in the Democrats than you do in Republicans.
You see more variance in ideology in the Democrats than you do in Republicans.
I agree with this statement, and just one of the reasons why I feel a two party system is fundamentally flawed. Unfortunately, in the US we tend to look at things dichotomously You’re this or that, no in-between.
i for one slept soundly……
it’s all politrics left right and center
the whole system is a damn joke an expensive one at that; sadly it’s not going to get any better.
that advice to learn arabic, farsi, etc is on point. spanish won’t hurt either.
more than anything we need to stop all this us vs them bull…… we’re all in the same boat worldwide….some know it…most do not.
plus i been chillin to burnin and lootin like a mug for years
Here’s my thoughts:
1 Americans as a whole don’t have any idea what we want. We treat elections like it’s American Idol. We call to support Barack (or whom ever) while they are on the show but when it comes time to support his album (policies) we’ve already become complacent with him.
2 Are we the only nation on the planet that doesn’t bother to read or pay attention to what the government is really doing.
3 Come the hell on South Carolina. 29 % of us actually voted for someone who I’m pretty sure has a learning disability. We do have an Indian American woman govenor who allegedly likes to play hide the banana. (We are in fact not large enough to be our own nation but that insane asylum thing is starting to make sense.
4 Remove your panties from that wad, there will be another election in two years. Have a cup of coffee and get back to work.
5.Dear Industrial America, There will be no job creations until we start building something again. Not a single person on either side of the spectrum can “create” jobs. If you believe that you would be better off forgoing your prayers to God and pray to Thor at night.
6. Barack will be ok and so will we. He signed up for this. He wanted to be the first Negro/African POTUS and I’m guessing he knew it could get a little nasty. It has.
7 We still aren’t French.
8 The American Empire is declining. You have to admit for a bunch of mutts we had a pretty damn good run.
9 Don’t drink Four Loko.
10 Barry O should take Joe Biden’s chains off. Every president needs a grimey dude on his staff to get ish done. Quit playing nice, this isn’t community organizing, it’s the leadership of the world. Act like.
@Wu Young
“5.Dear Industrial America, There will be no job creations until we start building something again. Not a single person on either side of the spectrum can “create” jobs. If you believe that you would be better off forgoing your prayers to God and pray to Thor at night.”
I’m in Detroit so I agree with this totally. People that vote Republican don’t seem to understand that their free market ideology dictates the de-industrialization of America. If the market doesn’t like building a plant in the US then it doesn’t get built. Other countries like Germany seem to understand the social and economic balance b/w the free market, keeping people able to feed themselves, and not ruining the environment. While here everything is driven by profit. Nothing more or less. China is great b/c of the low wages and you can pollute all you want. The voters yesterday don’t understand that.
Amen or whatever one says to Thor for #5. I wish people would focus on what government actually can do for us with our tax dollars.
@MP
“I wish people would focus on what government actually can do for us with our tax dollars.”
I’ve got to hand out some e-dap for that. The far extreme ultra right want a government that just protects our borders and that’s about it. If this were 1824 that would be an ideal situation. At that point in time we did not do have a large population so a small government was idea. A population of approx 330 mil, a massive economy, and a key position of world leadership complicates things to a great extent.
The far extreme ultra left want the exact opposite too. There are somethings that Uncle Sam can’t foot the bill for.
“I wish people would focus on what government actually can do for us with our tax dollars.”
Which is building roads and smelling my chickens to make sure they are minty fresh… I’m still on the fence about defending the country as I favor the mercenary system.
But they suck in anything that has to do with business or making money… that’s just not what they do… let alone do well ~JS
@Jhane Sez
“Which is building roads and smelling my chickens to make sure they are minty fresh”
True. The thing is the tea party types will complain about the roads but don’t want to pay taxes that would allow the allocation of funds to get them paved. There is no such thing as a la carte big government… It’s either big or it isn’t and it most certainly isn’t big when an individual wants it to be big.
” I’m still on the fence about defending the country as I favor the mercenary system”
I would leave the Big Green Machine in place they’ve got a hell of a track record dating back to 1775 so they actually earn their keep. As for mercs, I wouldn’t put any faith in someone who would bust caps to anyone for the right price. Using mercs are like marrying a hooker, it won’t end well.
“Amen or whatever one says to Thor for #5″
A couple of endings could be used:
1) Odin’s Will Be Done
2) By Odin’s Will
Just depends on how you’re feeling…lol
1 Americans as a whole don’t have any idea what we want. We treat elections like it’s American Idol. We call to support Barack (or whom ever) while they are on the show but when it comes time to support his album (policies) we’ve already become complacent with him.
i completely agree.
1 Americans as a whole don’t have any idea what we want. We treat elections like it’s American Idol. We call to support Barack (or whom ever) while they are on the show but when it comes time to support his album (policies) we’ve already become complacent with him.
Beautiful analogy. That’s exactly what happened here and with our people.
2 Are we the only nation on the planet that doesn’t bother to read or pay attention to what the government is really doing.
We only ever hear about ourselves (even from foreigners). No telling how bad it gets elsewhere.
3 Come the hell on South Carolina. 29 % of us actually voted for someone who I’m pretty sure has a learning disability
I’m actually OK with DeMint winning that one. That idiot Greene didn’t even know how to use a spotlight to his advantage. Even if I had no business running for office, I’d have been out making myself at least LOOK better for my public or private future. This n*gga was playing himself to the fullest (most egregiously on Lawrence O’Donnell’s show). But who knows, maybe he still resurfaces with dignity and a clue somewhere in his life.
4 Remove your panties from that wad, there will be another election in two years. Have a cup of coffee and get back to work.
Yup, definitely get back to work bringing forth a cohesive platform with candidates outside the presidency that people will get up for in the only election most people get up for. Maybe the Dems can make the Tea Party the new Bush (villain)? That’s what the right did with Obama, Reid, and especially (and successfully) Pelosi.
Your #1- I think the problem is we are impatient. Time is the true measure of economic decisions.
Your #8- This is scary, but more than possible. Nothing lasts forever, I just wonder what the alternative is. Although socialism seems like a moral choice and is theorized to be the eventual successor to capitalism, I can’t visualize what that society would look like.
I just feel resigned to the reality of the election results. One observation made by some talking heads last night was that in the ’94 mid term elections where the repulicans swept in to power with the Contract on… I mean Contract for America; that power shift was much greater than the one we witnessed last night. But today the economic conditions are much worse than they were at that time. Then, two years later Clinton was still relected to a second term. Democracy ain’t for punks so we gotta swallow this bitter pill and stay involved.
Being the glass half full guy that I am, at least in my town I was really glad to see so many black people engaged and taking this ish seriously. The early voting locations were lined up deep with black people days before election. That is some organic policical sophistication, comming out of the hood!
I am far from happy after last night’s results. My frustration (same frustration under the Bush years) is how people can vote for the same folks expecting different results. The issues run so deep. Middle and working class 2520s not wanting taxes raised on rich people. Guess what 2520s? You are not going to be rich in the future. Call it negative but more than likely the class you are in now is the class you will die in. I’m getting tired of working and middle class 2520s voting against there best interest. Repeal the healthcare bill? Am I the only one that notices how healthcare sucks here? You want your health on the free market? Fine. Just don’t be mad when the market dictates a years wages to see a doctor for a cough.
Democrats have failed on a whole. If you can let these people come back after what they did from 2000-08 and dictate how the game goes you’ve failed. A Republican shouldnt be able to open their mouth. But being that the Democrats don’t have a unified message and party it’s easy for the Republicans to do what they do. Democrats still have not learned that.
you sound like my mom (that doesnt mean i think you’re a girl)
*standing ovation* “My frustration (same frustration under the Bush years) is how people can vote for the same folks expecting different results.”…can this be flown from a plane or something? I cosign you’re entire arguement. These middle class 2520s don’t even realize that they are supporting politicians who have openly said they are not for their tax bracket. I actually supported the Healthcare reform bill because I know that if someone doesn’t have insurance, they won’t go to the dr to get preventatitve care and early diagnosis. This affects our pockets when folks are disabled for diseases that they waited too long to treat. We have to think as a whole and not as individuals. You are right, they need to unify their front and agree on their stance.
*your
**preventative
Repeal the healthcare bill? Am I the only one that notices how healthcare sucks here? You want your health on the free market? Fine. Just don’t be mad when the market dictates a years wages to see a doctor for a cough.
I worked in a hospital for 3 years and you would be amazed at how many foreign patients would come in for procedures and surgeries because they would have to wait 6 mos to a year in their own country. I really could go on a tangent about the health care bill because it directly affects my job.
@jessica
when the health care debate was raging, we (canada) were brought up ALOT. i get why, it’s something we are very proud of and always tout as the #1 reason why we’re better than the US.
both sides of the aisle/fence were able to find people to support and assist their arguments.
yes, there are long waiting lists for procedures and surgeries. the majority of people however, go to the hospital/walk-in clinics for things much less serious. if you know you wont need to worry about cost, you’ll go to the dr more often, hopefully as a preventative measure for worse ailments later on down the road.
what people also dont talk about is the population. canada’s ENTIRE population is the STATE of california. So that means, we have less dr’s to perform some of these things. some of the procedures could wait (or go away through other means) and some (cancer) cannot. i dont fault anyone for trying to bypass the system.
the problem becomes what our prime minister (aka bush) is hoping to do – create a 2-tiered system to keep that money in house. people who want to skip the wait, just pay here. the worry is – how do you ensure that all/most/the best dr’s dont just all go and open private practices to earn more money, leaving the public system in shambles?
i appreciate and never take for granted that i’ve had the same family dr since before i was born, and i go to see him about anything. he is the 2nd person i consult on any health issues i have (my mom is 1st). and unless its a prescription…there isn’t a bill to pay. even if i dont get to see him, but go to a general walk-in instead..i walk in..and walk out. 40% of bankruptcies are caused by people choosing between their health and their homes? that’s not right.
what’s the solution? i dont know. but it has to be better than what you have now. and there is a cost. living well/being healthy is not a right..but maybe it should be.
*sorry for the length.
the majority of people however, go to the hospital/walk-in clinics for things much less serious. if you know you wont need to worry about cost, you’ll go to the dr more often,
Tbh, this made me crazy. I would have patient (when I worked the ER) come in with a common cold or something non-life threatening. It clogs the ER and paients that really need the help are sitting in the waiting rooms because someone is taking up a bed and only has hemorhoids. I didn’t mean to imply that Canada’s healthcare system doesn’t work just that there are problems associated with all healthcare systems.
@jessica,
oh i know you weren’t. i think mis-information gets fed and wanted to tell it like it really is.
because it is free, people do abuse the system (really..going to the er for a cold?? ugh. ). but then again..the flu is not a cold and is more serious. i dont joke when it comes to my health because the cost of me being unhealthy is higher than the cost of me going to the dr. (well..to me at least).
Yass! KB kin folk THIS: “if you know you wont need to worry about cost, you’ll go to the dr more often, hopefully as a preventative measure for worse ailments later on down the road.”…ding ding ding. AND yes you will have to wait longer to see a dr but look at the rates people currently visit the dr in the U.S. It’s pros and cons people, and the pros outway the cons.
“I’m getting tired of working and middle class 2520s voting against there best interest. Repeal the healthcare bill? ”
Lawd…
One tea party lady is my favorite. When she was asked about possible universal healthcare:
Tea Party Nut (TPN): I don’t want the gubment dictating my life, I don’t want anything to do with them.
Interviewer: Didn’t you say you get a social security check?
TPN: Yes, I don’t want gubment anywhere near my life.</i)
(.)____(.)
I live in Delaware and we’re all celebrating that Christine O’Donnell lost the election! We’re also proud that a Democrat picked up a House seat that was held by Republicans for 30+ years. My state represented!
Now our neighbors in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, I don’t know what they were thinking…
Funny, I think someone on this website predicted a recount in Florida and what do you know, we’re gonna get one because the governor’s race is so close, like 49% to 46%.
Where do we go now? I hope, like many other Americans, that the republican majority will have the guts to do what really needs to be done. We have to stop spending. Tax cuts sound great, but we can’t afford it. Healthcare sounds great, but we can’t afford it-yet. I think this is the essence of the tea party argument. I was listening to Rush the other day and he said something kinda scary- nobody has any money, not the US, not Europe, not China. There’s just a giant cycle of debt. I wish I would hear from Congress and set of priorities for the federal government. These are things that citizens and small businesses do when times are tough. I don’t know if the true needs of the country will ever overcome the need for political power; it doesn’t seem that way now, but maybe this election reflects that people are ready to hear the hard truths now.
I don’t know if any government is willing to make the hard decisions necessary for to really support healthcare reform. The government barely prevents healthcare fraud for the free healthcare that already exists. IMO, healthcare is worth paying for. Of all the things government spends money on, I’d much rather have my tax dollars go towards someone’s surgery than sea turtles.
The government can’t make any big decision on any of the measures passed recently, especially healthcare without destroying a lifeline we all need. I’d like to see them try. I really would like to see the clusterf*ck that comes afterwards, to see how prepared everyone is for demanded something never were going to get in the first place destroy everything around them.
I’m so glad this is today’s topic. Yes, I’m angry so excuse my rant. AMERICANS ARE THE MOST SPOILED PEOPLE OF ALL TIME… OF ALL TIME! The same politicians that put policies in place that lead us to this great recession that we complain about EVERY single day, are the same ones who threw stones at Obama trying to fix this problem. I don’t recall Obama ever saying he could “save” us. He said it would be work. What did we think was going to happen over 2 years??? Most of his accomplishments we don’t even know about! Why? Because many of us are ignorant and care more about being on twitter than checking up on what is happening in our governement that is directly affecting US. This man has done so much and yes has hit a few snags but he was the SMARTEST person for the job that almost no one could do. Like I said, these idiot GOP and Independent politicians ran our budget into the ground! And what saddens me is that almost no one came to the aid of Obama. They sat around throwing stones and now want control back. Their influence over the media was so successful that Americans voted Republicans BACK into the seats to do what exactly?
If you do not make more than 80,000 a year, you have no business being Republican. THEY ARE NOT FOR YOU! This individualist idea is not for the general masses and does little to improve our country as a WHOLE. All of the lies our government feeds us. After witnessing the pure foolery of these idiots arguing with Obama over ideals that they supported years ago and seeing their clear agenda, I will never vote for another Republican again. Americans need to wake up and stop eating all of the crap the media feeds us. I’m not saying Democrats are saints but they are more for me than the others. Pay attention and VOTE. Don’t even get me started on all the Black people who don’t vote. I enjoy leisure sh*t just like the next person, but I also take the time to keep myself informed because these laws are going to affect me. Tweeting about SVU and Willow whipping her hair doesn’t affect me. It’s good for laughs but when you spend 10-12 hours of your life online with the dumb sh*t and DON’T VOTE or stay informed on this country’s affairs, you fail. I hear alot of Black people saying they don’t believe in the government so they don’t vote…well guess what…these people are making laws for you whether you believe in them or not. I’m going to get my coffee and do a few whooosaaahs.
*government
tell em why you mad, SFG, tell em!!!
but you’re right–Americans are quick to throw certain politicians under the bus when they arent doing what we want them to, but are just as quick to save the job of a certain other politicians who has never really worked for us but keep convincing us we need them. we stay allowing ourselves to get swindled.
LOL. Girl I’m sipping my tea as we speak and calming down. But yes. We are short-sighted, that is our problem. We need a team and years to bring this country back. It’s like Obama is a one man show and the parties can’t agree on anything. I’m disappointed in my party but not enough to vote Republicans into office because they’ve shown their true colors and are definitely not for the masses.
AMERICANS ARE THE MOST SPOILED PEOPLE OF ALL TIME… OF ALL TIME!
um. yes.
“AMERICANS ARE THE MOST SPOILED PEOPLE OF ALL TIME… OF ALL TIME! ”
I still have to say the French are more spoiled than us. These people actually rioted when their retirement age was raised by two years. We are are in the conversation but we aren’t number one.
@ wu:
when you are used to a lifestyle and govt wants to take it away – you protest. i respect older people for NOT wanting to work 2 yrs longer and for younger people protesting as it does take food/money of their pockets. your voice and your vote are thing only things a person has. france isn’t due for an election anytime soon (i believe)
i think what makes america spoiled is the mentality that comes along with being an america. you are number 1. in all things. you go into other countries for commodities that you want – despite what the UN says and rest of the world things. you travel to other places, but expect them to speak english, take USD and say eff you to their cultural rules and sometimes laws.
obviously, this is not an indictment on all americans – but how the country is perceived by others.
@KB
Most of the rioters seemed to young, decades away from retirement.
“i think what makes america spoiled is the mentality that comes along with being an america. you are number 1. in all things.”
I will agree with you on this. We are the heavy weight fighter who isn’t used to losing. Now we’re on our collective a**es and don’t know what to do.
when you are used to a lifestyle and govt wants to take it away – you protest. i respect older people for NOT wanting to work 2 yrs longer and for younger people protesting as it does take food/money of their pockets. your voice and your vote are thing only things a person has.
IDK Wu, I agree with this. If we actually voted, prostested, and spoke up for what we want instead of the govt to tell us what we want some things would get done. We’re so used to the govt telling is what we want, what’s good or bad for us and how well and great America is we don’t pay attention to when we’re being swindled. I’m sorry but @ 24 being told I will have to work 2 more years than I expected would infuriate me.
There’s a difference between fighting for what you believe in and fighting to prove a point. You may think the French are spoiled for rioting against the retirement change but it’s actually quite smart. The French know, if they budge on this issue, the government will see how many other issues they can push out onto the people. Now of course, citizens have to realize in tough times, sacrifice is necessary. But if you already give up what you have, you should not have to give much more, especially when told by people who get to keep everything they have.
Plus, the youth will riot because we, the youth, always have to pay for the mistakes of the older generations. Hell, I’m 27 now, and I know for the rest of my life, I have to pay a lifetime of mistakes from older people with my heart, soul, and paycheck over decisions I never got to have a vote on. How is that fair?
Omg yes and this!
Most of the rioters seemed to young, decades away from retirement.
@wu,
i understand what you are saying, but look at this way. when Canada changed age of mandatory retirement, it meant the older folks were working longer (by choice or by need) and meant less opportunities for young folks to get a chance.
we (i consider myself still young-ish) are told to go to school, get an education, work hard etc.. there are too many companies that are still employing people who didn’t have to work their way in, pay their dues or compete/fight half as much as younger folks do now.
Great point.
“If you do not make more than 80,000 a year, you have no business being Republican. THEY ARE NOT FOR YOU!”
This is the truest ish I’ve heard thus far… and I co-sign everything you said, including the coffee and the whooosaaahs.
I really wanted to say $150,000 as that is the truth, not even at 80k should one be a republican. LOL thanks.
“I really wanted to say $150,000 as that is the truth, not even at 80k should one be a republican. LOL thanks.”
Yeah because truth be told 80K ain’t no money after you get through dealing with taxes… especially if you hit this number via commission.
*note that the government taxes ALL commission income the same $1 or 100K you giving up 37.5%
Your perspective will change greatly when you hit the number where you thought that you would be OK and then you get hit with taxes and have the WTF moment and realize that you are taking home the same as when you made 20K less.
This is the moment when you start questioning what your money is being spent on.
Cause real talk… I’m cool til somebody tries to break my rice bowl… and then I can get gangsta with mine ~JS
Yes… When, salary made a large jump from one tax bracket to another, my tax advisor told me to invest in something large, like say a house. He said it would keep the IRS from bending me over with no sweet nothings whispered or even a sweet kiss to the forehead.
My tax guy told me the same thing about going over 90k. Trust me, it still hurts but you just get a little extra Astro-glide and they don’t pull your hair that hard…..
:0(
LMAO @ this… Yet, it’s so true…. so true.
I think it’s critical that minorities have a presence in the Republican party, whether they make 80k a year or not. They are a major, valid, force in the US. I think a greater presence of minorities would better round out the Republican agenda of boosting private enterprise. Republicans are too stuck on trickle-down instead of building up. A more diverse party, I hope, would bring this to light.
I agree but I know too many Black republicans who add to this poison rather than counteracting it. You really would have to know their individual agenda and hearing my Uncle say he is against affirmative action (that probably played a part in him getting into Columbia) makes my blood pressure rise.
I’m inclined to believe that AA policies should be upheld at least for as long as the slave trade thrived in the U.S (slavery didn’t officially end until 1865, with the ratification of the 13th Amendment). As the country officially became the U.S. in 1776, and AA policies were enacted in the 1960′s, by my calculation AA policies should be upheld, without question, for at least another 40 years. Seeing as how I’m not even counting the 200 years or so of slavery that occurred before 1776, I think 40 more years of AA policies is a fair compromise to those who think that AA policies are no longer necessary, cuz if we count that time, AA needs to be upheld until the year 2190.
Great point!!! I just emailed your whole comment out to tha fam. We’re going to need affirmative action until there is a major decrease in discriminatory business practices in the U.S. It’s really only been a little over 50 years of these laws so we’re going to need much longer time to get an equal playing field.
I can’t run on that WIP. Most of the Black Republicans I know end up spewing the same hateful rhetoric that the white ones do, and they actually believe it too. I’m not saying they are all the same, but there’s a difference between believing in standards and completely losing common sense because of party ties.
I say that because if we don’t we are missing half the conversation. We can’t keep viewing the Republican party as the party of white people (this is the idea I continually see). I guess it’s the if you can’t beat them, join them mentality. I can’t jump on this Democratic bandwagon that wants black people to become more dependant on the government. I think there is a middle ground to be found but it can’t happen unless minorities are present on both sides of the table.
I think it would just be better to finally grow some balls and have Black people make an actual political party that leans both conseratively and liberally, because that’s what many of us are, in between.
Yes you’re right, looking at the Republican party as the white people party is a common mistake we’ve made for far too long. However, the message they keep sending to us is that they don’t really want us at the table, they just want us to serve it. I don’t feel comfortable with that notion, and I don’t feel comfortable when I see people of color running off at the mouth with the same crap as the rest of the party because they suddenly feel the entitlement to look down on people, without remembering how things got to where they are now.
People are so quick to lose focus of the beginning of a problem to the end as soon as they granted access to a world they could only look at before.
You’re right. The thing is…I ain’t doing it. You gonna start it? I’d rather focus on stuff that I believe there’s a chance I’d actually do. There are currently a sh*tload of political parties that get no attention. For whatever reason many colored folks are voting Dem now- fine. The Dems are hearing those voices. Regardless of whether I subscribe to everything Republican, I need to be at that table, especially if they don’t want me there, because that is where stuff is happening too and they are not hearing our voice.
Man I don’t know a damn thing about starting it. And I know it makes me a hyocrite. But I’m hoping one day soon enough I do learn to take a stand, and I’m hoping it comes before my rights as a person of color in this country are truly tested.
When you read history and learn of revolutions, you tend to ask yourself “what made them rise up like that” or “what were they thinking to take on such a huge fight”. I ask myself today what’s necessary to take those kind of actions, and I think the fear of losing the comforts I have is what stops me from really acting out on my feelings. But one day, I have to get over it and realize what I’m taking for granted. And I feel like America will learn that very same lesson soon enough too.
“Like I said, these idiot GOP and Independent politicians ran our budget into the ground!”
You can’t exclude the Democrats from this statement. Some of them voted right along with them.
touche. I’m disappointed in my party for many reasons. I’m just upset at people who voted for the same Republicans expecting diff results. Both parties have major flaws. I just stick with the lesser of two evils and the side that I believe to be in favor of the masses.
right. the f*ckery we are experiencing now is the doing of all of Washington, which is why Obama was even elected in the first place, folks wanted a different Washington. Dems and Republicans were included in that. the assumption is that obama would usher in a new day and the Dems would follow suit.
new monkey, same zoo.
if i was white, i’d be racist for that comment.
You sound a little mis-informed. As much as I love that shiny bald head, I have to disagree. Obama has done alot and more than I expected in his 2 YEARS (only 2) reign. Not too mention with major opposition. I agree the democratic party cannot seem to unify right now but please do not buy into the hype that Obama has done nothing for this country. I urge you to google and find out about his accomplishments that the media is not reporting to you. It’s not the same zoo. Obama is not super man in a cape. We have to acknowledge that republican and democrats are opposing him just to oppose. It’s obvious. They are also blaming him for things that were done long before he came into office. It’s a team effort and quite frankly, I don’t see alot of teams. Just people with personal agendas. “the f*ckery we’re experiencing now” yes there alot of flaws but don’t believe the hype. It’s going to take a long time (and lots of spending) in the areas where it counts. Either I spend way too much time following politics or most of America is mis-informed.
while i appreciate that you love my shiny bald head, i’m gonna have to disagree with you about my level of informedness. and b/c i’m gonna choose not to out myself publicly about why, you’ll just have to trust me.
i never said that obama hasn’t done anything while he was in office. in fact, my comment didn’t allude to that at all. my entire comment was about the fact that people elected Obama expecting him to be able to change Washington and he has not done that. the things he’s gotten through have been strictly due to the fact that Dems controlled Congress and the White House.
and quite frankly, dear, you’re not the only one who pays attention to whats really going on so you can miss me with the “you only know what the media is telling you” argument. in fact, my entire premise with the “new monkey, same zoo” statement is that no matter who’s in office, they’re still hamstrung by Washington and politics. Obama knew that going in despite preaching this message of change in Washington. was it optimistic, yes it was.
republicans and democrats have been opposing eachother just to oppose for eons. obama isnt the first to face that. and he wont be the last. this isn’t new. this isn’t even surprising. the rhetoric behind a lot of the opposition is ridiculous, but hell, thats what people get for watching Fox News. but hell, we call Sarah Palin the anti-christ and she hasn’t even done sh*t. at least folks are talking about somebody who can effectively end the free world as we know it. lol.
my point is, my dear pundit friend, that Obama is part of the same political machine he was hoping to change. he’s campaigning for re-election too. and in his attempts to do whats right, he had to sacrifice some of that “new washington” luster he brought into the office. are people blaming him despite not really knowing whats going on? of course. it happens all the time. we did it to Bush.
and let me just say this, while i agree that Obama has probably done more in the name of right than he gets credit for, there’s a reason why nobody can understand or see it. if you cant get your message out effectively to people so thatt they can understand, you get people blaming you for things they dont understand. what people do understand is that despite what they’re hearing about all these jobs being created, we have the highest unemployment since the great depression. THAT is some sh*t repubs took to the bank. you dont need a chart for that. Bush could understand how to spin that.
i do agree with you that most of america is uninformed. that’s fact. and as politically astute as Obama is, he should have been trying to figure out how to dumb down the facts to people too. think like a wise man but speak in the voice of the people.
you tell a ho to bring your money back and she does. if you go lecturing her about tax cuts she stands there crying b/c she dont know what to do. communication is key.
you tell a ho to bring your money back and she does. if you go lecturing her about tax cuts she stands there crying b/c she dont know what to do. communication is key.
I had a stripper cry in my office when I worked in the ER because I told her she had a $100 copay. I kept thinking you must not be any good.
I should have known better than to challenge you but frankly my dear, I understood you correctly the first time. Without challenging your knowledge as I’m sure you’re as bright as that head of yours (my forehead is shiny right now so I aint hatin), your comment did come across as a “Obama like da rest of em” like I’m reading today. Truth is, ALL politicians promise the world during campaign time. That’s why you choose the lesser of the two evils. Since when can a president change Washington? I agree that was an empty promise. I’m not surprised at his opposition no more than you are. Yes I agree Obama is a part of this machine but who would you rather have? That’s my point to people re-electing many Republican house members who were a part of the policies that put us in a deficit. Yeah democrats were there too, I get that however over-whelmingly were Republican party members. Their ideals go against what many Americans claim they want as change. The fact is, people elected Obama so he can save us money, period. All we are seeing is spending so our short-sightedness makes him the enemy. It doesn’t matter that the spending is going towards education and bailing out companies to create jobs. We want tax cuts so we can take funding from areas that need it. Someone has to be the scapegoat so of course it will be Obama. Lastly, I agree with this point you made: Obama did a poor job of informing the masses of his progress…even the dumb ones.
And my dear pundit blogger Panama, I am far from pundit. I believe in facts. Before I gave you my money, you said you were only going to tax me if I made more than $1,000 that night. You knew I only had 2 bjs and 1 @nal yet you still taxed me. Stop that, cut into my food budget instead.
Do you want to help me find an island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean that has maybe $6 trillion worth of gold buried underneath the Earth so that we could start our own country and get the hell away from this place?
It’s my ultimate dream but if you say yes, you get VP status automatically.
Sign me up. I say this all the time: When I get rich, I’m outta here. At 50, you can catch me in Paris somewhere (cause you need a cool 5 mil to live there). I honestly love American culture too much to leave right now. But if you make the man to woman ratio 60-1 (the 1 being me) and 1 out of 1 mens sexy, make me treasurer AND vp…I’m there.
WAIT…I just had a vision of a jail house OUCH…okay add some more women and then I’m there.
You are trying to make my ribs hurt from chuckling.
And I’m mad you turned my fantasy of living a better life into a Showtime soft porn show.
lol can you imagine? It would be straight hard core p0rn. And I would be running for my life. lololololol
I’m finna to bribe VH1 into giving you a reality show.
1. the stimulus was and is Obama’s original sin. In less than 3 months in office he spent more money than the Afghan and Iraq war combined..wow how can you miss that? he went in front the nation and acted like without the stimulus then it was going to be Armaggedon all over again, arguing that we needed it(stimulus) to bring unemployment below 8%, however after 2 yrs unemployment is still flirting with the 10% mark
2.Republicans took a gamble and opposed the stimulus arguing that we cant solve an economic crisis by piling debt on top of debt and either you like it or not this is true, no country in modern history has been able to come out of severe economic crisis by borrrowing when the real focus should be on paying that debt so future generations can have a decent shot at better lives
3. Having taking such a huge gamble, republicans knew that the stakes were high, if the stmulus worked then it would spell big trouble for them , if it failed then the rewards would be great . The stimulus turned into the ”flopulus”, they went in front of the American people and said ” how is that stimulus working out for ya? ”. We saw the results the results yesterday
4 The low turn out of the African American community.
Seriously what did you expect? What has Obama done for the community lately? Not that i expect him to pay folks rent but geez i dont even remenber dude campaigning hard for the black vote the way he did for the latino vote,the gay vote,the evangelical vote and the white vote, because he and his handlers arrogantly assumed that they had it all figured out and they did, i mean mulatto- dude -married- to- average- sista -about -to-be-president.During the 08 campaign there was like this non-written law that expected us(blacks) to rally and help a brotha(using this word very loosely) get into the ”man’s house”.He did and what have we gotten? He had a chance to make history two times and he failed miserably, by appointing that swollen face puerto rican chick to the supreme court and then choosing that lesbian jewish woman for the supreme court justice job, so yeah! some of us see where his priorities lie, how could you possibly say you care about us and then not even give us another supreme court justice? that is a lifetime job.If clarence Thomas dies today who do we have there? nobody,absolutely nobody? food for thought
Politics is about ”you rub my back and rub yours”, so far te low turn out in our community could be interpreted as folks still waiting to have their rubbed after doing just that for him, can he deliver?
Let me stop here for now
1. Obama has created more jobs in his short time in office than Bush did in 8 years. The stimulus actually saved jobs like teachers, policemen, and firemen from being cut. Without the stimulus, unemployment would be way worse than it is now… and it has actually gotten better.
2. What solutions did Republicans offer other than cutting taxes? Oh and the debt they didn’t want to pile on top of was created mostly by them dating back to Reagan. Dems = tax & spend. Repubs = cut & spend. Choose your poison.
3. See #1.. Republicans also went in front of the American people and pulled a magic trick, convincing the American people that the current situation is the result of the last 2 years instead of the last 20. They also lied about cutting spending and balancing the budget once in office.
4. I’m not even addressing this.
Wow, you are very mis-informed. Check out this link:
http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/
Despite the bashing he has received, Obama’s first year was quite successful and up to date has managed to come through on alot of his promises. We don’t hear about it because the media doesn’t report on it. And what has Obama done for the Black community? Are you seriously blaming Obama on the poor turn-out of Black voters??? He’s not superman. What have WE done for our own community? Blacks not showing up to vote has nothing to do with Obama. How has Obama failed miserably? Your supporting points don’t even make sense to me.
Here’s a better view:
http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/subjects/politifacts-top-promises/
“What have WE done for our own community?”
Omg, why can’t people understand this?
“Your supporting points don’t even make sense to me.”
That’s because this person’s supporting points aren’t based on facts but information they’ve heard from a friend of a friend’s sisters cousin’s baby daddy’s auntie….something, somthing, something who has a boss that’s a Republican.
DEAD lolololol…I honestly laugh at all of the people I hear that pretend to be into politics or informed on political matters.
Ya know what, it’s interesting how “he spends too much money” is forever a talking point when painting the Prez in a negative light. Bottom line, Washington (no matter which party is in control) is gonna spend a whole bunch of money…it’s what this money goes toward is what matters. You can make up a new number for all I care (how about Wackafillion….300 wackafillion dollars), it takes money to make money. And a lot of that so called “discretionary spending” (I love how I’ve heard this term like 56 times in one night, yesterday) has prevented unemployment rates from skyrocketing and skyrocketing fast.
“What has Obama done for the community lately?”
One word: Education. He’s a strong proponent of equalizing opportunities for urban youth and as far as I’m concerned, he’s a smart man because that ish is where it starts. The foundation, if you will. Hand-picking folks out of poverty won’t help anyone but that one generation…he’s looking long-term.
I think the latest national debt was about 750 wackafillion dollars
“Wackafillion”
That’s it. Im done, this is the official saying of the amount of money the government spends every term
“Wackafillion”
HA! you gotta say it out loud
Rants don’t help when we don’t use true facts.
You’re an average person. You’re of limited intelligence to say what would and wouldn’t work in terms of politics unless you are a political analyist, economist, or politican with 10 years of experience…and we both know you have none of those credientials so calm that mess down.
Secondly..the stimulus did help. Just because it didn’t help YOU and a few million people does not mean it didn’t help a few million OTHER PEOPLE. People are such selfish jerks, expecting everything to be about them. Some people in this country were in much more in dire need of the help the stimulus offered than just you and the people around you. Citizens in this country are complaining and don’t even realize they were actually saved by the stimulus. And I take nothing away from Republicans other than the fact that they would have been no better at fixing the problem of the stimulus either if people refuse to spend money when it was more important to save it.
Lastly, that pathetic attempt to say Obama should care about black people is pitiful at best. You and other black people need to grow the hell up. Aint no handouts on this line pimp. Dude already did his job for black people…he showed us we can get somewhere people said we never had a right to dream of being. That’s more of a service than most black men have offered of the last 50 years. The women he hired for Supreme Court Justices…they earned their right to be there. Show me a black person who got jipped out of the position. I’ll wait. Oooh that’s right, there are none. And bringnig up Clarence Thomas? Dude, he’s a Republican and his moose faced wife is a Tea Party leader, but you sitting talking like he’s Shaft and sh!t.
Dump your head in the toilet and take a deep breath because you’ve obviously full of sh!t today.
i too thank peej for writing this post (and for my tutorial on US gubment via the e-boo last night). as a cdn, i know only what i read/research on my own (or may have learned in an optional american history class in high school).
i didn’t quite know what this election was for and its consequences. based on my twitter timeline..people were UNhappy. only 1 person on my fb (a white dude) said something about putting a stop to obama’s policies (e__O)..
as i mentioned to bbrown, the world looked at the US differently when you elected obama. anyone who can read knows your country’s history, and after 8 years of bullying and neglect – seemed to finally get it right.
a lot of americans want to believe how they are viewed by the rest of the world doesn’t matter, but they seem to be the same ones a) in tea parties b) the ones who need change most c)the ones who voted last night d)most likely to shop at walmart where 99% of the products ARENT made in the US. in this day and age, there are no superpowers anymore – we are all heavily dependent on each other.
cdns used to say, when america sneezes, we catch a cold. our economies are very intertwined (some of which is simple, some of which very complicated). now, what happens in greece and japan, affects markets worldwide. we live in different times and people need to get with it.
as i said, in the short term, i dont know what it means (doesn’t affect much here, maybe financial markets) – i hope in 2012, everyone wakes up (again) and gets it right.
thanks for the education.
Shoot, ppl on my timeline didn’t remotely give a sh*t. They stuck to talking about basketball and cute high heels and Gucci Mane and going in on ghetto trending topics–business as usual. Of course the conscious folks were sounding like voting was for white ppl. Pathetic. We’ll never have real power at this rate.
Yesterday I spent the bulk of my time on FB communicating with my former students who are of voting age. I simply went down my list and asked each one “You vote yet?” I told them that even though it seems like none of this matters in the hood, it really and truly does matter. Some of them had already voted and were encouraging their peers to vote. Others weren’t going to , but got their butts up and went once they heard from me. A couple of them kept it very real with me and confessed that they had not yet registered but would do so with the quickness as soon as they could. The there were my most special babies, who chose to wallow in their hood ish and stayed on the couch, rolled some purp, and didn’t vote for a damn thing. This, ladies and gentlemen, is why I do what I do.
NY2VA
proud of ya. glad you took that extra step instead of saying: its not my job/place/responsibility.
need more yous.
Yes my girl! You got it. When you travel, you really get a grip on how we are viewed. One thing I hear over and over, we’re spoiled. And I have to agree. Our short -sightedness and ME attitude is like that of children: we don’t question and make un-realistic demands. We are not a super power like we are lead to believe and countries need each other. All of this keeping jobs in America is bs because the government knows how much they make off of foreign trade and save off of foreign labor. We simply DO NOT have the resources to provide for ourselves. This whole country was built on taking from others. This will never change. Call it capitalism or whatever. Socialism is dead and this makes me sad. I love my country but I cannot deny that we are an ignorant people. Despite our education and opportunities, we sit blind to the issues that face us.
The national legislature race is what it is ultimately. I can’t much control what happens in other states.
But I’m certainly pissed about California’s Prop 19 failing. And I don’t even smoke! The thing is people couldn’t wrap their heads around so many factors. The social climate has changed in the past 20 years. And it clearly shows that people don’t do things with weed that they don’t do with alcohol (matter of fact, not many of the adverse behaviors associated with drinking come up at all). It’s definitely nothing like crack or meth.
Unfortunately young voters and folks who are old enough to watermelon blunt wraps every damn day apparently couldn’t be bothered. Social network sites did nothing. There was no advertising either. These measures don’t pass themselves. So a chance was lost to change the national conversation (as with gay marriage). The chance to positively affect all these criminal records retroactively was also squandered.
Oh well, at least the criminal hustlers get to still benefit.
LOL, if that law had passed, California would have nooo financial problems. People woulda been beating the door down!
California’s voters failed miserably by voting against Prop 19, yet they succeeded immensely by voting against Prop 23.
Marijuana should have been legalized decades ago. Alas, it won’t be until corporations can produce the proper business plan to control market share. At that point, the media will be flooded with pro-legalization ads.
People just want it to be legal to smoke weed. They don’t want the government taxing it or corporations being able to sell it. And you don’t either, trust me. Despite all the claims for financial help, weed is better off being illegal in certain realms simply because people want the money where it counts: in their own pockets. When something is legalized, that issue goes to a higher power (look at alcohol), and weed is the one thing that many people can agree on that they will fight tooth and nail over.
OT: Man, there are so many angles on this issue I don’t know if it can be legalized; too many powerful entities will be affected. Big healthcare doesn’t want it because it helps people too much. The gov’t should want it for the tax revenue (isn’t CA in a housing crisis? legalize that green, it’s over) I think it all should be legal, but that’s just me.
I don’t know what’s the right angle to take, and I think most people don’t either, further complicating the matter. Everybody wants special standards but we already know it’s just not going to happen like that. What’s the point of rallying behind an idea only to say “eff it” when you realize it comes with a price tag?
At this point, I’m indifferent. In 2006 and 2008, the rhetoric was anti-Bush. In this most recent election cycle, it was anti-Obama/Pelosi. It’s all politics.
What I do have problems with are the dreams-for-sale that Rethuglicans ran on:
“We’re going to cut spending.”
“We’re going to stop taxes from being raised/cut taxes.”
“We’re going to balance the budget.”
“We’re going to repeal Obamacare.”
Cut spending? Really? Where? Are you cutting defense spending since that accounts for the bulk of our budget? And anyone claiming to balance the budget, I question their intelligence along with those who voted for them. Explain how you’re going to bring all of these libertarian ideas (Tea Partiers) to Washington and then work on a fiscal budget. I’m sure a lot of families will take it well too when you tell them their kids can’t stay on their insurance up to age 26 anymore. And how will you cut taxes and then make up for lost revenues without borrowing from China?
I’m really looking forward to seeing how this is all going to play out. Has technology spoiled us to the point we expect an economic climate (which was 25+ years in the making) to change in 2 years? You don’t want to raise taxes on the top income brackets b/c those are small businesses? If you are in the top 2% of earners then that’s not a “small business.”
At the end of the day, all I can do is vote, voice my opinion, and be an advocate for the causes I believe in. But I can’t depend on a man or woman, in a suit, behind a desk to make it happen for me. Recession or not, I have to get up everyday and make this American dream happen for myself. *Cues Jay-Z’s “American Dreamin’”
Not only do I cosign your comment but I commend you for asking key questions that no one’s asking right now. I will be putting this on my mirror tonight: “Recession or not, I have to get up everyday and make this American dream happen for myself.”
Southern Charm, I was listening to “American Dreamin” in the car this morning, thinking the same thing.
You must be a closet republican then..lol, i swear everything you said sounded like something straight out of a republican candidate’s mouth, i mean isnt that what they say all the time? less government check! you can be whatever you wanna be check! dont depend on the government check! hmmm
I re-read that and I didn’t see Republican Ideals.
Hmm… I don’t think I got that from this post. I think what I got from it is that folks on both sides of the aisle are pretty much full of ish, and we all have to have some level of self-determination to try and make things happen for ourselves. If i know anything, I know that Black folks know how to make do. We know how to make a dollar out of fifteen cents, and we know how to make the best out of the worst. I also know that for the most part, Black folks live in “is”, rather than “should.” Meaning, I know that the situation “should” be better, I know that the government “should” be looking out for my best interest; hoever, the reality “is” that times are hard and my babies have to eat. So how am I going to go out there and do what I have to do for me and mine, while also trying to help someone else along the way? Don’t get it twisted, republicans do NOT have a lock on the self-determination game. They have simply twisted it, turned it ugly, and made people believe that the government is trying to take away your right to take care of yourself on your own terms. The reality is that people of color have BEEN taking care of themselves on their own terms in this country for years.
Sidebar – Am I coming off as Black Power Chick? If I am, I’m sorry. Well actually not. I am the more grown up, sophisticated, non-judgmental version
You can call me Black Power Chick 3.0 aka Conscious VSS.
Really? Everything? Did you not catch the “Rethuglican” reference? I never said anything remotely close to “less government check.” lol. And if “you can be whatever you wanna be” is Republican rhetoric then Nas is the second coming of Nixon…. seeing that he made a whole song about that topic.
Actually, you must be a closet Republican. You took everything I said, twisted it, and even added additional words and phrases! LOL.
Isn’t it amazing how people without a plan can convince stupid people they have the greatest plan?
“And how will you cut taxes and then make up for lost revenues without borrowing from China?”
A commie nation at that. I thought we were afraid of them and their gubment…oh, but borrowing money is fair game. Que sara sara…
I have to take a moment to say I’m laughing at your genius use of ebonics. You are summing up my thoughts in only 2-3 sentences while using words like gubment. I heart you for reals. LMAO
But I can’t depend on a man or woman, in a suit, behind a desk to make it happen for me. Recession or not, I have to get up everyday and make this American dream happen for myself.
*slow clap*
“defense spending since that accounts for the bulk of our budget?”
wrong — the Social programs ie (SS, medicare & medicaid) are the largest drain on the budget or Mandatory spending
tell it like it is
–is right are large amount of the actual voter this cycle were partly motivated by the stimulus / debt issue
there a lot of acts that are cited that are wrong in some the posts, i’ll check them later
Actual views time
- simply at the end of the day America likes divided government dont you?
“wrong — the Social programs ie (SS, medicare & medicaid) are the largest drain on the budget or Mandatory spending”
Social Security is a trust fund. The gubment combines trust funds with federal funds which skews the percentages of what is actually being spent. Defense spending also does not take into account the wars we are still paying for along with unclassified defense spending (CIA, NSA, etc.), veteran’s benefits, or even interest on past and present war debts.
right. Social Security is off-budget spending as is the funding for the wars. it’s all emergency funds that are not subject to the reconciliation process.
however, while veterans benefits aren’t counted as defense spending, they are still on-budget and are increasing at an amazing rate. thing is, vets spending is still a drop in the ocean compared to social security, defense, and/or war spending.
At the end of the day, all of this boils down to one thing, WHITE PRIVILEGE. It is all about protecting all that is beneficial about being white and Barack Obama scares the ish out of white folks. Liberal white folks thought he was going to be their dancing monkey and do their bidding, but were sadly mistaken. They had to wait their turn, got pissed and turned tail. Ultra-conservative rich white folks didn’t give a damn about anything but the President look like a failure, so they resorted to one of their most effective tactics. The effed with the minds of poor whites. They won over the poor, uneducated white folks by convincing them that Obama was the Anti-Christ and that he was going to take away their rights. They convinced these poor white people that they didn’t need Obama’s help and that all the things he was trying to do to help them would actually hurt them. This is how it has always been in this country. Rich white folks remind poor white folks regularly that even though they’re poor, their still okay because their white. But instead of using the word white, they use other words like, “Patriot” and “American.” They convince them that they have to “take their country back.” These folks don’t have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out, but suddenly this country is theirs to take back when rich, conservative, white folks need their support.
White privilege is a powerful weapon simply because folks don’t even realize that they have it or that they’re using it. But trust, the powers that be totally get this and that’s why they’ve been successfully utilizing it since the days of slavery. Post-racial my arse. It’s damn near antebellum out this bitch!
American history shows that if you can corrupt the mind of poor white people, they will vote against their own needs just to oppress other races.
The funny thing is no matter how pissed they want to be at Obama and any person with pigment, we still take their jobs, screw their daughters, and move into their neighborhoods. They just don’t get it.
They convince them that they have to “take their country back.”
I had a problem with that mantra. Take the country back? From whom?
If you really wanna keep it 100, ask them “To when? Which era would you prefer? How might that impact me and all the other folks who look like me? Are you really saying that you are okay with that?”
“Post-racial my arse. It’s damn near antebellum out this bitch!”
dayum right…..preach on!
MODERATE DEEZ NUCKA! THE RENT IS TOO DAMN HIGH AND FOLKS CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH!
BREAKFAST, LUNCH, AND DINNER!!!
Just to say it, a lot of the folks I know can’t vote cuz they aren’t citizens and ish. My uncle was visiting the US from Nigeria 2 weeks ago and “I’ll translate his sentiments: Eff America, China alllll day!”
Hahaha how are we going to improve when we don’t build pretty much anything!
My girl can’t vote. She won’t tell people that but she always has an opinon on politics. I tend to wonder what she would do if she could vote. Imagine if ex-cons could vote. Imagine if immigrants who aren’t quite legal but pay taxes would choose if they could vote…I’m waiting on something to go a different route on this one, but China & Japan look like the new hotspot for immigration right now. Might as well get my passport read.
my mother became a US citizen JUST so she could vote. republican. but she did vote. lol..
NO BS, my girl would vote Republican too if she could. Before Obama got elected, she was lighting a fire under his a$$ like he got her pregnant and skipped out on child support
Rand Paul is racist…and I live in Kentucky. Send help soon. That is all.
Don’t forget he is an animal abuser for wearing that long piece of bear turd on his head.
Log off, I’m done with you.
*dies*
I can’t help it Cheekie, I feel like his hair can breed or something. It’s beyond creepy.
I think I had a seizure. My brain shut down and restarted. I am so done. *Goes to follow the white light*
Ok you and Cheekie are turning me into a mass murderer today, come back to life!
he’s also a terrible public speaker.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnUfPQVOqpw
I just turned 27 on Monday. Yesterday when I got out of bed, I asked myself why should I even vote, and I struggled to get out of the house to do it. Then I get to the voting station at the local elementary school only to be held up for 20 minutes because the people in charge of MY TABLE for MY DISTRICT were slow as hell, and yet every other table was a breeze. It made me question why try, which is probably the same reason why other people don’t try. And then I was forced to vote strictly Democrat, just to stop a bunch of psychos from hijacking NY.
Politics shouldn’t make any man or woman feel like this. It should not be a chore. It is a factor that holds true power over our entire lives within the countries we live in and yet so many people feel like voting is comparable to going to the dentist…some sh!t you know you have to do but wish like hell you didn’t have to…or like some people…don’t even try because they don’t see the point. We all know at least one person who won’t even try to vote with the same complaint “it won’t change anything”, but are the first to complain about any problems that are on the horizon.
I don’t know what to think or feel anymore. And I see the disenchanted feeling is universal, but Panama, you said something that mirrors what I always think. What the hell do people expect when all they do is worry about their own lives and refuse to take destiny in their hands? You don’t get what you want in life without a fight but with politics, that bit of logic seems to elude people. This has to stop. For all you people here, ask yourself one question: What would it take for me to be so pissed that I’d actually do something different about it?
This is why I do the absentee voting; I feel like there is more time to mull. LOL. I think what the average joe needs to do differently is take more time to understand what particular candidates actually believe and who they are associated with. We can’t just go by the sound-bytes on the news. That, I think, is even more of a chore! But we still do chores, even though they suck, because they need to get done. I’m guilty myself of not doing the research I always say I’m going to do. We not only need to do the research, but tell others what we find. It’s work, there’s no way around it.
It is a chore, I admit…but we no longer have an excuse. We are fortunate to live in the internet age, where the information is readily available at our finger tips and spreading the message is a mouse click away.
I understand, we all got matters to attend to. I’ve been sick for 10 years and had my life flip flop on terms of what I could and could not handle. I’m finally getting my life in order while I’m still sick, but even I know now the days of me complaining out loud are over. If I want to see a change, I need to actually get my natural black a$$ up and do something. A Facebook group aint gonna do it, need to actually go out into the world and slap a few people upside the head.
We got the time to be on this website and share philosophies but we never have the time to truly figure out what the hell we’re really doing here. I can’t be the only person to find that frightening.
Accessible information in no way implies accurate information…regardless of its medium
“We got the time to be on this website and share philosophies but we never have the time to truly figure out what the hell we’re really doing here. I can’t be the only person to find that frightening.”
It’s done….in the local communities on streets, corners, and livin rooms….and it takes t.i.m.e ( read: generations)
this won’t be no quick fix
I know it takes time King, but there’s too much of a disconnect between the people who know and do things, and the people who know nothing and do nothing. And we HAVE to fix that. SOON. Real soon. It’s the one thing that’s really hurting us more in the black community than most other problems.
I don’t know, I’m just lacking more and more faith in the idea that we can restore faith when people just don’t know how to connect with each other over anything besides hate.
@Rewind: Happy belated birfday by the way, just in case I didn’t send you wishes on Monday.
Aww thank you Cheekie, really appreciate it
Hmmmmmm….how can you be mad at a party that takes the bull by the horns and makes things happen? I can’t say I agree with any of the richie rich Republican policies but they’ve got a thing for swaying those confused-stuck in the middle Americans. Hello confidence!
Granted, I’m an Obama-stan but I can’t help but acknowledge the unity and steadfastness of the Reds. As I watched CNN, I couldn’t help but notice how calm, cool and collected the new Majority Whip was. It’s like he needed to do no big barking because he’s got this ish in a bag.
I mean viva la Obama and all that jazz but perhaps if he had more Dems with a Repub gangsta swag on his team, his first 18 months would’ve produced more of the change he envisioned. He’s like a one man show with sideline fans too afraid to go to hard. Who cares about playing nice when folks lives at at stake? Go team blue! o_O….. I’m kinda getting the feeling that the Blues are on a bandwagon and no one really knows what to do or say at this point. Like are we all Blue because it’s the ‘cool’ thing to be and being Red is likened to the devil? I mean because from the looks of things, sans the Tea Party foolery, the Reds- the sane ones at least- have their ish together and could teach the Blues a thing or two about going hard in the paint…#imjustsayin.
We get mad because you can’t get people to work together when we say “we’ll make everyone’s life better by taking care of real life issues first before anything else” but we can get people to stand united by saying “I don’t really like people with skin darker than mines living in my area and making money somebody else should have, so let’s get rid of them”.
That’s one thing among the many of the retarded lines of logic this country runs by and those of us caught in the middle who are well above moderate intelligence don’t have the money or power to grab the ear of the country the way the far right or far left does, so we just get shafted.
@Rewind…”but we can get people to stand united by saying “I don’t really like people with skin darker than mines living in my area and making money somebody else should have, so let’s get rid of them”.
<—-That's because we're all a little bit racist (and if you live in AZ, you're a lot of bit racist) so one opportunity to wild out and express your colored views and it's all a tea party from there. #shame #shame #shame
I know full and damn well I’m a lot of racist and I wear it like a badge of honor, but I still respect everyone nonetheless. The differences in skin, ethnicity, and culture are not enough for me to decide people should be completely shunned from society. So the fact that people actually think in this time that it’s ok to feel that way after all the things history has shown us makes things more appauling as is.
I mean viva la Obama and all that jazz but perhaps if he had more Dems with a Repub gangsta swag on his team, his first 18 months would’ve produced more of the change he envisioned. He’s like a one man show with sideline fans too afraid to go to hard.
Co-sign.
One of my favorite moments of the Obama presidency so far is when he went to that Republican retreat and just started going in on all of them… on their turf.
It wasn’t the really liberal Dems who were afraid. They voiced their concerns repeatedly. The moderate, Blue Dog Dems were the ones who were too concerned with appeasing their conservatives constituents to really stand up for anything. Those same constituents voted them out yesterday.
well thats the problem with politics anyway, the permanent campaign. which is why i think Virginia of all places has it right with their governorship.
4 years and out. no consecutive terms. if you know you are in for a limited amount of time, you worry less about trying to appease everybody to re-elect you and you focus more on getting things done.
viva la term limits. if i know i have 2 years to get stuff done, im gonna be way more inclined to go hard in the paint to do those things instead of attempting to convince people i have their best interest in mind by not pissing them off.
@panama….’Tis true. Though I’m not too sure even if Obama had 2 years to make it all right he could have right’d all the wrong there was- and hell still is….:-/ Page 4 Presidential Handbook. #damn
Good points. Viva la term limits! I wonder when it became less about public service and more about becoming a career politician.
Power corrupts…
Barry is gangsta. I’m quite sure we haven’t seen the half of his wrath. In fact, if he just happened not to be the black president he would have wild out on these hoes a long time ago. But alas who need another angry black man? Sigh.
And yes, I agree, too much Mr. Nice guy going on…..
Before his term is up, I’m sure we’ll see his Baracka Flocka Flame side!
The problem with most things when it comes to politics is that people are misinformed. Everyone screams, “Go Vote!” “You need to vote.” No one ever says WHY one should vote. Yes it is clear to those on this site, but not everyone knows how important their vote is and how it can impact them directly. I consider myself to be educated and I too struggle with how my ONE vote (do the math) can impact anything. Only via a close friend getting involved in politics locally did I see the importance and the role I have to be active at a local level. Few things can be taken care of on a large scale. People need to be educated on how their vote impacts them directly. The bigger picture needs to be painted for the average American. I don’t think it should be a matter of WHO to vote for but WHY you should vote. People need to be made aware that they should be active not only federally but locally too. It’s up to US (VSB’s and VSS’s) to educate folks and get active and not look down on people for not voting. There are many things like volunteering, giving blood, and so on, that we should all do, but we don’t because for the most part we are selfish. If it doesn’t affect us directly and immediately, then who care?
great point. when i speak to people that don’t vote they usually say “for what, it’s gonna be the same corrupt politicians doing the same old things. they’re all the same.” (which may at times be accurate) people are unaware that there are local topics up for discussion as well. they also don’t account for the effect their apathy has on the others around them.
What we really need especially as Black men and women is to finally break this cycle of repetitive self destruction.
I can’t help people of my race who just don’t care about growth and are more concerned with status. But I will rally along people who want to see perception change in their lifetime if goes toward a good cause. That’s what we all need to stick together on. The rest of them can sit in the back of the slow bus, we really don’t have time for them anymore.
“The rest of them can sit in the back of the slow bus, we really don’t have time for them anymore.”
Why? Why can’t we do both? I’m not saying you should make it your mission, but informing the uninformed is important. Maybe they make the decisions they make because they haven’t been informed. Everyone may not have grown up with the resources and education you were and so I feel it is up to us to share.
We can’t do both. That’s the point. If someone does not want to listen to reason, if you show them all the facts and they still deny making the proper decisions, then you waste time constantly fighting to get them to agree. If they feel their way is the best, then we should go on about our way and when the time comes, we will all see who was right and who was wrong. That’s the problem I have with Barack right now, he wants to have everyone work together but a lot of people ARE JUST NOT INTERESTED IN WORKING TOGETHER. That is the way of the world. Some people want peace, some people want anarchy. It’s not about having the same resources and education. It’s about the goals that drive us, and we do not all have the same goals when it comes to success.
People are upset but for the wrong reasons:
http://www.aolnews.com/elections/article/opinion-americas-misplaced-anger/19696770
Thank you!! You know why 72% of Americans do not know all of what Obama and the Democratic party have done for them? Because of the media. The media and Republicans did a fantastic job of spreading lies by opposition. Like I said in my thread, we are easily brainwashed. People need to stop accepting lies and read more, research more and get the facts. I would vote for Obama all over again and continue to support my party despite some of their shortcomings.
The Democrats lost because they refuse to run on the one platform that will save them:
Jesus was a Socialist.
Healing the sick and feeding the masses. Socialism.
hmmm….democrats are anti-religion
Upon what, are you basing this statement?
hmmm….democrats are anti-religion
It’s nice to know the Tea Partiers have found VSB.com. I reject and rebuke this statement.
// Democrat and a Believer and there are a LOT of us.
Omg, stop it! I just can’t.
My mixed feelings about our political culture leave me a bit dispassionate about the outcome of elections. I hate to be a pessimist, but in Obama’s situation, I’m not sure it really matters what majority we hold in the House and Senate. It will not change the opinion and opposition of Republican Reps, Republican Voters and many Democrats Reps.
I commend Obama for attempting to change a culture, but the bottom line is that until voters really understand (are educated on) how the process works (including follow through support), our democracy will continue to operate like a business or the stock market: (a conglomerate of investors (politicians and special interest groups) playing hop scotch (voting representatives in and out of office) based on the market share (what party will be in control).
I dont think voters are as misinformed as some may speculate and this notion that voters misinformation leads to defeat can be and has been dangerous to the democratic’s party fate as seen on tuesday.Its just as simple as ”whatever you guys over there are cooking we dont like it and we do not want it” and there is nothing you can do about it.Leadership also requires the willingness and ability to listen to the people’s wishes and take into account and action, the people in this case,anyway the majority of folks who voted have been against the stimulus and the health care legislation and i’m already hearing talks of repealing it…why repeal? because thats what the majority of the electorate want, then we wonder why republicans stay winning!
@tell it like it is
There is a vast difference between being misinformed (which you are talking about) and being uneducated/not understanding (which I am talking about). In 2002, I had my first grassroots experience in politics for a DC-based non-partisan GOTV organization. I traveled across the U.S. registering people to vote (mostly in lower income demographics) and talking with them about being an active participant in the political process. The outcome was that, not only did they not understand anything past putting someone in office based on general ideas, not one of them could tell me how the legislative process actually works (where bills come from, introducing them to congress, voting, approval, veto, etc.). Expecting millions to care when they don’t understand the details and have not witness how they are directly affected is putting the cart before the horse.
In the position we’re in, it’s more valuable to stop falling for the same old feeling of emptiness when we don’t think things will go our way, and use the feeling as motivation to finally get something done for a change. I’m one person. I can’t motivate a country of 400 million to get their act right by myself. But I can tell one person something, that inspires them to tell two people, and move on from there.
That’s the problem today. People don’t know how to take disappointment very well nor do they know how keep faith in the future. It’s crap right now, but it doesn’t have to be crap tomorrow. The odds are high, but we’re not done yet. You want to have kids someday if you don’t already right? You want them to have somewhat of a future they can enjoy right? So we got to take the hits now so that it won’t hurt so much for them later.
@Rewind
While I understand where you are coming from, you must know that I have worked the grassroots end and am currently working for a trade assocation that has a very large influence on public policy with regards to its constituency (basically I have experienced the human and business sides of politics). So my view will be a bit different because of that. My post merely focuses on truths in politics. Although I actively participate in the process just like other VSS and VSB; with the hope of creating positive change for our future, that does not negate the fact that American politics (to me) is synonymous with yielding power.
I understand your point. But I honestly don’t see any other way of making any of this work unless the faith we have in a million miles long, because no matter what, what we want isn’t always what other people want, and they will block us on the road to getting it.
@Rewind
(Just in case you missed what I said, I will repost)
“Although I actively participate in the process just like other VSS and VSB; with the hope of creating positive change for our future, that does not negate the fact that American politics (to me) is synonymous with yielding power.”
How did you come to the conclusion that I don’t have faith? I act on faith everytime I exercise my rights because I know that our votes do have some influence. But would you rather me not be honest about what I have seen/see everyday?
I wasn’t critiquing you. On the contrary, I’m impressed by what you do. I’m just sharing my opinion on the whole situation as is. I’m just saying I understand from your point of view that you see the good, the bad, and the ugly. But maybe you, like me feel that no matter what is done, if we want to see a good change come, you have to keep having faith in it, no matter how bleek it seems at imes.
@Rewind
All good. I just did not want to be misunderstood because of my feelings. During my first “Get out the Vote” event 8 years ago (which was in Oakland, CA), I learned that my organization (that I worked for back then) paid a couple of dollars to dozens of local bums to register and vote so we could meet our voter registration quota (not teaching them anything about the importance of the awareness of political issues and platforms). Me, being green, thought that we would be mobilizing through educating and empowering folks. I guess they felt “by any means necessary” (X). In addition, the funding that we received paid for our stay in lavish resorts while campaigning. It was then I begin to realize that some of the very organizations funded to teach and engage our people are no better than crooked politicians.
Thought this was pretty funny:
George Bush Cites Kanye West Moment As Worst
http://www.allhiphop.com/stories/news/archive/2010/11/03/22467231.aspx
It’s funny how he views Kanye’s comment as an all time low in his presidency. I view alot of Bush’s actions during his terms as all time lows for this country. I’m still feeling the effects of his lows today. Many people have died from his lows. He’s ridiculous.
What about embarrassing moments? Did he forget he choked on a pretzel while watching football. Honestly , I just don’t know what to say to that. Kanye west has no political relevance. I just….How do…. Lawd…..He bout to get my pressure up.
LOL, embarrassing moments? When dude threw that shoe at his head.
Omg I completely forgot about that! That was hilarious.
@SFG
“I view alot of Bush’s actions during his terms as all time lows for this country”
…too bad he doesn’t. smh
It’s disturbing that a president takes a celebrity’s opinion (let alone a rapper) over the opinions of many of his constituates.
How far we have fallen from grace and common sense.
@Rewind
“It’s disturbing that a president takes a celebrity’s opinion (let alone a rapper”
My thoughts exactly! lol!
Yeah, I read that f**ckclustery last night. Yes, Dubya. A rapper stating how you don’t care about melanin was the worst moment of your presidency. Not the war or the very thing that led to said rapper stating such or anything…
Nah.
@Cheekie
“Not the war or the very thing that led to said rapper stating such or anything…?
This is the very reason why he should not be left alone in thought. A press secretary/advisor should be with him every waking moment to stop him from continuing to embarrass himself. Clown!
“Anyway, what are your thoughts on this election night? Anger, frustration, hope, joy, etc? Good people of VSB, what does it all really mean to you?”
WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!?
Georgia played itself… tis all.
@Yeah…So
What did Georgia do this time? I stopped paying attention when they gave Max Cleland took the loss to Saxby Chambliss’ b**** – made a**. His entire campaign against Cleland was foul.
Same story… different names… except our new governor openly made racist remarks (“ghetto grandmas” and such), openly questioned our President’s legal status AND OPENLY stated he voted not to extend the voting rights amendment… smh. Even if you are white and are racist, sh!t like dis representing/LEADING your state just don’t make you look good. I for one am just WAITING for a mofo to do something out of pocket to me so I can SUE the state of Georgia on some civil rights mess and get PIZZAAAIIIIDD!
y’all killin me up in here…
work for a min..and vsb done blowed UP
I’m sure there are quite a few non-voters among the VSB population, people who are probably reading this entry and these comments right now.
If you happen to be one of those people, I’d like to know exactly what keeps you from voting?
Maybe it’s like when you show up to class without having done your homework the night before. Sure you’re hurting yourself in the process because you didn’t do the assignment. But, You’re still going to learn a lesson for the future. *shrug
@champster
7-10K? is that on a daily? that’s quite impressive! kudos to the VST (very smart team).
I think what’s great is that this post has been written. and while they may not comment, they may read and gain some insight that will encourage them to vote for next time.
Im quite surprised to read that so many of the vsb’ers who are on twitter, have a timeline free of election commentary. that’s sad.
No one is going to come forward and have their comment or character attacked. Come one.
If Democrats were smart, this would be the end of The Blue Dog strategy, but Democrats aren’t smart.
Sigh. I knew this was going to happen and so did Obama. Not surprising, you just don’t control all three branches after the midterms. I voted, went home, watched the last free day of NBA league pass and avoided any station talking about politics like a somewhat ex jump off when you’re out with your girl. I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I watched.
I feel a little better today. Like I said, Obama knew it, that’s why he pushed everything in his first two years. If you would have told me 4 years ago that during a recession and with a party bent on obstruction, a black president would pass and pass major legislation involving health care, financial reform, student loan reform, and consumer credit protection, all while pulling the economy from the brink (and turning a profit on the bailouts) and getting us out of Iraq all while dealing with a racist groundswell that opposes you raising taxes (when you lowered them) and being a Muslim extremest (when you’re a christian moderate) and being fiscally irresponsible (when you presented budget neutrality legislation that was rejected by the same people) and wanted there country back (from who, I wonder), I would say that was a successful 8 years. He did it in 2 because he knew that tomorrow wasn’t promised.
Even if he isn’t reelected he has done more good than any other president in my life time. We may not see the effects of it today, but that’s the point, he addressed long term systemic issues knowing we live in an instant gratification society. He did what’s best for the country and not what would get him reelected. I can’t say I’ve ever seen that in a politician.
We can nit pick all we want, but we should at least acknowledge the sheer magnitude of what he managed to pull off.
I whole heartidly agree.
Obama is the first president to make me truly consider what it takes to be a president and how sad we, the American people, are when it comes to taking responsibility for our actions.
Bout sums it up.
The fact of the matter is that the Democrats that he had were conservative democrats anyway.
There are very few liberal democrats to begin with.
But the fact of the matter is that frankly America deserves all of the bad policymaking that you get.
You vote them in. So suffer
I wasn’t surprised by the results. The Dems have allowed the right to control the message about everything. They did not play up their successes, and instead, played right into the Repubs dirty hands. Last night, my mom told me how she was able to put my younger sister back on her health insurance b/c baby girl is an apprentice at a dance company, somewhere between 1st company and 2nd company, geting paid part time, and no health insurance, and now she is insured thanks to the health care bill. Why didn’t I hear these stories, and other stories like it from the Dem during the campaigns? Dems are too busy trying to appear centrist instead of being liberal and doing what has to be done. I’m pretty sick about the spineless Dems. Spineless, jellyfish.
And where were the young and the black folks yesterday. At my polling place, I saw old, white people. Lots of old white people. Seriously, are you people too progressive to take your a$$ to the polls?
This ball boils down to everybody thinking that there really such a thing as a ‘magic negro’. Obama is working with what he’s got and doing his best.
I blame Will Smith ‘bagger vancing’ all over American golf courses for this!!