I think he may be right...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8258011.stm

I’m with ‘history’s greatest monster’ on this one.

These “you lie!” fellas have an axe to grind and it aint just because of the pres’ policies.

What do you’s here make of Jimmy anyway. I know a few here would remember him as president. From what I’ve learned of him, he was one of the sounder minded presidents of the 20th century but maybe not “mighty” enough to deal with what faced him, particularly at the end of his White House tenure. Or is it the case that Americans elected the wrong Carter?

MALAISE FOREVER!

Some of these teabagger types are racist, but I don’t think that’s the case with most of them and, without really knowing anything about the guy, I doubt it’s the case with Joe Wilson.

The truth is, about 1/3 of the country is terrified. They’re scared of liberals, they’re scared of “socialism,” and they’re scared of government run health care.

Of course, in a poll only 51% of Kentuckians think Obama was born in the United States. I doubt there’s the same level of skepticism regarding Panama Canal Zone-born John McCain.

http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/922941.html

There’s always been a huge problem with racism in America…but I think this goes beyond that. It’s cultural xenophobia which is a product of basic greed. The “you lie-teabag-birther” crowd love their simple little lives and when they have adjust or change, even for the better, they get scared. So yeah, they’re racists and they’re cowards. I kinda pity them.

He might be right, but to state it like it’s a fact makes him look arrogant.

I don’t think it makes him look arrogant, it makes him look honest. Look, as an American with his wits about him, I can honestly tell you that I watch this “town hall” crap and view it as nothing more than misplaced racism. If the salesman offering them a change to their health coverage was white and Republican (ah, fuck that - they’ll settle for just white), they’d eat it up like it was gravy.

Large segments of white America simply cannot deal with the fact that the President is black. It just completely hits their reset button, and they’ve been in a continuous state of shock since the Inauguration. Obama being compared to Hitler? Come on!

Let’s face it though: Obama is as black as he is white and has lived mainly with his white mother and white grandparents. He has little to do with African American culture I feel and he must be getting sick of being pigeonholed in one place or the other.

These particular people are interesting to me as they are very misinformed. From what I read of the health care plan that is being carved up, it does not smell like socialism to me (not that the same people complaining don’t use public roads and send their children to public schools, but I digress). Having a public option and keeping the current insurance companies in place is more choice and not forcing one person one way or the other or providing health care free to all. Certainly there are no death panels or what not. Do these people read the official websites or are they just listening to what the extreme Republicans are pushing out there?

It is amusing to see these people scared - as if the end is coming. To people who don’t think it’s racism, do you think if Obama was called “Michael O’Neill”, it would be questioned if he was a legit US citizen? It doesn’t mean everyone at these marches are racist but I’m sure a large percentage are. They know they are the minority now (in relation to their political stance, not race) and are scared. You would have thought the Republicans would have reinvented themselves and not spewed more (ignorant) hate.

What is most amusing to me is that Mitt Romney, a Republican, has introduced state mandated health care a few years ago to Massachusetts, and no-one has brought this up from these meetings (not that I know of).

joe wilson, in his position as a member of the united states congress, basically gave an f-you to the president. wilson is in a spot where he should know the rules and how to conduct himself. wilson’s son, whether he was a grocery bagger or a military vet should not be his spokesman.
too much conversation on this already, but since you asked…
jimmy carter’s friends growing up in the south were primarily black. i think he can smell racism pretty well at his age and his position internationally.
i’m glad the house put in the formal rebuke.on the other hand, i have to agree with barney frank(d-Mass) who only voted “present”-“I think it’s bad precedent to put us in charge of deciding whether people act like jerks.I don’t have time to monitor everyone’s civility.”
i think wilson is a shill for the insurance industry and he picked the wrong forum in which to display his contempt for our current, duly elected president. fuck him.

I don’t think it makes him look arrogant, it makes him look honest. Look, as an American with his wits about him, I can honestly tell you that I watch this “town hall” crap and view it as nothing more than misplaced racism. If the salesman offering them a change to their health coverage was white and Republican (ah, fuck that - they’ll settle for just white), they’d eat it up like it was gravy.

Large segments of white America simply cannot deal with the fact that the President is black. It just completely hits their reset button, and they’ve been in a continuous state of shock since the Inauguration. Obama being compared to Hitler? Come on!

You might be right, but the way you just stated it makes YOU look arrogant. You said in your statement that a you are a a person with his wits about him and that is how you view it. How does that make it a fact and anything more than your opinion? Like I said it’s probably true, but making a statement like that is stupid. As an influential person like Carter, all he would have had to do was preface that statement with the words “In my opinion”. What is he psychic? Are you? At least you’ve got your wits about you.

Also, do you think people would behave the exact same way if our black president was a bible thumping, anti abortion, anti gay, republican? Just curious.

I am also glad to see such passion in politics now. Where was this passion amongst the Democrats when Bush was raising hell around the world and blatantly lying to the American people? Why were they all silent? Maybe more passion would’ve had more people to their side…

afra. the passion wasn’t there because people weren’t losing houses, healthcare, jobs, at such an astonishing rate.c’mon.
i’d like to see another month of job losses, so the dumbasses who think it’s okay to ship work overseas, without penalty, will suffer some rebuke. i thought it would have happened by now. but no.

Ed’s right about the passion. People don’t give a shit until the arse has fallen out of their trousers.

As regards Obama’s ethnicity, he is as black as he is white but ironically he’s also more African American than the majority of “African Americans” as his dad was Kenyan.

‘African American’ is as invalid a term for most of the people it’s applied to as ‘Native American’ is for Indians.

I think there are people who distrust Obama because he has interests beyond wearing caps with the stars and stripes on it.

I can honestly understand SOME people’s fear in government having a stronger hand in some things after the last administrations botching of various things like fema with katrina,etc… in that case I can see where people are affraid. But when it comes to the rascist stuff, then you just chalk it up to pure ignorance, which ironically was what caused botched shit like katrina…

i’m surprised nobody has nicknamed the anti-obama peeps as “lifers” what with the them being birthers, or deathers.

Carter is a stand up guy and way ahead of his time. I have tons to add to this as well But I’m stuck in a classroom right now and have to somewhat pay attention
I’m torn over the racism issue there is no doubt that it’s racism but it’s deliberit racism and I’ll exlain in about and hour and half or so! (basically a class war disguised as a race war)
Late,
grmpysmrf

Some of these teabagger types are racist, but I don’t think that’s the case with most of them and, without really knowing anything about the guy, I doubt it’s the case with Joe Wilson.

As much as I believe that this is about class more than it is race I’m going with Joe Wilson IS a racist. the guy is a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans for crisesakes!

The truth is, about 1/3 of the country is terrified. They’re scared of liberals, they’re scared of “socialism,” and they’re scared of government run health care.

I’ll Amen this! Repubs are a bunch of pussies! scared of their fucking shadows!

Of course, in a poll only 51% of Kentuckians think Obama was born in the United States. I doubt there’s the same level of skepticism regarding Panama Canal Zone-born John McCain

This is an excellent point (actually kinda shocked to see it’s over half especially in a place like CLANtucky) and Be willing to bet that that majority is racist.

There’s always been a huge problem with racism in America…but I think this goes beyond that. It’s cultural xenophobia which is a product of basic greed. The “you lie-teabag-birther” crowd love their simple little lives and when they have adjust or change, even for the better, they get scared. So yeah, they’re racists and they’re cowards. I kinda pity them.

This is exactly where I’m coming from and you put this way more eloquently than I probably could have, thanks wempathy.

He might be right, but to state it like it’s a fact makes him look arrogant.

Look at Jimmy Carter’s record. the man is anythng but arrogant, as a matter of fact one could probably argue that he lost a second term by not being arrogant enough

These particular people are interesting to me as they are very misinformed.

correct and this misinformation is being manipulated by the upperclass which in turn looks like racism. Far easier to get people to take up your cause by yelling “that damn nigger” (in a country with a history of racism)than it is to say “I’m going to be slightly less wealthy under this guy”

From what I read of the health care plan that is being carved up, it does not smell like socialism to me (not that the same people complaining don’t use public roads and send their children to public schools, but I digress). Having a public option and keeping the current insurance companies in place is more choice and not forcing one person one way or the other or providing health care free to all. Certainly there are no death panels or what not. Do these people read the official websites or are they just listening to what the extreme Republicans are pushing out there?

It’s not socialism and you are correct in all of your assessments. Not only that but to up the ante you could show that not only are Private scools not squashed out but they are thriving!

To people who don’t think it’s racism, do you think if Obama was called “Michael O’Neill”, it would be questioned if he was a legit US citizen?

Michael Steele-nuff said

What is most amusing to me is that Mitt Romney, a Republican, has introduced state mandated health care a few years ago to Massachusetts, and no-one has brought this up from these meetings (not that I know of).

thanks for this tid-bit I had no idea

i have to agree with barney frank(d-Mass) who only voted “present”-“I think it’s bad precedent to put us in charge of deciding whether people act like jerks.I don’t have time to monitor everyone’s civility.”

I’ve been a fan of barney frank for about a year now! I heard of his vote and his statement and endorse both
excellent thread!
I’m very encouraged by jimmy carter and wish more politicians behaved for the goodwill of the planet (not just the nation) as Carter.
I remarked to my mom, who has a tea bagger friend, that where were all of these “activists” that claim to hate bush too, when bush was fucking everything up? So W gets an 8 year pass but Obama better get it straight in 8 months?? something seems askew!
Late,
grmpysmrf

In response to Carter:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8260109.stm

Barack is in a position where he has to say that, his hands are tied. If he came out and said there were racist elements opposing him, he’d create an even bigger shitstorm amongst the “rebels”. But that is assuming that he did agree with Carter which he may just as likely did not.

I agree with the BBC’s Washington reporter says on that page though that his presidency has not ushered in an era of post-racial politics in the U.S.

Barack was elected into a lose situation. I honestly sometimes think that’s one of the reasons why the republicans had such a weak challenge. I mean Mccain spent the previous however many years acting more like a democrat and pissing off his fellow republicans constantly and palin is well, palin.
They let the minority in, also a democrat, and let him try and work his way out of a no win situation. end result he looks bad, the dems look bad, and they can now say “remember when we let that black person in charge and see what happened?”

http://washingtonindependent.com/59514/poll-one-in-three-new-jersey-conservatives-think-obama-might-be-the-anti-christ

Barack was elected into a lose situation. I honestly sometimes think that’s one of the reasons why the republicans had such a weak challenge. I mean Mccain spent the previous however many years acting more like a democrat and pissing off his fellow republicans constantly and palin is well, palin.
They let the minority in, also a democrat, and let him try and work his way out of a no win situation. end result he looks bad, the dems look bad, and they can now say “remember when we let that black person in charge and see what happened?”

You could be right. That certainly is a tactic in the political field; skip a term and let the oppostition ride out the storm. I wonder when trouble started brewing in Lehman bros did it coincide with Palin’s appointment? But seriously you can bet some repubs would be happy that a Democrat is boss when the economy turns to shit.