"A black sheriff?!": The Official Topic of Obama and New Era American Politics

[Stoney Mason]

It's baffling how quickly the right has come to Juan Williams' defense over his comments

No its not.

[Phoenix Dark]

It is though. His comments are pretty clear cut out of bounds when transferred to any other race or religion. There's no "sacred" ground to grandstand on either, like with the 911 mosque issue.

[Stoney Mason]

Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, which are the prominent right every day say something either racist, sexist, or anti-muslim. If you are shocked that they will at any cost defend one of their own on these issues, (even though Williams is supposed to be a fox news "liberal") I'm not sure where you've been the last decade.

[Phoenix Dark]

True. I guess my point is that this is such a head of hypocrisy I can barely process it. Like I said, at least with the mosque they had a crutch to take advantage of.

[Joe Molotov]

Muslims taking away our freedom of speech. Now he's probably going to be tried under Sharia Law and stoned.

[Stoney Mason]

Probably will go vote tomorrow even though in FL a lot of races are forgone conclusions.

[Human Snorenado]

Yeah, I told a democratic campaign volunteer tonight that I was voting sometime in the next week, and that I was going to vote straight Democratic with the possible exception of my shitty congressman, who voted against healthcare and financial regulation and likes to brag about it.  SUCK IT BLUE DOG!

[Phoenix Dark]

I'm voting for a republican governor

I'll have to do some research and find out if any blue dogs will be on my ballot. I always vote, but I'm not attending any campaign shit this year. Definitely not working for a party of pussies.

[Mr. Gundam]

I voted the other day, hopefully Dino Rossi loses again.

[Stoney Mason]

The only position that I could imagine not voting for the Dem in my state is for the senate although its a moot point. Jack ass rubio is going to win no matter what. Meeks and Crist are splittling the anti-rubio vote so neither has a chance of winning so I'm not sure who to vote for although like I said, it doesn't matter. 

[Phoenix Dark]

Can't believe a dude who wants to phase out social security/medicare is going to win in Florida.

this whole country is fucked
:walter

[T-Short]

Can't believe a dude who wants to phase out social security/medicare is going to win in Florida.

this whole country is fucked
:walter

[Brehvolution]

[Eric P]

in our defence, we didn't become fundamentalist morons, we always were fundamentalist morons

[Brehvolution]

Can anyone link me to events that would cause the right to hate George Soros? Is it just because he donated to the democrats during the 04 election against GWB?

[Mupepe]

hey now, most of us love science so long as it doesn't disprove God and makes us money at the same time.

[Cheebs]

Can't believe a dude who wants to phase out social security/medicare is going to win in Florida.

this whole country is fucked
:walter

Well he wouldn't have a shot if Crist and Meek weren't splitting the liberal & moderate vote. Either Meek or Crist needed to have their support collapse. It never happened. If dems wanted to hold on to it they should have endorsed Crist, he would have won and caucused with them. Oh well.

[Fresh Prince]

(Image removed from quote.)

Didn't the founding fathers have the ideals of liberty, enlightenment and a republic?

Hell I'd blame democracy and by inclusion the ignorant masses who watch said Friends for the shit America has gotten itself into.

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

Can't believe a dude who wants to phase out social security/medicare is going to win in Florida.

this whole country is fucked
:walter

Well he wouldn't have a shot if Crist and Meek weren't splitting the liberal & moderate vote. Either Meek or Crist needed to have their support collapse. It never happened. If dems wanted to hold on to it they should have endorsed Crist, he would have won and caucused with them. Oh well.

Yep.  A shame.

[Phoenix Dark]

Another great article from Ta-Nehisi Coates

"Black Men Are Watching Every Move I Make..."
http://www.theatlantic.com/personal/archive/2010/10/-black-men-are-watching-every-move-i-make/65111/#disqus_thread

[Himu]

Good article. That book changed my life.

I feel bad about it but I'm not going to vote. I'm not feeling any side.

[Himu]

Can't believe a dude who wants to phase out social security/medicare is going to win in Florida.

this whole country is fucked
:walter

(Image removed from quote.)

goddamn

[Phoenix Dark]

Kinda ashamed I haven't read it lol. Growing up I read Soul On Ice, Invisible Man, Go Tell It on the Mountain, etc but never Malcolm X. Really love the movie though

My favorite book on the African American experience - and my favorite book period - is still Black Boy by Richard Wright though. I haven't read anything that resonates with me more personally than that. I read it at a young age, in part because my cousin was reading it for college and told me I couldn't read it because it was "too advanced" for me. And it definitely was for a 14 year old, although even then I identified with many parts of it. I'd read it again every couple years or so, and it would make more sense having experienced more in life.

[Himu]

Get it. Fantastic book.

[Human Snorenado]

Good article. That book changed my life.

I feel bad about it but I'm not going to vote. I'm not feeling any side.

When Obama is being impeached for not vigorously investigating voter intimidation by the New Black Panther party, I will remind you that this is all your fault.  You fucking schmuck.

[Phoenix Dark]

Good article. That book changed my life.

I feel bad about it but I'm not going to vote. I'm not feeling any side.

When Obama is being impeached for not vigorously investigating voter intimidation by the New Black Panther party, I will remind you that this is all your fault.  You fucking schmuck.

Who knows, maybe Himu will be a republican by then

[Himu]

Good article. That book changed my life.

I feel bad about it but I'm not going to vote. I'm not feeling any side.

When Obama is being impeached for not vigorously investigating voter intimidation by the New Black Panther party, I will remind you that this is all your fault.  You fucking schmuck.

I will join this black panther party and Obama has a lot of work to do to make me vote for him again.

[Human Snorenado]

Good article. That book changed my life.

I feel bad about it but I'm not going to vote. I'm not feeling any side.

When Obama is being impeached for not vigorously investigating voter intimidation by the New Black Panther party, I will remind you that this is all your fault.  You fucking schmuck.

I will join this black panther party and Obama has a lot of work to do to make me vote for him again.

Enjoy President Palin then, distinguished mentally-challenged fellow.  Binary choice.

[Himu]

Good article. That book changed my life.

I feel bad about it but I'm not going to vote. I'm not feeling any side.

When Obama is being impeached for not vigorously investigating voter intimidation by the New Black Panther party, I will remind you that this is all your fault.  You fucking schmuck.

Who knows, maybe Himu will be a republican by then

Fuck no. Registered democrat, waiting for a fucking moderate candidate that isn't a whack job. Get rid of the two party system, America no longer needs it.

[Himu]

Good article. That book changed my life.

I feel bad about it but I'm not going to vote. I'm not feeling any side.

When Obama is being impeached for not vigorously investigating voter intimidation by the New Black Panther party, I will remind you that this is all your fault.  You fucking schmuck.

I will join this black panther party and Obama has a lot of work to do to make me vote for him again.

Enjoy President Palin then, distinguished mentally-challenged fellow.  Binary choice.

You don't ACTUALLY believe she'll make it that far.

Haha

hahahaha

ha

haaaaaaaaaaaaa

where's my absentee ballot?

[Phoenix Dark]

Huckabee 2012

[Phoenix Dark]

is this your homework larry?
http://shaundakin.posterous.com/mi-robocall-how-many-times-can-you-say-homose

[CajoleJuice]

is this your homework larry?

[Mandark]

Fuck no. Registered democrat, waiting for a fucking moderate candidate that isn't a whack job. Get rid of the two party system, America no longer needs it.

What does any of that even mean?

[Mandark]

Of course, military funding is the worst form of stimulus*.  Shooting wars mean a lot of deaths, injuries, destruction of physical infrastructure, population displacement, and the general disruption of economic activity.

When you buy a missile, that's millions of dollars spent on a product where the most efficient possible use is to let it sit and collect dust until it's obsolete.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

*That is, spending past the point that you need to provide a deterrent.  The value of people knowing a country's not getting invaded is pretty high.

[close]

[Tristam]

Good article. That book changed my life.

I feel bad about it but I'm not going to vote. I'm not feeling any side.

When Obama is being impeached for not vigorously investigating voter intimidation by the New Black Panther party, I will remind you that this is all your fault.  You fucking schmuck.

Who knows, maybe Himu will be a republican by then

Fuck no. Registered democrat, waiting for a fucking moderate candidate that isn't a whack job. Get rid of the two party system, America no longer needs it.

So, are you suggesting that Obama is either a whack job or immoderate? 

[Phoenix Dark]

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/10/male-rand-paul-supporter-stomps-head-of-female-moveon-member-outside-debate.php?ref=fpb

[Dickie Dee]

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/10/male-rand-paul-supporter-stomps-head-of-female-moveon-member-outside-debate.php?ref=fpb

We really need to get rid of the two-party system - we got crazies on one side stomping on peoples heads and crazies on the other side scuffing peoples shoes with their face.

I'm sitting this one out.

[brawndolicious]

I only wish that fox news had standards like NPR. 

spoiler (click to show/hide)

I don't agree with him being fired.

[close]

Maybe they should have just given him an unpaid suspension or something but it did make sense to punish him somehow.  If it's your job to represent your boss, a political radio station, and you're showing a biased political viewpoint not in line with that boss, then it makes sense for you to be punished in some way.  Now NPR is pretty centrist it seems, they for example also banned their employees from attending a Stewart/Colbert rally.

It makes sense, they want employees who don't make their coverage look biased.

[Positive Touch]

wtf it's not that it's biased it's that he's so dumb that he went out and said something blatantly racist on t.v.  how do you not see... oh, it's am nintendo

[brawndolicious]

Being racist isn't illegal, I assumed that the reason Zero Hero didn't agree with firing him was because it feels wrong for somebody to be legally required to represent their employer 24/7/365.  I didn't assume that Zero Hero was fine with someone announcing their racism on national TV.

[Dickie Dee]

I see this as a bailout for those of us short of wit now that "at l at least Fox wll hire him" is a once again a hot high-five, at the expense of responsible snark makers who wisely invested their quips in longer yield lols

[Positive Touch]

Being racist isn't illegal, I assumed that the reason Zero Hero didn't agree with firing him was because it feels wrong for somebody to be legally required to represent their employer 24/7/365.  I didn't assume that Zero Hero was fine with someone announcing their racism on national TV.

keeping a racist on staff generally reflects poorly on your organizaton, especially if said organization happens to be a fucking liberal news & opinion outlet

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

Whether he knew it or not (he did), when you are talking on a panel or as a guest, you represent your employer, especially if it is part of your job.  He said views that were inconsistent with the employer.  Pretty simple and straight forward.

Considering the huge payday he received from Fox News, I doubt he is shedding any tears over it and neither is NPR I suspect.

Anyway, I voted early.  Straight Democrat ticket, except for various people in local level elections who are non-party.  Democrats have been shit for the past two years but Republicans are a nightmare.  Voted for the lesser evil.  I opted not to donate to the Democrats this time because of what I said two sentences back.

[Human Snorenado]

Gonna vote tomorrow probably.  Not sure if I'm gonna vote for my shitty blue dog congresscritter, but other than that I'll vote straight dem.  They may be corrupt and incompetent, but at least they're not demonstrably insane like the GOP.

[Mandark]

I'd say it has more to do with his job description than with representing the organization generally.  If someone in accounts payable had spouted off the same way it wouldn't be an issue.  But Williams is a pundit.  His job is to interpret and analyze national and world events for the benefit of the listeners.  If he makes himself look foolish or biased then he's not going to be an asset to NPR.  Why keep him around?

Also, I can see why people don't like the "say one dumb thing and you're fired" dynamic and how it might make media people more bland and overcautious.  But there will always be taboos; it's a matter of where you draw the line.  Besides, Juan Williams sucked.  The real problem isn't the talking heads who get fired for making one dumb comment, but the ones who can't get fired despite making a million of them.

Being racist isn't illegal

Which is why nobody arrested him.

[Dickie Dee]

I'm not crying for Juan Williams, he sucks ass, and it's really, really nice to see someone finally called to account over Islamophobic comments, but after all this time it's weird to see his *relatively* sort-of mild comments (in comparison to what's spewed daily) being the ones that someone finally gets called out on.

Of course, NPR isn't cable news, so there's that

[Dickie Dee]

Being racist isn't illegal, I assumed that the reason Zero Hero didn't agree with firing him was because it feels wrong for somebody to be legally required to represent their employer 24/7/365.  I didn't assume that Zero Hero was fine with someone announcing their racism on national TV.

Why are you acting like he's some janitor who got reported to HR by someone who thinks they heard something from the other table in the lunchroom.

HIS JOB IS TO BE ON TV FLAPPING HIS GUMS, IF HE FUCKS UP WHILE DOING THAT HE IS FAIR GAME

[Phoenix Dark]

What better way to mark your return to EB than defending Juan Williams

[Tristam]

2012: How Sarah Barracuda Becomes President http://nymag.com/print/?/news/politics/69130/

Clive Crook called the article an "excellent piece," so you already know it's going to suck. Of course she has virtually no chance to ever win the presidency.

Still, our electorate isn't getting any smarter, and it is fantastic to marvel at the incalculable damage Palin could and would do to both the country and the world as POTUS.

[Phoenix Dark]

She could win depending on the economy. It's not like Obama has endeared himself to voters in Florida, Ohio, PA, etc

[Mupepe]

It's really amazing how many middle aged women and men believe in Palin.  Fucking idiots.

[Phoenix Dark]

That's an FoC level troll

[Brehvolution]

http://politicalcorrection.org/blog/201010260025
My reaction can be summed up in a several year old videogame meme:
[img]http://www.rpgland.com/heath/forum/bailout.jpg[img]

What Coons would have our schools teach is not science at all, but superstition.

[Mupepe]

They have to be shitting themselves laughing at how absurd that all is.

[Phoenix Dark]

They have to be shitting themselves laughing at how absurd that all is.

nope

"It's really funny the way that the media reports things," O'Donnell said, in an interview with ABC's Jonathan Karl. "After the debate, my team and I, we were literally high-fiving each other... thinking that we had exposed [that Coons] doesn't know the First Amendment. And then when we read the reports that said the opposite we were all like

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20020296-503544.html

[Mupepe]

I'm at a loss for words.  It has to be a joke. 

[Dickie Dee]

They're pretty shifty in getting the dumb out hard and early. At this point reading this I'm not even angry anymore, but just resigned to seeing what I'd hoped America wasn't now get what it deserves. Any solace the O'Donnell won't win is pretty meaningless if we can point to a half-dozen others that might be elected into office in a week.

Will still vote (if you don't you've earned the right to STFU), but goddamn, I can't even work up a smirk over some of this shit.

[Phoenix Dark]

In the grand scheme of things, failing to take the house would be the best outcome for republicans. It would validate the few moderates left like my new bff Mitch Daniels, send a message to the RNC and ensure 2012 isn't another 1964 for them. Winning the house would boost Obama's 2012's chances (assuming the economy improves) and ensure we get another wave election as a larger turnout of voters boots the crazies back to their holes.

[Mupepe]

I don't think I hate any voter more than the liberal college dbag that doesn't vote because the Dems haven't turn this country upside down and handed out ounces of hydro to everyone.  I'm going to punch them in the dick when they're bitching about the Rep. controlled House next year.