One Modest Prediction and Two Hard Truths

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Posted by Bob Lord

I'll sandwich my modest prediction in between the two hard truths. First hard truth: This still is a very racist country. In an election between a black centrist and a bald faced shape shifting liar, it's neck and neck. If Obama were white, this would be a landslide, We wouldn't even be following the election. Romney would be a laughing stock. Romney's had 90 good minutes in a six month campaign, and even in those 90 minutes (the first debate) he was lying through his teeth. This election is an embarassment for America. 

My prediction is consistent with Mike Bryan's earlier, more detailed, post today. I agree with his most likely scenario, with one caveat. Although I think Obama should win Florida if all votes are counted, I think it is close enough to make it a 50/50 proposition whether Romney will steal it. 

Which leads to the second hard truth: Americans no longer care enough about preserving their democracy to deserve it. George W should not have been permitted to steal the 2000 election peacefully. Right-minded people should have been in the streets — by the millions. But, OK, we were coming off the Clinton years and didn't know how bad it would be. And that election truly was close. We didn't know Gore won Florida, we just suspected it. The cheating had largely been under the radar. 

This time is different. If Romney wins, it's an outright theft. We've witnessed four years of systematic cheating by the right. As mind boggling as this seem from an objective standpoint, they''ll get away with it. We won't be in the streets. There may be an unsuccessful court case, but that will be it. And those on the right know this. That's why they're so brazen in their efforts. If they knew they'd be facing civil rights era blow back, things would be vastly different — and better. But Americans just don't value things like civil rights and justice the way they used to. And that's a shame. 

11 thoughts on “One Modest Prediction and Two Hard Truths”

  1. Good point. Even so, in any given situation I feel better quoting Steven Colbert. Bill O’Reilly may even be right 50% of the time but he just doesn’t appeal the the sarcastic classical liberal soul that inhabits my body.

  2. Just a friendly warning. It’s dangerous to quote Colbert when he is acting the part of a conservative idiot.

  3. I favor seeing the world as it is. I happen to think that the ongoing and seemingly perpetual need for modern day liberals to claim racism when they should be looking at the failings of Barack Obama and his administration is harmful to America. Encouraging people to believe that the reason that Obama may fail in his re-election efforts because he is black when there are clearly many past actions by those people in Obama’s administration that would give any reasonable American (be that person white, brown, black or Green) to have reservations about casting a vote in Obama’s favor is encouraging people to deny reality.

    I do not care whether Bob Lord or Barack Obama is white, brown, black or Green. I am white but when it comes to past job performance and future job performance I have the same position as Stephen Colbert. I don’t see color. If Bob Lord wants to believe that President Obama can’t win re-election based on his past actions and political philosophy I probably am not going to be able to convince him otherwise. I do hope to convince the readers here at BfA that as modern day liberal Jon Stewart and his employee Larry Wilmore state “the race card is maxed out” and should not be used as an excuse because President Obama and his chosen staff have done a remarkably poor job of inspiring American voters that he is worthy of being retained in office for another four years.

    If you or Bob Lord want to convince me or any other American voter that President Obama is worth rehiring for another four years you would do well to give me a far better reason than simply claiming I can’t see past President Obama’s skin pigment. I know better.

    Next thing I’ll be reading that you think the folks that run the ACLU are racist because they gave Libertarian Party presidential nominee Gary Johnson 21 liberty torches in their scorecard and Obama only 16 liberty torches is because they were racist. Riiiiiiight.

    http://www.aclulibertywatch.org/

  4. Hmmm. “Advocates of racist victimhood” are responsible for the perpetuation of racism. I’ll go out on a limb, Thane, and guess that you’re a white guy.

  5. Jimmy Carter was white and his actions and policies earned him a single term as President. If Barack Obama is not re-elected his actions and policies are to blame. Implicit in your post is a false assumption that no non-white person can or should be held to account for his actions and beliefs. As a presidential elector for Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson I have no special love (or hate) for any candidate, black, blue, red, Green, Republican or Democrat.

    If you cannot bear to admit that there are voters who base their 2012 choice as a result of poor job performance by the current elected president that I assert that you are ignoring reality. I personally choose to favor the candidate who wants to reduce needless bombing and needless deaths not on their skin tone, gender or geographic point of birth. I and the vast majority of Americans vote for the candidate they believe will result in a better America. Denying this fact and presuming that every adverse political election that goes against a black politician must be a result of racism is to deny the fact that most Americans have left race behind them when it comes to their political choices.

    I believe that the vast majority of people that vote for Barack Obama vote for him do so because they support his past performance and his political policies (and not what race he is). I believe that the vast majority of people that vote for Mitt Romney vote for him do so because they support his past performance and his political policies (and not what race he is). I believe that the vast majority of the remaining 2% (or so) that vote for some other candidate do so because of that candidate’s political positions and past experience (and not what race he or she might happen to be).

    I can no more prove the intent behind any American vote choice than you can prove that the intent behind any American vote for a candidate not named Obama is racist. If your post is any example I imagine that America has at least 50 more years of claims that the United States is a very racist country. I do not look forward to advocates of racist victimhood chanting “50 more years! 50 more years!”.

    Racism and envy are likely to continue on the planet earth. I for one don’t feel an urge to promote racism and envy as the reason behind every challenge that exists.

  6. TypePad HTML Email
    No, his basic premise, and one that was implicit in my post, was that if Obama were white, this election would be a landslide of historic proportions. Romney’s blatant dishonesty, secrecy, and lack of respect for voters were absolute disqualifiers in the absence of racism. If he were running against a white guy, the election would have been over in July.

  7. Is your basic premise that you can’t disagree with modern day liberalism without being typecast as a racist? It seems to me that overuse of racism accusations is part and parcel with why the race card is maxed out.

    Overuse of racism accusations creates an environment where nobody is willing to discuss racism and in my opinion does wonders to perpetuate racism. I personally think that the world is slowly but surely becoming less racist but that the certain end of racism will only occur if and when people are willing to look at the world as it is not a world where every political or personal setback is met with a claim of racism.

    http://theothermccain.com/2012/08/25/racism-industrial-complex-training-film-bob-is-a-racist/

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