Posts Made By: James Lacey

Originally Posted by Greg Shaffer

Careful Tom.....you are likely to give the more liberal leaning folks here an apoplexy with that last sentence regardless of how factual it may be

The only thing that amazes me anymore is how I cease to be amazed at the lack of taste and tact some people have. Making a slavery reference about a journalist who is a person of color is unfortunately no longer surprising. I'm no fan of Juan Williams, but come on, surely you could have come up with a better metaphor than that Tom!

Originally Posted by Greg Shaffer

I rest my case......of course it couldn't also apply to you as well could it? 

In his former life, Juan was so inculcated into the comforts of the Democrat plantation... he must still miss the simplicity of being... owned

Please tell me you are not trying to argue this was not a slavery metaphor? That is a tremendous amount of mental gymnastics and back-pedaling.

Originally Posted by Greg Shaffer

Just when I was beginning to think Gerald was the winner of the most idiotic post award for this month you wander back in with a ringer Russ

Only one day left in the contest this month......and Russ is leading by a nose

There is nothing idiotic about pointing out that Trump routinely makes racially controversial remarks. Anyone who has worked in any large corporation or professional organization can tell you leadership at the top matters, and Trump's actions have encouraged others to follow his style. The most recent example of this is, of course, Ron De Santis and his "monkey up" comment directed at his Democratic opponent who is a person of color.

In the case of Trump, his most recent action was the tweet about the white nationalist racist conspiracy theory about the targetting of White Farmers in South Africa for killings by South Africa's black majority.

Here is a just a short and incomplete list of people that Trump has attacked with racially charged language or actions he has taken that stoke racial anxiety only since 2016. His aberrant and disgusting behavior, of course, far predates his political career.

Black and Jewish professionals

Elizabeth Warren

Obama and birtherism

Mexican Immigrants specifically

Immigrants in general

Hispanic Judges

Muslims

Somali refugees

Welfare recipients

Haitians and Nigerians and Puerto Ricans

The pardon of Joe Arpaio

NFL protests

Charlottesville rally

The "Pretty Korean Lady" incident

Sh!th@loe countries

Originally Posted by Richard Davis

PROOF POSITIVE that Trump is a racist.  

Not surprisingly, you are doing what you always do, and that is attack an argument I didn't make. I never said Trump was a racist, but, as Russ said, he sure does an excellent job of playing one on TV.

The point is that it is undeniable Trump routinely uses racially charged attacks, language, and actions and as a result of that, he stirs up racial anxiety in the country. Why does he do it? The most generous interpretation is that he's just a natural Buffon given to coarse and undignified language. His critics, of course, accuse him of using language that resonates with members of his base and supporters. Without a doubt, his behavior is far outside the traditional boundaries of what most Americans expect from their President, and it is only natural that it would be subject to criticism.

Originally Posted by Gerald Miller

My work is done here.

The work is never done here in the politics forum. You can, however, abandon it. 

Originally Posted by Richard Davis

You then called out Ron DeSantis when he innocently said "The last thing we need to do is to monkey this up by trying to embrace a socialist agenda with huge tax increases and bankrupting the state".   

Can you tell me what is wrong with that statement?  You brought it up.   

If I had a co-worker, who was a person of color, and this co-worker was offering an alternative viewpoint to mine, and I said while in a meeting, in front of my peers, that "The last thing we need to do is monkey this up by embracing their viewpoint," I would be fired almost immediately. There is nothing innocent about this phrase and the actions of Ron DeSantis. Anyone in his position should have the common sense and etiquette not to use such language. It's hostile, it's insensitive, and it has no place in our public discourse.

Originally Posted by Greg Shaffer

Building a list of either wholly manufactured or twisted examples?.....good idea

Sadly, they are not made up or manufactured in any way. Trump's own words are his indictment. If you choose to ignore all of the racially charged actions and remarks he's engaged in, then that is undoubtedly your prerogative. However, your denial of the obvious does not invalidate the undeniable fact that Trump has a long history of making racist comments.

Originally Posted by Russ Carroll

If you're super offended by what Kaepernick has done, it doesn't mean you're patriotic. It probably means you haven't walked in his shoes.

I always stand for the playing of the anthem. It is possible to feel the need to respect the song, but also feel the need to support a peaceful and silent protest against injustice. These two feelings are not irreconcilable. It would, of course, be utterly unacceptable if Kaepernick was disrespecting a genuine and authentic American military officer and politician like John McCain while on his deathbed or criticizing the Attorney General on Twitter for not targetting his political adversaries and not ignoring the crimes of his political supporters. We can only tolerate so much offensive and childish behavior after all.

Originally Posted by Russ Carroll

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/05/opinion/trump-white-house-anonymous-resistance.html

"Given the instability many witnessed, there were early whispers within the cabinet of invoking the 25th Amendment, which would start a complex process for removing the president. But no one wanted to precipitate a constitutional crisis. So we will do what we can to steer the administration in the right direction until — one way or another — it’s over.

The bigger concern is not what Mr. Trump has done to the presidency but rather what we as a nation have allowed him to do to us. We have sunk low with him and allowed our discourse to be stripped of civility."

Is it just another crazy chapter in Trumplandia, or is it the start of the Republican disavowment of Trump? In any case, a President's cabinet discussing invoking the 25th is unprecedented. Speculation about the author is of course already rampant. Some say it's Pence based on the use of the unusual word "lodestar" in the piece when describing McCain. It turns out that Pence uses this word a lot and you can readily find examples of him using it all the way back to 2011. Sheer speculation of course, but interesting none the less.

Originally Posted by Richard Davis

I know one thing, you didn't come up with that guess by yourself.   

I also know one thing for sure, and that is you continually attack things people never even implied. I pretty clearly said that others are speculating it's Pence. Do you even think before you rage post?