Election Day !!!!!!!!!

[enzfan]

Let the merchandising begin.


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[Frau_Blucher]

Christ, I guess maybe I shouldn't consider myself quite so cynical after all. Election night was very interesting here on a company trip with colleagues from all over the world - Germany, Spain, the UK, Australia, China, Japan, Brazil, etc. There was an intense amount of interest from all my international friends, asking what I was hoping for and what I was feeling, as well as intimating how crushing they thought it would be for the world if it went "wrong". I'd never previously seen others so vested in or hopeful for the outcome of our election. I do think many people see this as being a [i]potentially[/i] special man, and some pointedly argued against this choice being simply more of a rejection of Bush rather than a selection [i]for[/i] something else.

That feeling was further reinfornced on TV in the juxtaposed coverage by CNN and Fox News that I was flipping back and forth from. Interestingly, I thought Fox's coverage was more spot-on than CNN's, who seemed to dwell far too much on the race angle and the emotions of African-Americans in particular - gross oversimplification. Fox on the other hand actually doled out analytical and grudging praise for Obama. Even people like Karl Rove stated that, as they step back and take measure of this man and all that he may be capable of as a leader and a thinker, and with the power of clear majorities in both houses of Congress, he could be a great president - a stunning statement from the architect of the Bush administration.

Brit Hume noted that the trouble with the attacks by McCain and Palin (may the vile whore disappear into oblivion) was that, as one stood speaking with the Obama, none of the accusations of extremism were ever evident in his manner. Instead, one could not help but be compelled by his sincere convictions. This sort of insight was oddly absent in CNN's populist coverage. The next day, even Tom DeLay disagreed with the Fox host that this was just a knee-jerk against the Bush admin. If it was just any old Joe-blow, especially a black Joe-blow, let's face it, he wouldn't have been elected by Americans as we know them.

There seems to be a potentially perfect storm of factors at play here that may give Obama a historical chance of [i]possibly[/i] being a great president - both the aforementioned majorities and the tough times presented to him are often prerequisites for great presidencies. Only time will tell if he becomes great or if he'll blow it - there really can't be much inbetween in this case. Finally, reading some of these comments, I'm not clear if some folks are only qwipping against Obama or were actually for McCain. I would have found his election to be nothing short of a reward and validation for eight years of ignorance. Maybe you were wearing your "I'm With Stupid" shirt during the Bush years??

[KYYX4ever]

[quote][i]Originally posted by djcraig[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by manekineko[/i]
<br>As I was in line to vote there was an African-American family behind me: a mother and four children. The kids were all excited, saying, "Mommy, I want to vote!" Their mother said, "You'll have to wait until you're 18, and then you can vote." It warmed my heart to see kids so excited about the democratic process--kids who finally see a candidate who looks just like them.
[/quote]

<u>You did NOT just really say that!</u>

I believe your statement to be well intentioned but you might want to reconsider that final sentence.

[/quote]

What is wrong with that statement ? Some of my students are all pumped up too because they can identify with "a guy who looks just like them", as well. They see Obama as someone with whom they can identify, not just the usual old white guy in higher office.

[enzfan]

I believe it may be the generalization of blacks as "them".

[birdmadgirl]

[quote][i]Originally posted by KYYX4ever[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by djcraig[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by manekineko[/i]
<br>As I was in line to vote there was an African-American family behind me: a mother and four children. The kids were all excited, saying, "Mommy, I want to vote!" Their mother said, "You'll have to wait until you're 18, and then you can vote." It warmed my heart to see kids so excited about the democratic process--kids who finally see a candidate who looks just like them.
[/quote]

<u>You did NOT just really say that!</u>

I believe your statement to be well intentioned but you might want to reconsider that final sentence.

[/quote]

What is wrong with that statement ? Some of my students are all pumped up too because they can identify with "a guy who looks just like them", as well. They see Obama as someone with whom they can identify, not just the usual old white guy in higher office.
[/quote]

I don't get it, either. My middle child attends a magnet school that, well, is in a part of the city that is primarily populated by blacks, and she said the black kids at school were pumped up, too, the day after election day. She said they seemed very excited and happy and not all "in your face, whitey" about it. (Her words, not mine.)

[djcraig]

[quote][i]Originally posted by KYYX4ever[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by djcraig[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by manekineko[/i]
<br>As I was in line to vote there was an African-American family behind me: a mother and four children. The kids were all excited, saying, "Mommy, I want to vote!" Their mother said, "You'll have to wait until you're 18, and then you can vote." It warmed my heart to see kids so excited about the democratic process--kids who finally see a candidate who looks just like them.
[/quote]

<u>You did NOT just really say that!</u>

I believe your statement to be well intentioned but you might want to reconsider that final sentence.

[/quote]

What is wrong with that statement ? Some of my students are all pumped up too because they can identify with "a guy who looks just like them", as well. They see Obama as someone with whom they can identify, not just the usual old white guy in higher office.
[/quote]

Tell your black students to go home and tell their parents that the teacher said, "we all look alike" and see what kind of reaction you get.




<a href="http://www.djcraig.net/los_angeles_dj">DJ Craig</a>

[phillyidol]

This whole thread sounds racist. I mean...whats the big deal we elected a black man. Jeez its not like we elected a Jew or something.




Worlds GREATEST Photographer!

[WolverineSyr]

I don't see anything wrong with the statement "looks like me, or looks like them." I hear it used all the time - it simply means "someone of my ethnicity, gender, age" whatever. It doesn't mean "they all look alike" at all. It's simply an acknowledgment that someone is empowered by a figure.

I've had to write a couple of curricula on Cultural Competency and it's an acceptable phrase. Although I can see how it can be taken wrong in the delivery or by who is saying it.

And now being really incompetent: the post about OJ's acquittal was exactly what I was thinking yesterday morning as my car was surrounded by a group of kids screaming at me & making the assumption that because I'm white and over 40, that I must be pissed about the election. I hate living by a high school.

[rotator]

[quote][i]Originally posted by phillyidol[/i]
<br>This whole thread sounds racist. I mean...whats the big deal we elected a black man. Jeez its not like we elected a Jew or something.


[/quote]

milk I was drinking just shot out my nose. [:D]

[club80]

[quote][i]Originally posted by Blir[/i]
<br>Christ, I guess maybe I shouldn't consider myself quite so cynical after all. Election night was very interesting here on a company trip with colleagues from all over the world - Germany, Spain, the UK, Australia, China, Japan, Brazil, etc. There was an intense amount of interest from all my international friends, asking what I was hoping for and what I was feeling, as well as intimating how crushing they thought it would be for the world if it went "wrong". I'd never previously seen others so vested in or hopeful for the outcome of our election. I do think many people see this as being a [i]potentially[/i] special man, and some pointedly argued against this choice being simply more of a rejection of Bush rather than a selection [i]for[/i] something else.

That feeling was further reinfornced on TV in the juxtaposed coverage by CNN and Fox News that I was flipping back and forth from. Interestingly, I thought Fox's coverage was more spot-on than CNN's, who seemed to dwell far too much on the race angle and the emotions of African-Americans in particular - gross oversimplification. Fox on the other hand actually doled out analytical and grudging praise for Obama. Even people like Karl Rove stated that, as they step back and take measure of this man and all that he may be capable of as a leader and a thinker, and with the power of clear majorities in both houses of Congress, he could be a great president - a stunning statement from the architect of the Bush administration.

Brit Hume noted that the trouble with the attacks by McCain and Palin (may the vile whore disappear into oblivion) was that, as one stood speaking with the Obama, none of the accusations of extremism were ever evident in his manner. Instead, one could not help but be compelled by his sincere convictions. This sort of insight was oddly absent in CNN's populist coverage. The next day, even Tom DeLay disagreed with the Fox host that this was just a knee-jerk against the Bush admin. If it was just any old Joe-blow, especially a black Joe-blow, let's face it, he wouldn't have been elected by Americans as we know them.

There seems to be a potentially perfect storm of factors at play here that may give Obama a historical chance of [i]possibly[/i] being a great president - both the aforementioned majorities and the tough times presented to him are often prerequisites for great presidencies. Only time will tell if he becomes great or if he'll blow it - there really can't be much inbetween in this case. Finally, reading some of these comments, I'm not clear if some folks are only qwipping against Obama or were actually for McCain. I would have found his election to be nothing short of a reward and validation for eight years of ignorance. Maybe you were wearing your "I'm With Stupid" shirt during the Bush years??
[/quote]

Well said, Blir. I couldn't agree more. Obama isn't perfect but the stage IS set for him to become a great president. Not only because the Democrats rule Washington and not only because any measurement of competency against the previous regime just HAS TO make him look better, but also because he seems to be more in touch with what the people want and need than Bush did. He know what needs to be done and that alone sets him apart from the Bush Administration. Plus his choice as running mate seems to be the perfect complement. Where Obama is perceived as inexperienced, Biden is strong.

We didn't sell a lot of records, but somehow we left an impression.
-Johnny Ramone-

[phillyidol]

[quote][i]Originally posted by rotator[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by phillyidol[/i]
<br>This whole thread sounds racist. I mean...whats the big deal we elected a black man. Jeez its not like we elected a Jew or something.


[/quote]

milk I was drinking just shot out my nose. [:D]
[/quote]

My job here is done.




Worlds GREATEST Photographer!

[djcraig]

[quote][i]Originally posted by WolverineSyr[/i]
<br>I don't see anything wrong with the statement "looks like me, or looks like them." I hear it used all the time - it simply means "someone of my ethnicity, gender, age" whatever. It doesn't mean "they all look alike" at all. It's simply an acknowledgment that someone is empowered by a figure.

I've had to write a couple of curricula on Cultural Competency and it's an acceptable phrase. Although I can see how it can be taken wrong in the delivery or by who is saying it.

And now being really incompetent: the post about OJ's acquittal was exactly what I was thinking yesterday morning as my car was surrounded by a group of kids screaming at me & making the assumption that because I'm white and over 40, that I must be pissed about the election. I hate living by a high school.
[/quote]

Stating that a candidate who is black appeals to other blacks because he "looks just like them" implies that they do, in fact, all look alike. I would be offended if someone concluded that I voted for a white candidate over a black one because he "looked just like me".

Even if the intent of the statement was not racist, at best it demonstrates ignorance, insensitivity and a poor choice of words.




<a href="http://www.djcraig.net/los_angeles_dj">DJ Craig</a>

[manekineko]

Oh, good grief. Give me a break. Insensitive and racist? No. Did I mean to imply that all blacks look alike? Of course not. Let's not create a mountain out of a molehill. I simply meant that for once, African-Americans voters had a presidential candidate that they (and their children) could identify with as sharing their origin and cultural experiences. Young children notice that the man on the TV has dark skin, like theirs, instead of being just another white guy. Instead of focusing on the positive content of my observation while I was standing in line at the polls, you've chosen to construe my words into a racist statement when there was none.

By the way, my observations mirrored those of my numerous colleagues who are African-American. One colleague said that her young son was excited to have a black president, because that meant he could be president some day, too.

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[djcraig]

[quote][i]Originally posted by manekineko[/i]
<br>Oh, good grief. Give me a break. Insensitive and racist? No. Did I mean to imply that all blacks look alike? Of course not. Let's not create a mountain out of a molehill. I simply meant that for once, African-Americans voters had a presidential candidate that they (and their children) could identify with as sharing their origin and cultural experiences. Young children notice that the man on the TV has dark skin, like theirs, instead of being just another white guy. Instead of focusing on the positive content of my observation while I was standing in line at the polls, you've chosen to construe my words into a racist statement when there was none.[/quote]

Never construed it. Never accused you of it. But without the clarification you have now provided, you left the door open for it to be interpreted that way. All I did was point that out.

[quote]By the way, my observations mirrored those of my numerous colleagues who are African-American. One colleague said that her young son was excited to have a black president, because that meant he could be president some day, too.
[/quote]

That's a far cry from the boy saying that Obama looks just like "us". Your mirror is a little hazy.




<a href="http://www.djcraig.net/los_angeles_dj">DJ Craig</a>

[Bitter Almonds]

[quote][i]Originally posted by NuWaveRx[/i]
<br>[quote]activist judges making laws and wanted to send a message.
[/quote]

Ah, yes the two great buzzwords for those who want to tell other consenting adults how to live their lives: "Activist Judges" and the "will of the people" I always seem to have the same two questions about them:

1-Since most people who espouse the notion of "Activist Judges" seem to be socially conservative, I always wonder if they would have the same reaction to an "Activist Judge" who repealed Roe v Wade--something tells me probably not.

2-I wonder if it was correct for the "will of the people" to have been upheld in the South before Brown v Board of Education or Loving v Virginia. I think history tells us the "will of the people" was dead wrong in permitting segregation and banning inter-racial marriage.[/quote]

<p align="justify">There are a lot of things consenting adults cannot do: they can't run around naked in the park, they can't marry multiple people, they can't marry siblings, they can't eat shit and drink piss in public, they can't marry animals. Also, it's insulting to compare the issue of homosexual "marriage" with the plight other races have had to face in the past. One could infer from this baseless idea that being black or brown is the same as being a homosexual... which is not.