Politics

[Polish Leppy 22]

No outrage this week regarding Obama vacationing in Martha's Vineyard while Louisiana is under water, thousands in shelters, and 13 dead?

 

[woolybug25]

No outrage this week regarding Obama vacationing in Martha's Vineyard while Louisiana is under water, thousands in shelters, and 13 dead?

Not really. He approved financial support for the effort and there isn't anything for him to do. What would make you happy? Want him to fly down there and start grabbing buckets himself? The whole story is manufactured. He gave approval for federal support and it's not like he isn't available if things turned sour.

 

[GoIrish41]

Not really. He approved financial support for the effort and there isn't anything for him to do. What would make you happy? Want him to fly down there and start grabbing buckets himself? The whole story is manufactured. He gave approval for federal support and it's not like he isn't available if things turned sour.

They want Obama to go to La. so they can disown another republican governor for working with him? ... sigh.

 

[connor_in]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Obama in '05 after Katrina vs. now as Louisiana suffers epic flooding, Golfer-in-Chief cannot be disturbed... <a href="https://t.co/xuivKJXY72">pic.twitter.com/xuivKJXY72</a></p>— ForAmerica (@ForAmerica) <a href="https://twitter.com/ForAmerica/status/766627272703012864">August 19, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[RDU Irish]

I think giving Obama crap for this is just as ridiculous as Bush v. Katrina - probably more so since the scale is dramatically less.

I take more exception to his silence in the face of all of the racial unrest in this country. That isn't fair either - he does talk occasionally to fan the flames and excuse lawlessness.

 

[connor_in]

Personally, either of them being on the ground there creates more problems and headaches due to security than they need. I only posted the tweet with the clip to highlight the different treatment. Sen. Obama made fun of W for flying over it. What would Sen. Obama have said if W didn't fly over it but played golf instead?

 

[RDU Irish]

Personally, either of them being on the ground there creates more problems and headaches due to security than they need. I only posted the tweet with the clip to highlight the different treatment. Sen. Obama made fun of W for flying over it. What would Sen. Obama have said if W didn't fly over it but played golf instead?

Completely agree - whatever Bush did, Obama was going to belittle it which only undermines when an actual point needs to get raised.

 

[Polish Leppy 22]

Personally, either of them being on the ground there creates more problems and headaches due to security than they need. I only posted the tweet with the clip to highlight the different treatment. Sen. Obama made fun of W for flying over it. What would Sen. Obama have said if W didn't fly over it but played golf instead?

Wooly, this is what I was getting at. No one realistically expects the President to go down there and play hero. But the fact that Obama criticized Bush for Katrina and the media crushed him for the flyover...compare and contrast the two scenarios and the different treatment.

 

[phgreek]

Personally, either of them being on the ground there creates more problems and headaches due to security than they need. I only posted the tweet with the clip to highlight the different treatment. Sen. Obama made fun of W for flying over it. What would Sen. Obama have said if W didn't fly over it but played golf instead?

This.

So this is Mr. Obama...the douchbag that called out the last guy, and proceeds to do the same or less.

Happens a bunch in politics...

Mr. Obama is a common politician with no particular expertise other than campaigning 24/7.

Shrug

 

[NorthDakota]

This.

So this is Mr. Obama...the douchbag that called out the last guy, and proceeds to do the same or less.

Happens a bunch in politics...

Mr. Obama is a common politician with no particular expertise other than campaigning 24/7.

Shrug

I hear he is a really talented community organizer.

 

[IrishJayhawk]

Maybe the difference here is that the government response with FEMA has been excellent.

 

[Legacy]

Maybe the difference here is that the government response wilth FEMA has been excellent.

But FEMA needs more money each year.

A Primer on Disaster and Emergency Appropriations (Heritage)

Climate Change (FEMA)

As Need for New Flood Maps Rises, Congress and Obama Cut Funding

 

[Buster Bluth]

Wooly, this is what I was getting at. No one realistically expects the President to go down there and play hero. But the fact that Obama criticized Bush for Katrina and the media crushed him for the flyover...compare and contrast the two scenarios and the different treatment.

This.

So this is Mr. Obama...the douchbag that called out the last guy, and proceeds to do the same or less.

Happens a bunch in politics...

Mr. Obama is a common politician with no particular expertise other than campaigning 24/7.

Shrug

Yeah, let's compare.

How many have died in these floods? Twenty?

How many died in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina? Officially it's 1,836, and with great blame being placed on an incompetent FEMA lead by a guy who was, like the victims, in over his head.

Please go ahead and compare these situations and maybe you can come up with a reason why one President received more criticism for his response.

 

[pkt77242]

Massive price increases on EpiPens raise alarm

EpiPen Price Rise Sparks Concern for Allergy Sufferers - NYTimes.com

Mylan Execs Gave Themselves Raises As They Hiked EpiPen Prices - NBC News

 

[phgreek]

Yeah, let's compare.

How many have died in these floods? Twenty?

How many died in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina? Officially it's 1,836, and with great blame being placed on an incompetent FEMA lead by a guy who was, like the victims, in over his head.

Please go ahead and compare these situations and maybe you can come up with a reason why one President received more criticism for his response.

Response? My post was about how he used a poor situation to score political points...it was clear he knew it made no sense for Bush to be on the ground...but he went ahead and hammered him, personally, instead of just hammering "the governmental response".

..."saw the people from an Airplane, not down here".

Mr. Obama made that comment...it was clearly an attack on Mr. Bush's morality...Square that with his approach to the current flood please. Both were correct to stay out of the way...

And BTW...This flood was not on the same order of magnitude, nor were the local and state leadership as fucking stupid and incompetent. Granted I got no issue with FEMA this time around (that I know of)...but Katrina issues weren't all FEMA either....so making that inference is utter Bullshit.

Mr. Obama is a common politician...on the whole, he is nothing better than any before, and brings nothing of particular use. He has said some dumb shit at bad times...and it continues to haunt him...and will. Get over it.

 

[phgreek]

Massive price increases on EpiPens raise alarm

EpiPen Price Rise Sparks Concern for Allergy Sufferers - NYTimes.com

Mylan Execs Gave Themselves Raises As They Hiked EpiPen Prices - NBC News

I don't understand this...Much of pharma is ...or was, a good will business. Unless you have a major spike in material, or compliance/regulatory costs, WTF would you think this is a good idea.

It is this kind of behavior that makes me think there is too much collusion in industry...How do they not worry this invites being knocked off by a competitor...unless they know they won't. Stinks.

 

[irishff1014]

Massive price increases on EpiPens raise alarm

EpiPen Price Rise Sparks Concern for Allergy Sufferers - NYTimes.com

Mylan Execs Gave Themselves Raises As They Hiked EpiPen Prices - NBC News

I saw this the other day. This unbelievable that they chose to do this. I have seen it with my own two eyes how quickly this drug can turn a bad situation around. The Health care industry is all about MONEY and nothing else.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

Dave Rubin is the best interviewer in media today.

Agreed.

Spent some time listening to Dave and Steve Crowder talk/debate. Good stuff there, from both guys.

I, honestly try and see both sides as best as I can. The more I learn, the more I understand all sides, the better I can make a decision as to where I stand on an issue. The funny thing is, I'm all over the place on a per-issue-basis and it's why I never chose a political party in which to affiliate myself.

 

[phgreek]

Agreed.

Spent some time listening to Dave and Steve Crowder talk/debate. Good stuff there, from both guys.

I, honestly try and see both sides as best as I can. The more I learn, the more I understand all sides, the better I can make a decision as to where I stand on an issue. The funny thing is, I'm all over the place on a per-issue-basis and it's why I never chose a political party in which to affiliate myself.

I try to do the same...I think the difficulty is, come vote time, there are a few big issues that I can't do liberal...so I'm 99% independent or republican voter. Oddly enough, If Sanders would have survived..I'd have chosen him over Trump...not over policy...just character vote there.

And Wizz turned me on to Rubin...I have enjoyed his interviews tremendously...you can actually learn something from BOTH sides...

 

[pkt77242]

Georgia mosque fight: County tries to derail building plans - CNN.com

 

[pkt77242]

Maine Gov. Paul LePage leaves profanity-laced voicemail - CNNPolitics.com

 

[wizards8507]

Race Relations Getting Worse in America—Why? | National Review

Really thought provoking piece. I love to hear input from the usual suspects.

 

[IrishLax]

Race Relations Getting Worse in America—Why? | National Review

Really thought provoking piece. I love to hear input from the usual suspects.

Great article, a couple nitpicks:
1. There are an awful lot of Irish people that came here in chains, and they ended up in exactly the areas he's talking about.
2. He pretty grossly hand waved at the Harvard economist's study where the principal finding was that cops are not out there disproportionately killing black people. One of the biggest issues is the people invested perpetuating false narratives.

I thought the article was excellent in the clarity of writing and thoughtful attention to the question of why things have gotten worse.

 

[IrishinSyria]

Race Relations Getting Worse in America—Why? | National Review

Really thought provoking piece. I love to hear input from the usual suspects.

King expressed a sentiment with relatively broad currency: that white people are discriminated against in some way. Though there have always been people worried about “reverse racism” — consider, for instance, the continued uproar over race-based affirmative action — recent data indicate that this sentiment has reached population scale. Research by Samuel Sommers and Michael Norton suggests that the average white person now feels that anti-white bias is a bigger problem than other forms of racial discrimination.

As a white Irish dude myself, this is absolutely mind blowing to me.

 

[wizards8507]

As a white Irish dude myself, this is absolutely mind blowing to me.

Are you poor? Did you grow up poor? How old are you? For poor whites coming of age in 2016, they've been hearing about "white privilege" for years. In their poverty, they've never seen anything resembling "privilege" so they perceive that rhetoric as anti-white racism.

 

[NDohio]

Great article, a couple nitpicks:
1. There are an awful lot of Irish people that came here in chains, and they ended up in exactly the areas he's talking about.
2. He pretty grossly hand waved at the Harvard economist's study where the principal finding was that cops are not out there disproportionately killing black people. One of the biggest issues is the people invested perpetuating false narratives.

I thought the article was excellent in the clarity of writing and thoughtful attention to the question of why things have gotten worse.

I don't know if you have read his book, but if you haven't I highly suggest it. It's a great look into the plight of poor whites in this country.

 

[phgreek]

As a white Irish dude myself, this is absolutely mind blowing to me.

People tend to know what is in their orbit...ie things that happen to them, or their friends and family.

I presume you are somehow related to DoD. Both sides of this battle carry out in front of you.

There were many instances where minority enlisted personnel didn't get the opportunities for advancement. As well, officer candidates and opportunities weren't great. Those things have turned around over the last 20-30 years. Same regarding issues with Women. I suspect those who went through this presumed the racism was rampant. May still be a hangover in the enlisted ranks...you'd probably know better than I. But it seems individuals got the training and development they needed to succeed...everyone seems better for it, and my enlisted and officer friends seem to harbor no race resentment or anger.

At the same time...we have the 8A program. It tried to force DoD to award contracts to minorities, and it is very much a quota system. I know there were numerous contracts I bid on that were awarded to someone BECAUSE they were a minority, not because they were better, or even a known quantity. I know I had a couple contracts that were taken from me...contracts where I achieved IG benchmarks for my customers... and they were awarded to a minority. Only to have me back in there fixing everything within a year, on a reduced budget because thats all they had. The simple fact of the matter is, if you are in business within an industry where many contracts are awarded on the basis of someone's race (not yours)...what is your takeaway? What about your kids? What about your peers? What about your employees? What are they supposed to take away from those experiences? No one took these 8A guys under their wing, and developed them...just handed them Federal Contracts...fucked over companies that had been delivering, ...and many screwed up...badly. So yes around me, there is the perception of significant codified white discrimination...and the requisite anger and resentment.

Boils down to HOW you go about addressing the creation of opportunity...Point is, you can't just throw money at it...you can't suck at it, and assume everyone takes away this concept that the process served the greater good...thats not human nature, and it is STUUUPID to assume folks would see it any other way. You can frame it as angry white folks who are uninformed...or you can learn from poorly thought out and implemented plans that backfired. The studies show the 8A program had little impact on long term business ownership of minorities. The 8A debacle still rolls on, its better than it was. Still a dismal failure in my book. As well, it is slowly being supplanted by programs like HUBZONE...which is effective, and better conceived.

Anyway, to presume issues like this don't exist, or aren't credible isn't helping resolve shit on the race front.

 

[NDgradstudent]

As a white Irish dude myself, this is absolutely mind blowing to me.

It's not that complicated. The Supreme Court has said that the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment does not apply to whites or Asians, and that state universities can discriminate against them for not being black or Hispanic in admission and hiring.

 

[ACamp1900]

Are you poor? Did you grow up poor? How old are you? For poor whites coming of age in 2016, they've been hearing about "white privilege" for years. In their poverty, they've never seen anything resembling "privilege" so they perceive that rhetoric as anti-white racism.

One real thing that I have seen is those who work hard, sacrifice and make a better life for themselves are told over and over that it's all white privilege and they did not in fact earn it... not the healthiest place.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

I don't know if you have read his book, but if you haven't I highly suggest it. It's a great look into the plight of poor whites in this country.

Hillbilly Elegy. My Twitter feed has been shouting its praises for weeks now.