Obama sounds like he's for reparations for slavery

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

http://starbulletin.com/2008/07/28/news/story05.html

This guy gets scarier and scarier...


I personally would want to see our tragic history, or the tragic elements of our history, acknowledged," the Democratic presidential hopeful said.

"I consistently believe that when it comes to whether it's Native Americans or African-American issues or reparations, the most important thing for the U.S. government to do is not just offer words, but offer deeds."

I'm sure CNN, CBS, et. al. will spin this though...

[exstatic]

Reparations have already been paid. They were called "welfare", and it's probably in the hundreds of billions by now.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Reparations have already been paid. They were called "welfare", and it's probably in the hundreds of billions by now.

I agree with you there completely, but judging by his comments to the audience at this event, he feels there is more work to be done.

Shouldn't a black man running for president be proof positive that it's time to end talks of reparation, affirmative action, etc.?

I see shit like this, the mortgage/housing bailout, the Fannie/Freddie shit, the coming bill for Medicare and Social Security, and I start to believe all the people talking about the fall of Rome, 21st century style...

[Brutalis]

-WIC
-Food Stamps
-Welfare

Not enough?

[DarkReign]

That is a troubling quote indeed.

[Mr. Peabody]

http://starbulletin.com/2008/07/28/news/story05.html

This guy gets scarier and scarier...



I'm sure CNN, CBS, et. al. will spin this though...

The AP has already started to spin it....by discussing actual facts and not mere innuendo.

McCain backs ban on affirmative action in Arizona

By CHRISTOPHER WILLS and KEVIN FREKING – 3 days ago

CHICAGO (AP) — Presidential candidate John McCain on Sunday endorsed a proposal to ban affirmative action programs in his home state, a policy that Democratic rival Barack Obama called a disappointing embrace of divisive tactics.

In the past, McCain has criticized such ballot initiatives.

In an interview that aired Sunday, McCain was asked whether he supported an effort to get a referendum on the ballot in Arizona that would do away with race and gender-based preferences, known as affirmative action.

"Yes, I do," said McCain in an interview on ABC's "This Week." The Republican senator quickly added that he had not seen the details of the proposal. "But I've always opposed quotas."

His reversal comes as McCain seeks to tailor his policies and rhetoric to independent-minded voters who will determine the outcome of November election. Both McCain and Obama have accused each other — with good reason — of "flip-flopping," a charge that carries weight with voters seeking consistency and authenticity in their political leaders.

Speaking to a conference of minority journalists on Sunday, Obama said he was "disappointed" by McCain's position.

"I think in the past he had been opposed to these kinds of Ward Connerly referenda or initiatives as divisive. And I think he's right," Obama said, referring to a leading critic of affirmative action.

Obama also said he has little interest in an official government apology for slavery or reparations for descendants of slaves. The government's focus, he said, should be on providing jobs, education and health for people still struggling today.

The proposed referendum in Arizona involves a constitutional amendment to bar preferential treatment by public entities on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin. Supporters say the measure levels the playing field, giving everyone an equal chance at every job.

A decade ago, McCain condemned initiatives aimed at dismantling affirmative action, though he stopped short of directly criticizing a resolution pending in the state legislature at the time.

"Rather than engage in divisive ballot initiatives, we must have a dialogue and cooperation and mutual efforts together to provide for every child in America to fulfill their expectations," McCain told Hispanic business leaders gathered in Washington in 1998.

A spokesman said in a statement that McCain has always opposed hiring quotes based on race. "He believes that regardless of race, ethnicity or gender, the law should be equally applied," the spokesman, Tucker Bounds, said.

Obama said Sunday that affirmative action is not a long-term solution to discrimination, and that it must not ignore the problems of poor whites. But affirmative action does address "some of the hardships and difficulties that communities of color may have experienced."

He also argued ballot initiatives like the one in Arizona rarely help people work together.

"You know, the truth of the matter is, these are not designed to solve a big problem, but they're all too often designed to drive a wedge between people," Obama said.

Obama was asked whether he supports an official government apology for slavery or the country's treatment of American Indians. He replied that he would discuss the idea with Indian leaders but that it is more important to provide services that will help people escape poverty and improve their lives. The same is true of an apology or reparations for slavery, he said.

"I'm much more interested in talking about, how do we get every child to learn? How do we get every person health care? How do we make sure that everybody has a job?" Obama said.

[MaNuMaNiAc]

http://starbulletin.com/2008/07/28/news/story05.html

This guy gets scarier and scarier...



I'm sure CNN, CBS, et. al. will spin this though...

Don't you perhaps think he means "deeds" as in action, and not "deeds" as in the deed to your house? :lol

[MaNuMaNiAc]

Nevermind, Peabody just cleared this issue up

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

I knew I could count on the liberal spin doctors to do a collective 'oh shit, how do we make this sound better.'

So which is it? This isn't about innuendo. Both are direct quotes from the mouths of Saint Obama. Which one does he really plan to implement if elected?

[Mr. Peabody]

I knew I could count on the liberal spin doctors to do a collective 'oh shit, how do we make this sound better.'

So which is it? This isn't about innuendo. Both are direct quotes from the mouths of Saint Obama. Which one does he really plan to implement if elected?

So improving education, access to health care, and improving the economy aren't "deeds" or actions the government can take to improve peoples lives? I really don't understand what you mean by "which one does he plan to implement?".

[boutons_]

With Rove and his henchmen, who run McSenile's, the poisoning of the election with lies and propaganda, with incompetent, bad faith MSM played like instruments, will be total.

CNN and their new ice bitch Campbell Brown are trying to out-do Fox as right wing slime and slmie volcano.

America The Beautiful, From Sea to Shining Sea.

[MaNuMaNiAc]

http://starbulletin.com/2008/07/28/news/story05.html

This guy gets scarier and scarier...



I'm sure CNN, CBS, et. al. will spin this though...


I knew I could count on the liberal spin doctors to do a collective 'oh shit, how do we make this sound better.'

So which is it? This isn't about innuendo. Both are direct quotes from the mouths of Saint Obama. Which one does he really plan to implement if elected?

Seems to me, you're the one deliberately looking for something to bitch about the guy when its already been made clear what he meant.

[Mr. Peabody]

So which is it? This isn't about innuendo. Both are direct quotes from the mouths of Saint Obama. Which one does he really plan to implement if elected?

My apologies. I thought taking an isolated comment from Obama and then basing an entire thread entitled "Obama sounds like he's for reparations for slavery" on that comment was the epitome of innuendo. My mistake.

[ICE3000]

Reparations have already been paid. They were called "welfare", and it's probably in the hundreds of billions by now.



I am BLACK man who happens to be oppsed to reparations... I think the notion is silly, however I am offended by the notion that "welfare" is exclusively for African Americans... it is available to anybody who needs it and btw most of them are white

[jochhejaam]

Obama was asked whether he supports an official government apology for slavery or the country's treatment of American Indians. He replied that he would discuss the idea with Indian leaders but that it is more important to provide services that will help people escape poverty and improve their lives. The same is true of an apology or reparations for slavery, he said.

"I'm much more interested in talking about, how do we get every child to learn? How do we get every person health care? How do we make sure that everybody has a job?" Obama said.


Obama said that he would discuss reparations for slavery with African American leaders (it's clearly implied in the portion of the article above, so if you didn't catch it the first time, read it again), that hardly passes for being against reparations.

Hopefully we're not supposed to believe that Obama's quotes that, " I'm much more interested in talking about childrens education, and health care" are meant to serve as an argument substantiating that he's against reparations? It would be foolish to conclude that he's against reparations because he's for childrens education and health care for all.

There's not one Obama "quote" in the article that would pass as an acceptable counterpoint against what's implied in the thread title.


I'm not saying that he's for or against it, I am stating that the article Peabody submitted falls far short of serving as a rebuttal for him supporting reparations.

[jochhejaam]

He's straddling the fence, that's what politicians do, he doesn't want to say anything that would undermine his overwhelming support among African Americans.

I don't believe that he would support reparations legislation if he were President, it's way to polarizing, and that would run against the grain of him being a Uniter.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Obama said that he would discuss reparations for slavery with African American leaders (it's clearly implied in the portion of the article above, so if you didn't catch it the first time, read it again), that hardly passes for being against reparations.

Hopefully we're not supposed to believe that Obama's quotes that, " I'm much more interested in talking about childrens education, and health care" are meant to serve as an argument substantiating that he's against reparations? It would be foolish to conclude that he's against reparations because he's for childrens education and health care for all.

There's not one Obama "quote" in the article that would pass as an acceptable counterpoint against what's implied in the thread title.


I'm not saying that he's for or against it, I am stating that the article Peabody submitted falls far short of serving as a rebuttal for him supporting reparations.

Good post. :toast

I also saw your next post, and thought the same thing. He talks about unity and hope, but then hints at reparations. You really want to start a racial war in the U.S.? Tell everyone who's not black that they have to give money to said ethnicity to make up for something that happened a long time ago.

Unity my ass.

[Mr. Peabody]

There's not one Obama "quote" in the article that would pass as an acceptable counterpoint against what's implied in the thread title.


I'm not saying that he's for or against it, I am stating that the article Peabody submitted falls far short of serving as a rebuttal for him supporting reparations.

Really, I would think the part of the article stating-

Obama also said he has little interest in an official government apology for slavery or reparations for descendants of slaves. The government's focus, he said, should be on providing jobs, education and health for people still struggling today.

-is a fairly effective counterpoint to the notion that he's in favor of reparations for slavery.

[Mr. Peabody]

Obama said that he would discuss reparations for slavery with African American leaders (it's clearly implied in the portion of the article above, so if you didn't catch it the first time, read it again), ...



It's a quote taken entirely out of context.

The entire reason that I called AHF out on this issue is because I watched the conference that this quote was taken from on CNN two days ago. It was a conference of minority journalists. An American-Indian journalist asked about an official apology and reparations from the goverment. Obama explained to the journalist that the way to overcome the effects of mistreatment of minorities was through better education, health care and job opportunities. Those are the "deeds" to which he referred.

However, if you choose to take this quote out of context and somehow use that as support for a point you're trying to make, have at it.

[Mr. Peabody]

I also saw your next post, and thought the same thing. He talks about unity and hope, but then hints at reparations. You really want to start a racial war in the U.S.? Tell everyone who's not black that they have to give money to said ethnicity to make up for something that happened a long time ago.

Unity my ass.

I like the Hannity-like extrapolation from an out-of-context quote.....:toast

[jochhejaam]

Really, I would think the part of the article stating-


-is a fairly effective counterpoint to the notion that he's in favor of reparations for slavery.

Really, where are the quotation marks below?

Obama also said he has little interest in an official government apology for slavery or reparations for descendants of slaves. The government's focus, he said, should be on providing jobs, education and health for people still struggling today.
No quotation marks, no quote. It's an article, and only part of the article; read on (once again)



; Obama was asked whether he supports an official government apology for slavery or the country's treatment of American Indians. He replied that he would discuss the idea with Indian leaders but that it is more important to provide services that will help people escape poverty and improve their lives. The same is true of... reparations for slavery, he said.
This clearly implies that he's open to the discussion of reparations. You'd have to be blind to say that it does not.
I can't help you with comprehension, you're own your own.

[jochhejaam]

I like the Hannity-like extrapolation from an out-of-context quote.....:toast

I can understand how someone would construe it as being "out of context" if their capacity for comprehending was severly limited. :toast






12:30 here, rising at 5:30 = signing off. :sleep

[Mr. Peabody]

Really, where are the quotation marks below?

No quotation marks, no quote. It's an article, and only part of the article; read on (once again)

This clearly implies that he's open to the discussion of reparations. You'd have to be blind to say that it does not.
I can't help you with comprehension, you're own your own.

Again, my comprehension of his comment comes from having actually seen the conference. You can continue to take what you want from a quote contained in a part of an article about the conference. If you are that insistent on the notion that he supports reparations, run with it.

Another article about the conference -


Racial and ethnic minorities in America want him on board with their specific concerns. He fielded questions about some of these issues at a July 27 conference of minority journalists in Chicago. If he were president, for instance, would the federal government apologize for the treatment of native Americans? What about reparations for slavery? Does he support affirmative action at a time when the push is on for ballot measures to ban racial and gender preferences (measures that Republican hopeful John McCain now appears to endorse)?

His answers showed a sensitivity to minority causes, but he also moved quickly to rhetoric that rose above their specificity. He is more concerned about "delivering a better life" to native Americans than a government apology, for example. Likewise, the best reparations for descendents of slaves would be the opportunity for a decent job and quality education.
. . . .

But Obama's bottom-line message was that it doesn't matter how many government programs are launched if "we don't seize more responsibility in our own lives" – as parents, as young people, as members of a community. "We all have to do our part," he said.

[lefty]

" George Bush doesn't care about Black people "

Maybe Obama refers to recent history

[PixelPusher]

Assuming the worst about someone you don't like, and then attributing things to that person that they never actually said is a popular activity around these parts.

[Mr. Peabody]

Really, where are the quotation marks below?

No quotation marks, no quote. It's an article, and only part of the article; read on (once again)



This clearly implies that he's open to the discussion of reparations. You'd have to be blind to say that it does not.
I can't help you with comprehension, you're own your own.

You read and quote in a very talk-radio like fashion. The entire paragraph from which you quoted -


Obama was asked whether he supports an official government apology for slavery or the country's treatment of American Indians. He replied that he would discuss the idea [of an apology] with Indian leaders but that it is more important to provide services that will help people escape poverty and improve their lives. The same [look at the preceding statement for context] is true of an apology or reparations for slavery, he said.

"I'm much more interested in talking about, how do we get every child to learn? How do we get every person health care? How do we make sure that everybody has a job?" Obama said.

[MaNuMaNiAc]

Assuming the worst about someone you don't like, and then attributing things to that person that they never actually said is a popular activity around these parts.

+1

[Mr. Peabody]

Assuming the worst about someone you don't like, and then attributing things to that person that they never actually said is a popular activity around these parts.

Yeah, it's not really surprising in a political forum and I'm sure I've done it time and time again.

The only reason it caught my attention today is because I spent an hour during my drive home listening to Hannity go on and on skewering Obama for an alleged quote that appeared in the WaPo (the whole "I am a symbol" quote). I say "alleged" because it was actually a misquote, but that didn't stop Hannity from basing today's entire show around it.

My thing is that if you want to criticize the guy's tax policy, fine. If you want to criticize his plan for the war in Iraq, fine. But this nonsense of taking a part of a quote and extrapolating an otherwise unsubstantiated narrative from it is getting tiresome.

In all fairness, I feel the same way about McCain's "hundred years" comment. I'm sure McCain doesn't want American soldiers in Iraq for a hundred years, but the left seized on the quote and constantly uses it against him.

[jochhejaam]

Again, my comprehension of his comment comes from having actually seen the conference. You can continue to take what you want from a quote contained in a part of an article about the conference. If you are that insistent on the notion that he supports reparations, run with it.


A classic example of misrepresentation, show me where I said that my personal belief is that he supports reparations.
Obama is the one that stated that he would talk with the leaders about reparations for slavery. That would be "his" notion, not mine.

My conclusion (not that you'd be honest enough to admit it, even though it's posted and as clear as the nose on your face), was that the article was at best inconclusive in regards to his position, because he was talking out of both sides of his mouth.
And in fact, I went on to say that I did not believe he'd seriously consider legislation for reparations another fact that you conveniently ignored.

[boutons_]

"hundred years"

... was actually not an extrapolation and very consistent with and emblematic of McCarthy's pro-war all-the-time and forever positions. Remember, he went further and said "the American People" wouldn't care how long US stays in Iraq, as long as US military weren't being killed. McCarthy knows the American People the way Hagee knows the mind of God.

[fyatuk]

I am BLACK man who happens to be oppsed to reparations... I think the notion is silly, however I am offended by the notion that "welfare" is exclusively for African Americans... it is available to anybody who needs it and btw most of them are white

Yeah, I hate when people refer to poor assistance programs as reparations.

[Mr. Peabody]

A classic example of misrepresentation, show me where I said that my personal belief is that he supports reparations.
Obama is the one that stated that he would talk with the leaders about reparations for slavery. That would be "his" notion, not mine.

My conclusion (not that you'd be honest enough to admit it, even though it's posted and as clear as the nose on your face), was that the article was at best inconclusive in regards to his position, because he was talking out of both sides of his mouth.
And in fact, I went on to say that I did not believe he'd seriously consider legislation for reparations another fact that you conveniently ignored.

Again, where did he say he would meet with leaders to discuss reparations?

I saw the Obama's entire presentation at the conference that this quote came from. It was on CNN on Sunday. An American-Indian journalist talked about the mistreatment American-Indians have faced from the US Government. The journalist went on to say that American-Indian leaders wanted an apology from the government. The journalist then asked asked him about the government issuing an apology to American-Indians for the treatment they've received.

Obama, in response to this question, said he would discuss the idea of an apology with American-Indian leaders. He then stated that "it is more important to provide services that will help people escape poverty and improve their lives."

He followed that statement by saying "The same is true of an apology or reparations for slavery."

When he said "the same is true for...." he wasn't saying he would meet with leaders to discuss reparations. That interpretation wouldn't make any sense. The "leaders" is his previous statement were American-Indian leaders. Why would he meet with American-Indian leaders to discuss reparations for slavery? Your interpretation requires reading words into his statement that simply were not there.

It's clear that when he said "the same is true for reparations...."he was referring to the immediately preceding statement that, "it is more important to provide services that will help people escape poverty and improve their lives."

Also, this makes sense in light of the subsequent question and answer in the same conference -


Link to transcript http://i3.democracynow.org/2008/7/28/obama_holds_brief_q_a_before

SUZANNE MALVEAUX: When it comes to reparations, would you take it a step further, in terms of apologizing for slavery or offering reparations to various groups?

SEN. BARACK OBAMA: You know, I have said in the past, and I’ll repeat again, that the best reparations we can provide are good schools in the inner city and jobs for people who are unemployed. And I think that strategies that invest in lifting people out of the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow, but that have brought applicability and allow us to build coalitions to actually get these things done, that, I think, is the best strategy.

You know, the fact is, is that dealing with some of the legacy of discrimination is going to cost billions of dollars. And we’re not going to be able to have that kind of resource allocation, unless all Americans feel that they are invested in making this stuff happen. And so, you know, I’m much more interested in talking about how do we get every child to learn, how do we get every person healthcare, how do we make sure that everybody has a job, how do we make sure that every senior citizen can retire with dignity and respect. And if we have a program, for example, of universal healthcare, that will disproportionately affect people of color, because they’re disproportionately uninsured. If we’ve got an agenda that says every child in America should get—should be able to go to college, regardless of income, that will disproportionately affect people of color, because it’s oftentimes our children who can’t afford to go to college.

The other thing is that I have seen Obama respond to the question of reparations previously and his response has always been that any "reparations" should be in the form of better education, access to health care, etc. His statement above makes even more sense when you consider his previous answers. Example -


Anderson Cooper: "Senator Obama, [what is] your position on reparations?"

Barack Obama: "I think the reparation we need right here in South Carolina is investment, for example in our schools. I did a town hall meeting in Florence, South Carolina, in an area called the corridor of shame. They've got buildings that students are trying to learn in that were built right after the Civil War. And we've got teachers who are not trained to teach the subjects they're teaching and high dropout rates. We've got to understand that there are corridors of shame all across the country. And if we make the investments and understand that those are our children, that's the kind of reparation that are really going to make a difference in America right now.

[clambake]

britney spears......paris hilton......reparations.

mccain doesn't speak for the mccain campaign.

[Mr. Peabody]

"hundred years"

... was actually not an extrapolation and very consistent with and emblematic of McCarthy's pro-war all-the-time and forever positions. Remember, he went further and said "the American People" wouldn't care how long US stays in Iraq, as long as US military weren't being killed. McCarthy knows the American People the way Hagee knows the mind of God.

boutons, Obama has said he would leave a residual force in Iraq and never specified how long they would be there. He's also said that he would maintain a tactical strike force in the area to quickly respond to arising threats.

It sure sounds like he plans on having at least some troops in Iraq for an indefinite period of time.

I would think it would be expected that we would maintain troops in Iraq long after the majority of our troops are out.