Syria became a perfect political football for President Obama

[IsntLifeFunny]

This is a tangent centered around the WSJ article. My apologies for getting off subject (as I spoke against earlier) but it seems necessary now. 

 

The article above is an interesting demonstration of the rightwing's inability to fixate on anything beyond Obama. This has to be attached to his sense of "otherness"--why else such a toxic inability to actually comment on Obama in a meaningful way? 

 

When Bush was President, the left was indignant about his apparent idiocy--revealed through his series of gaffes and miscues. 

 

Current deep/far-right conservatives, however, are schizophrenic about Obama. One second he's an idiot, the next a pseudo "too smart for us" intellectual. Why else all the trumped up birth certificate, socialist complaints? Conservative talk radio has created an entire media industry that panders to the far right that isn't even remotely subtle. 

 

It's just surprising to me because Obama has proved on many issues to be conservative or closer right time and again. He's been compared to Ronald Reagan by conservative analysts. 

 

So why is he such a pariah? Why have conservatives recoiled so hard? 

 

It obviously is, in part, due to his "otherness." I've yet to see a convincing or intelligent response to prove otherwise. 

 

This issue presents a perfect example. I'm sure you'd traditionally have a litany of pro-war in Syria support from conservatives because it fits their traditional narrative, both ideologically and economically. 

 

But conservatives are only concerned with seeing Obama fail. This has been stated openly by conservative politicians and is obvious through repeal after repeal attempt for the AHCA. 

 

And the constituents DON'T CARE. I find this baffling. No real governing is happening for their side, but if Obama fails it's somehow worth it? 

 

There are a lot of highly intelligent conservative responses to Obama out there somewhere, I'm assuming. I haven't seen many of them. Most of it is attacking a phantom, an idea of a man who doesn't even exist. 

 

It is so pervasive that I find myself cringing even as I agree with some conservatives. Academics are going to make careers writing about this: "Obama as Other." 

Wow. Blaming all critique on the president from the right because he's black? Hilarious.

 

I'm not a damn Republican; hell, I voted for the guy (*the first time when he wasn't a known liar. Voted for G Johnson the second time). But this is too far and is ridiculous. The guy just backed and passed a measure that by Reid's own mouth is doomed to fail and will lead to single payer healthcare (which any logical person should be opposed to as this government is extremely incompetent). He's also blamed the Republicans constantly for his every failure.

 

I'm not talking about the racists and the politicians that have openly admitted they are only opposing him because he's a Democrat (or for his 'otherness' as you espouse). I'm talking about logical people who happen to be Republicans/conservative/ independent/ Democrat/Liberal (yes there are quite a few Liberals who are shutting the admin down). He's lied about many of his resolutions and has unilaterally taken us to war once already. Under his administration we are yet to pass a budget. We are running trillion dollar deficits every year. We have gone into 8 1/2 trillion dollars of debt in five years under his watch. We have lost millions from the middle class since he said the recession was over. We have further lost standing (now after Syria in one way or another and with constant drones) in the world. We have committed acts of war on no less than five countries by drone strikes. We have expanded domestic spying. The admin has spent more money combined than any other admin in history. We are currently using 'emergency measures' in our treasury to keep us under the debt limit (unprecedented). We have left Libya in anarchy. We have seen a massive increase in welfare costs, with foodstamps reaching 67 billion a year (massive increase after the 'great recession' was over). I could go on, but I've made my point.

 

You are mistaking some of the people being racist as everyone being racist or against someone that is not the same skin color. He lied about closing Guantanamo. He lied about a public option. His admin lied about NSA, IRS, and Benghazi. You are mistaking a public that is beginning to lean libertarian to be automatically racist.

 

I will admit that there is racist leanings for some people, but to act like it is the majority that are opposed to him because of his 'otherness' is extremely offensive.

[OILERMAN]

The market has been booming the last few days since we didn't bomb Syria.....

 

Let them gas their people while our markets continue to flourish!

[headhunter]

The number of people working is the lowest since 1978.

[OILERMAN]

The number of people working is the lowest since 1978.

 

Mainly because of technology, but what's that got to do with Syria?

[Little Earl]

Obama’s Syria speech: An illogical argument from a paralyzed president - Washington Post

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2013/09/10/obamas-syria-speech-an-illogical-argument-from-a-paralyzed-president/

[headhunter]

Mainly because of technology, but what's that got to do with Syria?

Just giving another example how Obama has sucked as president.

[OILERMAN]

Just giving another example how Obama has sucked as president.

 

The unemployment has improved under Obama, things were spiraling down like crazy under Bush

[ALTitan]

The market has been booming the last few days since we didn't bomb Syria.....

 

Let them gas their people while our markets continue to flourish!

 

Off-topic here, but why do you like that stock market has been going up? For people like you & me, who are in accumulating stage and buying shares with the new money, rather than selling them it is not a good thing.

[Starkiller]

It's not a naval base. Stop spouting bullshit you don't know about. It's a port with four active Russians at any one time, with a maximum of 8 Russians at the port. Look it up, as I refuse to link something when someone is obviously spouting ignorance.

I don't care how small it is, it's still a naval base. And it is strategically important if only that it's their only base in the Mediterranean if all it did was provide them a refueling depot west of the former USSR borders then it is significant.

[Starkiller]

You forgot to mention racist.

Bush? I hear he hates black people...

[Guest]

Putin is having a laugh right now. He stands up to the US's threats, ignores Obama at G20, and then takes something Kerry barely mentions and runs with it, thereby protecting Russia's place as Europe's gas supplier, but also making nice to the anti-war international community.

 

 

There is no question Putin comes out the hero in all this and that's just weird. 

[ctm]

Haven't studied this in detail, but I think that air strikes on Syria are a violation of the UN charter and thus in violation of international law.  I'm pretty sure that the only way that the use of force is justified is if you are attacked, an attack is imminent or authorized by the UN Security Council.  None of those apply.

[Guest]

Wow. Blaming all critique on the president from the right because he's black? Hilarious.

 

I'm not a damn Republican; hell, I voted for the guy (*the first time when he wasn't a known liar. Voted for G Johnson the second time). But this is too far and is ridiculous. The guy just backed and passed a measure that by Reid's own mouth is doomed to fail and will lead to single payer healthcare (which any logical person should be opposed to as this government is extremely incompetent). He's also blamed the Republicans constantly for his every failure.

 

I'm not talking about the racists and the politicians that have openly admitted they are only opposing him because he's a Democrat (or for his 'otherness' as you espouse). I'm talking about logical people who happen to be Republicans/conservative/ independent/ Democrat/Liberal (yes there are quite a few Liberals who are shutting the admin down). He's lied about many of his resolutions and has unilaterally taken us to war once already. Under his administration we are yet to pass a budget. We are running trillion dollar deficits every year. We have gone into 8 1/2 trillion dollars of debt in five years under his watch. We have lost millions from the middle class since he said the recession was over. We have further lost standing (now after Syria in one way or another and with constant drones) in the world. We have committed acts of war on no less than five countries by drone strikes. We have expanded domestic spying. The admin has spent more money combined than any other admin in history. We are currently using 'emergency measures' in our treasury to keep us under the debt limit (unprecedented). We have left Libya in anarchy. We have seen a massive increase in welfare costs, with foodstamps reaching 67 billion a year (massive increase after the 'great recession' was over). I could go on, but I've made my point.

 

You are mistaking some of the people being racist as everyone being racist or against someone that is not the same skin color. He lied about closing Guantanamo. He lied about a public option. His admin lied about NSA, IRS, and Benghazi. You are mistaking a public that is beginning to lean libertarian to be automatically racist.

 

I will admit that there is racist leanings for some people, but to act like it is the majority that are opposed to him because of his 'otherness' is extremely offensive.

 

Lord help me. My point was not that ALL conservatives are racist, and therefore the criticism of Obama stems from that. Perhaps my language betrayed me a bit. I'm talking about the very far right here. Indicating that otherness is a factor isn't the same thing as accusations of racist. There is a difference and I'm more interested in what I perceive to be an often unconscious psychological response. 

 

But don't put words in my mouth, because racist is the word you use. 

 

But I can point out several moments when his "otherness" was a factor. The birther movement. Romney's 47% comments. 

 

I was responding in particular to the WSJ article's assertion that Obama wants to "weaken America." Why would that ever be his agenda? 

 

I know there are a lot of people who are legitimately opposed to Obama--you bring them up. Right now, I am actually one of the people who voted for him who is extremely disappointed as my post in this thread and in the thread about drone strikes that I started indicate. You bring those people up--I wasn't talking about them. 

 

My point is that there has been an ideological response to Obama that has fueled many far right conservatives and that there is an innate aggression or even hostility that many people harbor that does come from his otherness. It is a factor--to believe that we are somehow in a post racial society where people don't even have feelings centered around race is foolish. 

 

Again, my own post: "there are a lot of highly intelligent Conservative responses to Obama out there, somewhere I'm assuming. I'm assuming." 

 

But time and again what I see linked to, cited, or posted is dribble like this WSJ shit, which is what I was reading and responding to. But implying that otherness, race, and (yes) even blackness contribute to our ideas of Obama is not the same thing as making an accusation of racism and attributing it as a cause for phantom critiques (ie the ones I see that I mentioned above, that are not real) is hardly out of line. 

[Starkiller]

Haven't studied this in detail, but I think that air strikes on Syria are a violation of the UN charter and thus in violation of international law.  I'm pretty sure that the only way that the use of force is justified is if you are attacked, an attack is imminent or authorized by the UN Security Council.  None of those apply.

Clinton did it at least twice

[ctm]

Clinton did it at least twice

 

Doesn't make it right or legal. 

 

It's hard for Obama to make a moral argument (children died from gassing) for the use of force then right around and violate international law and also kill innocent people with air strikes, which almost certainly will happen.