Republicans' bizarre attack on Obama: He made us elect a racist idiot

[phands]

The gop is truly a diseased party....

Several Republicans had an interesting response to former President Barack Obama’s re-entry into politics late last week: they essentially blamed him for Donald Trump. Like Sen. Marco Rubio:

“We should ALL, the Dems, the GOP, the media, admit our role in turning politics into theatre,” Rubio tweeted. “Being outrageous equals clicks, viewers & therefore ratings & $ for media & fame for politicians. Being normal gets you ignored & a primary challenger for being ‘too weak.’” Rubio won his Senate seat in 2010 by running a tea party challenge to Charlie Crist, Florida’s Republican governor at the time.
​

Barack Obama was outrageous for clicks? Yeah, no. He was the model Rubio tried to follow in his own 2016 presidential primary run (up until Rubio got desperate and started telling dick jokes, anyway). That model—and all other responsible-adult models—failed in a Republican primary, which says something.
Then there was former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie:

“I find it richly ironic that he talks about the fact Trump is a symptom, not the cause,” Christie said on ABC’s “This Week,” centering on one of the key lines from Friday’s speech. “If he’s right and Donald Trump is the symptom of a cause, well, Donald Trump got elected in 2016 after eight years of Barack Obama as president. He can’t detach himself.”
​

Um, Chris? Have you considered that Trump is the symptom of a racist backlash to Obama? No, Obama can’t detach himself, but are you going to hold him responsible for that? Well, actually, blaming a successful black person for racism is a classic Republican move, so, yeah.
Politico’s Edward-Isaac Dovere looked around and couldn’t find any Republican who seriously disputed the substance of Obama’s critique that Trump is divisive and dishonest and specializes in attacking the institutions of democracy. But they sure were thrilled to get to take a break from trying to defend Trump and return to attacking Obama.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/20...tack-on-Obama-He-made-us-elect-a-racist-idiot

 

[Loren Pechtel]

It doesn't strike me as bizarre, but rather the common reaction to blasphemy.

Faith: The GOP is correct.
Observation: The GOP did wrong.
Conclusion: Since the GOP can't have chosen wrong, others must have forced the GOP to do wrong.

I see plenty of this by the the more extreme people on both sides.

 

[Patooka]

It doesn't strike me as bizarre, but rather the common reaction to blasphemy.

Faith: The GOP is correct.
Observation: The GOP did wrong.
Conclusion: Since the GOP can't have chosen wrong, others must have forced the GOP to do wrong.

I see plenty of this by the the more extreme people on both sides.

In an era of nazis being "very fine people", this particular turn of phrase needs to stop.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

It doesn't strike me as bizarre, but rather the common reaction to blasphemy.

Faith: The GOP is correct.
Observation: The GOP did wrong.
Conclusion: Since the GOP can't have chosen wrong, others must have forced the GOP to do wrong.

I see plenty of this by the the more extreme people on both sides.

Yes, partisanship exists on both sides. But false equivalency has been observed to greater extents from the right than the left. Moore-Coulter was put forth as an exclamation to it. And it just gets worse and worse... Christie seemed to make Obama-Trump false equivalency, which umm...

...there are no words.

 

[Underseer]

It doesn't strike me as bizarre, but rather the common reaction to blasphemy.

Faith: The GOP is correct.
Observation: The GOP did wrong.
Conclusion: Since the GOP can't have chosen wrong, others must have forced the GOP to do wrong.

I see plenty of this by the the more extreme people on both sides.

The "both sides" argument only makes you seem more reasonable if both sides actually are as bad. Otherwise, you are normalizing extremism.

You are showing improvement in that you actually brought yourself to criticize white supremacists, but of course you had to use a "both sides" what-aboutism to try and make the white supremacists seem less bad.

Aren't you of Jewish descent?

 

[Worldtraveller]

LP, is it just a kneejerk reaction, and you can't help it? Or do you honestly believe, at this point, with all the evidence we have available, that both sides are morally equivalent?

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

LP coached his words: "I see plenty of this by the the more extreme people on both sides."

So he said from the extreme people. The problem is, the extreme people are elected in the GOP, and irrelevant in the DNC.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

It doesn't strike me as bizarre, but rather the common reaction to blasphemy.

Faith: The GOP is correct.
Observation: The GOP did wrong.
Conclusion: Since the GOP can't have chosen wrong, others must have forced the GOP to do wrong.

I see plenty of this by the the more extreme people on both sides.

Yes, partisanship exists on both sides. But false equivalency has been observed to greater extents from the right than the left. Moore-Coulter was put forth as an exclamation to it. And it just gets worse and worse... Christie seemed to make Obama-Trump false equivalency, which umm...

...there are no words.

It's the extremes that do this sort of thing, not the moderates--and in the US these days we have a lot more right-extremists than left-extremists.

- - - Updated - - -

LP coached his words: "I see plenty of this by the the more extreme people on both sides."

So he said from the extreme people. The problem is, the extreme people are elected in the GOP, and irrelevant in the DNC.

Yup. We see very little of this crap from leftist politicians because the left generally has the sense not to elect them.

 

[Patooka]

It's the extremes that do this sort of thing, not the moderates--and in the US these days we have a lot more right-extremists than left-extremists.

- - - Updated - - -

LP coached his words: "I see plenty of this by the the more extreme people on both sides."

So he said from the extreme people. The problem is, the extreme people are elected in the GOP, and irrelevant in the DNC.

Yup. We see very little of this crap from leftist politicians because the left generally has the sense not to elect them.

Fuck off. When did extreme become typical? The typical republican believes Obama is a Kenyan muslim atheist trying to enforce sharia law. The typical democrat thinks Trump is incompetent and corrupt.

You still think "both sides" arguments apply in such a discourse? If extremist right wing opinions become mainstream, they are no longer extremist. They fucking well can't be, by their definition. The typical republican is okay with Trump's excesses. The typical right winger endorses his ideals. No extremity required. So any "both sides" argument said anymore is just fucking bullshit.

Unfortunately, that's a fact. I love an argument as much as the next person, but how are you supposed to argue with someone who believes down to to the core fibre of their being that up is down and left is right and night is day?

 

[Loren Pechtel]

It's the extremes that do this sort of thing, not the moderates--and in the US these days we have a lot more right-extremists than left-extremists.

- - - Updated - - -

LP coached his words: "I see plenty of this by the the more extreme people on both sides."

So he said from the extreme people. The problem is, the extreme people are elected in the GOP, and irrelevant in the DNC.

Yup. We see very little of this crap from leftist politicians because the left generally has the sense not to elect them.

Fuck off. When did extreme become typical? The typical republican believes Obama is a Kenyan muslim atheist trying to enforce sharia law. The typical democrat thinks Trump is incompetent and corrupt.

You still think "both sides" arguments apply in such a discourse? If extremist right wing opinions become mainstream, they are no longer extremist. They fucking well can't be, by their definition. The typical republican is okay with Trump's excesses. The typical right winger endorses his ideals. No extremity required. So any "both sides" argument said anymore is just fucking bullshit.

Unfortunately, that's a fact. I love an argument as much as the next person, but how are you supposed to argue with someone who believes down to to the core fibre of their being that up is down and left is right and night is day?

I consider positions extremist when they're based on faith in the side rather than reason.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Fuck off. When did extreme become typical? The typical republican believes Obama is a Kenyan muslim atheist trying to enforce sharia law. The typical democrat thinks Trump is incompetent and corrupt.

You still think "both sides" arguments apply in such a discourse? If extremist right wing opinions become mainstream, they are no longer extremist. They fucking well can't be, by their definition. The typical republican is okay with Trump's excesses. The typical right winger endorses his ideals. No extremity required. So any "both sides" argument said anymore is just fucking bullshit.

Unfortunately, that's a fact. I love an argument as much as the next person, but how are you supposed to argue with someone who believes down to to the core fibre of their being that up is down and left is right and night is day?

I consider positions extremist when they're based on faith in the side rather than reason.

Uh oh.

 

[Worldtraveller]

Fuck off. When did extreme become typical? The typical republican believes Obama is a Kenyan muslim atheist trying to enforce sharia law. The typical democrat thinks Trump is incompetent and corrupt.

You still think "both sides" arguments apply in such a discourse? If extremist right wing opinions become mainstream, they are no longer extremist. They fucking well can't be, by their definition. The typical republican is okay with Trump's excesses. The typical right winger endorses his ideals. No extremity required. So any "both sides" argument said anymore is just fucking bullshit.

Unfortunately, that's a fact. I love an argument as much as the next person, but how are you supposed to argue with someone who believes down to to the core fibre of their being that up is down and left is right and night is day?

I consider positions extremist when they're based on faith in the side rather than reason.

Uh oh.

So is this Loren admitting to being an extremist?

 

[Elixir]

I consider positions extremist when they're based on faith in the side rather than reason.

Okay then... what part of:
" The typical republican believes Obama is a Kenyan muslim atheist trying to enforce sharia law. The typical democrat thinks Trump is incompetent and corrupt. "

... is faith based rather than reason-based? Those things seem self evident to me.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

I consider positions extremist when they're based on faith in the side rather than reason.

Okay then... what part of:
" The typical republican believes Obama is a Kenyan muslim atheist trying to enforce sharia law. The typical democrat thinks Trump is incompetent and corrupt. "

... is faith based rather than reason-based? Those things seem self evident to me.

I don't think the typical Republican believes that. Someone who does probably is an extremist.

 

[Worldtraveller]

I consider positions extremist when they're based on faith in the side rather than reason.

Okay then... what part of:
" The typical republican believes Obama is a Kenyan muslim atheist trying to enforce sharia law. The typical democrat thinks Trump is incompetent and corrupt. "

... is faith based rather than reason-based? Those things seem self evident to me.

I don't think the typical Republican believes that. Someone who does probably is an extremist.

Dude, google the polling data, then spit out the kool aid.

 

[Elixir]

I don't think the typical Republican believes that. Someone who does probably is an extremist.

The typical republican IS an extremist. 90-something percent of them think Trump is doing a great job.
Poll: 20% believe Barack Obama was born outside U.S.

And that was 2015, before the Trump propaganda machine was up to full revs. Since something like 28% of Americans are Republicans, and virtually all of the 20% who think Obama is a furriner are Republicans, I'd say its a safe assumption that the typical Republican is a birther moron.

 

[Patooka]

I don't think *snip*

Clearly. Every prominent Republican politician has made at least a passing reference towards it for the last decade. Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin, Donald Trump all of them have kept the birther talking point issue alive. Show me the "typical" Republican who asserts that Obama was born in America.

To drive the point home, this is a clear example why your "both sides" statement in your original post is bullshit. You appear to have the inclination that when you are told the earth is flat by one person, and the earth is round by another, then reality is somewhere in between. Good luck with that.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

I don't think *snip*

Clearly. Every prominent Republican politician has made at least a passing reference towards it for the last decade. Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin, Donald Trump all of them have kept the birther talking point issue alive. Show me the "typical" Republican who asserts that Obama was born in America.

To drive the point home, this is a clear example why your "both sides" statement in your original post is bullshit. You appear to have the inclination that when you are told the earth is flat by one person, and the earth is round by another, then reality is somewhere in between. Good luck with that.

The top ones certainly have--but is this knowing propaganda or do they actually think it's true? I think the former.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I consider positions extremist when they're based on faith in the side rather than reason.

Okay then... what part of:
" The typical republican believes Obama is a Kenyan muslim atheist trying to enforce sharia law. The typical democrat thinks Trump is incompetent and corrupt. "

... is faith based rather than reason-based? Those things seem self evident to me.

I don't think the typical Republican believes that. Someone who does probably is an extremist.

You mean Trump's base which seems to comprise of 1 in 5 Americans?

 

[Patooka]

I don't think *snip*

Clearly. Every prominent Republican politician has made at least a passing reference towards it for the last decade. Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin, Donald Trump all of them have kept the birther talking point issue alive. Show me the "typical" Republican who asserts that Obama was born in America.

To drive the point home, this is a clear example why your "both sides" statement in your original post is bullshit. You appear to have the inclination that when you are told the earth is flat by one person, and the earth is round by another, then reality is somewhere in between. Good luck with that.

The top ones certainly have--but is this knowing propaganda or do they actually think it's true? I think the former.

And how does that equate with your original "both sides" comment? When has the Democrats in a way that is remotely similar? When has the rank and file been so cynical they used an objectively false ideal to score propaganda points like the birther issue? The answer is that they haven't because asserting that both sides is comparable is just fucking stupid.