Capitol Hill Blue Forums Political Issues Politics In General Is it too soon to be talking 2020?

Why is the color of Obama's feet important? To me he was Mr. President. Just as all other presidents in my lifetime. Although presidents from LBJ through Obama were 1966-2012 were also CINC's.

Because white nationalists never see color. I just like to rub it in. All Lives Matter much?

So 4 months out of 8 years Obama had enough votes to end filibusters. Of course one of those votes was Joe Lieberman, who pretty much killed the public option in ACA. So not a very reliable vote. Combine that with Republican House and Senate that threatens to filibuster to keep him from accomplishing anything at all, no matter how good it was for the country. Plus Blue Dog Democrats from conservative states who feel they can't always vote the straight Party line.

Exactly how was he supposed to get any bills passed during those 7 2/3 years? Shoot Republican congressmen? Have his secret police kidnap them? I think you are blaming Obama for things that were out of his control. He did what he could with the tools that were available to him.

I suppose that makes me a white nationalist them. Perhaps almost everyone in the military. We see folks as privates, sergeants, Captains, colonels, generals and the different GS and WG ranks are Mr. and Mrs. or MS. depending.

I know of no one who asked the solider behind him who had your back what race or religion he was. I suppose it happened. with Obama I looked at him as my CINC the same as G.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, G.H.W. Bush, Reagan and all others.

And yes, I do think all lives matter, especially those in our military. Way too many died young and now wear the scars of their duty so people I suppose can call us white nationalist.

It was a test. You failed, see why.

So be it. But I'm comfortable with my failure for whatever reason. I still can't see or understand why civilians have this fixation on race. Why race is so absolutely important to them. It seems we military folks have put all that race stuff behind us. Civilians keep it front and centered.

Besides job related, you ever walk into a PX or Commissary. You'd be surprised to see all the interracial marriages, all the mixed kids. we're basically one huge family taking care of each other regardless of race or religion. You're fixation on race fascinates me. I don't really understand it, but at the same time am fascinated.

I do think the military has pretty much attained a colorblind organization with a few exceptions here and there. I don't think that is possible in the civilian world as long a color, race takes such a high precedence and so much importance is attached to the color of one's skin.

From this little exchange, I see it is very important to you whether one is black, white, brown, yellow whereas to me all of that is irrelevant. I'd say to most military folks it is irrelevant, it's how each individual does his/her job, the trust in each other, relying on each other, helping each other out, being a member of the team and accomplishing the mission.

I do think civilians pay way too much attention to the outward appearance instead of the inner character and perhaps reliability of a person. In Vietnam and in Laos, my life was in the hands of other soldiers of all races, religion and in the hands of the Lao and Vietnamese army and their lives in my hands.

Later in other places throughout the world, Afghanistan and Iraq being the most recent, their lives regardless of race was in a way still in my hands for the support I and others provided as Department of the Army civilians. We never asked what race they were or whether they were Afghani or Iraqi. Civilians are crazy when it comes to race, utterly crazy.

Race matters because an overwhelming majority of U.S. history is whitewashed to make white people look like the saviors of people of color and downplayed violence against African-Americans.

The Emancipation Proclamation should have been the end of slavery in America. Instead, whites fought back so hard against change that it took another 100 years for the Civil Rights movement to stop the oppression again. Sixty years later, another movement is upon us, with white supremacists claiming that asking police not to shoot unarmed Black people is somehow anarchy.

To you, not me. I see people as people, you see them as being black, white, red, yellow, brown etc. Too much of a hangup you have on race and attach way too much importance to it.

Where we see sailors, marines, soldiers, airmen, you see black, white, brown, yellow, red sailors, marines, soldiers, airmen or should I say people as a whole. You have a race barrier, I'm glad I had my 46 years in the military, active and as a civilian, able to over come that barrier which most civilians seem unable to. That is a civilian problem.

I don't place more value on the life of a black or of a white or of a brown or of a yellow. You do. That is our difference.

I dunno that the real world is much different from the military. Didn't matter to me whether the drywall guy was black or white, didn't matter if the superintendent was Mexican. Black nurses work hand in hand with white nurses. Black mailmen deliver the mail the same as brown or white ones.

The boss is the boss no matter what color he/she is. Assh*les come in all shades and genders.

There is just as much racism in the military as there is out of it.

Our own white privilege blinds us to it sometimes.

The whole argument isn't about lives mattering...they don't. The argument is that police shouldn't shoot fleeing suspects in the back and they should not strangle them once apprehended.

And they need to stop this trend of very publicly killing people on camera and denying that they did it while defending their right to kill anyone at any time without any repercussion and maybe even admit that they seem to do it most to black people, almost as if black people's lives really just didn't matter any more than a mosquito or roach.

America is divided right now about whether we want police brutality or not. And oddly, just like everything else it has split on party lines.

Wearing a mask...

paying a living wage...

Trayvon Martin...

I gotta say a bit more about Obama. First, I don't think he is going down as a great president either. On the other hand he had problems. The Republicans fought everything he did tooth and nail and they had the upper hand for 6 of the 8 years. Then there was Obamacare. He, for instance, wanted a public option but his own party, the Democrats would not allow it! the Democrats! You might also find it interesting that the Republicans actually wrote half of Obamacare and, when it came up for a vote, not a single Republican voted for it! Some of you thought he just didn't do enough. Well, first, the Republicans made sure that the Democrats couldn't legislate anything. Obama, again, was forced to govern by fiat, just like Trump. The difference was that the Republicans whined about that for 6 freaking years! Daily, without letup. Now, lets, see, Trump has been doing that for close to 4 years. How many Democrats have even bothered to mention that! The Republican senate has ignored over 500 bills from the House. Nobody is even allowed to read them! Basically, the Republicans have shut down the congress, as far as legislation is concerned, for the entire time the Trump administration has been up. Moscow Mitch, for instance, actually brags about it! In this instance, the Democrats occasionally mention this but, really not much. The only one to actually notice seems to be Pelosi as the other Democrats seem to have other agendas and I have no idea what that is.

So, Obama was not a great president. But, I think, it wasn't all his fault. HIS party loved a good fight, with each other when they had control. The Republicans toasted Obama every time they had an opening. When the Republicans took over in the senate the Dems made a little noise then moved on to taking a beating with little noise. Its fine to blame Obama. I, for instance, felt that Obama wasted a lot of time trying to get along with the Republicans! (he failed - surprise! But, at least, he did try) I also found it interesting that the Republicans, during this time, also took over a LOT of State legislatures. It seems to me that The Democrats just went to sleep on the job. Its kinda like Female causes. They get active about every 30 years and the rest of the time - nothing. The Republicans, on the other hand never shut up, march in step, and fight the same fights. They rarely fight within the party (except during the Trump reign) whilst the Dems are constantly taking shots at each other, have a purist wing that makes sure functional legislators are purged (often because of transgressions that happened in high school, etc), and otherwise have a great time.

So, have a great time ranking on Obama, and anybody else you want. Such behavior is just the way it is (and its a damned shame!)

I will vote against Trump in November as I really want him gone. If the Dems win then that's great! All that being said, I, unlike those with the firm belief that the Dems are going to win, am just holding my breath until that actually comes to pass.

One can only wonder........