RE: government shutdown: What actually happened was that the House Republicans tried to defund the ACA with their proposals. Obama, naturally wasn't for that, and the government shut down. Eventually, the Republicans, with their tails between their legs, agreed to what was essentially the Obama proposal, with only minor tweaks to the ACA. Why? Because the people were decidedly against them and it was threatening to influence the upcoming midterm election cycle.
And Drich, lowering military spending isn't a bad thing. Our military is bloated from a budgetary standpoint. It wastes billions on things like the F-35, and isn't agile enough to shift gears to address a new kind of terrorism-driven warfare. Money isn't a cure-all. The design of the military - how its various units are constructed, how they're deployed, the tech they use - is far more important, and we're still largely dealing with a Cold War design. We need it to be more efficient and modular all around. It's slowly modernizing, but it's not there yet. And, let no one here forget that you're griping about the government spending money on 'socialism' but, in the same breath, bemoaning more money not being spent on killing people. Interesting priorities you have there.
Regarding Obama himself, there's absolutely no way to ignore that a lot of the hate thrown his way is racially motivated. From the birther movement, to various right wing pundits and cartoonists calling him/portraying him as a monkey or ape, to the idiotic "Barrack HUSSEIN Obama" emphasis, to believing he's a 'secret' Muslim (despite not living according to Muslim tradition at all), to idiots like Drich saying he's somehow making race relations worse when he's largely just pointing a flashlight onto things that have been going on for generations and saying "Racism isn't over, people." Even his wife (how many Chewbacca jokes are there?) and kids haven't been spared.
Now, like Brian said, not all people who hate Obama are racist. But that's not the point. A very vocal contingent is. And they're the ones who are largely in control of how he's portrayed by the opposition. The talking heads and pundits who thrive on the hate of morons are the ones driving it, with those morons eating it up, which just fuels racism. Racism that Obama is blamed for intensifying, not people like Coulter, Limbaugh, etc.
And Drich, lowering military spending isn't a bad thing. Our military is bloated from a budgetary standpoint. It wastes billions on things like the F-35, and isn't agile enough to shift gears to address a new kind of terrorism-driven warfare. Money isn't a cure-all. The design of the military - how its various units are constructed, how they're deployed, the tech they use - is far more important, and we're still largely dealing with a Cold War design. We need it to be more efficient and modular all around. It's slowly modernizing, but it's not there yet. And, let no one here forget that you're griping about the government spending money on 'socialism' but, in the same breath, bemoaning more money not being spent on killing people. Interesting priorities you have there.
Regarding Obama himself, there's absolutely no way to ignore that a lot of the hate thrown his way is racially motivated. From the birther movement, to various right wing pundits and cartoonists calling him/portraying him as a monkey or ape, to the idiotic "Barrack HUSSEIN Obama" emphasis, to believing he's a 'secret' Muslim (despite not living according to Muslim tradition at all), to idiots like Drich saying he's somehow making race relations worse when he's largely just pointing a flashlight onto things that have been going on for generations and saying "Racism isn't over, people." Even his wife (how many Chewbacca jokes are there?) and kids haven't been spared.
Now, like Brian said, not all people who hate Obama are racist. But that's not the point. A very vocal contingent is. And they're the ones who are largely in control of how he's portrayed by the opposition. The talking heads and pundits who thrive on the hate of morons are the ones driving it, with those morons eating it up, which just fuels racism. Racism that Obama is blamed for intensifying, not people like Coulter, Limbaugh, etc.
"I was thirsty for everything, but blood wasn't my style" - Live, "Voodoo Lady"
