Yes you did.
When you have a few minutes, may I suggest you watch the Reclaiming Jesus video. It’s a beautiful, ecumenical statement of faith.
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Will do, Eye. I’ll get to it later.
I’m guessing that outside certain moral issues (again, I’m guessing, maybe they aren’t really covered) I probably wouldn’t be all that scandalized… If at all. I’m not a climate change denier, or opposed to social safety nets, helping others outside of our borders with learning to feed and treat themselves as we give a hand in the meantime.
Edit: Ok, I read the web page the video is embedded. On its face, I see nothing objectionable. I will get to the video.
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It is worth noting that this was (is) a worldwide phenomenon - in the last twenty or so years one has seen the homogenization (takeover) of leftist politics in Europe and the US focusing on political correctness and IP which in turn has killed of the traditional working class left in Europe that previously widely differed from what would be labeled “left” in the US.
Here’s an anecdote on a micro level - a female relative of mine, a bright young girl ran in local elections on the “working class left” ticket and 95% of her campaign revolved around LGBT(Q?) rights and the question of fluid gender identity. Commendable, if not for the fact that her electorate are basically steel mill workers and their dependents whose main concern was the uncertain future of the mill in question. When she (predictably) lost she posted a rant on Facebook in which she accused the electorate of being actual neo-Nazis.
And this suicide has been repeating over and over again for the last decade or so, paving a way for a plethora of spectacularly unsavory characters from the far-right and far-left.
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And it’s inexplicable. In December 2013, Obama declared in a speech that income inequality was the “defining challenge of our time” - and dedicated virtually nothing from his remaining administration to do anything about. This, after going wholw hog into the Timothy Geithner “let them eat cake” philosophy during and after the Great Recession that chose the banker and investing class over the working/middle classes.
And that’s what Democrats never understood. The Great Recession didn’t end for these people after the DJIA rebounded. And the resentment grew - these are people that otherwise do the right things to have a good life: work hard, keep their nose clean, raise good kids, don’t cheat. And yet, in a time of pain, they were abandoned in favor of moving on to addressing social issues that appeared pretty frivoulous in light of the impact of the Great Recession.
It didn’t start with Obama - it really traces back even before Clinton. But Obama pushed all his chips in the table on walking away from these people and the issues most important to them in favor of gentry liberal concerns that only seem really important when you comfortably make six figures and don’t worry whether you can afford your car payment because your company cut your hours back.
And they paid dearly for it.
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I agree, @thunderbolt23…
BUT…
Has Trump; or did Trump really provide any real SOLUTIONS to the working/middle classes?
Or did he do what Demagogues do, and have done, throughout recorded history?
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Agitate and fire up a certain group or people/peoples by articulating in graphic and “simple” terms their problems and the reasons for their problems.
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Create a sense of “us” vs “them”; and point out that “they” are a huge reason for many of “our” problems. (Note: “they” will often add fuel to the fire, often by their own actions).
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The Demagogue then says he is one of “you”; he has all the answers; and just follow him to the Promised Land. (By the way; the Journey will be hard; and “they” will try everything they can to stop “us”).
Do people actually think Trump is somehow “unique” in his message?
If so; read history. It is littered with “Trumps”…
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The problem is, if you put yourself in the shoes of some of Trump supporters they feel like the “them” and the"they" no?
Sorry.
I don’t understand the question, @Sloth.
The “Old-School” Dems…(the Pelosi’s, Shumers, etc.); KNOW that they are in trouble (despite the rhetoric; they are actually smart, intelligent people)…
Even today; I was listening to a rally with Sanders and one of the new “Democratic Socialist”; (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez); and instead had to turn it off and listen to some Herbie Hancock and Brecker Brothers…
If this is the DEM direction…let’s just plan on “Making America Great Again” for a few years to come, as the Democratic Party as we know it dies (right along with the “traditional” GOP).
I think a LOT will depend on the direction the Millennials (and the now named “iGen” Generation) eventually take things. But for the foreseeable future, I don’t see the DEMS having a winning platform. (But I have been very wrong in the past predicting these things…)
That is a great and probably the most objective evaluation of the political shift that has occurred.
I’ve said before and Its worth repeating- I’d be a moderate dem. In previous generations. A lot of people that are now considered “conservative” are. Its not that people left the party. The party left its people.
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Agree, @thunderbolt23…
Something else to consider (and I would like you guys opinion…)
The idea of one-Party being some “Big-Tent” that accepts and supports everyone is probably a pipe-dream that 1) never existed and/or 2) most likely with never exist.
I think that our current Political Divide certainly reinforces this notion.
It’s because both parties have included things on their agendas that attract as much as they repulse.
Great point. @zecarlo…
Oh, definitely not - and to be clear, I don’t even think that a Republican alternative to Obama would have done much better. We would have seen the same bank bailouts, etc. (started under Bush anyway), but I don’t think there would have been any major commitment to help these heartland folks - mainly because it would have required government action to do so, and Republicans are allergic to government action helping people. I imagine we would have heard a steady stream of “urm, market fix it” in lieu of any policy action.
Fast forward to 2016, and these voters went with the lone candidate that at least acknowledged their troubles. Having helped hire him, he hasn’t done shit for them except get them mad at kneeling athletes.
Tax cut? As predicted right here in these pages (and all over the place), the tax cuts are overwhelmingly being used for stock buybacks and other financial engineering. Wages aren’t doing much. Business confidence is up, but it’s based on an overheated stock market. And jobs are still being shipped overseas.
Tariffs and trade war? Agriculture is getting hit hard, as are industries using steel. Working class folks aren’t benefiting from this clumsy trade war - it’s the opposite.
Neither Obama nor Trump truly had/have heartland voters in heart or mind as they govern(ed). The phrase is overused, but yes, they cater to the elites who want tax cuts, international deals that enrich them as investors, etc.
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And here you go, Liberty Lovers for Trump - the president using the bully pulpit to cajole the commissioner of a private sports league into an action that is none of the government’s business. But it’s cool, right? He says mean stuff about libtards so you’ll forgive a sin you’d otherwise label as Fascism had it come from Obama.
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Any conversation about helping the working class is going to revolve around a taboo subject for the GOP: wealth distribution.
Unless I misremember, Obama famously lamented the fact that he could not discuss, much less tackle income inequality without being accused of instigating “class warfare”. In this, I think, perhaps @thunderbolt23 is mistaken.
It’s really hard to do anything about income inequality if you’re branded an America-hating socialist every time you raise the issue.
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Coming from the guy who got branded as an foreign born Muslim, I feel like this branding would almost be preferable.
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Once you won a second term, who cares how they “label” you? A strong president sets the terms of the discussion, not the other way around - and when Obama made his statement, he had no more elections to win.
We know it was an important issue - it’s what delivered 2016 to Trump. He would have had plenty of listeners. What kind of mistake would it have been for Obama to barnstorm America and make his case for some major economic reform?
And Obama was perfectly willing to bet all his political capital on a bunch of social issues on things way down the priority list - so I don’t buy the idea that Obama was too cautious or too worried about what other people might think about the issues he’s raising. He took risks aplenty - he just took them on pet issues he like, not on ones prioritized by the American people.
No, it’s far more simple - Obama was simply out of touch on these issues. Despite all his gifts, he wasn’t fluent in economics at all, and simply had no ability to talk about these kinds of issues in a persuasive way. And he had no personal connection with heartland voters to overcome this shortcoming via his own personal experience.
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The ACA was a pretty sweetheart of a deal for the healthcare sector. If that was an accident or somehow unintentional, I’d love to see what he could do on purpose.
edit: Other than that, dead on, as usual.
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You mean the No Insurance Company Left Behind Act?
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