’)When history looks back at our current times, I get the feeling that we may no longer consider the signing of the Civil Rights Act as the end marker for racial progress in America but rather as the midpoint in the movement. Yesterday the first black president announced a nominee to be the first Hispanic justice. This is not the America I was born in, but a changed one.
Especially Luis Reyes, 49, a Salvadoran-born businessman who arrived almost penniless three decades ago and now lives in spacious house in upper Northwest Washington. He said he yelled for his 11-year-old daughter as soon as he heard the news anchor start to announce Obama’s decision on his living-room television set. “I told her, ‘Come! Come! You have to come see this! This is a historic occasion that should inspire you,’ ” he said. “When I first got to this country, this would have been unthinkable.”
I saw a little kid no more than 4 or 5 on the train yesterday and thought to myself he’ll grow up in a world where the highest, most important jobs in the country actually reflect the makeup of the world he lives in and it will be the norm.
Well, it changed before that with President Clinton and yes, President Bush. History was made when Colin Powell, Condi Rice and Alberto Gonzalez all were appointed to their respective positions which people of their background had never served.
Of course, in the eyes of the idiot-left, they were either:
A. Tokens
B. Sellouts
So their appointments weren’t celebrated by the idiot-left as they should have been, but scorned. Meanwhile, the same idiot-left cheered on the Democrats filibustering the appointment of the first Hispanic to the US Court of Appeals for the District Of Columbia, Miguel Estrada, despite his credentials. Those internal memos to Dick Durbin showed Democratic opposition to his appointment was wholly political as left wing interest groups were scared of the fact that Estrada was Latino. It was a disgusting display by Senate Democrats.
So you’ll have to forgive me if I don’t get all weepy now that everybody’s ready to once again celebrate the appointment of minorities to high ranking positions within government.
I can’t wait until all the “firsts” have been made, so we don’t have to point out incessantly what race/gender/any-other-way-to-classify-someone a person is, rather than focus on the what the person has actually done.
Jay’s comment would carry a wee bit more weight if Ms. Rice and Mr. Gonzales weren’t wildly incompetent boobs (Powell was an embarrassment under George Bush, Jr., but at least had a reasonable, if nowhere close to perfect, history). Ms. Sotomayor is, by all accounts, not a buffoon. So she has that going for her.
Jay,
Thanks to Ed you can now add “C. Incompetent boobs” to your list of baseless yet convenient accusations.
Ed, I noticed you magnanimously spared Powell from your ‘incompetent boobs’ smear. Wasn’t Powell the man who the left claims lied to the UN about Iraq? And wasn’t he the man who knew it was Richard Armitage who outed Valerie Plame, but chose to remain silent while the investigation went on? That Powell? I guess you’re giving him a pass for the whole endorsing Obama thing.
I can’t wait until all the “firsts” have been made, so we don’t have to point out incessantly what race/gender/any-other-way-to-classify-someone a person is, rather than focus on the what the person has actually done.
Get used to it. Identity politics is what the left is all about.
Dave, Rice and Gonzalez were and are incompetent buffoons. That you don’t recognize that says a lot about your own inability to recognize reality.
Oh, and in response to your “identity politics” bullshit? Understand this: the only identity I care about is Democrat and Republican. The former are patriots; the latter are traitors.
This type of progress is exactly what the right-wing detests with every fiber of their being.
It’s the whole deal with them: This country is no longer run by and for white, “christian” males.
Noone says it, but that’s what it is. They don’t live in the U.S.A. the rest of us do. They think they still live in the 1950’s and 60’s. It’ why the Republican party is dead. It will NEVER recover because no minority group supports them. No Black. Not Latinos. Not Asians. Without minorities, no party can win and the Republicans inherently racist viewpoints has finally cost them something they can’t buy back.
I will never understand right-wingers compulsion to troll left-wing websites. I have zero desire to go to right-wing nutjob sites and argue with them.
It baffles me.
Yes, Luv … The fact that there are people that do things you don’t do, must cause you constant consternation.
All liberals are thus afflicted, which explains why they think everybody should be just like them.
Diversity = “everybody agrees with us”
Identity politics is what the left is all about.
Southern Strategy, bitchez!
I noticed you magnanimously spared Powell from your ‘incompetent boobs’ [comment].
I started to include him, but he actually does have some positive moments in his track record. Powell is a political coward and a fool for his role in the Iraq Invasion. He is a jackass for his role in Iran-Contra and DADT. And he is complicit in the aptly pronounced Mi Lai massacre. I should have written “wholly incompetent,” which better describes Ms. Rice and Mr. Gonzales. Mr. Powell has shown himself to be incompetent at times, but never to the levels of the other two. I regret the error.
Identity politics is what the left is all about.
George Bush, Jr.
Other bridges to cross (fill in the judicial or executive post):
first openly gay ______________
first self-described atheist ______________
This latter will be crossed sometime in 2250.
Yglesias:
Very nice. I’d tweak “conservative movement” to “modern Republican party” but that’s just I.
The reason that Right-leaning people come to Left-leaning websites is because Right-leaning websites ban Left-leaning commenters. This is the only place that they can actually spar with the opposition. I give them credit for that.
There aren’t particularly bright lights on this website but I do find worthy opposition elsewhere.
Conservatives appoint kook and unqualified minorities in order to shut minorities up then are shocked, shocked when they get called on it.
In re: Conolezza Rice. What was her accomplishment again?
First woman Sec State? No.
First black Sec State? No.
Sorry, I don’t see being black as an accomplishment any more than being white is. You is what you is.
Great post, Oliver! And you guys are right, the wingnuts just go crazy as they see their little world vanishing and them with it. And they do worship the half-wits and unacheivers with a passion that Jesus would envy!
And Ed and Dave, Colin Powell was more of a man at 12 years old than you’ll ever be…and a helluvalot smarter too. You buffoons as rock solid losers.
@ Jay,
I agree with you up to a certain point. There would have been more fanfare in regard to this had they been Democratic appointees. Of course, in light of the Republican/Conservative alleged thought processes, the best person for the job needs no fanfare.
In some ways I agree with this, I think there is way too much attention given to some aspects of race relations, yet not enough in other areas. I disagree with labeling Democrats as the “idiot left”.
@ Mike,
Oh, and in response to your “identity politics” bullshit? Understand this: the only identity I care about is Democrat and Republican. The former are patriots; the latter are traitors.
Your supposition is that the only people that love and serve their country are Republicans? Give me a break, I admit that there are just as many rabid left leaning radicals as there are right-wing nutjobs, but this notion that Conservatives are out to preserve the country while Liberals are out to destroy it is ridiculous.
@Mike,
I apologize, I see I read your post and got the former and latter mixed up when I responded. I still stand by the fact that labeling either side as patriots and traitors is ridiculous. There is a whole spectrum of ideological thought out there, and the “defining line” is not on party affiliation.
Conservatives appoint kook and unqualified minorities in order to shut minorities up then are shocked, shocked when they get called on it.
Please explain how Powell, Estrada, and Rice were kooks and unqualified for their positions exactly.
What you think about how they did their job is not the point and it doesn’t surprise me that most people didn’t get it because they’re too busy calling conservatives racists and traitors.
I am sure all of the Stepin Fetchit, house nigger, lawn jockey, Massa Bush, and other such slurs hurled at Rice and Powell had everything to do with just job performance.
You may be able to sell that crap the boatload of left wing stooges whose idiocy reigns supreme in the comments section around here, but don’t try to BS a BS’er.
Please explain how Powell, Estrada, and Rice were kooks and unqualified for their positions exactly.
I covered Powell above. I’ll get to Estrada if/when I dadgum well please. Rice is kinda sorta wicked-easy:
If sites like FreeRepublic allowed the kind of contrarian thinking in their comments that OW does here, I’d have more respect for them than I do. Which is none, because they don’t.
History was made when Colin Powell, Condi Rice and Alberto Gonzalez all were appointed to their respective positions which people of their background had never served.
It’s so cute when white people like to tell non-white people who they’re supposed to be proud of.
Those internal memos to Dick Durbin showed Democratic opposition to his appointment was wholly political as left wing interest groups were scared of the fact that Estrada was Latino.
Wait. What?
Lefty interest groups were scared of opposing a Latino nominee so that means their opposition was strictly political?
Was that supposed to make any sense at all Jay? Or were you just throwing it out there for fun?
Oh yeah, it’s changing alright.
California is bankrupt.
N. Korea is firing missiles and detonating A bombs
Iran is going to get the bomb.
Israel is scared $hitless.
The US is broke.
GM is filling for bankruptcy.
Unemployment is at 10%
A VAT is being talked about.
The Chinese are wondering how their investment in US treasuries is working out.
The dollar is taking a $hit.
But dats ok. Cause we have a Hispanic woman nominated for the Supreme Court.
It’s so cute when white people like to tell non-white people who they’re supposed to be proud of.
Glad to see you’re still a moron. You disappeared for awhile and the IQ level around here went up a few notches. Thanks for bringing the level of dumb back up. At least Ed will be able to keep up.
If sites like FreeRepublic allowed the kind of contrarian thinking in their comments that OW does here, I’d have more respect for them than I do. Which is none, because they don’t.
Well said, Robert.
‘kay.
”
Oh yeah, it’s changing alright.
California is bankrupt.
N. Korea is firing missiles and detonating A bombs
Iran is going to get the bomb.
Israel is scared $hitless.
The US is broke.
GM is filling for bankruptcy.
Unemployment is at 10%
A VAT is being talked about.
The Chinese are wondering how their investment in US treasuries is working out.
The dollar is taking a $hit.
But dats ok. Cause we have a Hispanic woman nominated for the Supreme Court.”
You do know that that all of that was either caused or drastically exacerbated by the George W. Bush administration, right?
Bringing up Rice and Powell is cute, but once again like many conservatives (and well-meaning liberals) it misses the whole point of “promoting diversity”. It’s commonly misconstrued as “bodies” or easily identifiable socioeconomic types suddenly being allowed to sit where they previously were not present.
However, part of the admittedly “liberal” point of “diversity” is the philosophy that context and experience affect personality and ideas, and that reflecting this in our institutions makes for a crucial part of what we call “democracy”.
If people of color don’t crow about Bush’s appointments, it’s because we’re not all trained seals who clap at the mere glimpse of brown skin near the Oval Office. It ’s because it was glaringly obvious when Rice et al began to provide cover for Bush’s worst decisions that they, in their respective positions, were not there to provide a diversity of opinion. However much they were personally accomplished in overcoming obstacles, it was clear that they did not particularly feel the sacrifice of the young people they sent to war — many of them brown.
The whole business of authenticity is a dead-end question, so it’s not as if Rice et al are “sellouts”. It’s just that they did very little to advance the well-being of the communities from which they came, and with which they have identified. Therefore, I daresay people of color and supporters of diversity in general have a right to be skeptical of their presence.
(Note: it’s why many women thought that the R party picking Palin was stupid and insulting. Her ineptitude reflected badly on women in politics, and women in general, and her example does nothing to mitigate attitudes about women’s abilities, nor do her opinions about state and federal aid make it easier for other women to have the kind of opportunities that she has.)
You do know that that all of that was either caused or drastically exacerbated by the George W. Bush administration, right?
You do know that Pres. Bush can’t be elected again, and Pres Obama took the oath on Jan 20, 2009?
Hey, Luv, I thought Obama was supposed to make everything BETTER, not WORSE.
J.
“You do know that Pres. Bush can’t be elected again, and Pres Obama took the oath on Jan 20, 2009?
”
You do know you’re trying to frame the 8 years of catastrophic incompetence on a newly inaugurated President that’s been in office less than 1/2 a year right?
California is bankrupt because of right wing policies that prevent sensible taxation.
North Korea went nuclear under Republican President Bush’s watch.
Iran is a problem going back to Republican President Eisenhower’s interference with Iran’s democratic election in favor of Republican Eisenhower’s favored right wing dictator. The blowback from Republican Eisenhower’s interference was the rise of Islamic Iran.
Israel keeps taking land from fanatics that are angry about their land being taken and then Israel blames the predictable reactions of fanatics that Israeli actions keep provoking. I keep reading Israeli’s saying ‘it’s not about the land’, well, then give back the land taken since 1967.
The US is going broke because three consecutive Republican Presidents increased the US debt. Republican Reagan more than DOUBLED the US debt, between Republicans Reagan and Bush 1 they more than QUADRUPLED the US debt, and Republican Bush 2 more than DOUBLED the US debt again once all of the charges he put on America’s credit card is added up.
GM is filing for bankruptcy because right wing economic ideology betrayed America’s manufacturing base to foreign interests.
Unemployment is skyrocketing because right wing ideology betrayed American workers to foreign interests.
A VAT is being talked about to cover all of the debts that the last three Republican Presidents incurred when they were in charge.
“The Chinese are wondering how their investment in US treasuries is working out” because the consequences of 30 years of right wing economic voodoo of borrowing instead of taxing is finally rearing it’s ugly head.
“The dollar is” having challenges because of the same 30 years of right wing economic voodoo.
It would be interesting to know how much Obama really understands of right winger’s “Clinton Rules”, rules that include not just constant absurd attacks by the right on the left, but also the bizarre capacity of right wingers to forget and even rewrite history and assign what has been forged in the last 30 years of Conservative ascendancy to anyone else but the right wing architects that created most of the current circumstances.
Instead of owning up to the results of right wing policies, right wingers literally rewrite history.
Right wingers rewriting history and then marketing that fiction is the only power the right wing has.
It’s bad enough when the neo-con-artists are spewing fictions but then suckers like “Jay” come in and list a trio of Republican war criminals as somehow representing right wing diversity.
Right wing diversity in what? Exactly? The fact that Republican President Bush had a rainbow coalition of war criminals backing him?
Anon, you shouldt’a posted that as anonymous… great comment.
“However, part of the admittedly “liberal” point of “diversity” is the philosophy that context and experience affect personality and ideas, and that reflecting this in our institutions makes for a crucial part of what we call “democracy”.”
It is also used as a rational for eroding meritocracy in educational admissions and occupational hiring decisions. As the obvious injustices of racial discrimination mandated as affirmative action have been outlawed across the nation by the votes of Americans a new concept has gained favor. Diversity, which is a code word for mandating quotas. The idea that every institution should look like America. That is all well and good until you run into the stone wall of meritocracy. To achieve “diversity” without subjective choice or set asides is difficult.
Meritocracy? Like George W. Bush getting into Yale as a legacy?
Eh, it’s all silly anyway. The right-wingers who embraced the clear and obvious qualifications of Sarah Palin sort of lost what little credibility they had to begin with on the concept of “identity politics.”
You do know you’re trying to frame the 8 years of catastrophic incompetence on a newly inaugurated President that’s been in office less than 1/2 a year right?
No, I am not…
And neither was Joaquin.
His point, and mine, is that, lots of people , like myself, couldn’t care less that Judge Sotomayor is Hispanic or female. There are far more important things than arroz con pollo and habichuelas
The following points, though, are interesting:
1) Hispanic is a term white people made up. The Judge is a Puerto Rican, or perhaps a NewYorican. Based on my ex wife’s experience (born of Puerto Rican parents in the South Bronx) Dominicans dislike Puerto Ricans for the most part, and Mexicans don’t like “Hispanics” that don’t speak Spanish;
2) Women sought equality with men for years, and while they now claim they haven’t achieved it yet, they now claim superiority;
and, finally
3) Her ethnic origins and gender wouldn’t be worth a hill of beans to you liberals, if she were pro-life, anti-gun control, and opposed to affirmative action.
Her ethnic origins and gender wouldn’t be worth a hill of beans to you liberals, if she were pro-life, anti-gun control, and opposed to affirmative action.
Ummm… I’m sorry that liberals don’t judge incompetent right-wing minorities by the color of the skin instead of the content of their character. I realize that’s been a problem for you for a while now.
Don’t really have anything to say about your other “Hispanics aren’t real” stuff. You’re just batshit there.
The Census includes Latin Americans, Spanish-Americans and Portugese -Americans under the rubric “Hispanic”. Therefore, Hispanic is a meaningless contrivance. Nothing batshit about it.
No, liberals “don’t judge incompetent right-wing minorities by the color of the skin instead of the content of their character.” But they do judge all minority Republicans and / or conservatives as “not counting” when appointed by Republican Executives to important posts.
Which non-white Supreme Court Justice rose up out of grinding poverty to become a Supreme Court Justice ?
Judge Sotomayor…
Clarence Thomas? Who’s he ?
The first black woman to be Secretary of State ?
Sorry, Albright gets the women’s check mark; Powell gets the black man’s .
Condoleezza Rice ? Who’s she ?
Well it makes sense that you’re asking who all those people are since you’re clearly pretending you don’t know anything about them.
3) Her ethnic origins and gender wouldn’t be worth a hill of beans to you liberals, if she were pro-life, anti-gun control, and opposed to affirmative action.
What do you mean, “if”? They don’t matter at all to me right now. Will she make a good Supreme Court justice or not?
I don’t think careful parsing of 32 words from a single speech is a smart way to figure it out.
As the obvious injustices of racial discrimination mandated as affirmative action have been outlawed across the nation by the votes of Americans
Hallucinating again, AO?
Women sought equality with men for years, and while they now claim they haven’t achieved it yet, they now claim superiority;
Don’t know much about women, huh, Frank?
I’ll say it again, this right wing “Frank DiSalle” character is just wacky. He reminds me of that archetypal crazy person that wanders around nearly every big city, the person who wants to argue with everyone they meet, spout crazy arguments, and then smile and nod smugly as if their crazy arguments just won the argument.
Right winger “Frank DiSalle” is clearly a little nuts but his argumentation style is a Classic Right Wing Con.
He’s ill informed, he makes stuff up, he asserts falsehoods as fact, and even after all of that is repeatedly revealed he expects to be taken seriously.
Right winger “Frank DiSalle” is clearly a little nuts but his argumentation style is a Classic Right Wing Con.
That’s an oversimplification, Newsy. Mr. DiSalle has been a regular here, off and on, for several years. He is a complex personality.
“Quaker in the Basement”: “Mr. DiSalle… is a complex personality.”
You’re very kind, “Quaker”, it’s a commendable liberal trait.
But I’m an independent with a conservative streak and don’t have much patience for toxic crazy people.
Toxic is the key word. If “Frank” were just crazy he wouldn’t be worth commenting on.
And if “Frank” were capable of learning it would be different as well.
But right winger “Frank” is not capable of learning. He starts with a false right wing premise and like a rabid dog he just can’t let his false beliefs go despite mountains of evidence. When his false beliefs are confronted he quibbles over nonsense or changes the subject or flat out ignores the evidence.
He’s a babbling idiot who uses Alice in Wonderland Red Queen illogic.
Take just this one sentence from babbling right wing idiot “Frank DiSalle”:
“Hispanic is a term white people made up.”
Good lord, “white people” is a term “white people made up.”
Talking to someone too stupid or crazy to understand how arbitrary the term “white people” is when he’s complaining about the term “Hispanic” is beyond my patience.
And who is “Frank’s” authority on the term Hispanic? His ex-wife!
And which authority did “Frank” dismiss regarding the term Hispanic? The US Census!
LOL!-)
Right winger “Frank DiSalle” is a nut.
You have my prayers, “Quaker”, in trying to reason with a toxic crazy person incapable of learning.
Right winger “Amused Observer” has a funny idea about “eroding meritocracy” considering the right wing Republican Party is the Party of Incompetent People like George Bush, Michael ‘heck of a job Brownie’ Brown, Sarah Palin, Clarence Thomas, Michelle Bachmann, Howard Krongard, Jeff Sessions, Alberto Gonzales, Sara Taylor, Bradley Schlozman, Kyle Sampson, and Monica Goodling.
And that’s just a short list of Republican incompetence at the highest levels of government.
The erosion of meritocracy is perfectly illustrated by what the Republican Party has degenerated into.
And who is “Amused Observer” obliquely indicting with his flippant “eroding meritocracy” comment?
A Democratic appointee that graduated from Princeton “with highest distinction” (summa cum laude) and has an exceptionally distinguished resume.
News Reference …
I applaud you
You have raised the ad hominem argument to a fine art.
No further comment is required — by either of us .
Thank you , Quaker , for your kind words …
Calling people names is so easy.
Unfortunately, being able to hide behind a keyboard miles and miles away has made it so much easier.
Even if you remark was sarcastic, at least it acknowledges that I exist as a real human being.
Calling someone a nut is not just politically incorrect, it is facile and juvenile, and is a tacit admission that you have nothing else to say.
Even if you remark was sarcastic, at least it acknowledges that I exist as a real human being.
Not sarcastic. Not especially kind. Just trying to bring News Reference up to speed. Newsy hasn’t been coming around here very long. He hasn’t been witness to some of the epic battles we long timers have seen.