Comments on: The Race Angle

By: Gerald A. Naus

Gerald A. Naus — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:25:15 +0000

Before we canonize Carter

“during a March 1980 meeting with his senior political advisers, Carter, discussing his fading reelection prospects and his sinking approval rating in the Jewish community, snapped, ‘If I get back in, I’m going to [expletive] the Jews.’” Maoz also references the 1976 presidential campaign during which Carter, fearing that his opponent Senator Henry (“Scoop”) Jackson had the Jewish vote in the Democratic primaries locked up, “instructed his staff not to issue any more statements on the Middle East. ‘Jackson has all the Jews anyway … we get the Christians.’”

By: Michael J. Iafrate

Michael J. Iafrate — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:55:10 +0000

I have more and more respect for the guy as a result of recent comments…

By: Stephen Dillard

Stephen Dillard — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:54:25 +0000

I see MM still enjoys painting with a broad brush.

By: John Henry

John Henry — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:45:22 +0000

That said, I’ve basically regarded Carter as the crazy uncle of the family of former Presidents for some time now. His recent comments are unlikely to cause me to reconsider that view.

By: John Henry

John Henry — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 10:46:29 +0000

Pinky, Actually, Carter was known more for his attempts to increase the focus on international human rights in U.S. diplomacy. He wasn’t particularly successful, but it’s simply not accurate to imply that somehow he was unique in favoring human rights violators when his administration was marked by an increased focus on international human rights.

By: Gerald L. Campbell

Gerald L. Campbell — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 04:33:52 +0000

“Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It’s what separates us from the animals — except the weasel.”

Homer Simpson

By: Michael J. Iafrate

Michael J. Iafrate — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 03:46:47 +0000

…a foreign policy of favoritism to human rights violators, the same as President Obama.

And the same as Reagan, Bush I, Clinton, Bush II… just about everyone before Carter… It’s the american story.

By: Pinky

Pinky — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 03:45:13 +0000

MM – Carter might want to remember how unpopular he was, and why: a stagnant economy and a foreign policy of favoritism to human rights violators, the same as President Obama.

By: Morning's Minion

Morning's Minion — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 03:19:28 +0000

“I think an overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he is a black man,” — Jimmy Carter.

By: Gerald A. Naus

Gerald A. Naus — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 20:14:04 +0000

Other than customer service, phone costs, item return policies and Apple, the US is worse than any other Western country. That doesn’t mean one can’t have a nice life here, I certainly don’t have it bad. I just spend 2-3 months a year in Europe these days for recovery :P

Injustice is part of the human condition, but in the USA it’s an art form.

Church attendance doesn’t exactly seem to make people peaceful, looking at Europe, the opposite is the case, since this is by far the most aggressive, militaristic and most “pious” country in the West. (“home of the brave”). With the highest per-capita prisoner rate in the world (as well as in absolute numbers – 2.3 million), the USA is clearly the land of the free (check box). This is not merely a Republican problem, but a systemic one. It’s an ever-revolving door, e.g., for the mentally ill who stumble from parole violation to parole violation. To many, that’s proof that the “system works”.

The USA has 686 prisoners per 100k people, Norway, Denmark and Finland 59. I needn’t tell you the ethnic makeup of the US prison population. Not that it absolves criminals, but a society creates its own environment, it’s not an “act of God”.

Abortion rates are far higher, particularly among teenagers.

Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/28/AR2008022801704_pf.html

Minorities have been particularly affected: One in nine black men ages 20 to 34 is behind bars. For black women ages 35 to 39, the figure is one in 100, compared with one in 355 for white women in the same age group.

Of the world’s developed countries only the US and South Africa offer no universal medical coverage.

Need I say what high finance has done to this country ?

On the bright side (sarcasm):
New York Review of Books http://www.nybooks.com/articles/17726
The US is an excellent place to be rich. Back in 1980 the average American chief executive earned forty times the average manufacturing employee. For the top tier of American CEOs, the ratio is now 475:1 and would be vastly greater if assets, not income, were taken into account. By way of comparison, the ratio in Britain is 24:1, in France 15:1, in Sweden 13:1.

By: Michael J. Iafrate

Michael J. Iafrate — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 19:31:57 +0000

Michael, who here has defended which racist?

Ah, you seem to have answered your own question. YOU are defending racists when you say: “Michael, I already pointed out that Kurt’s sign was probably birther, not racist.”

By: Michael J. Iafrate

Michael J. Iafrate — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 19:31:01 +0000

Michael, I already pointed out that Kurt’s sign was probably birther, not racist. I don't think you're correct. Your claim also fails to recognize the racism of the birthers themselves. Only one of the signs was racist... Perhaps your judgment of what is racist and what is not racist is questionable. I honestly don’t see the persuasive evidence that you see. You're obviously not looking very hard.