Barack Obama's group therapy

[Jeffrey]

Why am I not surprised…

politico.com/news/stories/0612/77562.html

 

[_Abyssinia]

Obama wants to get all attention away from the economy, and he will do anything to do that, to divide Americans, rich vs war, create false racial divisions etc.

 

[_Abyssinia]

There is an article recently posted called, ‘The Democrats’ Demographic Dreams’ which interlinks with the OP. It is not a pro Republican article as can be seen by the clams that the Tea Party is hostile to immigrants, which is nonsense. But other than this he makes some points

…

In reality, however, it’s not clear that Democrats can count on the inexorable march of demographics to secure a majority. Assimilation and shifting notions of racial identity could change the equation, and political affiliations—to say nothing of parties—can change dramatically over the course of a generation. Adrian Pantoja, a political scientist who studies Latino political behavior and racial politics, is skeptical. “This is all based on the assumption that the GOP is going to continue to be hostile to minority voters,” he says, “and that minorities will continue to identify as minorities or nonwhite.” Neither is certain.

For all of the racial disparities that still characterize the American experience, it’s also true that race is declining in cultural significance. Interracial relationships—romantic or otherwise—are more common than they’ve ever been. In 2010, 15 percent of all new marriages were intermarriages, and 86 percent of Americans approved of them. The large majority of these marriages occurred among whites, Latinos, and Asians: Forty-three percent were between white and Latino partners, while 14 percent were between white and Asian partners.

This has profound implications. If whites are the “mainstream” of American life, with overwhelming representation in politics, business, and culture, then intermarriage with Latinos and Asians has the potential to bring those groups into the mainstream as well. Put another way, the wildly popular comedian Louis C.K. is understood to be white, even though his father and grandfather are Mexican and his first language is Spanish. More important, his children will be perceived as white, despite their Latino heritage. In effect, C.K. and others like him are expanding the definition of “white.”

To Pantoja, this bears a strong resemblance to the pattern of the 19th and early 20th centuries, when the U.S. saw massive immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe. “Latinos seem to be on a similar trajectory as Italians,” he says. “At the turn of the century, the Italians were seen as a stigmatized minority group that could not be assimilated into the American mainstream.” It was common to describe Italians as “dark,” “swarthy,” and—in language that also has characterized African Americans—prone to crime and poverty. But as Italians rose out of working-class professions and joined a burgeoning middle class, they and other “nonwhite” immigrants assimilated. Eventually, the New Deal, along with unions, service in World War II, and the G.I. Bill, brought Italians fully into American life.

The politics of Italian Americans changed with their shifting status. As the party most identified with immigrants, Democrats gained an early lead with Italian Americans; they formed a key part in Franklin Roosevelt’s victorious coalition and proved crucial to Democratic successes through the 1960s. But as Italians became fully assimilated, and Democrats championed the rights of racial minorities and women’s rights, the balance shifted. By the 1980s, Italians would join most white Americans in voting Republican.

A similar path might emerge for Latinos. Initially outsiders, they form a bond with the political party that most identifies with their concerns. As they move into the mainstream, those concerns become less salient, and their political preferences become identical to those of whites’—less dependent on their racial or ethnic traits than on factors like education, wealth, and geography.

This comparison has its limits. Unlike “Italian,” “Latino” has no singular identity. Guatemalans, Argentineans, Chileans, and Dominicans are all counted as Latino, along with Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans. In a survey released this year, the Pew Hispanic Center found that when it comes to describing their identity, 51 percent of respondents prefer to use their family’s country of origin over pan-ethnic terms like “Latino” or “Hispanic.” The same goes for Asian Americans, who come from India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka as well as countries like China, Japan, and South Korea.

What’s more, among Latinos, there is evidence that economic and social outcomes diverge for the children of legal and undocumented immigrants. Legal immigrants tend to have more education and higher incomes. As a result, their children are better equipped to succeed in the United States and move up the social ladder. By contrast, undocumented immigrants tend to have low-wage, low-skill jobs that make mobility difficult. Accordingly, fewer of their children will intermarry or enter the mainstream. You could easily imagine a world where the descendants of legal immigrants are more likely to vote for the Republican Party, on account of their greater integration, while the descendants of undocumented immigrants gravitate to the Democratic Party, because of its association with minority interests.

…

During the George W. Bush administration, for example, sustained outreach boosted GOP support among Latinos; Bush won 44 percent of the Latino vote in 2004, a nine-point improvement over 2000. Throughout his presidency, Bush worked to recruit Latinos into his administration. In his second term, Alberto Gonzales served as White House counsel and later attorney general, and Carlos Gutierrez headed his Commerce Department. At the same time, Bush’s rhetoric on immigration was accommodating. His 2006 speech calling for comprehensive immigration reform stands out: “We must remember that the vast majority of illegal immigrants are decent people who work hard, support their families, practice their faith, and lead responsible lives.”

If Republicans pursued the Bush strategy, they could regain some standing with Latinos. Indeed, Republicans are already laying the groundwork, especially in key states like Texas and Florida, which have large Latino populations. George P. Bush, son of former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, co-founded the political action committee Hispanic Republicans of Texas with Juan Hernandez, a former member of the Mexican cabinet and director of Hispanic outreach for John McCain’s 2008 campaign. The PAC has successfully elected Latino Republicans to Congress, the Texas Supreme Court, and the state’s House of Representatives.

The GOP strategy has been to appeal to Latinos on the basis of shared social and religious convictions—opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage and a commitment to “family values.” Republicans elected Susana Martinez governor of New Mexico in 2010—making her the first female Hispanic governor in the nation’s history—and did the same for Brian Sandoval in Nevada. Florida Senator Marco Rubio is a darling of the conservative movement, and former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz has made national waves in his bid to fill the Senate seat soon to be vacated by Kay Bailey Hutchison. All four are staunch conservatives, with strong support among the right-wing elite. (Cruz was the subject of a glowing National Review cover story.)

…

prospect.org/article/democrats-demographic-dreams

 

[_Abyssinia]

Texas Republican party recently announced support for a guest worker program, adding it to the party platform

hrcoftexas.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/capitol-inside-texas-republicans.html

*'I’d start telling Hispanic voters about Republicans, and they’d say, ‘I’m pro-life, too, but you want to deport my grandma,’" said Norman Adams of Houston, celebrating the Texas party’s 180-degree turn away from its position of removing all illegal immigrants and slowing legal immigration.

‘They can’t say that anymore.’*

star-telegram.com/2012/06/09/4020328/with-change-in-platform-gop-makes.html#storylink=cpy#storylink=cpy

 

[Mickey]

Why am I not surprised…

politico.com/news/stories/0612/77562.html

You should not be surprised. He is the most divisive president this country has ever seen. The only strategy he knows…is division.

 

[catharina]

you should not be surprised. He is the most divisive president this country has ever seen. The only strategy he knows…is division.

**Remember the rest of that famous phrase?

Divide … and conquer.**

 

[Gorillaman]

Why am I not surprised…

politico.com/news/stories/0612/77562.html

This has no business here. Your dividing people.

Catholic is NOT a right wing religion.

Por favor.

Paz

 

[Myqyl]

This has no business here. Your dividing people.

Catholic is NOT a right wing religion.

Por favor.

Paz

.

AMEN!!! It’s these divisive, political threads that have made me seriously wonder if I’m actually still a Catholic… Please keep your politics out of my Church!

God bless

 

[He_Man]

.

AMEN!!! It’s these divisive, political threads that have made me seriously wonder if I’m actually still a Catholic… Please keep your politics out of my Church!

God bless

Should we assume you accidentily clicked the “World News” forum then? The gall of placing world news here.

 

[Gregorian_Apolo]

Politics must be kept in the Catholic Church if not Bishops, priests and lay people can just sit back when a whole cesspool of sin and immorality comes flooding in to the world.
ALL must submit themselves to the rule of Christ the king even nations.This means that in public and polictial life ,the teachings of Christ(which are the offical teachings of the Catholic Church) must be obeyed. If not Christ is disobeyed. That is why you cannot say we need to seperate religion from politics, that is like seprateing God from morality.

 

[epan]

You should not be surprised. He is the most divisive president this country has ever seen. The only strategy he knows…is division.

President Bush was equally divisive, but in the opposite dynamic. That is US politics. The problem is having only two parties. No matter who is elected, about 50% of the population will oppose him or her.

I had high hopes for President Bush, and we saw what he did. I had high hopes for President Obama, and we saw what he did. I try to be optimistic, but I keep being disappointed.

In this election, it is once again choosing the lesser evil of two bad options.

 

[SamH]

President Bush was equally divisive, but in the opposite dynamic. That is US politics. The problem is having only two parties. No matter who is elected, about 50% of the population will oppose him or her.

I had high hopes for President Bush, and we saw what he did. I had high hopes for President Obama, and we saw what he did. I try to be optimistic, but I keep being disappointed.

In this election, it is once again choosing the lesser evil of two bad options.

How so? On most important items he (Bush) was able to reach across the isle to people that were calling him Bushilterchimpmonkeymurderer and form a bipartisan consensus. Obama refuses to even reach.

 

[Gorillaman]

.

AMEN!!! It’s these divisive, political threads that have made me seriously wonder if I’m actually still a Catholic… Please keep your politics out of my Church!

God bless

Myqyl. This our church. You ARE a catholic. Me too

 

[JimR-OCDS]

Is the OP article commentary and not actual news?

Just wondering.

Jim

 

[Mickey]

In this election, it is once again choosing the lesser evil of two bad options.

In this election…there is one evil that surpasses all other evils. It is called “Obama’s unconditional support for abortion.”

 

[epan]

How so? On most important items he (Bush) was able to reach across the isle to people that were calling him Bushilterchimpmonkeymurderer and form a bipartisan consensus. Obama refuses to even reach.

Exactly my point. The left accused Bush of failure to compromise. The right accuses Obama of the same. In fact, neither side tries to compromise, but they like to pretend that they do, while they accuse the other side of doing the same thing that they are actually doing. It is all about personal gain and wealth, and not the common wealth or public good.

 

[lerapt78]

Obama wants to get all attention away from the economy, and he will do anything to do that, to divide Americans, rich vs war, create false racial divisions etc.

**Remember the rest of that famous phrase?

Divide … and conquer**.

Yep.

This has no business here. Your dividing people.

Catholic is NOT a right wing religion.

Por favor.

Paz

.

AMEN!!! It’s these divisive, political threads that have made me seriously wonder if I’m actually still a Catholic… Please keep your politics out of my Church!

God bless

I don’t understand these comments. Catholics are not simply Earth-wandering souls who can afford to sit in blissful contemplation of God. We are God’s children first, then individuals, who then form family units, who in turn form communities based on common interests. As those communities expand they form countries in which we Catholics are citizens, subject to laws which are designed to protect us and reflect our beliefs. Catholics have a very real and vested interest in what our elected leaders do, or at least they should, if they want to understand what is happening to their countries.

 

[He_Man]

Exactly my point. The left accused Bush of failure to compromise. The right accuses Obama of the same. In fact, neither side tries to compromise, but they like to pretend that they do, while they accuse the other side of doing the same thing that they are actually doing. It is all about personal gain and wealth, and not the common wealth or public good.

Here are Bush’s bipartisan achievements:

keithhennessey.com/2010/02/23/bipartisan-successes/

• The 2001 tax cuts;
• the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001-2;
• the 2002 extension of Trade Promotion Authority;
• the 2003 medicare law;
• the 2005 energy law focused on electricity;
• the 2006 pension reform law;
• the 2007 energy law focused on fuel;
• the 2008 stimulus law;
• the 2008 housing reform law; and
• the 2008 TARP law.

As the RNC pointed out, Obama’s mos decisive bipartisan vote was 0 Congressional votes for his budget.

I don’t think you can compare the abilities of the two men in reaching across the aisle.

 

[Gorillaman]

Yep.

I don’t understand these comments. Catholics are not simply Earth-wandering souls who can afford to sit in blissful contemplation of God. We are God’s children first, then individuals, who then form family units, who in turn form communities based on common interests. As those communities expand they form countries in which we Catholics are citizens, subject to laws which are designed to protect us and reflect our beliefs. Catholics have a very real and vested interest in what our elected leaders do, or at least they should, if they want to understand what is happening to their countries.

Me too.and what’s happening in my country is there is a huge division amongst people, except the lines are getting so muddied that there are good people on both sides. Catholicism shouldn’t be a place where we can come to see what right wings are thinking, or left wings are thinking, if you think something is wrong then say it…don’t say “…why am I not surprised?” or making it seem like Obama is the devil, he is not. He politically supports some very disturbing things, and that is no lie, but I can see that he is a decent man. When we lose our ability to discern who and who is not a decent man we are losing our basic gift given to us by God. I think just because Romney says that abortion is wrong and he won’t support it and so us as Catholics say “ok ok! Your our guy!” is wrong. I think automatically assuming that this website is a place where you can say “why am I not surprised…?” is wrong. This religion is filled with thinkers, fighters, sinners, and democrats. Sorry to tell you…well actually I dont know if this is the opposite of what your saying. Just saying.

Paz

 

[Jeffrey]

I agree obama has no business pulling this stunt. He is trying to divide and conquer… its blantant racism to me on obama and his ilk. Catholic is NOT a left wing religion.

This has no business here. Your dividing people.

Catholic is NOT a right wing religion.

Por favor.

Paz