Buchanan on Obama's race speech: "We hear the grievances. Where is the gratitude?"
Discussing Sen. Barack Obama's speech addressing race and controversial comments by his former pastor, Jeremiah Wright, Pat Buchanan wrote in his syndicated column: "Wright ought to go down on his knees and thank God he is an American." Buchanan then asserted that "no people anywhere has done more to lift up blacks than white Americans," adding: "We hear the grievances. Where is the gratitude?"
In a March 21 syndicated column headlined "A Brief for Whitey," conservative commentator and MSNBC contributor Pat Buchanan asserted, "America has been the best country on earth for black folks. It was here that 600,000 black people, brought from Africa in slave ships, grew into a community of 40 million, were introduced to Christian salvation, and reached the greatest levels of freedom and prosperity blacks have ever known." Buchanan was discussing Sen. Barack Obama's March 18 speech addressing race and controversial comments by his former pastor, Jeremiah A. Wright. He continued, "Wright ought to go down on his knees and thank God he is an American." Buchanan then asserted that "no people anywhere has done more to lift up blacks than white Americans." Later in the column, Buchanan added: "We hear the grievances. Where is the gratitude?"
Buchanan repeatedly referred to Obama as "Barack" throughout the column, using Obama's last name only once, in the 27th paragraph.
Buchanan's column, syndicated by Creators Syndicate, was posted on the WorldNetDaily, Real Clear Politics and VDARE.com websites, as well as on his own website.
From Buchanan's March 21 column:
Barack says we need to have a conversation about race in America.
Fair enough. But this time, it has to be a two-way conversation. White America needs to be heard from, not just lectured to.
This time, the Silent Majority needs to have its convictions, grievances and demands heard. And among them are these:
First, America has been the best country on earth for black folks. It was here that 600,000 black people, brought from Africa in slave ships, grew into a community of 40 million, were introduced to Christian salvation, and reached the greatest levels of freedom and prosperity blacks have ever known.
Wright ought to go down on his knees and thank God he is an American.
Second, no people anywhere has done more to lift up blacks than white Americans. Untold trillions have been spent since the '60s on welfare, food stamps, rent supplements, Section 8 housing, Pell grants, student loans, legal services, Medicaid, Earned Income Tax Credits and poverty programs designed to bring the African-American community into the mainstream.
Governments, businesses and colleges have engaged in discrimination against white folks - with affirmative action, contract set-asides and quotas -- to advance black applicants over white applicants.
Churches, foundations, civic groups, schools and individuals all over America have donated time and money to support soup kitchens, adult education, day care, retirement and nursing homes for blacks.
We hear the grievances. Where is the gratitude?
Yeah, and what about all you Native Americans? Get with the program. White America subsidizes all those spacious reservations you were given so you could build those casinos.
Reels the mind.
Even for Pat Buchanan this was pretty breathtaking. Buchanan says:
"no people anywhere has done more to lift up blacks than white Americans. Untold trillions have been spent since the '60s on welfare, food stamps, rent supplements, Section 8 housing, Pell grants, student loans, legal services, Medicaid, Earned Income Tax Credits and poverty programs designed to bring the African-American community into the mainstream."
Well let's see..our constitution originally designated "black folks" as 3/5 a person, gave them no freedom and severely punished those who tried to achieve it. Even after we fought a civil war it took another hundred years to get even basic civil and human rights during which time lynching was commonplace it certain parts of the country. When Pat mentions the trillions spent on welfare, legal services, Medicaid, poverty programs, etc., he neglects to mention that the right wing of this country fought those programs every step of the way. He also neglects to mention that not one of those programs was designed to help "black folks" but rather to help the poor, regardless of color. The fact that a disproportionate number of poor in this country happen to be African American speaks for itself. Now that Buchanan has so boldly exposed himself for what he is will MSNBC's talk hosts continue to treat him as the respected house right-wing blatherer?
Unfortunately, yes. Just when you thought Buchannon couldn't get any stupider he goes on tv and says Jesus supports the death penalty.
In a related development, Jesus' publicist released a statement saying that Jesus does NOT support Pat Buchannan.....
:-)
Unfortunately, yes. Just when you thought Buchannon couldn't get any stupider he goes on tv and says Jesus supports the death penalty.
In a related development, Jesus' publicist released a statement saying that Jesus does NOT support Pat Buchannan.....
:-)
I have never seen such self centered greed coming from someone who claims to be so religious.
Never?
Are you serious?
What country do you live in?
That is what kills me about this whole thing. The right has ALWAYS opposed every single program that is designed to make life better for people, no matter what the color of their skin is - social security, Medicare, you name it. Then they come here and basically say "look what WE have done for blacks, they should appreciate the progress". Well, rightwingers, you've done NOTHING and you and your ilk (along with far too Many southern Democrats) would have been perfectly happy if nothing had changed since the 60's. Who here can take Buchanan seriously, a man who has no credibility in this area (and very few other areas too)?
The truth is that without people like Wright, as out of touch his opinions TODAY might be, there would have been NO progress 40 years ago.
Many southern Democrats) would have been perfectly happy if nothing had changed since the 60's.
Yeah, and many of those would prefer the 1860s
You're forgetting one very inportant thing there, Oscar - the huge philosophical shift that occurred in the two main political parties in the '60s. Prior to the Civil Rights Movement, there were many liberal Republicans and many conservative Democrats. Once the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed, conservatives line Strom Thurmond left the Democratic Party for the GOP, and many others followed his lead. And over the years, many moderate and liberal Republicans have found themselves forced out of their own party - and found a new home with the Democrats.
Bottom line? It's incorrect to paint this as a Republican-vs-Democrat dynamic. It's more Liberal/Progressive--vs-Conservative. The conservatives just switched parties, but they're just as wrong today as they were 50 or 60 years ago.
You're not kidding. Take a look at the Sotheast, which I'll define as: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky
Louisianna, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. Following reconstruction, and ignoring the Grant elections, when the democrats were in disarray, [so from 1876] through the 1964 election, these 14 states held a total of 314 federal elections. In these, the D won a total of 264 of them. (84%!). The R won a total of just 45. (14%!) In 5 cases a third party candidate won – 4 of these were Strom Thurmond in '48. R's carried at lest 7 of these 14 states only 2x in 23 elections! In 9 of these elections, (39%!) they failed to win a SINGLE STATE! Even in '48, when the Democrats didn’t carry four of the states, those went to Thurmond and his “Dixiecrats.” In '60, Mississippi, refusing to award it electors to Kennedy, also chose an independent (Byrd) over the R, Nixon! In both of the cases where the R's carried a majority of these states, they also went on to win the presidency. However, Democratic SWEEPS occurred twice in LOSING EFFORTS! And a Democrat who would go on to LOSE to election won at least 7 of these 14 states a total of 10x! F.Roosevelt never lost a single one of these states in 4 elections, and Wilson lost only 1 in 2 elections. Adlai Stephenson took 9 of 14 from the very popular Eisenhower in '52! So to say that the Southest was a democratic lock was an understatement.
But the wheels were turning… Following Civil Rights Legislation, the SE shifted. From '68 to 2004, these same 14 states held 140 federal elections. In these, the Republican carried a total of 106. (76%!) They failed to capture at least 7 of the 14 only once – in 1976 Jimmy Carter carried 12. That accounts for almost half of the D victories (29) in the SE since '68. In '68, all 5 of the states carried by Independent (and civil rights opponent) George Wallace were in the Southeast. The R's swept the region four times. George W. Bush never lost a single state. Reagan lost only 2 in 2 elections, both in '80. Nixon swept the region in '72. (But, to be fair, almost swept the entire country.) The R's also carried at least seven states twice in a losing effort. (Despite Clinton’s relative appeal in the south he never carried more than 6 of these states.)
So there you go: From 1876 to 1964 the region was 84% Democrat. And since 1968 it’s been 75% Republican. There’s your “conservative revolution.” Six words: Southern. White. Men. Started. Voting. Republican.
Six words: Southern. White. Men. Started. Voting. Republican.
And six more words: Southern. White. Men. Still. Burning. Crosses.
And you can see the opposite happening in the Northeast, which I’ll define as: Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia (which we’ll call a ‘state’ for convenience,) Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. From 1876 to 1960 the R's won 160 of 213 federal elections. (75%.) The R’s swept the region six times in 21 elections. The region was carried (6 states) by the R all but 4 times. The R carried at least 6 of the 11 states in a LOSING effort a total of 7x. McKinley, Harding, Coolidge and Eisenhower never lost a SINGLE STATE. Hoover took 6 of the 11 states in his bid for reelection against Roosevelt – who won the general election in a landslide! Wilson carried only 1 state in HIS bid for reelection.
But starting with Kennedy, and going through the Civil Rights era, all that changed as well. Since 1960 the Democrats have won 92 out of 143 elections. (64%.) Take away the Nixon and Reagan landslides (’72, ’80, ’84) and that number goes to 86 out of 107 (80%!.) Plus: Both of the states carried by McGovern in ’72 were in this region, as was one of the two carried by Mondale in ’84. Lyndon Johnson, Bill Clinton and John Kerry didn’t lose a single state and Al Gore lost only one and Humphrey beat Nixon 8 to 4 in this region in ’68. (And Kennedy beat him 8 to 3 in '60.)
So from 75% Republican to 64% (or 80%) Democrat at about the same time the SE underwent the opposite flip.
This fun/interesting (for me) so I'll continue. Sorry if this is too far off topic!
Now, the MIDWEST:
Prior to 1960 and going back to post reconstruction (1876) the Midwest, defined as Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin was pretty solidly Republican. The Republican won 113 of 167 elections in the region (68%), swept the region 5 times, and carried at least 4 or 8 states twice in losing efforts. In their first runs, Teddy Roosevelt, Taft, Harding, Hoover and Eisenhower didn’t lose a single state. Coolidge lost only one – to LaFollete, a “Progressive” and Eisenhower lost only one in his bid for re-election. Franklin Roosevelt lost 7 of the 16 states in his last two bids for re-election, both of which were landslides nationally.
Starting in 1960 that changed. The Midwest became a solid battle ground region. Republicans have taken 51 election to the Democrat’s 45. (a 53/47% split.) The region has only been swept twice – once by Nixon (R), Once by Johnson (D). It has been split 4/4 four times. Carter and Mondale both took states in this region from Reagan (well, they each took Minnesota) avoiding a regional sweep in a landside year while Dole and George H Bush took Indiana – avoiding a regional sweep by Clinton in two lopsided, but not necessarily landslide, years. Missouri and Ohio have gone the winner every year. While some states are partisan, Minnesota has gone Democrat all but once and Indiana has Republican all but once, most midwest states can be won by either candidate: Illinois is split 6/6 (R/D), Iowa 8/4, Michigan 5/7, Missouri and Ohio 7/5, and Wisconsin 5/7.
The Pacific West, defined as Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington was largely immune to the political changes taking place in the 1960’s. They didn’t shift politically until 1992. From Reconstruction (1876) to 1956 the Republicans won 41 of the 63 state elections. (65%.) They won a majority of states twice in a losing effort and swept the region 11 times. (Although that did not include Alaska or Hawaii until 1952.) Only Franklin Roosevelt swept the region for the Democrats and while he did this four times, and all four elections were national landslides. So the region was pretty solidly Republican.
And from 1960 to 1988 not much changed. Republicans still won 30 of the 40 state elections - 75%. If anything, the region went more Republican! This is only strange in that in recent elections it’s been a lock for the democrats, but more on that later. Nixon lost only two states in three elections – Kennedy took Hawaii and Humphrey took Washington. Reagan never lost a state and Ford only lost one (Hawaii.) Alaska (which, politically is more of a Mountain state) has gone to a Democrat only once: to Johnson in his ’68 landslide. And “liberal” California? They had an identical voting record to Alaska! Cali also went Republican every year except 1968!
But since 1992 things have changed. Clinton, Gore and Kerry each carried every state, every year except Alaska, which remained solidly republican. That a shift from 75% Republican from 1960-88 (After being 65% Republican from 1876 to 1960) to 80% Democrat 1992-2004!
The Mountain states (Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming) have always been, and remain, virtual Republican locks. Overall, since 1876 the state elections have gone to the Republican 70% of the time. (247 out of 353.) In 33 elections the Republicans have swept the region 16 times, including once in a losing effort. They’ve carried a majority of the region twice in losing efforts, and split it twice more in losing efforts. (And in one of those, 1892, they took four states while the Progressive took 4. The (winning) Democrats only took one – split in a three way tie!) The only Democrats to solidly carry the region mainly did so in lopsided notional victories: Johnson in 64, took all but Arizona (Goldwater’s home state); Roosevelt swept the region in his first two election but battles in the last two, winning just 13 of 24, both national landslides; and Wilson won 10 of 12 and 11 of 12 in each of his runs. But aside from those strong democratic campaigns (regionally and nationally) the only anomaly is William Jennings Bryan who took 9 of 10 states for the Democrats in 1896 in a losing effort. Clinton never carried more than 4 states in both of his lopsided national victories. Carter never got a single one in either bid. Kennedy got only 2 in 1960. On the other hand: Reagan, Ford, Eisenhower, Hoover, Coolidge, Harding and Teddy Roosevelt never lost a single state for the Republicans while both Bush’s and Nixon, swept the region at least once and lost only seven states in seven elections between them. And since 1952 the Republicans have won 87% of the state elections, with over half (11) of the 21 losses coming in ’64 to Johnson. Take that year out and the region goes to 94% Republican since 1952.
................................
So that's everyone! The SE & NE flipped in the 1960's, the MW went from solidly Republicna to a battle-ground at the same time, the Pacific states went Dem in the 1990's (not the 1960's!) and the Mountain states have always been, and remian, Republican territory.
Sorry if I got carried away!
So that's everyone! The SE & NE flipped in the 1960's, the MW went from solidly Republicna to a battle-ground at the same time, the Pacific states went Dem in the 1990's (not the 1960's!) and the Mountain states have always been, and remian, Republican territory.
But the Mountain States seem to be trending blue. Foe example, Colorado used to be infested with Republicans - now both house of the Legislature have been under Democratic control since 2005, and Democrats are the majority part in teh Congressional Delegation and hold almost every state-wide office.
Wars, bailouts, and interest on the national debt drown poverty spending.
Others here will cite Buchanan's more obvious errors, which come in at least four major categories.
"Barack says we need to have a conversation about race in America. Fair enough. But this time, it has to be a two-way conversation. White America needs to be heard from, not just lectured to. ... We hear the grievances. Where is the gratitude?"
There are grievances that black America needs to hear and remedy. Let's start with crime and drugs.
In the 1930s, '40s and '50s, there were lynchings. Unemployment among African-Americans reached 50 percent. There were separate drinking fountains and blacks couldn't sit at certain lunch counters. They had to move to the back of the bus. But the crime rate among blacks was a tiny fraction of what it is now.
Rates of violent crime, alcoholism and drug abuse are far higher among African-Americans than among whites. They are far higher than they were among blacks during the Great Depression. So don't blame poverty and don't blame Whitey.
Then there's the dropout rate. Acadamic achievement isn't considered stylish among some African-Americans. Those who excel are accused of not being black enough. Only athletic and musical achievements are recognized.
Hand in hand with these problems is the problem of fatherless black families.
If more black fathers would stay at home, raise their children, make sure they stay in school and study, and set a good example for them, there would be fewer black teenagers dropping out of school, turning to crime and to drugs.
These are fair grievances. And they need to be addressed and resolved. All the white guilt and reparations in the world will never make a bit of difference. It is behavior among African-Americans that has the greatest need for change.
<i>Buchanan repeatedly referred to Obama as "Barack" throughout the column, using Obama's last name only once,</>
I suppose we should be grateful he didn't call him "boy."
I am watching this debate from afar....there is nothing I could add to its value. However. I am not unique in that I never layed eyes on a person of color until the age of 18. I have never known, personally, a person of color. I am in my 50's. It so happens that where I grew up and chose to live (in eastern Oregon) there are no persons of color. Question: What do I owe this group the rest of you identify as "people of color"? If I owe where do I send the check? How much? Can I make payments IF it is more than I have saved? Last point: Why would some one like me who has lived as I want to, where I want to, have any desire to enter your world of hate, angst and turmoil?
Personally I don't think you owe anybody one red cent. Nonetheless, in my opinion, you should care whether Americans of all racial and ethnic groups are treated fairly, and are not antagonistic toward one another. It stands to reason that "getting along" is inherently necessary in making our nation, complete with a multitude of races and ethnicities, strong and prosperous
Not that he should, but if he were to begin thanking people for protecting his rights and so on, why should he limit his thanks to people of color, as you imply?
His post implied that since he lives in an all white area and he's never had many dealings with non-whites, he doesn't them anyone anything.
Every one of us owes a debt to those who've come before us, in the workplace, in the military and in our neighborhoods. None of us would be where we are today if generations of people of every race and creed had not fought for what we take for granted today.
Society struggles together to make life better for those who follow us. We can't all just go off in the woods and declare that we owe no one anything.
It's more of an appreciation and understanding than an actual thank you..
My post doesn't make his post irrelevent. I didn't think his post was particularly fair and balanced but that's just my opinion.
The U.S. is not perfect, but what country is?
That's right-wing logic for you.
There's nothing logical about the right wing.
The U.S. is not perfect, but what country is?
I remember being 14 years old and paying my 15cents to ride the bus just like everyone else but I could not sit in those first 10 seats. I remember asking my father why I had to go to the back of the bus when I paid my 15cents just like everyone else. He said those were the rules and that was the law and I had to follow the law. That year was 1948. When I hear Rev. Wright I understand, life was much harder for a young black man than a young black woman. Because white men felt threaten, they treated black men extremely harsh. In 1955 a 14 year old black child, Emmett Till was visiting relatives in the south, Emmett was from Chicago. He was taken from his uncle’s house in the middle of the night, a common practice, murdered. I remember hearing stories of that Emmett was murdered because he whistled at a white woman. A 14 year old child taken from his home in the middle of the night, beaten, shot and thrown in the river. THAT is my American history and I should be grateful that some white folks decided the treat black folks like they were human?
I don't expect anyone to pay for the past deeds of some white folks but stop pretending that it didn't happen. Don't ask me to not look back, unlike you my American history is not filled with the 4th of July and apple pie, my history is paying the same price as white folks to ride the bus but being told that the law says I have to sit in the back. I don't tell these stories to cause white guilt, I tell them because THEY are my American history. No one can deny the progress we have made as a nation but don't try to act like it came easy, it didn't. Pat and folks like him had to be dragged kicking and screaming into the future that allows equal treatment of blacks. THIS IS MY AMERICAN HISTORY While I'm glad things have changed it's immoral to forget those who died to make it happen. Grateful? Yeah I'm grateful everyday to those who stood up and decided to not take the abuse anymore. I'm grateful to those who fought and died so that my children could pay their 15cents and ride in those first 10 seats. Grateful?
Thanks, Pearlene. And could you please hang around this planet a while longer, so the head-in-the-sand contingent has to face up to the fact that these things aren't ancient history? Thanks.
They're not all evil, Pearlene. Just frightened and not up to my manly standards.But you know that, right? ;0)
That argument only serves to further the complacency and arrogance that's gotten the U.S. into so much trouble. Just because American domestic policies have made strides in some areas does not mean those policies are perfect, and should not be a reason to stop calling for their improvement. Take the sty out of your own eye before commenting on your neighbor's.
A lot more blacks died because slavery wasn't abolished sooner.
"Untold trillions have been spent since the '60s on welfare, food stamps, rent supplements, Section 8 housing, Pell grants, student loans, legal services, Medicaid, Earned Income Tax Credits and poverty programs designed to bring the African-American community into the mainstream."
If someone owes you something, saying "thank you" for following through on that is a formality at best. Buchanan himself points out we brought them here as slaves, but they owe us gratitude for fulfilling the obvious moral obligation of establishing equality? We owe them that. We would deserve the harshest criticism if we didn't make these efforts.
It's sort of like criticizing your mother for drinking too much and getting a lecture on all the meals she's provided you (which you said thank you for every time anyway). What's the alternative, you were going to supply your own food at eight years old, or what? The gratitude is there, but that doesn't mean you can't point out problems.
That about sums it up perfectly.
While Black Americans are proud of the good their country has achieved, they are still mindful of the fact that that same country has and is still willing to screw them over (individually or Katrina scale) on a whim.
Guess what, all you racist yokels:
Obama does get to have it both ways. He has both white and black family members, and thus has every right to speak candidly on both ethnicities (which overlap more often in American history than people like to admit). I am half Spanish and half English, and I have lots of Americans in my family too. So I get to say "typical Spaniard" or "typical Briton" or "typical American". Why? because I have known many, experienced their customs, and know from whence I speak.
You...Don't.
So STFU.
Randy Newman discussed this topic in the song Sail Away:
In America you'll get food to eat
Won't have to run through the jungle
And scuff up your feet
You'll just sing about Jesus and drink wine all day
It's great to be an American
Ain't no lions or tigers
Ain't no mamba snake
Just the sweet watermelon and the buckwheat cake
Ev'rybody is as happy as a man can be
Climb aboard, little wog
Sail away with me
Sail away
Sail away
We will cross the mighty ocean into Charleston Bay
Sail away
Sail away
We will cross the mighty ocean into Charleston Bay
In America every man is free
To take care of his home and his family
You'll be as happy as a monkey in a monkey tree
You're all gonna be an American
Sail away
Sail away
We will cross the mighty ocean into Charleston Bay
Sail away
Sail away
We will cross the mighty ocean into Charleston Bay
At very least, the USA should have expropriated the property of the traitors who actually waged war on thecountry, murdering millions of loyal Americans. But they were allowed to keep their property and force the former slaves into sharecropper status--not too far different from their previous state. And after the secret deal that resolved the Hayes-Tilden election removed federal troops from the south, the brutal oppression ramped up to last for close to a HUNDRD YEARS. And all in violations of America's stated principles, if not the law itself. Had the Union turned the property of the traitors to their former victims , that might have been some reparation--but despite their capital crimes against the United States, folkss just couldn't see taking property away from White Men.
Pat Buchanan's argument translates thus. "Hay, look, I'm sorry I ran over your little girl with my car. The brakes failed, and I had them fixed. So we're square, right? Cost me a bundle to get them fixed!"
The non-explicit agreement that evolved (as was pointed out, over the screams of the Racist Right) was not to try to compensate for the crime, but to work to undo the damage that had been wrought . Damage that had been openly and brutally going on untill only 40 years ago--and continues today.
Sorry, Pat, but you don't get to say 'I'm tired of writing these checks! And The guy never thanks me for them! He's damaging me now!" THat all is part of the damage settlement. You're getting off easy for what you did, and if you thing preferences in college enrollment is equivalent to what you did, you've got another think coming.
And as a matter of fact, Mr. Buchanan, as Jena, LA shows, you haven'teven gotten the brakes fixed.
I have a question....
And although I don't agree with Buchanan in his phrasing at all in this, what I WOULD like to know is where is the outrage in the Black Community if the 13th District of Chicago, when, under Senator Obama's watch, $100 Million dollars was allocated to Tony Rezko to refurbish and make livable about 13 low-income housing structures, that afterwards ended up with no heat or water or ither services, while Senator Obama sat i his Rezko-financed mansion in the district? Where was the outrage from Pastor Wright AND HIS CONGREGATION OF 8000 in the SAME COMMUNITY when the plight of these AMERICANS was going on?
It is true that "White America", like "Black America" has neglected its responsibility in many areas, and the treatment of the African American community has been unlike any other in our history. But when Black America screams rage at White America, and the Senator from Illinois i"doesn't know" and "hasn't heard of" these people right under his nose, and BILLIONAIRE Oprah Winfrey builds a school for girls in Africa when the American public schools are crumbling, my sympathy for the current issue is tempered.
We have a long way to go, but one cannot always look outward to fix the problems. And one needs to stop looking at government for a handout - Like Rezko did, and like Obama helped to get for HIM, while ignoring the citizens of his own district.
I wonder if Pat Buchanan would hold the same opinion if he had been born Black in a ghetto in washington DC in 1938 instead of White. I wonder if he would perceive Reverand Wright's words differently if he had grown up under the same conditions and walked a mile in his shoes.
Clarity is a good thing. Pat Buchanan's contrasting his views with that of Barack Obama's provides clear lines for ALL Americans to choose the racist, divisive politics of the past -- or move forward into the future. We have 44 mil Americans w/no health insurance, a $3 trillion dollar war to pay for in REAL money-not the debt we have piled up during the Bush/Cheney debacles, 79 million baby boomers turning 60 beginning 2008-rushing into a very unstable retirement and third-age, a devalued dollar against the world's currencies, mortgage crisis eroding home values, crumbling infrastructure/bridges/levies and Katrina rebuilding unfinished, unregulated hedge-funds/investment banks requiring tax-payer bailouts and two wars to END. China, India and Europe -- Nations we helped in the 20th Century, are the beneficiaries of our jobs, technologies, etc. They are preparing their children for a competitive 21st Century. The world is turning their backs on us because we continue to allow men such as Mr. Buchanan race-bait and distract us every four years. Mr. Buchanan has distracting Americans w/race-baiting since he was in the Nixon Administrations. He laughs at the butterfly ballot that confused Democrat seniors in Florida in 2000. He constantly applies his brilliant intellect to destablize (backing Hillary over the last couple of weeks) and manipulate. If we allow him -- and I mean Republicans, Independents and Democrats alike -- to distract us at this moment in time, we will deserve to go downward, leaving our children second class citizens in the NEW WORLD ORDER George H. W. Bush ushered in with the help of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Americans of every stripe should REPUDIATE this message and ANY media outlet that publishes or puts him on air. Why does MSNBC allow him to comment on a Democratic Nomination process? He has NO CREDIBILITY. Turn the page, America. Our children are depending upon us!
I have heard many people complain about crumbs we give to blacks but it is astonishing to me that Buchanan asks , "Where is the GRATITUDE?". Thank him for what ? God given rights are not Buchanan's to give.
I have heard many people complain about crumbs we give to blacks but it is astonishing to me that Buchanan asks , "Where is the GRATITUDE?". Thank him for what ? God given rights are not Buchanan's to give.
Does that mean I can quit subsidizing Pat Buchanan's church with my tax dollars?
Seriously, i'm getting pretty tired of hearing people, especially white people (and I'm one of them), tell other people who they should denounce and who they should thank.Quite a few centuries have gone by with everybody doing everything they could to make the minority in power comfortable, but as soon as a few start speaking out about things, whiners like Buchanan think they're being victimized. Stinkin pansy.
How do you subsidize his or anyone's church? Just because a non-profit organization is tax-exempt the taxpayers are not subsidizing it. If they are receiving direct payments from the treasury that is a diferent matter.
Is the United Way tax-exempt? The American Cancer Society? Do you believe you are subsidizing them? You're making a bogus argument.
Is it confiscation when you pay your electric bill? Is the governemnt going to stop confiscating MY money and giving it to defense contractors and corporate America? Or is it only confiscation when the money is not used the way conservatives WANT it used? Taxes are the price we pay for living in a society. IF that is too burdensome for you I suggest you go find a corner of the Amazon jungle and escape all that confiscation. If you LIVE in a society and benifit FROM it. Drive on its roads are protected by its military, police, fire depts educated by it and STILL talk this confiscation nonsense then you are an idiot and a selfish one at that.
SOLON: I'm willing to pay for the electricity I use. The rates have doubled where I live in the last year. And why? The legislature in my state instituted a phony electricity deregulation several years ago that put the power-supply company out of the power-generating business. We generate almost no power in this state and buy it elsewhere. Meanwhile this same power company monopoly owns hydro rights to our waterways, But radical environmentalists will not let them harness the rivers because it might damage the delicate eco-system. And even worse the legislature -- 80 percent Democrats -- will not change the law to allow smaller power companies to form co-ops and provide power to just a few thousand homes at very reasonable rates. You see, the lawmakers of BOTH parties like those campiagn contributions from the big power company.
Take this situation -- and a similar story exists with other issues -- and juxtapose it next to those who complain the loudest about high electricity costs. They are from the group I call the BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE. They usually make quite a bit more than people like I do, so the electric bill certainly doesn't bite them as hard. They still complain. BUT when reasonable solutions are presented they oppose them because we certainly can't build a new power plant in our pastoral state and the evil power company can't actually make more money if we freed them up to produce power. Therefore nothing gets done to solve the problem and the politicians pander to these people and are rewarded with perpetual re-election.
As for the other uses of taxpayer money: Defense? That's a proper role for the federal government. I agree it should not be wasted and these contractors are way too cozy with the gov't no argument there. Corporate Welfare is a hideous scourge. I AGREE with you. We hand out money for companies to market new products among countless other things and it's not right. However, corporate income tax is paid by us in the form higher prices so I'm really not opposed to cutting those taxes as I believe economic growth is sure to follow as we the citizens will keep more of their own money.
Roads and fire and police departments: Of course we should band together to pay for these. Problem is I pay about 61 cents a gallon where I live between Fed and State gas taxes. I just don't see the benefit of that cost because the roads are falling apart here. And why?? Because that money ends up in a general fund and is never dedicated to roads. If it went to roads fine I would not argue. If we paid a police officer more than $40,000 a year fine I won't argue with that either. But so often this money goes to support a gov't benefit and pension gravy train. My healthcare contribution is 47% of the premium. My company pays 53%. The amount I pay went from $190 a paycheck to $208. That's about 9 percent. My co-pays for doctor visits and prescriptions went up 20 and 33 percent respectively. For the gov't employees? They pay 0% percent of their premium. The taxpayers pay it ALL. Co-pays are about $5, if that. What's wrong with this picture? And while I did not get a raise these workers are getting about 5% raise per year.
I guess my larger point SOLON is how much is ENOUGH? Where do we draw the line? One post I read somewhere on this site said in effect "some congressmen got together and thought it would be a good idea" Is EVERYTHING a good idea? While it would be great if everyone had free healthcare and all the food they wanted and a nice house to live in. But we can't have that kind of country without going bankrupt and/or destroying the work ethic that brings in tax revenue and makes gov't spending possible. That's why we should be prudent on what we spend our money on. If we don't defend the nation, build and maintain infrastructure, provide for local safety and security (police, fire, courts) and provide educational opportunities, then we don't have a country. Spend the money on those things.
And finally I guess the larger philosophical point is that we as a society have assigned "rights" to too many things. Whether it's a right to healthcare, right to a job or a certain standard of living. These rights just don't exist and it isn't feasible to confer these rights on the people. That's what I was getting at when saying there is no RIGHT to have the GOV'T take from your brother and GIVE to you.
Did whites EARN the front seats on the transit bus?
Did whites EARN the more desirable seats at the movie theater?
Did whites EARN their own lunch counters, drinking fountains and restrooms?
Did whites EARN the right to deny loans, housing and employment to non-whites simply because they are non-white?
Do you blame the big mean government for taking away these "hard-earned" assets of white America?
Taxes are the price of admission to our society.
Freedom isn't free! End the bush tax cuts!
Actually taxes are more the cost of the benefit you receive from that society. If there is no benefit there should be no cost. There are "externalities" to use a business term and some are good and some are bad. Having people paid a living wage lowers crime, there is a benefit that one receives when crime is lower and that is paid for through taxes (which can then be used to maintain the living wage).
At least that is how I think the argument should be framed.
Does this man's discourse move us towards solutions and social resolutions, or do we feel the gap widening and the desperation increase? Obviously the latter. So why spend time reading and following people of this ilk?
Now two things are possible, he's being paid to keep populations divided and constantly distracted and fighting, or he's simply too dense to grasp the real aspirations of humans. The latter is less believable, since it requires intentionally distorted intent to sound so rational, like the 3rd Reich Minister of Propaganda.
I've been following this prototype and until now I've been failing to name it or describe it. But I think it's beginning to sink in. These folks are neither democrats, republican, religious, nor do they hold any real principles, but are parasites of ideologies which they can exploit to maintain divisiveness.
It's time we begin to recognize them and start ignoring them...
Well, at least the Republican presidential candidate, John McCain, didn't say "I can no more turn my back on Pat Buchanan, than I can the white community." Obama let the world see his commitment to black unity, when he said this very thing about his profoundly racist Reverend Wright and the black community, proving that he isn't smart enough to figure out just why black unity is as counterproductive to social harmony, as white unity.
Obama falsely claims skin color irrelevancy out of one side of his two faces, then ALSO claims these irrelevant color differences must guide American political policy in the redistribution of resources, from white to black...he can't have it both ways and still look like anything but a racist hypocrite. Especially since there are MORE poor whites in America than poor blacks.
Wow . . . talk about suppressed evidence!
Just "brought over on slave ships." Who was driving?
Oh thank you White Man for enslaving generations of my ancestors, for colonizing my entire Motherland, for annihilating my race, for segregation, for apartheid, for stealing our resources, for racism, discrimination, lynching......
OH LAWD IT WAS WORTH IT ALL FOR INTRODUCING US TO YOUR WHITE JESUS WHO MAY NOT HAVE SAVED US FFROM ANY OF THE ABOVE, HE DID SAVE US FROM THE WHITE WOMAN YOU SAID WAS EVIL FOR EATING FROM THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN FAIRY TALE...
OH LAWDIE OH LAWD THANK YOU MR. WHITE MAN I AM POSSESSED BY THE SPIRIT OF SHELBY STEELE AND CLARENCE THOMAS...CAN I HAVE A JOB BETRAYING MY RACE TOO?
Mas'sah Buchanan,
I spit(big green luggie) into the hand you extend related to some sort of gratitude you expect black folk to give white people for what has been done over the last 400 years...I'm not asking for your acceptance & certainly don't want you thinking Obama should be tap dancing his way into the White House with a chicken eating grin just so you can sleep at night having had the final word on this subject....
....wake up, Mr Buchanan, the times are achangin'
Nobody here engaged in slave trade or slave ownership. Nobody here brought blacks over from Africa. Millions of Americans didn't arrive on these shores until well after the Civil War. To blame any white-Americans today for the sins racism in the past does not make sense.
None of us can go back and change our history. We all know what happened in the past. We all acknowledge that racism is terrible. Rather than make up silly responses to Buchanan, lets discuss the problems of today. Lets figure out what we can do today to eliminate the last vestiges of racism and make the American dream accessible to all.
Rather than make up silly responses to Buchanan, lets discuss the problems of today. Lets figure out what we can do today to eliminate the last vestiges of racism and make the American dream accessible to all.
You could start by getting a giant cork and some Gorilla Glue.
1. Smear gorilla glue all over the sides of the cork.
2. Shoce the glue-smeared cork into Pat Buchannan's mouth.
3. Hold in place until the glue sets.
4. Go find more corks for Michael savage, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, et.
Adolf Buchannan is looking back to a simpler time, when blacks would bow to white men and say "Thankyou Massa - thankyou Massa" for the least little scrap tossed their way.
People like him are still angry that the Civil Rights Movement took place....
Ah sho is sorry, Massa Buchanan. Dis darkie most likely be sittin' in a mud hut, wearin' a bone in my nose, 'cept for da good white folks lak you, what brung my peoples here. Please don't whup me. I sho thanks you.
Is that what you're looking for, Pat?
I don't have time to point out all the factual incaccuracies of Grand Dragon Buchanan's essay. The really sad thing is that this ignorant, racist blowhole is given a veneer of respectability by the "news organizations" that continue to employ him as a political consultant. Shame on MSNBC for expecting talented, intelligent people to share studio space and air time with him
What does a hatemonger like Buchanan hold most dear? AMERICA!! I challenge one of the many multi-millionaire BLACK Americans to use their blessings to gain access to government military service records of blacks and shut this down! Broadcast this information repeatedly in white states. CNN, FOX, MSNBC, ABC, CBS…Blacks have traditionally served this country with zero gratitude. No medals (posthumous after in many cases, ½ a century). No recognition (Tuskgee Airmen who defended bomber runs during WWII and lost NONE!). While many whites were running around lynching blacks during WWII, here are some the units that blacks were fighting in overseas to return home to a noose!
41st Engineers31st, 47th and 48th Quartermaster Regiments
76th and 77th Coast Artillery
341st Field Artillery Regiment - 1919-1941
Field Artillery School Detachment
Army War College Detachment
Engineering School Detachment
Medical Detachment, USMA
Medical Detachment, Fort Huachuca
510th Military Police
730th Military Police
320th Anti-Aircraft Barrage Balloon Battalion
275th Signal Construction Company
Take it a step further; the numbers, data and research shows that all of the flashpoint rhetoric used against blacks can be easily confronted and defeated with evidence to the contrary. This evidence is a matter of public record in halls of “justice” and government archiving facilities.
I’m not suggesting that blacks go on the defensive responding to every racist charge with inordinate amounts of data; however, in a political climate where your white neighbor more apt to believe the first bad thing they hear about you, it is in your best interest to make positive data about you available (pumped in their faces on a daily basis) until it becomes dangerous (economically, politically and socially) for ANYONE to think that blacks are fair game for hate!
Don’t become a victim of revised Apartheid system in a country you built for FREE!
Stop having white people say “he is so eloquent”, “he is a great speaker”. These are all demeaning terms that are translated differently in the homes of those that want to set the clock back 100 years!
Advertise yourselves and stop letting the racist (tacitly or otherwise) establishment build negative images of you in the minds of the world’s people! As a result of American racism, EVERY country around the world thinks that Blacks are the worst people and should be avoided and therefore no pity or humanity should be extended.
As for the gratitude, where is the gratitude for Slavery!?
Don’t let whites get away with this notion that you should be thanking them for Jim Crowe Laws, Lynchings, Slavery, Police brutality, Segregation, Racism, raping your women, murdering your fore fathers, murdering your babies so they won’t grow up, Prejudice and a host of maltreatment by whites.
As for being grateful, when someone sh** on your head you don’t thank him for the hat!