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Poll: is Trump’s usage of the term “pocohantas” racist?

Is Trump’s use of the word “pocohantas” racist?

  • Yes

  • No

  • Maybe (explain later in the thread, please)


Results are only viewable after voting.
Pragmatists have been losing Presidential elections since at least 1980...vision and narrative have been winning.
It's useful to distinguish between policy and campaigning. You focus on campaigning. Note that vision and narrative are independent of pragmatism versus ideology so your assertion doesn't make sense. In fact, it could easily be argued that Obama campaigned on a pragmatic vision and narrative: "There are no blue states and red states, there are the United States..." Obama's campaign was far more pragmatic than ideological. He didn't elaborate on his social views any more than necessary (didn't come out for LGBT for a long time). On abortion (iirc): "Above my pay grade." Even on policy, Obama was pragmatic with the PPACA, mostly letting Congress wrangle it out while he stood on the sidelines, although Obama's policy positions were far more ideological than pragmatic. Pragmatic would have been to get moderate Republicans to collaborate. Liberals gave that lip service at best and blamed the intransigence on McConnell's nonsense.

A second pragmatic winner since 1980 was Bill Clinton. His pragmatism annoyed liberals no end but he got things done and is one of the best presidents we've ever had.

But you still need to define pragmatism because I'm skeptical you can do so objectively.
 
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Another angle on pragmatism versus ideology. Bernie is full of highfalutin ideas but how to implement them? For example, how do you align single payer with medical research? How do you ensure that medical research is lucrative enough for organizations to do it? A pragmatist enlists the support of the most able minds to solve such problems. Bernie just spouts off.

Another angle. Rockfish loves his derogatory epithets, such as centristy centrist and rugged individualist. Using such terms may be literary and salve his frustrations but they're unhelpful, unpragmatic, and turn off sensible voters. Joe Lieberman is a centristy centrist but not a pragmatist. There are plenty of rugged individualist conservative posters here on the WC but that's synonymous with selfish, not caring about individuals becoming more able. Meanwhile, every liberal on here behaves like a rugged individualist in their own life, working hard and pulling their own freight and liberal policy that accustoms lost souls to the dole is ruining them forever and that's scientifically proven. A pragmatist, by contrast, cares about every American and that caring manifests itself in working to help get people back on their feet so they can support themselves, like their American ancestors, who were all rugged individualists.

Pragmatism is about politics and policy in the middle 80%.
 
Its using a Caricature of a minority to demean someone. Essentially taking a stereotype, and imposing it on someone else- to make that person look bad.

I’d say that’s the very definition of racist.

I can promise you that most native Americans would find what he’s doing to be not only offensive, but racist as well. In Trump’s eyes, all native Americans might as well be “pocohantas”.
Really ? You can promise? What is that amalgamated avatar of Crean w his mouth open crying like a baby with a mullet? Every time I see a post of yours I see a baby crying like a banshee Can you promise really? Do tell and give us numerous links
 
I'm only saying that I think it's ridiculous for her to claim to be Native American. I'd say the same if you declared to be African American. Doesn't it seem strange to you to claim to be a NA with such a tiny connection to NA ancestry? I like Warren and I'd vote for Warren in 2020 without hesitation if she wins the nomination. I just don't like her claiming to be a minority race she isn't. You might not have the same negative reaction to that because you're not a minority.
Trump will turn next to birthing issue on Warren!
 
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Honestly, this man acts like a child. A horrible child. Every. Single. Day. It’s going to take our country a long time to recover from what he has done to the discourse.

It's pathetic. There is no way he deserves or even be addressed with the prefix 'President' without demeaning the office.
 
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No matter how often one asks if there is any proof she ever benefited from the claim, some just put their hands over their ears and say. "Lalala I can't hear you lalala".

No matter how often one mentions many of us have our family histories wrong (including the current president), some just put their hands over their ears and say. "Lalala I can't hear you lalala".

I have NO idea what her grandmother told her. Neither do the people complaining. I have no idea if she ever gained a competitive advantage, neither do the people complaining. But they sure do complain very loudly about something they know nothing about.
That is true but if you turn it around why did she even mention it unless she thought it would gain her something. I supposedly have some Indian blood but have never checked to see if I have and really don't care so it's not something I would ever mention to anyone in a conversation or trying to get a job because to me it inmaterial.
 
That is true but if you turn it around why did she even mention it unless she thought it would gain her something. I supposedly have some Indian blood but have never checked to see if I have and really don't care so it's not something I would ever mention to anyone in a conversation or trying to get a job because to me it inmaterial.

That's quite a "yabbut", NPT. Three words criticizing the problem and 63 words making excuses for it.

That's a particularly crappy post. It's okay to just criticize the actual problem here. ;)
 
JDB, you and I don't find Warren charming. However a good many do.

Her style of charisma certainly aroused our president. One definition of charisma includes being able to arouse.

She aroused people's desire to crack jokes and make fun of her. That isn't the type of Charisma BO had when he used it to win in 2008.
 
Our venerable president has mental IQ of an 11 years old brat. He has to put a derogatory adjective on just about every "political opponent." Whenever he does that, and he does it quite often, I feel like throwing up! Ugh!:(
 
That's quite a "yabbut", NPT. Three words criticizing the problem and 63 words making excuses for it.

That's a particularly crappy post. It's okay to just criticize the actual problem here. ;)
Glad that you liked it.!
 
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As we have learned over the past decade, anything can be racist or offensive if that label fits your agenda or you are in need of weaponizing something against someone who thiinks differently than you.
 
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So if Warren won the presidency,We could not call her Commander in
“Chief” because it would be racist?”
 
So if Warren won the presidency,We could not call her Commander in
“Chief” because it would be racist?”

I don't think we have to worry about that, but the campaign will be entertaining. Looking forward to it.
 
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So if Warren won the presidency,We could not call her Commander in
“Chief” because it would be racist?”

I don't think we have to worry about that, but the campaign will be entertaining. Looking forward to it.
Yes because it’s so much fun to listen to racist, juvenile name calling as opposed to actually policy. Trump can’t do that because he doesn’t know enough about policy to speak on it. What will be interesting is to see if any of the primary candidates attack her on this.
 
Yes because it’s so much fun to listen to racist, juvenile name calling as opposed to actually policy. Trump can’t do that because he doesn’t know enough about policy to speak on it. What will be interesting is to see if any of the primary candidates attack her on this.

I was referring to the upcoming primary circus of grandstanding, tough posturing and eating their own topped with the gravy of Trump firing childish poorly conceived potshots at all of them. When an objective well-meaning policy expert throws their hat in the ring...let me know.

So far it is just a circus full of clowns.
 
Yes because it’s so much fun to listen to racist, juvenile name calling as opposed to actually policy. Trump can’t do that because he doesn’t know enough about policy to speak on it. What will be interesting is to see if any of the primary candidates attack her on this.
Won't someone among the Democrats attack her for "cultural appropriation?" We now know that she claimed to be a Native American since at least 1986.* It was an absurd claim to make given that she's got an extremely small fraction of Native American ancestry. I don't understand what statement she was trying to make with that. I'm 1/8th Native American due to a 100 percent Native American Great Grandmother (since documented with ancestry research) and I knew it, but listing myself as Native American would have been ridiculous. However, not nearly so ridiculous as Warren doing it.

Yeah policy discussion among the candidates would be ideal, but this is probably fatal for Warren's quest for the Democratic nomination. You've got others just as far left without self-inflicted problems like this. Of course, I hope someone more much more moderate wins the Democratic nomination just in case Trump runs again.

*Edit for link since my computer won't let me highlight in edit for some weird reason: https://www.washingtonpost.com/poli...b8fba003e81_story.html?utm_term=.87b03b0c342a
 
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I suppose it's debatable, but one thing IS for sure. It's un-Presidential. His tweet last night was disgusting. This is the President of the United States:



Kudos for his reference to the Trail of Tears. The man is mentally ill.
 
I suppose it's debatable, but one thing IS for sure. It's un-Presidential. His tweet last night was disgusting. This is the President of the United States:



Kudos for his reference to the Trail of Tears. The man is mentally ill.
He didn’t write this one. No way in the world this man knows what Trail of Tears was.
 
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Honestly, this man acts like a child. A horrible child. Every. Single. Day. It’s going to take our country a long time to recover from what he has done to the discourse.
No point insulting children! Children do not lie as he does. Children do not hurt others deliberately as he does.:(
Most important of all, I love children, but can't say the same thing about Trump.:)
 
Won't someone among the Democrats attack her for "cultural appropriation?" We now know that she claimed to be a Native American since at least 1986.* It was an absurd claim to make given that she's got an extremely small fraction of Native American ancestry. I don't understand what statement she was trying to make with that. I'm 1/8th Native American due to a 100 percent Native American Great Grandmother (since documented with ancestry research) and I knew it, but listing myself as Native American would have been ridiculous. However, not nearly so ridiculous as Warren doing it.

Yeah policy discussion among the candidates would be idea, but this is probably fatal for Warren's quest for the Democratic nomination. You've got others just as far left without self-inflicted problems like this. Of course, I hope someone more much more moderate wins the Democratic nomination just in case Trump runs again.

*Edit for link since my computer won't let me highlight in edit for some weird reason: https://www.washingtonpost.com/poli...b8fba003e81_story.html?utm_term=.87b03b0c342a

I think everyone forgets that she was told she had a substantial Native American background by her family. She had been told that since she was a young child. She grew up in Oklahoma, which has the highest percentage of native Americans of any state.

So, I can understand why she claimed it. It’s nit as if DNA tests were a thing in those days. And they haven’t been until really recently.

Still think it was a mistake to try to counter Trump’s bullying on the subject.

I do think she has a great opportunity to help educate folks on what it means to be a Native American. If she simply told us what she learned over the past year or so, I believe she’ll be fine.
 
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I think everyone forgets that she was told she had a substantial Native American background by her family. She had been told that since she was a young child. She grew up in Oklahoma, which has the highest percentage of native Americans of any state.

So, I can understand why she claimed it. It’s nit as if DNA tests were a thing in those days. And they haven’t been until really recently.

Still think it was a mistake to try to counter Trump’s bullying on the subject.

I do think she has a great opportunity to help educate folks on what it means to be a Native American. If she simply told us what she learned over the past year or so, I believe she’ll be fine.

Wait, she believed things her parents told her? What a stupid bitch
 
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