Bob Butler wrote: ↑Sun Mar 21, 2021 4:03 pm
I don’t think your operating in a total vacuum is doing you a favor. You should at least be aware of the other viewpoint.
Agree Obama was not a grey champion. He wanted to resolve Bush 43’s monetary crash rather than gain popularity by punishing the Wall Street elites. Did he choose the right goal? Likely if he had to choose only one. Could he have done both? Regardless, between the economy and Obamacare he lost congress and inertia. While he did the cheerleading aspects of the presidency well, he hardly ended the unraveling.
Or maybe he did. The first black president riled the racists enough to put Trump in. But that was hardly the intent.
I see most of the violence as red. Black Lives Matter is trying for a non violent legislative solution. To prevent the BLM excuses to protest, the Republicans should take the wind out of their sails or the Democrats should kill the filibuster. It seems like the Democratic game is letting the Republicans be obstructionist enough in blocking obviously popular legislation to clearly justify killing the filibuster. Meanwhile, the red guys are are shooting up bars, driving cars into crowds, shooting paintballs into protesters, planning to kidnap governors, and holding an insurrection against the government. It is easy to be a blue and a law and order person. The one beneficial result of the insurrection was to open the police eyes as to who are the bad guys.
But, yes, if systematic racism results in the George Floyd murderer getting off, there will be a reaction. A solution would be justice, but that does not seem to be considered a goal by conservatives.
Bob,
I am ok with debating ideas, but I don't think either of us is "operating in a total vacuum". I do look at both sides and I believe both current political parties have failed miserably (see my articles to this point under the Politics section of
https://www.comingstorms.com)
First - Obama 2009. He could have ended the crash by letting the "too big to fail" go bankrupt. He then could have prosecuted those that created the mess in the first place for financial crimes. Instead, he went along with what the banks wanted. Why? Because in the end those institutions are smart enough to back people on BOTH sides of the political spectrum.
Second - Political Racism. If this was really a major force in politics, Obama would never have been elected. If not that, he certainly would not have been re-elected in 2012, especially given the Obamacare debacle. On the other side, Trump foolishly did little to nothing to dissuade blatant racists. I say foolish because why support them? Who were they going to vote for instead? And it just gave ammo to his opponents.
Third - Political violence. Most of it has been Antifa/BLM. While BLM purports to be non-violent (and I wish it were, as their stated intent of reducing racism on the part of Police is something that needs to be dealt with), their gatherings seem to degenerate into rioting and looting. Hence the summer of 2020. This is not to say that the other side isn't violent. There are plenty of instances of driving over demonstrators, shootings, ect. I would say that both extremes and any violence is reprehensible. From EITHER side.
Fourth - Obstructionism. This seems to be the tack of BOTH parties. And, in fact, it is a good thing as it prevents a lot of legislation, the vast majority of which is horrendously bad. Its what the founders intended for that very reason.
Fifth - The Police. Getting back to the original issue, racism by the Police. I agree that it exists. I have written in detail about what should be done about it, and it starts with DE-UNIONIZING the Police. And since this is the only viable starting point, the Democrats will not let that happen. In fact, the Democrats are happy to continually "stir the pot" by accusing anyone not in their party of being racist. This is going to back fire on them, just as it did when Hillary branded all of her opponents as Deplorables. At some point the majority of people, who, by the way, are not racist, are going to get fed up with being told how deplorable they are.
You accuse others of not seeing both sides of the argument. I would certainly accuse you of that myself.