The Obama Presidency

[Josh]

Shut up, hippie.

[Diff-chan]

How many members of the US military do you think the five terrorists traded will kill?

Probably zero, since we are withdrawing from Afghanistan.

I mean, were they even "terrorists"? They were Afghanis and former members of the Taliban hierarchy who were fighting the US military in Afghanistan. They weren't blowing up shit in Indiana or whatever. I don't like how "terrorist" has become this stupid word that basically means anyone we don't like.

[Doc Holliday]

What does climate change even matter? What happened to not polluting because it is nasty and makes the earth nasty? Are we really arguing about picking up the dog shit in the living room because it might make us sick, ignoring the bigger point that it nasty and shouldn't be in the house?

This is one of those rare moments when the Professor spouts off a buttcheekism that is utterly brilliant!

Cherish it folks, it's like a comet.

[Drewbacca]

What does climate change even matter? What happened to not polluting because it is nasty and makes the earth nasty? Are we really arguing about picking up the dog shit in the living room because it might make us sick, ignoring the bigger point that it nasty and shouldn't be in the house?

Because the goal is legislation.

VICE isn't particularly hard hitting or interesting these days.

Their benefit was about more holistic journalism—showing conditions in places other news agencies don't provide insight in to. That's just regular journalism. Plus—how "edgy" do people think an interview with the President will be?

[Fe 26]

http://kaiserhealthnews.org/news/how...n-mississippi/

interesting write up on how and why obamacare failed in Mississippi.

Its kind of a shitty read though. The writer goes off on tangents a lot. Drags. Pretends to be Faulkner, etc. I got about 75% through it and just started to scroll to the end because the writer started ranting again.

[Diff-chan]

They didn't go through with the Medicaid expansion, right? That was probably the key cause. That state has a lot of poor people and they got nothing from the ACA.

[Doc Holliday]

Drew, I'm not sure if you pay attention to the news or social media, but race relations are at a forty year low. Slavery is the defining flaw of the United States and the unresolved issue which has persistently fanned the flames. As the first black president, Obama has the opportunity to address the issue from a position no white president has. But he dosen't and he probably gives no fucks about doing so, because he is not a descendant of slaves and has no horse in the race.

Vice, or any media outlet, should question him on this. The problem runs deep and requires action on both sides. But it can be done and needs to be done. Crime and gang activity has to be reduced in the black community and has to do so internally. That can't come from white people or police. It has to come from black community, religious, and family leaders. But those idle hand problems certainly are exacerbated by the unemployment level, which is double that of whites. So, a real effort to implement affirmative action needs to take place until black & white unemployment levels come within points and not 5%/11%. As well banks need to have initiative to loan to black owned small businesses.

It would be a massive undertaking requiring sacrifices on all sides and only the federal government has the power to organize and implement it. But doing so would finally heal the wounds of slavery and give blacks an equal identity and purpose in the nation. If not, we keep on having Fergusons.

[kedawa]

It would be easier to just pay poor people to get sterilized.

[Error]

Obama is doing his damdest to make sure that it won't take 41 more tries before a second black president is elected. That means no angry black man in the white house, no ranting about slavery. He's doing more for blacks in America just by doing that than he ever could by yelling at whitey about race relations.

[Doc Holliday]

They don't think it be like it is, but it do. His presidency, or maybe just his inaction on race relations, has antagonized division. Whites think a black man holding the highest office in the land means we're done and equality has finally arrived. Blacks realized it hasn't, and all the issues they face are magnified in the unatainability of being where he is.


EDIT: I would argue one or two more Mike Bown/Treyvon's in the next 20 months of his presidency will do more dameage to the next black candidates than his pandering nice guy routine ever will.