Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize?!?!

[Davemcc]

Do you actually talk to black people?

You mean like the members of my family that are black? Oh, but they are half white as well. But then again, they look black and the world sees them as black...and they like Obama.

Go to some of the poorest parts of town and tell them "Don't worry, be happy" and see how far that gets you.

Yet that is Obama's message.

Seriously...HOPE. Hope means nothing. It's hard work that pays off in this lifetime. All the people I listed and the un-named thousands of others I referenced got where they are through hard work and talent. That is what a role model should inspire in my view. Anybody can sit around and "HOPE" for something better but HOPE isn't going to make it happen.

To use Obama as a role model, one must place a value on a tacit, if not explicit, acceptance of voter fraud, prevarification, having only a vague recollection of your closest associates, not hearing anything that's said inside your church and coming from a life of privilege and educational opportunity as a birthright. (Madelyn Lee Payne Dunham, Barack Obama's maternal grandmother, was a bank vice president in Hawaii).

Obama is all ambition without ethics and that does not make a role model.

I have a hard time recommending that kids use entertainers and athletes as role models. Better to look at someone who led a tough life and dragged themselves out through hard work and determination, not through the efforts of others or playing a game.

You have not described Obama. He did not lead a tough life, being raised by his grandmother the bank vice president, although he would have you believe that he did. Nor did he get himself elected. That was through the efforts of ACORN and the Chicago political machine backed by Soros' money. His meteoric rise to the White House came without a single significant achievement prior to his one significant achievement, getting elected president. His career is the closest thing to Being There. No, he still is not a role model, still just a peddler of cheap cliche's that mean nothing.

To me, the guy who was the subject of 'Pursuit of Happyness" (Chris Gardner) is more of a role model than any athlete I can think of.

And more so than that of your president. That's what I'm saying.

When I reference that thousands of others that would make better role models, it was precisely people like that that I was thinking of. Successful athletes and entertainers are simply more prominent and easier to reference than any of the myriad people who would make better role models than your president.

As far as this being an historic election, it could have been historic either way, first black or first woman president or first woman vice-president. There's no outcome that would not have made this an historic election.

Let me give you an analogy to explain how I feel about this. When I was a young man, I had the momentous, historic opportunity to buy my first car. At that time, my father's friend had a car for sale. I was very excited about buying that car, a Mustang, so I bought it. The car itself was old and deeply flawed, poorly maintained and worse for wear but the excitement overcame caution. In retrospect, I should have bought a good car instead of the first car that I was in a position to buy. The same applies to presidents.

Just because he is a black man that's running for president does not mean he is the black man (or woman) that should be president. (Condi - 2012)

 

[Schupo]

I just don't see things in racial terms.

Why would you? You're white. You've never experienced racism the way a minority in this country has.

 

[billy p]

The same should apply to Canadian members
and you're only bringing that up because of his conservative slant.

MarkW is so gonna get you.

Where is Mark anyway? I just know he wants to jump in here.
C'mon in Mark, the water's fine. Jamie and Minus need to be set straight, those liberal bastards.

Nope, I'm only stating the obivous and IMO moderators should moderate! I've seen remarks recently from Gene and now Clint. I would like to see they show a little more prudence and not just fly off the handle.

Regards, Bill....

 

[gmichael]

Why would you? You're white. You've never experienced racism the way a minority in this country has.

This is a totally racist remark. You are judging everyone who is white strictly on the color of their skin. I call foul.

I was a white kid in a mostly non-white HS. I sure have experienced racism.

 

[Alex2507]

Why would you? You're white. You've never experienced racism the way a minority in this country has.

You try returning something at Home Depot in Dade County and then say that with a straight face.

 

[markw]

I've got nothing to add.

The same should apply to Canadian members
and you're only bringing that up because of his conservative slant.

MarkW is so gonna get you.

Where is Mark anyway? I just know he wants to jump in here.
C'mon in Mark, the water's fine. Jamie and Minus need to be set straight, those liberal bastards.

I made my statement on the irony of this thread in the beginning and now I'm simply having a hoot watching people drag race into the discussion. Unless, of course, you're saying they gave it to him simply based on his race. If that's the case, there's something rotten in Scandinavia.

Or, is it being implied here that any criticism of Obama is based on racial prejudice? Does anyone really want to play that card?

FWIW, Obama and I agree on this one: We both agree that he did nothing to deserve this. Let's hope he can pull a rabbit out of his hat and live up to his promises and their expectations, without bankrupting this country.

 

[darien87]

Thanks for sharing that Darien. I know we've talked about this in the past, but what you just said defines a lot for me. If how you look dictates both internal and external influence on how you're perceived, then I can totally get how you would ultimately decide to consider yourself one race or another.

Having "known" you for sometime here on the forum, you often articulate ideas that make me rethink things I've felt pretty strong about. I may not change my opinion ultimately, but at the same time, broadening your experience base is never a bad thing. I've long thought that if everyone would or could just ignore race altogether and not have even enter the mindset, that that would be the ultimate path to true equality. But I don't know if that's necessarily the right or best way anymore. Anyway, good post. I'll be pondering this stuff.

No problem Chris. It's hard to understand someone else's situation until you've "walked in their shoes" as they say. It's extremely difficult to articulate my experience or feelings on race as I have a somewhat unique viewpoint. But I figured I'd give it a shot. It never hurts to try and understand one another.

 

[JerryLove]

Seriously...HOPE. Hope means nothing. It's hard work that pays off in this lifetime. All the people I listed and the un-named thousands of others I referenced got where they are through hard work and talent. That is what a role model should inspire in my view. Anybody can sit around and "HOPE" for something better but HOPE isn't going to make it happen.

Replace "hope means nothing" with something like "hope alone is not enough to make change" and I think you are near-verbatim on an Obama speech... a man who has spent decades organizing people into actually doing things to affect change.

To use Obama as a role model, one must place a value on a tacit, if not explicit, acceptance of voter fraud, prevarification, having only a vague recollection of your closest associates, not hearing anything that's said inside your church and coming from a life of privilege and educational opportunity as a birthright. (Madelyn Lee Payne Dunham, Barack Obama's maternal grandmother, was a bank vice president in Hawaii).

Reverend right was a yearly and highly touted guest speaker at the major (white) Baptist church here in Clearwater until that same set of news articles.

You are holding a standard that sounds good till you start looking at who didn't meet it.

Tacit acceptance of voter fraud? What? Is this because the guy did one gig as a lawyer on one case for a nation-spanning organization that had fraud committed *against it*?

Let's not forget that part. Acorn did not orchestrate the extra registrations, it had fraud committed against it by people collecting money for false registrations... but let's assume Acorn is the devil incarnate: Obama's connection is minimal.

Obama is all ambition without ethics and that does not make a role model.

Ambition to do what? What ethical violation are you thinking of? The one above certainly doesn't apply.

You have not described Obama. He did not lead a tough life, being raised by his grandmother the bank vice president, although he would have you believe that he did.

Paternal abandonment followed by moving to another country, and then seperation from the new dad, and then death of your mom.

Nor did he get himself elected. That was through the efforts of ACORN and the Chicago political machine backed by Soros' money.

Which election? I was a Hillary supporter until the two started to campaign.

His meteoric rise to the White House came without a single significant achievement prior to his one significant achievement, getting elected president. His career is the closest thing to Being There. No, he still is not a role model, still just a peddler of cheap cliche's that mean nothing.

Dude. You are welcome to disagree with his policies, but you paint him to be GWB; and that's simply an unfair characterization.

Might he end up like Carter (another thread) and have sadly little in real accomplishment at the end of his term? It's possible: he's fighting on an awful lot of fronts against an awful lot of problems; but like Carter, it will not be for a lack of effort or consideration.

Then again, didn't Carter do both the Camp David accords and SALT treaties?

 

[JerryLove]

This is a totally racist remark. You are judging everyone who is white strictly on the color of their skin. I call foul.

Why would you relate to getting judged by your breasts? You are a man.

I'm "on the fence" in that I think there's racism in all directions, and that I think one can indeed understand something they have not experienced; but on the other hand the paradigm is different for each group.

 

[adwilk]

Breaking news! Obama just won the Heisman after watching a college football game....

 

[darien87]

Breaking news! Obama just won the Heisman after watching a college football game....

Smart ***.

 

[itschris]

Respectifully bowing out... before I get the jumbo smack down from the big stick Clint and the big boys carry.

 

[highfigh]

Oh dear lord: Now a man giving 1.4 million to charity is being argued as a "bad act"?!?

"Obama cures cancer".

"Yea, but which cancer? Probably not the one he should have cured" ?!?

Or were you being tongue-in-cheek as the previous post was?

Define 'charity'. He didn't specify and I didn't hear anyone ask, but if the definition " a charitable fund, foundation, or institution" was used, it doesn't necessarily mean it was for the poor or oppressed. If it had gone to a conservative POTUS, I would want to know the same thing. This is the President, not some schmuck on the street who won the lottery. The POTUS and their motives should be transparent- anything less raises suspicion and any conflicts of interest need to be stopped, regardless of who it is.

 

[Schupo]

Define 'charity'. He didn't specify and I didn't hear anyone ask, but if the definition " a charitable fund, foundation, or institution" was used, it doesn't necessarily mean it was for the poor or oppressed. If it had gone to a conservative POTUS, I would want to know the same thing. This is the President, not some schmuck on the street who won the lottery. The POTUS and their motives should be transparent- anything less raises suspicion and any conflicts of interest need to be stopped, regardless of who it is.

When have we had a transparent president?

 

[Schupo]

This is a totally racist remark. You are judging everyone who is white strictly on the color of their skin. I call foul.

Is this a joke? Re-read the last eight words of my post.

 

[highfigh]

Seriously...HOPE. Hope means nothing. It's hard work that pays off in this lifetime. All the people I listed and the un-named thousands of others I referenced got where they are through hard work and talent. That is what a role model should inspire in my view. Anybody can sit around and "HOPE" for something better but HOPE isn't going to make it happen.

To use Obama as a role model, one must place a value on a tacit, if not explicit, acceptance of voter fraud, prevarification, having only a vague recollection of your closest associates, not hearing anything that's said inside your church and coming from a life of privilege and educational opportunity as a birthright. (Madelyn Lee Payne Dunham, Barack Obama's maternal grandmother, was a bank vice president in Hawaii).

Obama is all ambition without ethics and that does not make a role model.

You have not described Obama. He did not lead a tough life, being raised by his grandmother the bank vice president, although he would have you believe that he did. Nor did he get himself elected. That was through the efforts of ACORN and the Chicago political machine backed by Soros' money. His meteoric rise to the White House came without a single significant achievement prior to his one significant achievement, getting elected president. His career is the closest thing to Being There. No, he still is not a role model, still just a peddler of cheap cliche's that mean nothing.

And more so than that of your president. That's what I'm saying.

When I reference that thousands of others that would make better role models, it was precisely people like that that I was thinking of. Successful athletes and entertainers are simply more prominent and easier to reference than any of the myriad people who would make better role models than your president.

As far as this being an historic election, it could have been historic either way, first black or first woman president or first woman vice-president. There's no outcome that would not have made this an historic election.

Let me give you an analogy to explain how I feel about this. When I was a young man, I had the momentous, historic opportunity to buy my first car. At that time, my father's friend had a car for sale. I was very excited about buying that car, a Mustang, so I bought it. The car itself was old and deeply flawed, poorly maintained and worse for wear but the excitement overcame caution. In retrospect, I should have bought a good car instead of the first car that I was in a position to buy. The same applies to presidents.

Just because he is a black man that's running for president does not mean he is the black man (or woman) that should be president. (Condi - 2012)

Hope can keep some people from giving up completely. If they have some hope of better days ahead, they may not do something drastic that may seem like the only choice otherwise. I won't believe a good number of people literally said that they hoped he would be elected and meant it in the strictest sense. If everything was hopeless, what would be the point of going on with life? Hard work and determination would make it possible for those who would drop out of school continue and graduate, then go on to college and succeed in life, but that also assumes they would make the right decisions along the way.

Remember Charles Barkley getting dumped on for saying that he's not a role model> Ever hear his explanation? I agree with him- sports figures shouldn't replace parents and good teachers as role models, as long as those people are worthy.

 

[highfigh]

When have we had a transparent president?

I never said we have that, I said I think we should.

 

[highfigh]

Obama has ties to ACORN that go back at least to '95, when he represented them against the former Gov of Illinois.

google "Obama's connection to ACORN and you'll find a lot of links. Here's one:
http://purplepeoplevote.com/2008/09/30/what-is-acorn-and-obamas-connection/ and there were 830K links when I googled it.

 

[gmichael]

Is this a joke? Re-read the last eight words of my post.

You're too good for me. I still don't get it. My sarcasm detector was broken a few weeks ago and is still in the shop. That may have something to do with it.

 

[JerryLove]

Define 'charity'. He didn't specify and I didn't hear anyone ask, but if the definition " a charitable fund, foundation, or institution" was used, it doesn't necessarily mean it was for the poor or oppressed. If it had gone to a conservative POTUS, I would want to know the same thing. This is the President, not some schmuck on the street who won the lottery. The POTUS and their motives should be transparent- anything less raises suspicion and any conflicts of interest need to be stopped, regardless of who it is.

He doesn't have the money yet, so no charity has been given anything. You seem to be saying "he chose the wrong one" when none has been chosen.