tavernier (1,782 posts) http://upload.democraticunderground.com/10026259811
Never in my life (and I'm a white woman) did I ever expect to see the blatant disrespect of our president, no matter the color or party, that I have have seen in these past few years.
I'm almost seventy years old and I've lived through some amazing and horrible times; a president and leaders murdered, hopes and dreams dashed, struggles to make us better people and a stronger nation, despite our differences.
But I did not know that somewhere in this underbelly of our struggle there was a current of hatred that was boiling over to destroy our hopes of equality for all.
I'm both encouraged by our progress,and yet saddened by the ugliness that has followed.
I truly thought that we were way beyond that. I t truly thought that our constitution defined us as being created equal. I never realized that only some of us believed it.
msanthrope (29,242 posts)
1. I see it on this board...barely cloaked. nt
chillfactor (1,203 posts)
4. same here...I am a 73-year-old white woman and I have seen so much hate in the last 10 years it has blown my mind....I have never seen so much hate and horrible insults thrown at a president in my lifetime...it makes me sick inside.....yet to President Obama's credit he remains upbeat and positive.....I wish I had the courage he has........
mountain grammy (6,397 posts)
7. The vile rhetoric has always been with us..
I remember hearing it about the Kennedy's. They were especially hated. The difference is, it was on the fringe, marginalized, relegated to little John Birch Society meetings, or followers of Joe McCarthy, etc. Even though McCarthy made it to the mainstream and had a following, he was publicly called out for his crazy crap.
I believe Fox news changed everything. Right wing radio was there, but far away and not yet respectable. There was fox, with all the pretty ladies pretending to be real news. We report you decide, what could possibly be wrong with that?
First Ronald Reagan, then a few years later, Fox News, and suddenly stupid is accepted and respected in America.
Aerows (29,224 posts)
10. I'm white, I'm female, I'm a Democrat
and I'm gay.
I voted for President Obama twice.
That said, if I disagree with his policy or his decisions, it's because I disagree with his policies and decisions.
I have no idea where this post came from, but I'm never going to be beyond disagreeing with the policies of a politician, black, white, gender, religion, sexual orientation, etc.
I'll never be shamed into agreeing with a politician that I think is doing the wrong thing based upon the above, either, just because some calls me a bigot.
betsuni (997 posts)
11. I blame the rise of talk radio that replaced music with
addicting anger and hate, the commercialization of fundamentalist Christianity, and then of course Fox News.
hibbing (2,463 posts)
13. it's disgusting
I am very saddened by it all. Let us not forget the vile McCain campaign and the question of "Who is Barack Obama", and the constant none too subtle comments that have followed since then. I hope eventually that the vast majority of the population will get beyond it, it being race.
Peace
calimary (37,496 posts)
15. I'm a 61 year old white woman and you took the words right outta my mouth.
I think it is just the BIGGEST DAMN DISGRACE EVER!!! EVER!!!!! I cannot believe the disrespect that has been heaped upon this President. I'm just incredulous. Stupified! Shit - if we did that to one of theirs, they'd be dragging us out of our homes and throwing us in prison! How dare they?
It's just a damn shame. All it comes down to (and I find it embarrassing even to think this - but I DO) is that there's a black guy in the Oval Office and he isn't the janitor. And they can't frickin' stand it.
We've seen a lot of the same things, tavernier. And you put it so succinctly -
"I'm both encouraged by our progress,and yet saddened by the ugliness that has followed.
I truly thought that we were way beyond that. I t truly thought that our constitution defined us as being created equal. I never realized that only some of us believed it."
I'll bet you felt so good on Election Night 2008 - for the same reason I did. I thought the election of Barack Obama to the Presidency signified the turning of a BIG page - that we were finally over it. That we'd finally gotten past the racism that has just crippled this country - a huge scar across our history. I thought it meant that wound had finally healed over. But no. It was actually an open, oozing mess. I'm ashamed of so many of my fellow Americans. I can't believe what they're doing and saying! I'm appalled. I want to go up to each and every one of them and say "SHAME ON YOU." And hint around how they could be flirting with treason charges - for attempting this kind of thing against the Commander-in-Chief - during wartime. Which this IS. The US still has active battle engagements going on, still has hot zones. We still have plenty of active-duty fellow citizens out there in harm's way as of this writing. And even if it doesn't technically fit the definition of treason - I'd STILL throw it at 'em. Because THIS is what's Un-American. How the CONS and other GOP extremist vermin are behaving toward our President.
Whether those assholes like it or not, he's THEIR President, too. That calls for a show of respect.
AverageJoe90 (10,468 posts)
16. Blows my mind, too. The far-right has indeed become truly unhinged, and frankly, it's almost a literal bloody miracle that we haven't had another Oklahoma City incident happen just yet.
Vattel (5,602 posts)
24. I don't see too much of a change. Clinton was even accused of murder by guests on major news shows. You have a cite for that, retard?
Bush was given no respect by the left, and Obama gets no respect from the right. That comes with the territory, and Obama handles it gracefully. I do believe that Obama gets extra hatred directed his way due to racism. Sadly, racism is still alive and well in America. But I also believe that the tendency by some on this board to claim that much of the criticism of Obama from the left is racially-motivated is not based on any real evidence that this is the case.
spanone (79,663 posts)
53. racism is deeply ingrained and exploited by the gop
artemis starwolf (23 posts)
62. I'm a dog groomer
I had a client, an elderly lady who, like me, hated George Bush, and we used to laugh about it. Then came McCain and Palin and I couldn't wait to her scathing comments on Sarah Palin. Surprise! She said, " I like her! She can wear all the lipstick she wants!" When I expressed my surprise, she said, " I'd rather have those two than one of 'them' in the White House!" Them. We all knew what she meant. This was the first, but hardly the last, racial comment i heard made about Obama. A few years later, I was getting my car fixed, because a bolt had sheared off my alternator mount. My husband had put in a temporary bolt to hold it until we got it to the garage. The mechanic said, " oh, I see you ' presidentially rigged' it! " I never went back there again.
chervilant (6,451 posts)
64. 59 YO "white" woman here.
I've been a member of DU for quite a while now. I remember the disgust I felt at the number of vile, sexist anti-Hillary posts that preceded the selection of Barack Obama as our democratic candidate. I left DU for a while because of that misogynistic derision of one of our own, but I was firmly committed to voting for Obama when he became our candidate.
I feel a similar disgust about the relentless racism, derision and condescension thrown at our president AND his amazing partner AND their lovely children. The racists are loud and proud. The hatred is visceral and ugly.
In fact, I was wrongfully terminated the Tuesday before Thanksgiving because I had the temerity to address the pernicious racism against President Obama spewed by my boss. I couldn't go over his head because the owner of the company is just a racist. They both hate President Obama, and did not hesitate to deride him in the workplace, often within earshot of me, and more so after I asked my boss to respect my right not to hear this racism in the workplace.
I think racism, hatred, derision, sarcasm and verbal bullying (bullying of ALL sorts) are increasing measurably (ref: Calhoun's work on overpopulation). I'm appalled, but not surprised.
Aerows (29,224 posts)
10. I'm white, I'm female, I'm a Democrat
and I'm gay.
Vattel (5,602 posts)
Bush was given no respect by the left, and Obama gets no respect from the right. That comes with the territory, and Obama handles it gracefully. I do believe that Obama gets extra hatred directed his way due to racism.
I do believe that Obama gets extra hatred directed his way due to racism.
Apparently you don't need a functioning irony meter to be a Democrat.
Neither BHO nor WJC are worth the self-destructive energy for me to hate them, but I disrespect both, due to their policies and (in)actions, not the color of their skin.
I actually think Clinton believed in American exceptionalism and the greatness of our country.
Obama hates America. His wife even admitted that the first time she was proud of this country was when they elected her husband..
tavernier (1,782 posts)
I'm almost seventy years old
chillfactor (1,203 posts)
4. same here...I am a 73-year-old white woman
calimary (37,496 posts)
15. I'm a 61 year old white woman
chervilant (6,451 posts)..........Elderly hippie chicks...Clearly wisdom does not come with age.
64. 59 YO "white" woman here.
tavernier (1,782 posts) http://upload.democraticunderground.com/10026259811
Never in my life (and I'm a white woman) did I ever expect to see the blatant disrespect of our president, no matter the color or party, that I have have seen in these past few years.
Words cannot describe the hypocrisy seen here, considering how much horrific hatred the DUmmies leveled against George W. Bush. I was willing to at least give Obama a chance when he was first elected (Which he failed at in my book less than a year into his term), the left and especially the DUmmies wouldn't even give Bush that when he was first elected.
" The vile rhetoric has always been with us..
I remember hearing it about the Kennedy's"
I remember hearing it on the DUmp in a thread in which a DUmmy referred to Bush and Cheney as a "Rabid ape" and a "Vile pig," respectively. And that was just ONE thread!
How many times have they referred to Bush as "Chimpy" or worse?
How many times have the DUmmies openly called for a violent revolution against Bush when he was president (Given, those threads were always good for a laugh, since the DUmmies are the ultimate Internet Tough Guys who'd never act on a single word of it)?
How many times have the DUmmies even gone so far as to openly wish death on Bush and those who worked with/ for him? I recall one particularly charming thread in which a DUmmy put forth the question of what movie character's on- screen death they'd like to see inflicted on Bush, Cheney, etc.. Some of the suggestions offered before the thread vanished down the memory hole were for them to melt like the Wicked Witch of the West, for them to explode like Mr. Big in 'Live and Let Die,' one DUmmy wishing Bush would drown in a vat of oil, and many others.
Hypocrisy, the sign of a true liberal.
Do they actually not realize how idiotic they are? :rotf:
..........Elderly hippie chicks...Clearly wisdom does not come with age.
Concur that BHO is considerably worse than WJC. WJC was indolent and incompetent; BHO adds something in the range from dislike to hatred - for the US - to WJC's faults.
As for HRC, I don't think she's indolent - more's the pity, since she is incompetent, and though she dislikes the US less than does BHO, I think she does dislike the US.
Agree. Clinton was incompetent and his wife does dislike the United States. Both Hilary and Barack were disciplines of Alinsky. I think Obama just hates it that much more..
tavernier (1,782 posts) http://upload.democraticunderground.com/10026259811
Never in my life (and I'm a white woman) did I ever expect to see the blatant disrespect of our president, no matter the color or party, that I have have seen in these past few years.
I dislike Obama's color...or colors...his politics are red(communist)...his religion is green(Islam)...oh, and BTW, he's half white.
Right, why is he the first black president too? he's not 100% black. Why does he never claim his white heritage?Because then people would expect him to at least act like he had half a brain.
Right, why is he the first black president too? he's not 100% black. Why does he never claim his white heritage?