Rant: Identity Politics

Black people do not have to be Democrats.  White Southerners do not have to be Republicans.  Study the issues and vote for the candidate that you think has the best vision for America.  People will disagree but that must be done with respect and civility.

I do think Trump's tweet about going back to where they came from was stupid, factually incorrect and somewhat offensive.  That said, I do NOT believe that the 4 Congresswomen were targeted for being "women of color."  They were targeted for making ridiculously outrageous statements that were anti-Semitic, anti-American and yes, racist as well.  If worded differently such as "Take a look at the countries that follow your principles such as Venezuela, Cuba or Somalia, perhaps you should move there if you hate America so much."  I would have had no problem with that.  IMO, the worst of the 4 is Ilhan Omar.  Let's take a look at some of these statements.

Rep. Tlaib said that Congress was going to "impeach the motherf---er" and it was met was applause. A Missouri state senator publicly hopes for a presidential assassination.  If a prominent Tea Party conservative had said that about Obama, I am betting that he would be forced to resign in disgrace.  And rightly so.  I don't condone that type of language directed at a President even if I don't like him.  She also begged for leniency for terrorists who tried to join ISIS.  She also said that the Holocaust gave her a calming feeling and that its real tragedy was the creation of the state of Israel.

AOC said that the world will end in 12 years if we don't take radical steps to stop global warming and recently called America in its current state as "garbage."  I could go on and on about her statements I actually think that she is the least dangerous of the 4.  She's just plain stupid and sometimes I wish the media would just ignore her.

Rep. Pressley said that she doesn't want black, brown and queer faces unless they have black, brown or queer voices.  In other words, all racial and "sexual minorities" must think a certain way or they will be ostracized.  I have tremendous respect for black conservatives who risk being cut off by friends or even family members if they come out of the closet as conservatives.  Candace Owens and MikeNificent are my two favorites. White liberals who vote Democrat are VERY rarely called race traitors for voting Democrat.

Rep Omar is openly anti-Semitic and downplayed 9/11 as "some people did something" She flat out refused to condemn al-Qaeda or the Antifa terror attack on the ICE facility, claiming to be offended by the question.  If I were asked to condemn white supremacy, I might be a bit irritated by the question but my response would be a resounding YES!

Now let's suppose that the Democrats nominated a candidate who ran on this platform:
-Increased border security with a tough and lengthy path to citizenship for illegals.
-Legalized abortion but restricted to the point pain capability or at least viability with no federal funding.
-Modest tax increases only on earning above $300K.
  I personally would not vote for that but those are reasonable and mainstream positions that would have a good chance of defeating Trump.  Assuming that the economy stays strong and Trump stays on point with a focus on the issues, I believe that he will win against a far-left candidate.  Right now, I predict it will be Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris. 

There is a school of thought that you cannot criticize any "person of color" no matter how outrageous their words or actions.  Foul language and horseplay during class instruction time must also be accepted.  IMO, that is a dangerous and racist viewpoint.  To me, it implies that we cannot expect them to behave a respectful manner because it's "part of their culture" to behave in a rambunctious manner.   If that's not racist, I don't know what is. 

Back in college, I knew a guy who talked loudly in the hallway at 2:00 or 3:00 AM then cried racism when people complained.  I'm quite sure that nobody cared that he was black.  They cared about being awakened in the middle of the night.  A few years ago, I lost a FB friend who refused to condemn calls for "killing crackers" indiscriminately.  Ironically, he is half white himself yet sided with a group that hates race mixing.  He needs psychiatric help.

I do not deny that white racism exists today and I am disgusted by it.  That said, I do NOT believe that in 2019 America, it is a significant barrier to being successful.  Bigotry is not tolerated in mainstream society and if a person is outed as a racist, their reputation could be forever tarnished.  This is not 1959 Alabama.  Attitudes have evolved and to suggest otherwise is offensive to me as an Alabama resident.

 Nobody in their right mind would deny that African-Americans have faced severe injustices in the past.  I've tried with little success to engage with liberals about what policies need to be implemented TODAY to help minority communities.  I'm all for strong enforcement of anti-discrimination laws, leniency for non-violent drug offenders and even giving economically disadvantaged students (of all races) a leg up in college admissions.  I also feel that government sponsored mentor programs for at-risk students would be a good idea.  If kids see an adult who grew up in their environment yet "made it," they might believe in themselves as well.

Whenever Trump holds a rally, he touts the record low unemployment rate among blacks and Hispanics.  It is always met with rousing cheers and applause.  If Trump and his supporters did not want racial minorities to be successful, why would they be so happy to hear that news?  What is my attitude towards "people of color?"  I see you as my equal and you will be treated as such.  I do recognize and appreciate diversity but I view all people as individuals not as members of a particular group.  I will give you praise when it's due but criticize when it's warranted.   As for the blacks that I have met over the years?  Yes, I have liked most of them.  Unfortunately, I have encountered a few that I dislike but skin color is not a factor.  I've met white people that I dislike as well.  I'd wager that my attitude closely matches that of the majority of Trump supporters.

To the far-left, America was founded and built on slavery and white supremacy.  I will not deny that America has problems.  Every civilization in the history of the world has had problems but I also believe that today's America is fundamentally good and capable of improvement.  To the far-left, it is irredeemably unjust and cannot be fixed with anything less than a violent revolution.  It has happened before.  It's called Communism and has led to death camps and mass starvation everywhere that it has been tried.