Conservative dialogue on Barack Obama's character usually goes something like this:

[Bicoastal]

Conservative: "The guy scares me. I mean, let's look at the facts: first of all. his father comes from Kenya, and Kenya is in Africa. How many countries in Africa do you know of that are politically or economically stable? So that's troublesome right there."

Liberal: "Um--"

Conservative: "He got into Harvard--how? How many people like Barack Obama get accepted into Harvard? Not many that I'm aware of. You've got to wonder why it was so easy for him to get into an Ivy League school, to say nothing of his many successes at writing books and winning elections. Why has it always been so EASY for him? Something's pretty fishy there, because I can't see him being particularly deserving of any of this success without a little outside help, if you get my drift."

Liberal: "Um--"

Conservative: "He grew up in Hawaii, which is a WEIRD place for a future President to grow up in, what with its distance from middle america--REAL America. Hawaii's exotic and scary enough--but then, he spent a lot of time in Chicago, which is not only a big dangerous URBAN city, but its also where Jesse Jackson spends most of his time. You want me to believe that Barack Obama and Jesse Jackson don't share the same mindset?"

Liberal: "Um--"

Conservative: "I mean, he pretends to be so unaturally polished and articulate, but you just KNOW when no one's around he listens to gangsta rap and wants reparations for slavery and carries a seething hatred for Southern people. How come none of this is ever talked about in the media? How come no one exposes him as the angry thug my Internet chat room says he really is? Stuff like this makes it hard for people like me to relate to him."

Liberal: "Um--"

Conservative: "I mean, his name is different from any President we've ever had. His APPEARANCE is different from any President we've ever had. Heck, his wife and his children look different from any President's family we've ever had. How can I not be worried about this guy?"

Liberal: "Um, well, it sounds to me like you have a lot of deap-seated issues regarding the president's race."

Conservative: <blink><blink> "HOW DARE YOU CALL ME A RACIST?!

[HopeOverFear]

1. good one! n/m

[Hansel]

3. +1!

[Double T]

2. How dare 'we' question a Liberal President who is spending money we don't have..........

like there will be no tomorrow; which at this rate of cash burn, there probably won't.

[Bicoastal]

4. You sure you're responding to the right thread?

:shrug:

[Bjorn Against]

5. Did you question Bush when he was sending money Halliburton's direction?

[Double T]

7. bush and cheney are nonentities. 'change' is anything but small..........

and looks like the same, many times over. The race card has been worn out.

[Bjorn Against]

8. I take that as a no.

Sounds like you must be one of those people who cheered on Bush's spending but suddenly get all uptight when Obama wants to spend some money to undo the mess that eight years of Republican rule created.

And for your information Bush and Cheney are not nonentities, they are war criminals who are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people in Iraq as well as bringing this nation to the brink of the next great depression.

[Double T]

9. Right, and you think the DNC (Do Nothing Congress) will ever do anything..........

about their crimes against America and the world?

[Bjorn Against]

10. I never defended Congress.

[Hansel]

6. Are you trying to tell us something or just responding to the wrong thread. n/t

[lapfog_1]

12. This is the basic problem with economic conservatives...

Forget debating how we got here (it's important, but that's another issue)...

We are shedding jobs like a midwest horse sheds fur after a harsh winter.

The ones that still have jobs are not spending (which, if I had a job, I wouldn't be spending either).

The only way I know to stop this is for someone big to start spending like crazy, buying stuff and hiring people directly.

The only one who CAN do this is the federal government.

I wish it was spending ONLY on infrastructure things, water lines, sewer lines, new power systems, more highways (but less of these
than previous depressions), more internet, more computer systems, and hiring people to install and run this.

This does two things... right away it starts hiring people who have been laid off. And second, for decades to come, the
new infrastructure will be used and enjoyed by our children and grandchildren (just as we enjoy the power output of Hoover
Dam or the Golden Gate bridge or the many other things built by our grandfathers and great-grandfathers). Those things we build
today will seem cheap and obvious to our grand children and great grandchildren.

And it will blow a huge hole in the federal budget.

The bad news is that when times were "good" we didn't do the one thing we should have, reduce the debt (not the deficit, Clinton
did reduce the deficit to negative numbers - aka a surplus - but it didn't run for 10 years like it should have and reduced
the debt to under a Trillion. Had we done so, we could now borrow the needed money for cheap ( because we are good risks and
we pay off our debts - aka the US would have a good credit rating ). But some tax cutting assholes made sure we didn't get
to do that (plus they stole an election or two). But never mind, even if we have to print the money and inflate the currency
to pay for this spending right now, we still need to do it. Probably we aren't spending enough because we have to spend SO MUCH
on the other major problem, our deregulated and greedy idiot financial institutions. We probably need to spend $2.5 T on
hiring and infrastructure and technology and power systems... and we should kill off a number of for-profit industries at the
same time (health insurance, power utilities, and internet providers all come to mind).

But now is the time to spend and spend like crazy... and get everyone back to work. In a few years we will have to deal with
the deficit and THE DEBT. Probably take something like 30 or 40 years of surpluses to whittle down the debt. Hopefully we
can rebuild the economy (and do less imports, more exports of finished goods, and less "free trade").

Otherwise we are in real danger of being a has-been third world nation.

[Bread and Circus]

11. Actually no... most conservatives I talk to don't talk like that at all.

They might harp about the deficit and more borrowing but in my experience they haven't made sly remarks like that. Maybe that's just the conservatives I know.

Deep down, I think they are afraid he succeeds on one hand and hope he succeeds on the other. They know if he does, that's the end of the Reagan revolution for good but they also realize they might make a better living.

[lamp_shade]

13. This is Excellent. A+ writing.

[LiberalFighter]

14. I guess if any of those nutjobs talk along this line they should be referred to Harvard's website...

There are more than 50 cultural, ethnic, and international student organizations at Harvard, as well as communities representing nearly every major religion. Harvard students express their political opinions and convictions through a full spectrum of political groups and special activities. The Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations sponsors many activities throughout the year that celebrate the ethnic and cultural diversity at Harvard. One of the most anticipated events is Cultural Rhythms, a festival that highlights the talents of Harvard students and offers ethnic foods from around the world. The "Cultural Artist of the Year," emcees the event and past hosts have included Queen Latifah, Jackie Chan, Andy Garcia, and Halle Berry.

Or this...

The Undergraduate Minority Recruitment Program (UMRP) assists the Admissions Office in extending its outreach to prospective students. The program is staffed by current undergraduates who coordinate recruitment efforts on behalf of African American, Asian American, Latino, and Native American students. Coordinators are equipped to address a full range of questions concerning academic and extracurricular opportunities at Harvard, as well as social and residential life.

or the ethnicity enrollment shows
16% Asian/Pacific Islanders
08% Black/Non-Hispanic
07% Hispanic
10% International
01% Native Americans
45% White/Non-Hispanics
14% Unknown/Other