On Trump Saying To Omar Et Al.: America, Love It Or Leave It. Not Racist, But UnAmerican
Wow, I sure do hate American politics right now.
The Congresswomen in question are kinda idiots, and do seem to exhibit a fair bit of antipathy toward the U.S. It's fine to call them on both things.
OTOH, Trump, too, is kinda an idiot...and by 'kinda' I mean largely. He's not wrong in calling them on their seeming antipathy toward their country. If you hate the States so much, why not go elsewhere? is a legitimate question if asked honestly--though it rarely is. Trump's tweets (damn Twitter to hell, incidentally) were more on the America, love it or leave it end of the spectrum. And there's something even worse about suggesting that someone not just leave but go back where they came from. It's not racist, but it's not good. Someone might mean it that way--but that's not how Trump meant it. If you think Trump wouldn't tell Omar to go back to France or Australia or Belgium--if that's where she were from--then you're just not a very keen observer of Trump. Ditto if you think he wouldn't have said it if Omar were white. Trump is a pretty-much equal opportunity asshole.
Progressives are shrieking RACISM!...but progressives shriek RACISM! no matter what is said. Progressives' accusations of racism are utterly valueless. Nancy Pelosi's a racist. Trump's a racist. You're a racist. I'm, undoubtedly, a double-dog racist. Martin Luther King was a racist in virtue of advocating a color-blind nation...or he would have been if he weren't black, and if progressives didn't pretend that black racism is a conceptual impossibility...
What Trump said--insofar as he said it to/of Omar--wasn't racist, but he shouldn't have said it. Why not? First, says me, because the president should give racism a very wide berth. That's tough for conservatives--and especially for Trump--because part of their criticism of progressivism is that progressives pussy-foot around real issues because they are terrified to say anything that even sounds vaguely like something that someone, somewhere, could even falsely say even rhymes with something racist. I'm with conservatives on that. But when you're the president...you've got to let someone else make such points; you've got to give racism a wide berth.
What Trump said wasn't racist...but it was unAmerican. Or borderline so, at least. And that, too, is inexcusable for a president. I agree that the persons in question seem to not like America all that much. And I agree that you get to call them on that. But here's a thing about America; you don't have to love it to stay. And to suggest otherwise is to go against something important about the thing.
OTOH, three of the Congresswomen in question are from the U.S....so...there's something pre-tty odd about the fact that Trump seems to think otherwise. Did he conclude that they are because they're not white? Because--though, again, not actually, exactly racist--it ain't so terribly good. It's not the least racist thing anyone's ever been accused of racism for...
Also, on a tactical note: the Dems were self-destructing. This will give them a graceful way out--they can just turn their pseudo-righteous wrath on Trump. The progressives might not take the out--but Trump's given it to them. Trump himself may be the only thing that can save the Dems...just as they are they only thing that might save him.
Trump's got a big mouth, and he says a lot of things that he shouldn't. And progressives spin everything said by anyone they disagree with as racist. So nothing going on right now should be of any surprise to anyone.
And, of course, the opposite of the left's antipathy toward America is the right's uncritical, hyper-flag-wavy, jingoistic bullshit. And that stuff is deadly. They often seem to think that any criticism of the U.S. at all is tantamount to hating it. But, needless to say, harsh criticism is sometimes a result of high regard. Though that's not what the motive usually is on the extremist left.
Eh, that's all too fast, and there are more qualifications needed, but I gotta do something productive instead of...whatever this is. Everybody involved in this sucks, with the possible exception of Nancy Pelosi.
The Congresswomen in question are kinda idiots, and do seem to exhibit a fair bit of antipathy toward the U.S. It's fine to call them on both things.
OTOH, Trump, too, is kinda an idiot...and by 'kinda' I mean largely. He's not wrong in calling them on their seeming antipathy toward their country. If you hate the States so much, why not go elsewhere? is a legitimate question if asked honestly--though it rarely is. Trump's tweets (damn Twitter to hell, incidentally) were more on the America, love it or leave it end of the spectrum. And there's something even worse about suggesting that someone not just leave but go back where they came from. It's not racist, but it's not good. Someone might mean it that way--but that's not how Trump meant it. If you think Trump wouldn't tell Omar to go back to France or Australia or Belgium--if that's where she were from--then you're just not a very keen observer of Trump. Ditto if you think he wouldn't have said it if Omar were white. Trump is a pretty-much equal opportunity asshole.
Progressives are shrieking RACISM!...but progressives shriek RACISM! no matter what is said. Progressives' accusations of racism are utterly valueless. Nancy Pelosi's a racist. Trump's a racist. You're a racist. I'm, undoubtedly, a double-dog racist. Martin Luther King was a racist in virtue of advocating a color-blind nation...or he would have been if he weren't black, and if progressives didn't pretend that black racism is a conceptual impossibility...
What Trump said--insofar as he said it to/of Omar--wasn't racist, but he shouldn't have said it. Why not? First, says me, because the president should give racism a very wide berth. That's tough for conservatives--and especially for Trump--because part of their criticism of progressivism is that progressives pussy-foot around real issues because they are terrified to say anything that even sounds vaguely like something that someone, somewhere, could even falsely say even rhymes with something racist. I'm with conservatives on that. But when you're the president...you've got to let someone else make such points; you've got to give racism a wide berth.
What Trump said wasn't racist...but it was unAmerican. Or borderline so, at least. And that, too, is inexcusable for a president. I agree that the persons in question seem to not like America all that much. And I agree that you get to call them on that. But here's a thing about America; you don't have to love it to stay. And to suggest otherwise is to go against something important about the thing.
OTOH, three of the Congresswomen in question are from the U.S....so...there's something pre-tty odd about the fact that Trump seems to think otherwise. Did he conclude that they are because they're not white? Because--though, again, not actually, exactly racist--it ain't so terribly good. It's not the least racist thing anyone's ever been accused of racism for...
Also, on a tactical note: the Dems were self-destructing. This will give them a graceful way out--they can just turn their pseudo-righteous wrath on Trump. The progressives might not take the out--but Trump's given it to them. Trump himself may be the only thing that can save the Dems...just as they are they only thing that might save him.
Trump's got a big mouth, and he says a lot of things that he shouldn't. And progressives spin everything said by anyone they disagree with as racist. So nothing going on right now should be of any surprise to anyone.
And, of course, the opposite of the left's antipathy toward America is the right's uncritical, hyper-flag-wavy, jingoistic bullshit. And that stuff is deadly. They often seem to think that any criticism of the U.S. at all is tantamount to hating it. But, needless to say, harsh criticism is sometimes a result of high regard. Though that's not what the motive usually is on the extremist left.
Eh, that's all too fast, and there are more qualifications needed, but I gotta do something productive instead of...whatever this is. Everybody involved in this sucks, with the possible exception of Nancy Pelosi.
posted by Winston Smith at
12:48 PM
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