They cannot deny it anymore

further activities at the White House.

He has to be ban, and I hope President Obama is not diplomatic either.

He needs to be aggressive, and past Presidents if they have integrity will come
out and say this was disgusting behavior.

miles long list of shit they say about him?

Frankly he's way too intelligent to follow this kind of advice. I think he handles it all quite well. Admirably well as a matter of fact. He lets them know their slings and arrows always miss the mark. Always. And that infuriates them more than anything else he could do.

Of course they'll whine if the Daily Caller is (rightly) excluded from all future events. So what? No one but right-wing lunatics would complain about it. I would say that a precedent needs to be set here.

I have a rule. People who act out are responsible for their actions. Obama is totally clean as far as what assholes do around him. He handled it like a mature adult and he was right to do so. What this guy or any other blathering teabagger do is completely their accountability.

Why in the fucking hell is Obama accountable for what others do?

Does anybody here personally fear an angry black man any more than an angry white man, or are we just pre-emptively caving to other peoples' prejudices?

I don't think it's Obama's style to fly off the handle, and I agree that he handles things quite well. Other (white) people get cheered on for getting angry - left and right - so why the different standard for black people?

Maybe they'll choose their reporters with a bit more thought.

Oops, that was W. I guess they can show disrespect to white guys, too. Maybe it isn't all about race.

And it was in Baghdad.

Get your facts straight.

in the USA. Thanks

It was an Iraqi in Iraq with good reason to dislike W. Remember the War, Shock and Awe?

I think they would go after any Democrat with whatever they can come up with, whether it's demanding a birth certificate or filing impeachment charges over a blowjob. I don't think a white President with the same policies as Obama would command deference and respect from the Republicans, and I think always crying "racism" when Obama is criticized is lazy.

If you don't see racism then you're as blind as a bat.

To think that an Iraqi in Baghdad throwing a shoe at W in any way compares to what that clown did today is totally misplaced thinking.

Today Obama was treated with total disrespect by someone who feels no need to even respect the office of the Presidency. Why? Because it is Obama, of course. Pure hatred for Obama. What is different about Obama in the eyes of that clown of a reporter? Why is he so hated?

Why would it be repeated so often if it weren't true?

/only goes one way though. The right calling Obama a socialist over and over again doesn't make it true. The left calling the right racist over and over again absolutely makes it true.
//also ignore the treatment of past democrats who were white and were also criticized, heckled, disrespected. This is entirely about race. If Obama were a white democrat republicans would love him.

No one is "always crying racism" when the President is criticized. But it's part and parcel of the teabagger's hatred of him. AND racism is inherent in repuke policies in general.

To deny racism when it is exists is lazy. And stupid.

Or was it because he was a Democrat?

that could be successfully manipulated into a charge credible enough to do it.
Yes it was excessive, but he practically invited it with his reckless behavior.

is NOT the same as the vitriolic and personal disrespect against Obama to his face in official settings by the media and elected officials.

needed being said.

as much as the Repubs do is nothing short of terrifying and yet, not unexpected in the least at the same time.

some do their damdest to pretend that it is not racist as though it will effect them if they admit the truth. I still can't see why it has taken this long for some to see it and there are many who know it is be try to pretend that it is not.


Everyone else can come to America and gain citizenship and they are called Americans but Black people are suppose to be some people from another planet when they are the ones who built this country for free and have been here for generations.

A lot of the problems I hear them complain about AA is due to generations of their policies which they still continue today and the chickens are coming home to roost

Most of the people who talk this garbage claim to be Christians..

mischaracterize and flat out deny the reality and prevalence of racism do this in order to avoid having that long, hard talk with THEMSELVES about behaviors and thoughts they may have held or exhibited in the past or even the present.

If they can pretend that racism doesn't exist or was only some mass psychosis that died out in the 60s, then they can pretend that the stuff they have secretly or not so secretly thought, done or ignored when seen in others can be identified in a way that is much more comfortable for them, the racism deniers.

"Truth, fairness and honesty be God-damned. If I can prove that racism no longer exists, that will sure as hell make things easier for ME to continue to think and do the things that I am thinking and doing without being made to feel that my thoughts and actions are racist. I can wipe the slate clean for myself and not actually have to do an ounce of work or a damn thing in terms of self-reflection."

He gave them an opening. That has nothing to do with basic respect of the office. No one asked for Clinton's birth certificate, or spoke to him at a press conference or SOTU in a way so rude it has never been done before.

And your use of the term "lazy" is pretty loaded as well.

and the right think they can get away with their boorish behavior precisely because Obama is black. He is held to a higher standard than white presidents are and cannot get angry in public lest he be called an "angry black man" (shades of Rev. Wright, anyone?). This was a wholesale breach of protocol and it is unthinkable that they would have tried it against Clinton, Carter, LBJ, JFK, HST or FDR.

I am well and truly pissed off and I wish Obama would drop a tactical f-bomb on those motherfuckers. They deserve it and the American people would rally to his side if he did.

I see you very frequently take offense to any discussion of racism on this board. I have no idea why that is but if you're constantly going to play the "it happens to white guys too" defense, you could at least get your facts right.

Do you think there are any people in the United States who are not racists, but dislike Obama and his policies?

(though it's always fairly easy to figure out exactly why certain people go out of their way to deny/minimize racism) would pretend that racism has nothing to do with much of the unprecedented disrespect, obstruction and criticism that this president has endured.

you think the Republicans would have agreed to single-payer health care, higher taxes on the wealthy, a bigger stimulus, and a higher minimum wage? Kind of "sure Joe, you're a white guy, no problem"?

Or do you think they just try to stop all Democrats using whatever means they have at their disposal?

I know which one of these I believe.

The saying illustrates the absurdity in operating in "ifs." The fact that it is so terribly important to you to engage in "ifs" instead of the reality of the current situation says much more about you then it does about anything else.

If Biden was President would everything be all sweetness and light and bipartisan cooperation and significant legislative achievements?

And if this country wasn't steeped in the stew of white supremacy for so long and so deeply that it took over 200 years for the first non-white person to become elected president, would it be this hard for said first non-white president to get ANYTHING done?

What part of "stop operating in ifs" do you not understand? And in all honesty, your question is beyond idiotic. When has there EVER been "sweetness and light and bipartisan cooperation and significant legislative achievements?" in politics outside of a major national catastrophe? And when has a president ever had to endure being told that he's lying during a SoTU, been interrupted during an official policy briefing and had to fight this hard with members of his OWN PARTY? The fact that you have to reach so far and so deep into the muck to keep your "point" going is so profoundly ignorant it's almost sad.

... but I would throw that particular president in jail for war crimes and lying to the American people in order to launch an unjustified war of agression.

It was an Iraqi in Iraq.

And not from a member of congress or U.S.reporter.

Unlike some.

All them uppity negros are just talking crazy-talk, aren't they?

Good thing we got a right-thinkin' white fella like yourself to tell us all what's really what.

*cough*

it really is.

I am tired of distracting excuses that try to whitewash the truth. If someone had done the things to w that have been done to the current President, the perps would be in gitmo right now!

Interesting that you would post it here.

All roads lead to racism in this regard. I'm ashamed by this behavior. TOTALLY ashamed.

I think that's how the teabaggers got started. Everybody kinda swallowed their deeply inbred revulsion to and resentment of African Americans when Obama got elected. I suspect many of them thought - oh, okay, fine, whatever. OR they figured it was just a bad dream and somehow they were going to wake up and see that it wasn't true.

And then time passed, and the problem wouldn't go away. And they just couldn't ignore the fact that our President is dark-skinned. And I think that when reality started to sink in - that OH-SHIT-it's-TRUE!-We-really-are-stuck-with-this-black-guy-in-OUR-White-House - they all reached a critical mass point in their hatred and just couldn't suppress it anymore or pretend it didn't exist.

And I think there were some people who thought they could swallow their racism or that they could get over it, and then when this "nightmare" did not end, they went over the edge. I think this segment of the population came to a collective realization that "no, it's really NOT okay with me, after all, to have a black guy in the White House - who isn't the janitor." And then they did something about it.

I CANNOT see the teabagger movement as being about anything BUT racism. I think all this "don't tread on me" crap is just a cover. I've always felt that. I believe racism fuels their every move.

Thank you.

Especially when the 'unthinkable' happened. A black man was elected President. Honestly and cleanly. I know racist who have a visceral reaction to even touching or being near someone who isn't white, yet they covered it quite well when in mixed company. they're what I call closet racists.

And only a few of the birthers care to see Mitt's birth certificate or to be consistent and claim he's not a natural born citizen due to his father being born in Mexico either.

Not where his father was born.

President Obama was born in Hawaii, so he's an American citizen. The fact that his father wasn't born in the U.S.has nothing to do with President Obama's citizenship, just as where Romney's father was born has nothing to do with his citizenship.

Sorry, this just caught my eye as beiing an odd statement.

that claims that only people with both parents as US citizens are "natural born citizens." They claimed even if Obama was born in the U.S., then he's still not a natural born citizen because his father was not an American citizen. But so far I haven't seen any of the crazy contingent out there worrying about Rmoney's dad being born elsewhere.

It's fucking crazy and disgusting.

PB

Saying "respect the office" or "You may not like the President, but you have to respect the Office"

... where O'Reilly said something to that effect.

It was lost when it made the move to foxnews.com but did make it to the repeat of the show.

I am not an AA, I am an American who happens to have slightly darker skin. My parents weren't black, my grandparents weren't black, and my great-grandparents weren't black, but I'm called an African-American because someone probably 200 years ago in my family history was black. Meanwhile, Charlize Theron is born and raised in South Africa, moves to America, and she is not an African-American. WTF?

Obama and I have no related ancestors from Africa, yet he's called an "AA" and I'm called an "AA" and I'm supposed to be offended because our skin color is slightly similar?

We lived in a fucked up world. I am offended by repuke's obstructionism. I am offended by hate of any person. But I do not feel "personal" pain because someone whose skin hue is slightly similar to mine might face some criticism. And it's insulting that so many DU'ers assume that.

"Obama and I have no related ancestors from Africa, yet he's called an "AA" and I'm called an "AA" and I'm supposed to be offended because our skin color is slightly similar? "

...is weird, wrong and seemingly racist.

divisive head. I've known three African Americans in my life and all three were as white as I am. Black friends that have actually traveled to Africa have told me that the people there considered them Americans.

My friends call me white and I call them black when it comes up at all.

"Black friends that have actually traveled to Africa have told me that the people there considered them Americans. "

In this country they're still black. In the context of the OP, "African American" meant black American, specifically related to the dynamics in this country.

The comment in question isn't simply about the use of the term "African American." It's about dismissing the notion that anyone should be offended because blacks are treated differently ("... I'm supposed to be offended because our skin color is slightly similar...I do not feel "personal" pain because someone whose skin hue is slightly similar to mine might face some criticism.&quot

You see: What's all the fuss about because the President was disrepected?

Not only that: "...it's insulting that so many DU'ers assume that."

You DUers making a big thing out of nothing!!! Just because he's black? Pffft!

This is not about having black friends.

help that either and I think that's the point the poster I replied to was making (that and people being too lazy to type out African American). Racism is alive and well and even growing in America and that is what should and does bother us.

It is a BFD that President Obama is not just the President, he's the first black President. It isn't right that this waste of space can get away with showing such disrespect just because Barack Obama is the first black President. It isn't right that he is held to a higher standard than a smirking asshole with a room temperature IQ because he is the first black President. Its not right that if he is not reelected he will likely be the last black President in our lifetimes. It isn't right that he can't do more for black people because he's the first black President. The list of things that are not right, that are offensive, seems endless, but none of them will be made right with this label.

Now if we knew each other IRL and you told me that you wished to be referred to as an African American, I certainly would (I'd also wonder why I can't just call you Prosense). But I think that the label serves more to divide us than anything else. I think the best way to show respect is simply to be respectful. Conversely, if I were to always use the misnomer African American, but in my head I'm thinking "effen n****r", that's one of the worst forms of disrespect, isn't it?

We are treated differently because of our skin color (and sex, you're a woman IIRC), but isn't the point that our differences have nothing to do with skin? That neither you nor President Obama represent all black Americans any more than I represent all white Americans? And shouldn't our focus be on changing the perception that any differences we do have are due to skin color?

It's the racism, not the label. The label is just wrong, as in inaccurate, and serves no good purpose.

I am AA and I feel every racist blow that is thrown at the President. Most AA men/women who have been in any position of power over non "AA"s has to be able to absorb the continuous challenges to his/her authority. I have been in management positions since my early 20s at the cusp of that terrible thing affirmative action. In those positions there have always been hecklers of some sort, people who are just pissed that an AA is in the position they are in. In order to function you have to treat them like professional athletes treat the other teams fans, noise that you cant turn off. Sometimes you must directly confront them and put them on the spot, however it comes with the territory. That still doesn't make it any easier to deal with.

I find it interesting that you have no empathy for the situation, but to each his own. I have a number of AA friends that find it easier to distance themselves from democratic party members for reasons that I cannot comprehend.

I think that it shows the enlightenment of the DU community that there is concern for the pain felt by AA's at the disrespecting of the President. I truly applaud the concern and comments.

and an excellent comment.

So I don't know why you'd have a problem with it. To what do you propose we revert?

You indeed don't make sense, because if you were black, you would not dismiss racism so lightly.

with your remarks about the letters, but as a white person, I see overt racism, as did the OP, and I am highly insulted. It's not 'just' criticism we're witnessing.

And please believe me when I tell you, that is TRULY saying alot.

Stop being so wishy-washy, Barack!

Have a work twitter, or a work email or a work facebook or a work contact number??

That is just an excuse. The point is the Republicans demanded respect for the office and now they don't show it, and in ways they didn't do to white Democratic Presidents.

Never demanded his BC or talked up during speeches or were rude.

I have no doubt that racism is a factor in right wing hatred of Obama, but the BC thing doesn't help to show that.

No candidate for president ever had to produce their BC nor were asked to. Not even the people running at the same time (McCain, Palin and Biden) for the office for which they should have been qualified. Why did no one ever wonder before? No one needed a birth certificate to believe Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, etc. were born in the U.S. It never occurred to the media to even ask.

Heck you have to produce a BC to get a DL or a passport. Yet you can run for President and even be President without it. Unless you are black. Then suddenly everything has to be documented (also compare the calls to see President Obama's transcripts from college and the like).

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

Or would that be anti-Connecticut prejudice?

Either way, they didn't even try to hide it.

No liberal ever disrespected W. Because if they had, they couldn't have righteous indignation now. So W. was treated with the utmost respect by the left, so they could preserve credibility now.

Or maybe, this shit has been going on for a long time and it isn't a left-right thing.

Nah, better to assume that it's all new.

not liberals in general, not bloggers, not protesters, not conspiracy theorists.

People in official positions.

It's interesting that people are coming up with all these false equivalencies.

Obama is not.

Nobody made him do it. He did it to expose the birthers as the morons that they are.

Made Trump & co look like absolute buffoons.

Any thinking person knew that it was bullshit. But after the revelation, it could no longer be argued that those who didn't accept it were thinking people. If you accept the birther shit after the Obama revelation, you're a straight up fucking idiot.

If only we could apply the same rules to the conspiracies on the left that have been debunked. Then all of that energy could be directed towards winning office instead of towards annoying woo. Those people are fucking idiots too, it's just not as acceptable to say that here.

"Obama wasn't 'forced' to show his birth certificate...Nobody made him do it. He did it to expose the birthers as the morons that they are."

...it's not like this was ever covered by the media ("morons&quot like it was a serious issue. Pundits ("morons&quot never sat around demanding that he show it to debunk the claim. How many Republican members of Congress and Presidential candidates hyped the birther claim?

I mean, do you really think that not releasing it was an option?

And many of those didn't really believe it, but simply saw it as a way of saying 'I don't like Obama.' Sort of like how 'Dick Cheney controls the universe' is a complicated way of saying 'I don't like the neocons.'

Birhterism was a gift to Obama. It was so stupid and so false that he could have chosen any time to conclusively debunk it. He chose a moment that felt most propitious to him. And I don't blame him. When the other side hands you an easy issue, you milk that shit.

Because it's so incredibly stupid and controverted by the available facts. Just like the 9/11 conspiracies. It's the refuge for idiots.

If you believe any of that shit, you're a fucking moron. Accept basic facts, and then we'll talk. If you're arguing that Obama wasn't born in the US or that Bush engineered 9/11, you're a stupid idiot. End of story.

"It was a gift...If you believe any of that shit, you're a fucking moron. Accept basic facts, and then we'll talk. If you're arguing that Obama wasn't born in the US or that Bush engineered 9/11, you're a stupid idiot. End of story. "

I mean, the President would have been better off not having to deal with this shit. Period.

Birtherism gave him an idiotic conspiracy theory to shoot down with no effort at all. Like I said, if you believe that shit, you're a goddamn idiot. And note the conservative establishment's acceptance of that. They have decided that it's a loser. You don't hear Romney and the Congressional Republicans harping on it. Why? Because they know it's idiocy. The 17 percent who believe it wouldn't support the president anyway. The rest may not like Obama, but they know the Birther shit is idiotic nonsense.

"Show me a conservative establishment consensus for birthersism"

...it has to be a "conservative establishment consensus" to be a problem? I mean, was there a similar consensus for the Swift Liars?

Ever heard of Trump and Tag Romney?

As for the rest of your comment, no matter how rude you become, it's not a "gift."

All we got is a refrence to Trump (whom we addressed already) and Tagg Romney (who's a moron). That's not a 'conservative consensus' The truth is you don't have one. Even the right thinks this stuff is idiotic. Time to sit down. I argued that the establishment right doesn't put birther arguments front and center and you failed to reufute it. So I win. Even the RW establishment knows that this shit is stupid. And that was my point.

Romney campaign event where he performed that surrogacy:
"But you know, I heard someone suggest the other day that as soon as President Obama releases his grades and birth certificate and sort of a long list of things, then maybe he'd do it."

The idea that you can dismiss Official Campaign surrogates of the family kind by claiming one of them is in idiot does not fit in with our political history of family members as surrogates for candidates. Further, the adult Romney son you dismiss as 'an idiot' is the one who attempted to cover for his brother's Birther crap. So is your claim that Tagg is an idiot, and also Matt is a larger idiot, and thus they are not accountable for that which they say as surrogates in a Presidential campaign? I'm sorry, but selecting a set of idiots to serve as your surrogates is in itself a stunningly poor choice.
I guess when Mary Cheney goes off, that's 'not official' because she's just an idiot who happened to do surrogate work for the VP to Bush......

I don't know what's so hard to understand about that.

I don't think it a smart thing, and it is probably an insulting thing, to victims of actual racism, to cry racism every time this president is interrupted/heckled/insulted, etc.

Politics has always been a blood sport. The repubs didn't exactly roll out a red carpet for Bill Clinton, if you remember.

I don't see racism here, I see politics.

To go a step further, I also see politics in the president's announcement today. But that is another post.

before the stuff about his extra-marital affairs came out.

Would this have been possible if everything was about race?

According to some here.

I've said for years that we do a disservice to ourselves to dismiss the opposition as racists. We dilute the true meaning of the word, and ignore the real motivations of our political opponents.

Yet it is the go-to accusation for virtually any criticism, from the left or right, of Obama and his administration.

Not a smart thing to do, imho.

Herman would have gotten nowhere without being black. This is where right wingers find some black person willing to get the attention, like Cain, and pretend to support him so they can laugh at us about their racism not being real. They had no intention of letting Cain get the nomination.

"I don't think it a smart thing, and it is probably an insulting thing, to victims of actual racism, to cry racism every time this president is interrupted/heckled/insulted, etc. "

...think it's smart to dismiss blatant racism.

There is a reason Jan Brewer and the lunatic Sheriff were all over this today. It's racism. It's specific to the policy.