President Donald Trump: The Thread

[shakes]

This is where people have zero idea of history. Your mention of the "refusal to assimilate" couldn't be more normal in terms of history. Heck go all of the way back to colonial times. Religious groups struck out on their own. Ever heard of the Pligrims? How about the Quakers? The Amish? The Mormons too. Ethnic groups were no different. Indians, Africans, Irish, Chinese, Japanese, Jews, Germans, over time were some of the more prominent targets.

 

Typically these groups came here in search of something new, and met with resistance because they didn't speak English and their customs offended the people who were already assimilated. The first generations usually didn't try to blend. They stayed in their ethnic neighborhoods, spoke the old language, kept the old customs, and never really became "American's" Many even turned to crime to make their way as traditional ways were closed to these groups. Whether it was the "Irish Need Not Apply" or the redlining of entire cities to keep the undesirables in their own places such as Chinatown and Little Italy, it has been done over our whole history.

 

But every, single, time an amazing thing happened. The second generation started to leave that behind. They spoke English outside of the house, and spoke the native tongue in it. They picked up American customs, and turned to education as their way out of the neighborhoods. By the third generations it might only be a last name that would sell out an ethnic background. By the 4th and 5th generations, the ethnic identities faded to the point they were really of the old world anymore, they were Americans first, and something else later. The incredible part of that is that it was all voluntary. It wasn't like Soviet Russia where assimilation was forced, or Nazi Germany where the undesirables were just disposed of. People became Americans because they wanted to be Americans. The greatness of America has always been that people, no matter where they came from, always turned into Americans in a matter of a couple of generations. Pretty much unless we put the boot of discrimination on their necks, the transition has been seamless.

 

With the banning of Muslims of certain countries coming to the United States, nothing has really changed. These elements have always held power in the United States, and they have always hid under the veil of trying to save us from the latest group we should be scared of. At times, they got enough power to make lives miserable for their targets. We banned the Chinese from immigrating at times. We rounded up the Japanese and put them into interment camps. We tried to send the Africans back to Africa. Despite all of this, these groups have still turned into Americans over time.

 

I am here today to tell you that using history as my guide, Muslims won't be any different. Give America a couple of generations with these immigrants, and while you might have a few bad apples, they will be fat and lazy Americans in two generations. To me that is the ultimate victory. Our culture and society is so incredible that it wins out, and it wins out voluntarily. If we ever get to the point where this history stops, THAT is when we quit being great. You want proof? My hometown is FULL of Syrian refugees and immigrants that haven't blown up any buildings. They haven't used a single suicide vest. Guess what, they have been coming here for over a century just for the opportunity to work.

 

So while some want to live in fear of the latest boogeyman group, history tells me that fear is wasted. Quit being scared of immigrants. Don't live your life in fear. The ultimate in living scared is trying to hide from other cultures. You want to make American great? Learn from your history instead of being scared and wrong.

 

Thank you for writing this. I started to respond, but you nailed it.

 

[Steve9347]

This is where people have zero idea of history. Your mention of the "refusal to assimilate" couldn't be more normal in terms of history. Heck go all of the way back to colonial times. Religious groups struck out on their own. Ever heard of the Pligrims? How about the Quakers? The Amish? The Mormons too. Ethnic groups were no different. Indians, Africans, Irish, Chinese, Japanese, Jews, Germans, over time were some of the more prominent targets.

 

Typically these groups came here in search of something new, and met with resistance because they didn't speak English and their customs offended the people who were already assimilated. The first generations usually didn't try to blend. They stayed in their ethnic neighborhoods, spoke the old language, kept the old customs, and never really became "American's" Many even turned to crime to make their way as traditional ways were closed to these groups. Whether it was the "Irish Need Not Apply" or the redlining of entire cities to keep the undesirables in their own places such as Chinatown and Little Italy, it has been done over our whole history.

 

But every, single, time an amazing thing happened. The second generation started to leave that behind. They spoke English outside of the house, and spoke the native tongue in it. They picked up American customs, and turned to education as their way out of the neighborhoods. By the third generations it might only be a last name that would sell out an ethnic background. By the 4th and 5th generations, the ethnic identities faded to the point they were really of the old world anymore, they were Americans first, and something else later. The incredible part of that is that it was all voluntary. It wasn't like Soviet Russia where assimilation was forced, or Nazi Germany where the undesirables were just disposed of. People became Americans because they wanted to be Americans. The greatness of America has always been that people, no matter where they came from, always turned into Americans in a matter of a couple of generations. Pretty much unless we put the boot of discrimination on their necks, the transition has been seamless.

 

With the banning of Muslims of certain countries coming to the United States, nothing has really changed. These elements have always held power in the United States, and they have always hid under the veil of trying to save us from the latest group we should be scared of. At times, they got enough power to make lives miserable for their targets. We banned the Chinese from immigrating at times. We rounded up the Japanese and put them into interment camps. We tried to send the Africans back to Africa. Despite all of this, these groups have still turned into Americans over time.

 

I am here today to tell you that using history as my guide, Muslims won't be any different. Give America a couple of generations with these immigrants, and while you might have a few bad apples, they will be fat and lazy Americans in two generations. To me that is the ultimate victory. Our culture and society is so incredible that it wins out, and it wins out voluntarily. If we ever get to the point where this history stops, THAT is when we quit being great. You want proof? My hometown is FULL of Syrian refugees and immigrants that haven't blown up any buildings. They haven't used a single suicide vest. Guess what, they have been coming here for over a century just for the opportunity to work.

 

So while some want to live in fear of the latest boogeyman group, history tells me that fear is wasted. Quit being scared of immigrants. Don't live your life in fear. The ultimate in living scared is trying to hide from other cultures. You want to make American great? Learn from your history instead of being scared and wrong.

I applaud you, sir.

[caulfield12]

Fwiw, as an aside, I'd highly recommend reading either "What is the What?" (about The Lost Boys of Sudan) as well as "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers to get a better feel for issues confronting new immigrants/refugees in the US.

 

Cinematically, The Good Lie (Reese Witherspoon) and a much more poignant recent movie, Lion (Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman, Rooney Mara), also deal with assimilation issues and essentially force you to think about the problem from the perspective of the families involved, which takes it quickly from a numbers/analytical policy argument to a personalized moral and ethical one.

[Soxbadger]

This is where people have zero idea of history. Your mention of the "refusal to assimilate" couldn't be more normal in terms of history. Heck go all of the way back to colonial times. Religious groups struck out on their own. Ever heard of the Pligrims? How about the Quakers? The Amish? The Mormons too. Ethnic groups were no different. Indians, Africans, Irish, Chinese, Japanese, Jews, Germans, over time were some of the more prominent targets.

 

Typically these groups came here in search of something new, and met with resistance because they didn't speak English and their customs offended the people who were already assimilated. The first generations usually didn't try to blend. They stayed in their ethnic neighborhoods, spoke the old language, kept the old customs, and never really became "American's" Many even turned to crime to make their way as traditional ways were closed to these groups. Whether it was the "Irish Need Not Apply" or the redlining of entire cities to keep the undesirables in their own places such as Chinatown and Little Italy, it has been done over our whole history.

 

But every, single, time an amazing thing happened. The second generation started to leave that behind. They spoke English outside of the house, and spoke the native tongue in it. They picked up American customs, and turned to education as their way out of the neighborhoods. By the third generations it might only be a last name that would sell out an ethnic background. By the 4th and 5th generations, the ethnic identities faded to the point they were really of the old world anymore, they were Americans first, and something else later. The incredible part of that is that it was all voluntary. It wasn't like Soviet Russia where assimilation was forced, or Nazi Germany where the undesirables were just disposed of. People became Americans because they wanted to be Americans. The greatness of America has always been that people, no matter where they came from, always turned into Americans in a matter of a couple of generations. Pretty much unless we put the boot of discrimination on their necks, the transition has been seamless.

 

With the banning of Muslims of certain countries coming to the United States, nothing has really changed. These elements have always held power in the United States, and they have always hid under the veil of trying to save us from the latest group we should be scared of. At times, they got enough power to make lives miserable for their targets. We banned the Chinese from immigrating at times. We rounded up the Japanese and put them into interment camps. We tried to send the Africans back to Africa. Despite all of this, these groups have still turned into Americans over time.

 

I am here today to tell you that using history as my guide, Muslims won't be any different. Give America a couple of generations with these immigrants, and while you might have a few bad apples, they will be fat and lazy Americans in two generations. To me that is the ultimate victory. Our culture and society is so incredible that it wins out, and it wins out voluntarily. If we ever get to the point where this history stops, THAT is when we quit being great. You want proof? My hometown is FULL of Syrian refugees and immigrants that haven't blown up any buildings. They haven't used a single suicide vest. Guess what, they have been coming here for over a century just for the opportunity to work.

 

So while some want to live in fear of the latest boogeyman group, history tells me that fear is wasted. Quit being scared of immigrants. Don't live your life in fear. The ultimate in living scared is trying to hide from other cultures. You want to make American great? Learn from your history instead of being scared and wrong.

 

Great post! Glad I waited to respond because I probably wouldnt have been half as diplomatic as you.

 

 

[pettie4sox]

This is where people have zero idea of history. Your mention of the "refusal to assimilate" couldn't be more normal in terms of history. Heck go all of the way back to colonial times. Religious groups struck out on their own. Ever heard of the Pligrims? How about the Quakers? The Amish? The Mormons too. Ethnic groups were no different. Indians, Africans, Irish, Chinese, Japanese, Jews, Germans, over time were some of the more prominent targets.

 

Typically these groups came here in search of something new, and met with resistance because they didn't speak English and their customs offended the people who were already assimilated. The first generations usually didn't try to blend. They stayed in their ethnic neighborhoods, spoke the old language, kept the old customs, and never really became "American's" Many even turned to crime to make their way as traditional ways were closed to these groups. Whether it was the "Irish Need Not Apply" or the redlining of entire cities to keep the undesirables in their own places such as Chinatown and Little Italy, it has been done over our whole history.

 

But every, single, time an amazing thing happened. The second generation started to leave that behind. They spoke English outside of the house, and spoke the native tongue in it. They picked up American customs, and turned to education as their way out of the neighborhoods. By the third generations it might only be a last name that would sell out an ethnic background. By the 4th and 5th generations, the ethnic identities faded to the point they were really of the old world anymore, they were Americans first, and something else later. The incredible part of that is that it was all voluntary. It wasn't like Soviet Russia where assimilation was forced, or Nazi Germany where the undesirables were just disposed of. People became Americans because they wanted to be Americans. The greatness of America has always been that people, no matter where they came from, always turned into Americans in a matter of a couple of generations. Pretty much unless we put the boot of discrimination on their necks, the transition has been seamless.

 

With the banning of Muslims of certain countries coming to the United States, nothing has really changed. These elements have always held power in the United States, and they have always hid under the veil of trying to save us from the latest group we should be scared of. At times, they got enough power to make lives miserable for their targets. We banned the Chinese from immigrating at times. We rounded up the Japanese and put them into interment camps. We tried to send the Africans back to Africa. Despite all of this, these groups have still turned into Americans over time.

 

I am here today to tell you that using history as my guide, Muslims won't be any different. Give America a couple of generations with these immigrants, and while you might have a few bad apples, they will be fat and lazy Americans in two generations. To me that is the ultimate victory. Our culture and society is so incredible that it wins out, and it wins out voluntarily. If we ever get to the point where this history stops, THAT is when we quit being great. You want proof? My hometown is FULL of Syrian refugees and immigrants that haven't blown up any buildings. They haven't used a single suicide vest. Guess what, they have been coming here for over a century just for the opportunity to work.

 

So while some want to live in fear of the latest boogeyman group, history tells me that fear is wasted. Quit being scared of immigrants. Don't live your life in fear. The ultimate in living scared is trying to hide from other cultures. You want to make American great? Learn from your history instead of being scared and wrong.

 

Mic drop.

[Quin]

This is where people have zero idea of history. Your mention of the "refusal to assimilate" couldn't be more normal in terms of history. Heck go all of the way back to colonial times. Religious groups struck out on their own. Ever heard of the Pligrims? How about the Quakers? The Amish? The Mormons too. Ethnic groups were no different. Indians, Africans, Irish, Chinese, Japanese, Jews, Germans, over time were some of the more prominent targets.

 

Typically these groups came here in search of something new, and met with resistance because they didn't speak English and their customs offended the people who were already assimilated. The first generations usually didn't try to blend. They stayed in their ethnic neighborhoods, spoke the old language, kept the old customs, and never really became "American's" Many even turned to crime to make their way as traditional ways were closed to these groups. Whether it was the "Irish Need Not Apply" or the redlining of entire cities to keep the undesirables in their own places such as Chinatown and Little Italy, it has been done over our whole history.

 

But every, single, time an amazing thing happened. The second generation started to leave that behind. They spoke English outside of the house, and spoke the native tongue in it. They picked up American customs, and turned to education as their way out of the neighborhoods. By the third generations it might only be a last name that would sell out an ethnic background. By the 4th and 5th generations, the ethnic identities faded to the point they were really of the old world anymore, they were Americans first, and something else later. The incredible part of that is that it was all voluntary. It wasn't like Soviet Russia where assimilation was forced, or Nazi Germany where the undesirables were just disposed of. People became Americans because they wanted to be Americans. The greatness of America has always been that people, no matter where they came from, always turned into Americans in a matter of a couple of generations. Pretty much unless we put the boot of discrimination on their necks, the transition has been seamless.

 

With the banning of Muslims of certain countries coming to the United States, nothing has really changed. These elements have always held power in the United States, and they have always hid under the veil of trying to save us from the latest group we should be scared of. At times, they got enough power to make lives miserable for their targets. We banned the Chinese from immigrating at times. We rounded up the Japanese and put them into interment camps. We tried to send the Africans back to Africa. Despite all of this, these groups have still turned into Americans over time.

 

I am here today to tell you that using history as my guide, Muslims won't be any different. Give America a couple of generations with these immigrants, and while you might have a few bad apples, they will be fat and lazy Americans in two generations. To me that is the ultimate victory. Our culture and society is so incredible that it wins out, and it wins out voluntarily. If we ever get to the point where this history stops, THAT is when we quit being great. You want proof? My hometown is FULL of Syrian refugees and immigrants that haven't blown up any buildings. They haven't used a single suicide vest. Guess what, they have been coming here for over a century just for the opportunity to work.

 

So while some want to live in fear of the latest boogeyman group, history tells me that fear is wasted. Quit being scared of immigrants. Don't live your life in fear. The ultimate in living scared is trying to hide from other cultures. You want to make American great? Learn from your history instead of being scared and wrong.

 

I've read this before...

 

Still good

[Soxbadger]

He said he was going to be a president for all Americans - I haven't seen how he's been one for me or people that I know yet. My question was reasonable - right now, they don't fit into his universe.

 

Here's the Goff and Bernstein clip I talked about. Start listening at the 1:55 mark, where they get to talking about Steve Kerr's comments and an escalated caller comes in. What's important is that we can have discussions of civility, respect and tolerance - something I haven't seen done in every day life recently.

 

 

I agree. At the end of the day a lot of reasonable moderates and Republicans are getting lumped with the Trump Train. These are people who will play a large role in how our country moves forward. 2 years from now they are going to be the people that could make a change. Trump made promises about jobs, about the economy etc, and some voters saw the "good" in those ideas and didnt necessarily believe all of the potential "bad" about Trump.

 

Its only been approximately 2 weeks, but as of now, Trump has been focusing on the ideas that, I believe, most moderates consider "bad", while a the same time completely ignoring other issues that seemed "good". And I truly believe this is where his inexperience and lack of understanding the system come into play. The election was a battle, he came out on top, but he should have started with some sort of conciliatory position to blunt the opposition. Then over time you slowly drop the sledgehammer.

Edited January 31, 2017 by Soxbadger

[illinilaw08]

This is where people have zero idea of history. Your mention of the "refusal to assimilate" couldn't be more normal in terms of history. Heck go all of the way back to colonial times. Religious groups struck out on their own. Ever heard of the Pligrims? How about the Quakers? The Amish? The Mormons too. Ethnic groups were no different. Indians, Africans, Irish, Chinese, Japanese, Jews, Germans, over time were some of the more prominent targets.

 

Typically these groups came here in search of something new, and met with resistance because they didn't speak English and their customs offended the people who were already assimilated. The first generations usually didn't try to blend. They stayed in their ethnic neighborhoods, spoke the old language, kept the old customs, and never really became "American's" Many even turned to crime to make their way as traditional ways were closed to these groups. Whether it was the "Irish Need Not Apply" or the redlining of entire cities to keep the undesirables in their own places such as Chinatown and Little Italy, it has been done over our whole history.

 

But every, single, time an amazing thing happened. The second generation started to leave that behind. They spoke English outside of the house, and spoke the native tongue in it. They picked up American customs, and turned to education as their way out of the neighborhoods. By the third generations it might only be a last name that would sell out an ethnic background. By the 4th and 5th generations, the ethnic identities faded to the point they were really of the old world anymore, they were Americans first, and something else later. The incredible part of that is that it was all voluntary. It wasn't like Soviet Russia where assimilation was forced, or Nazi Germany where the undesirables were just disposed of. People became Americans because they wanted to be Americans. The greatness of America has always been that people, no matter where they came from, always turned into Americans in a matter of a couple of generations. Pretty much unless we put the boot of discrimination on their necks, the transition has been seamless.

 

With the banning of Muslims of certain countries coming to the United States, nothing has really changed. These elements have always held power in the United States, and they have always hid under the veil of trying to save us from the latest group we should be scared of. At times, they got enough power to make lives miserable for their targets. We banned the Chinese from immigrating at times. We rounded up the Japanese and put them into interment camps. We tried to send the Africans back to Africa. Despite all of this, these groups have still turned into Americans over time.

 

I am here today to tell you that using history as my guide, Muslims won't be any different. Give America a couple of generations with these immigrants, and while you might have a few bad apples, they will be fat and lazy Americans in two generations. To me that is the ultimate victory. Our culture and society is so incredible that it wins out, and it wins out voluntarily. If we ever get to the point where this history stops, THAT is when we quit being great. You want proof? My hometown is FULL of Syrian refugees and immigrants that haven't blown up any buildings. They haven't used a single suicide vest. Guess what, they have been coming here for over a century just for the opportunity to work.

 

So while some want to live in fear of the latest boogeyman group, history tells me that fear is wasted. Quit being scared of immigrants. Don't live your life in fear. The ultimate in living scared is trying to hide from other cultures. You want to make American great? Learn from your history instead of being scared and wrong.

 

It's posts like this that make me wish Soxtalk had a "Like" button. Great post.

[bmags]

Here's a good critique of the EO on immigration from the Right:

http://thefederalist.com/2017/01/30/heres-...ys-needs-fixed/

 

Point being: while I recommend taking refugees from Syria, there is ample room for president to make policy on that through EO. Yet, the thing was so overly broad and ill thought out.

[StrangeSox]

I think it's important to remember that this EO wasn't just about refugees, and that it doesn't really have anything at all to do with illegal immigration.

[BigSqwert]

It's posts like this that make me wish Soxtalk had a "Like" button. Great post.

 

Ditto. Great stuff.

[caulfield12]

I agree. At the end of the day a lot of reasonable moderates and Republicans are getting lumped with the Trump Train. These are people who will play a large role in how our country moves forward. 2 years from now they are going to be the people that could make a change. Trump made promises about jobs, about the economy etc, and some voters saw the "good" in those ideas and didnt necessarily believe all of the potential "bad" about Trump.

 

Its only been approximately 2 weeks, but as of now, Trump has been focusing on the ideas that, I believe, most moderates consider "bad", while a the same time completely ignoring other issues that seemed "good". And I truly believe this is where his inexperience and lack of understanding the system come into play. The election was a battle, he came out on top, but he should have started with some sort of conciliatory position to blunt the opposition. Then over time you slowly drop the sledgehammer.

 

 

1993-94 Gays in the military and Health Care reform brings about Republican Revolution/Gingrich/Contract With America

 

2009-10 Getting bogged down in Health Care reform and not focusing as much on the economy dooms Dems again...also struggled with infrastructure bill and its price tag

 

Lesson...take on the easier steps going after things that have close to universal consensus, like lowering drug prices, helping small businesses, cutting out regulations/reforming the tax code, figuring out ways to lower corporate taxes while simultaneously bringing more multinational company profits back into the US for taxation so at worst remaining revenue neutral, maintaining most popular elements of ACA and not repealing without a replacement, not threatening to restart Roe v. Wade argument all over again or culture wars about gay rights/marriage/bathroom access, etc.

 

Don't even dream of building a wall...the threat was enough to get taken seriously now.

Edited January 31, 2017 by caulfield12

[caulfield12]

MERKEL MEETS WITH GERMAN CEOS TO ADDRESS 99.97% UNEMPLOYMENT AMONG "HIGHLY UNQUALIFIED" MIGRANTS

Thu, 09/15/2016 - 11:30 EDT - Zero Hedge

fail Germany Middle East ratings RDF10 REUTERS unemployment

It's been a bad couple of months for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose approval ratings have fallen sharply over her continued support of open-border immigration policies that have allowed over 1 million refugees to flow into the country since 2015. Increasingly more Germans have blamed Merkel for the surge in refugee terrorist attacks over the past couple of months and have shifted their support to more nationalist-leaning political parties. In fact, just a few weeks ago Merkel suffered a massive, embarrassing defeat in her home state to her nemesis, the anti-immigation AfD party (see "Merkel Stunned By Defeat To Anti-Immigrant Party In Her Home State"). Alas, despite calls from voters for a shift in Germany's immigration policies, Merkel continues to double down.

 

One of the original selling points for accepting migrants from the Middle East was the apparent economic "benefits" associated with adding 100,000s of new, young consumers/laborers to the German economy. In fact, the wave of new immigrants was sold as the perfect solution for Germany's demographic dilemma which is expected to see its working-age population shrink by 6 million people by 2030.

 

While it sounded like a great plan, it doesn't really work that well if new migrants fail to find jobs and become economically productive members of society which, according to Reuters, is exactly what is happening. Apparently, German companies have only been able to find jobs for about 100 of the 1 million migrants that have recently found their way into the country. According to the latest figures from the German Labor Office, about 346,000 people with asylum status were seeking jobs in Germany in August. With 100 migrants actually employed, that's an unemployment rate of about 99.97%.

 

http://www.bullfax.com/?q=node-merkel-meet...employment-amon

[bmags]

Caulfield it is a lot more readable for you to just post a link and pull out a block quote than pasting these huge excerpts. I just scroll right past every time.

[StrangeSox]

DeVos questionnaire appears to include passages from uncited sources

 

What is it with Trump's team and plagiarism?

 

President Trump’s nominee for education secretary, in written responses to questions from senators, appears to have used several sentences and phrases from other sources without attribution — including from a top Obama administration civil rights official.

[Quin]

“We did not inflict this kind of obstructionism on President Obama,” added Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), the only other senator in the room. He added that the Democrats were committing “a completely unprecedented level of obstruction. This is not what the American people expect of the United States Senate.”

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/se...m=.952aa6bdc779

 

Aaaaaahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahaa

[Steve9347]

Aaaaaahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahaa

I really have no idea how these f***s can say such idiocy.

[Brian]

I really have no idea how these f***s can say such idiocy.

 

And there's people that buy it.

[southsider2k5]

I really have no idea how these f***s can say such idiocy.

 

See that is the fun part. No one in politics today seems to think ahead that the powers they stretch to add to today, will eventually go to the other side of the aisle.

[Soxbadger]

See that is the fun part. No one in politics today seems to think ahead that the powers they stretch to add to today, will eventually go to the other side of the aisle.

 

For the most part you are right, but its the main reason why Democrats didnt nuke the filibuster when they had the chance. They probably regret lowering the threshold for cabinet appointments.

[southsider2k5]

To back up my post on historical immigration fights, check this piece out. It is long, but super interesting. Just for fun, here are a few clips on what was said about Italians for example.

 

A century later, how do we look at Italians? Anyone think we should send back these mafia-infested, illiterate, negroids and criminals?

 

The earlier arrivals, he wrote, came from the kind of “races which had thus far built up the United States, and which are related to each other either by blood or language or both.” These new Italians, he suggested, were probably criminal types, tied in somehow with the Mafia.

 

This is my personal favorite.

 

Hall took the lead, pushing for a new literacy test and other regulations to keep “low-stock” immigrants from getting past the border. He combed statistics and employed social-science techniques to give his writings the weighty feel of academic papers. At times, he made insightful observations about the excesses of a porous, overtaxed immigration system. Just as often, he presented as fact musings built on lazy stereotypes. He explained that northern Europeans were distinguished for “energy, initiative, and self-reliance” in contrast to “emotional, fiery” southern Italians, who were “partly African, owing to the negroid migration from Carthage to Italy.”

 

Hall told the Boston Herald, “In the case of the Italians whom I saw at Ellis Island, there was in general a close connection between illiteracy and general undesirability.” Warren reported that 10 percent of the immigrants who claimed to be literate were lying.

 

Hall effectively weaponized statistics — even those of dubious provenance — to sow fear. “The concentration of these large bodies of ignorant foreigners in the slums of our Eastern cities is a serious matter,” he once wrote. “Foreigners furnish 1½ times as many criminals, 2‚ times as many insane, and 3 times as many paupers as natives.”

 

This is without some of the quotes about the Irish, Jews, and Syrians.

 

https://apps.bostonglobe.com/magazine/graph...lflow%3Atwitter

[The Beast]

I agree. At the end of the day a lot of reasonable moderates and Republicans are getting lumped with the Trump Train. These are people who will play a large role in how our country moves forward. 2 years from now they are going to be the people that could make a change. Trump made promises about jobs, about the economy etc, and some voters saw the "good" in those ideas and didnt necessarily believe all of the potential "bad" about Trump.

 

Its only been approximately 2 weeks, but as of now, Trump has been focusing on the ideas that, I believe, most moderates consider "bad", while a the same time completely ignoring other issues that seemed "good". And I truly believe this is where his inexperience and lack of understanding the system come into play. The election was a battle, he came out on top, but he should have started with some sort of conciliatory position to blunt the opposition. Then over time you slowly drop the sledgehammer.

When I say moderate though it is only because I'm fiscally conservative and more liberal minded. Progressive if you will...kind of like Mark Kirk but voting for both democrats and republicans. We really need the army who doesn't agree with Trump to get going in the midterms and fight back so that when 2020 comes around, another candidate can step forward and try to win back the presidency (even though I think it is unlikely).

[Soxbadger]

When I say moderate though it is only because I'm fiscally conservative and more liberal minded. Progressive if you will...kind of like Mark Kirk but voting for both democrats and republicans. We really need the army who doesn't agree with Trump to get going in the midterms and fight back so that when 2020 comes around, another candidate can step forward and try to win back the presidency (even though I think it is unlikely).

 

A real problem is that our current "labels" dont really fit most people well. I used to say I was more fiscally conservative, but after this election I dont even know what fiscal conservative means anymore.

 

There used to be some good in both parties being counter-balances, but now it seems to just be about power. Whoever is in power wants to expand the federal govt to enforce their agenda, whoever isnt in power tries to check it. Nobody wants to work with the other side because they seemingly fear that they wont get re-elected.

 

We all have different ideas/opinions, but we should all agree that our government should be doing what it can to make life better for the most people. Whether thats more govt/less govt, whatever. But this whole "Im taking my ball and going home" routine has gotten old. I am not going to get into who started it, but when Republican's dont even bother to vote on a Supreme Court judge, they have to expect that there will be some sort of counter-response.

 

Its almost as if we need a movement to vote out every incumbent. Just to put the fear back into them.

 

 

[bmags]

Its almost as if we need a movement to vote out every incumbent. Just to put the fear back into them.

 

The majority of the hard-liners were voted in in the last 6 years.

[bmags]

Regardless of where we go, some institutional norms should be thought about becoming law rather than house rules. Some house rules should be removed. I don't think it's a people problem.

 

Dems courted Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe like crazy wanting bipartisan support for the ACA. They basically admitted to everything in the bill but then still voted no.

 

There is still going to be a time where bipartisanship is courted but it's ebbed right now. If bipartisanship is not possible, it is not going to be resolved by different people, imo, it's going to be resolved by different rules of procedure.