And I totally agree with her assessment.
The Democratic candidate for president spoke at a New York fundraiser Friday night, and explained who these people are and why these “deplorables” belong in this basket. According to Clinton, they’re “the racists, sexists, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic, you name it.”
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Remember when Donald Trump stood at a podium with cameras rolling and imitated a person with a disability? Republican Representative Louie Gohmert should have stood up at that time and denounced Trump, but he didn’t. Gohmert chose instead, to stand in front of a conservative group at the FRCAction convention to accuse Hillary Clinton of being “mentally impaired.” The Republican congressman said that Christians should not make fun of the disabled – setting up his punch line to say he wouldn’t make fun of Hillary Clinton.
Since most people are Christians, and I’m serious about this. A true believer does what Jesus does…did… and still does. But, you know, you don’t make fun of people who are impaired, has special needs. And whether you like her or not, Hillary Clinton has made clear she is mentally impaired and this is not somebody you should be making fun of.
The audience approvingly applauded.
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Andrew Kaczynski from Buzzfeed shared this audio back in February because even back then, over 7 months ago, Donald Trump preached to his followers that he was against the war in Iraq. In fact, Donald Trump often emphasises that he was one of the only public figures to speak out against the war.
And now here we are. Just a couple of months before the November elections, Donald Trump is still pushing the claim that he was always against the war in Iraq despite this 2002 interview where he told Howard Stern “Yeah, I guess so,” when Stern asked if he supported the Iraqi invasion.
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The following was said by Ret. Brigadier Gen. Remo Butler, as he was interviewed by Carol Costello on CNN. I’m sure by now you have noticed that Remo Butler is a black man, but as a Trump supporter, I guess it makes sense the things he said below.
“A lot of black people don’t support Donald Trump for their own reasons, and I don’t think that the Republican party has done him any favors by helping him with his outreach to the minority communities. You know, most minorities, we want the same thing that everybody else wants,” Butler explained. “The media — and I’m not bashing the media, I would never bash the media. But you heard this: The media sets the tone. If you watch the media and you watch TV, you would think that all black people are on welfare. We live in the ghetto, we’re so afraid of getting shot, and we wear our hair in dreadlocks.”
Referring to his own baldness, Butler remarked, “I don’t wear my hair in dreadlocks because I don’t have hair.”
“Two, I speak fairly well; people can understand me. Three, I don’t live in a black neighborhood so I’m not worried about going out and getting shot,” Butler said, alluding to Trump’s past lines courting black voters. “Most of my friends are like me. We are, as Reagan said, the silent majority. There’s a silent majority of black people — you notice I don’t use the term African-American — of black people out there. And I believe a lot of those people want the same things that Donald Trump wants.
The great divide in American public attitudes is most evident during Presidential election years, and this year is no different. Republicans and Democrats seem to be living in two different countries when it comes to their views on how much the government should be involved in people’s lives, the role of religion, support for social issues such as marriage equality, reproductive rights, voting laws, immigration and, of course, the bathroom.
Now this divide is becoming more evident in education. More specifically, the latest PDK Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools shows that Americans cannot agree on the purpose public schools should serve in our republic. Less than half, 48%, said that the purpose should be to prepare students academically, 25% said schools should prepare students to work, and 26% said that the main purpose should be to promote citizenship. As a teacher, I’m sure that the public schools can do all three, but they really should be doing one thing very well, and my preference is with the plurality of the public that came down on the side of academic skills and knowledge.
This divide, though, says a great deal about our country. We seem to have convinced ourselves that it is necessary to go to college to get a job. Any job. The educational establishment has bought into that attitude and many public schools have eliminated non-academic courses and programs or shifted them to the nearest vocational, technology or career-ready establishment. Are we doing our students a favor by focusing on getting them into colleges? I would say no. Continued academic study is not for everyone, but we seem to be asking every student to follow one path. So while I agree that the main purpose of schools should be academics, we do need to focus on each child’s needs and get them on the road to a career or interest that plays to their strengths. Finances, poverty and whether a child’s family members went to college all have something to do with their success in higher education, but it doesn’t mean that all young adults can succeed in college, and we are wrong to push them there when the evidence is against their interests.
As for citizenship, that is also a key component of our education system, but it shouldn’t be the main focus. We can certainly do better: the arguments I see in the media that revolve around the Constitution or what it means to be an American are sometimes based on a shocking level of ignorance of our basic ideals. I cannot count how many times I have been in discussions with adults and listened as they confused the Declaration of Independence with the Constitution or were ignorant of the Gettysburg Address or how we elect a president or how a bill becomes law. I am not talking about opinions, but rather, about the basic facts. Clearly we need to focus more on the basics of citizenship and what it means to uphold basic American values. Of course, we seem to disagree about what those values are and how to exercise them. See Kaepernick, Colin.
Where do teachers fit in to this? We need to advocate for high-quality curricula and continue to educate the public about the over-reliance on standardized tests. At a time when many states are cutting back on PARCC and other tests, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was handed a victory by the State Board of Education when it resolved to make standardized tests count for 30% of a teacher’s yearly evaluation. This will only make things worse for districts and teachers as they now must spend more time on testing and preparing students for tests in order to keep their jobs. It’s no wonder that we’ve seen stories like this.
We have highly effective teachers in this country who need the public’s support, and have earned it by influencing the lives of generations of children. And we need to attract more qualified people to the profession to ensure that the United States continues to lead the world in innovation, creative thinking and the freedom to think, explore and exercise one’s rights. The school year has already begun in most parts of the country and Labor Day marks the end of summer for the remainder of public school teachers. I am proud to be an educator and I have been lucky to work with some of the greatest teachers working today from all over the country. We have one of the most important paid jobs in the country and we need to continue to do it with professionalism, passion and persistence.
I wish all teachers a great year for them and their students.
For more, go to www.facebook.com/WhereDemocracyLives or Twitter @rigrundfest
Her excuse was good. Right after taking the stage at a campaign event in Cleveland on Monday, Hillary Clinton began coughing almost uncontrollably. She immediately blamed the cough on being allergic to Donald Trump.
“Every time I think about Trump I get allergic,” she said as she continued to cough while trying to thank the event organizers.
“Once I get over my allergic reaction, let me say that we’re here in part because we know how important this election is to Ohio. It’s not just as Tim said that Ohio is one of those battleground states you hear about every four years, it’s that Ohio represents everything that’s great about America and all of the challenges and opportunities that we face.”
Rest assured, this coughing fit will be featured in an attack video by Donald Trump and the Republican party. They have claimed a mysterious Clinton sickness for a long time, so wait for the attack video in 3,2,1…
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San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, has come under a lot of heat and scrutiny lately for refusing to stand during the playing of the national anthem. Kaepernick states racial injustice as his reason for protesting.
In a press conference on Monday, President Obama showed support for Kaepernick when asked about the quarterback and the backlash he’s met.
“[H]e’s following his constitutional right to make a statement,” Obama said at a press conference in Hangzhou, China, responding to a question about the quarterback. “I think there’s a long history of sports figures doing so.”
The president added, “I don’t doubt his sincerity. I think he cares about some real, legitimate issues that have to be talked about. And if nothing else, he’s generated some conversation around some topics that need to be talked about it.”
Kaepernick has refused to stand for the pre-game playing of the national anthem, citing racial injustice and the oppression of minorities in America.
At Monday’s press conference, Obama reiterated his call for an “active citizenry” and praised the 28-year-old professional athlete for speaking out: “I would rather have young people who are engaged in the argument and trying to think through how they can be part of our democratic process than people who are just sitting on the sidelines and not paying attention at all.”
