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All-In [28802]
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Does anyone here actually think Jeff Sessions is racist?
Feb 9, 2017, 2:41 PM
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Like, you actually think he harbors some kind of animus against non-white people, or that he thinks white people are superior to non-whites? Or is this the same kind of "racism" inferred from being an immigration hawk and not making the right noises about certain aspects of civil rights law?
As far as I can tell, the evidence that's been brought up to accuse Sessions of racism is extremely flimsy. The mail fraud case he prosecuted in 1986 that Democrats take as proof of his lack of commitment to black voting rights is far more complex than has been portrayed. It looks to me like Sessions simply did his job and was never actively involved in trying to "chill" black voters. In fact, the son of one of those he prosecuted in the case has vouched for Sessions's integrity and fairness, and Sessions was also involved with prosecuting a leader of the KKK.
Arlen Specter, who voted against Sessions's confirmation to the court in the 80s based on this evidence, has said that he regretted the vote after getting to know Sessions in the Senate. So after getting to know Sessions's character, Specter no longer believed the accusations made against him at his hearing for appointment to the district court.
We should also remember that the cohort that was on the Judicial Committee at the time of the hearing was the one that invented "Borking" in judicial confirmations. They initiated the era of partisan confirmations in the Senate (at least on the part of Democrats), which to me suggests that they were less concerned with the veracity of their claims than with their effectiveness.
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Rock Defender [53]
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I doubt he's any more racist than anyone else in Washington.
Feb 9, 2017, 2:49 PM
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My problem with him is on marijuana policy. 60% of Americans favor outright legalization.
Sessions says things like:
"We need grown ups in Washington to say marijuana is not the kind of thing that ought to be legalized, it ought not to be minimized, that it is in fact a very real danger"
"good people don't smoke marijuana."
"You can’t have the President of the United States of America talking about marijuana like it is no different than taking a drink, saying I used marijuana when I was in high school and it is no different than smoking. It is different. And you are sending a message to young people that there is no danger in this process. It is false that marijuana use doesn’t lead people to more drug use. It is already causing a disturbance in the States that have made it legal. I think we need to be careful about this."
And in keeping with the marijuana issue, allegedly told someone he thought the KKK “was O.K. until I found out they smoked pot.”
If Trump wants to be a populist, it will be interesting to see how Sessions directs resources towards enforcing federal law on pot.
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All-In [28802]
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That's fair
Feb 9, 2017, 4:21 PM
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It's obvious that he was making a joke with his comment about the KKK and marijuana, but the joke only works if he opposed marijuana legalization. But all of that's a policy disagreement, not one that should disqualify him from being AG.
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All-In [42167]
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I personally believe there are two types of racists...
Feb 9, 2017, 2:54 PM
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In this world.
The first is the blatantly obvious one who, as you describe truly believe whites are superior to other races. Or those who harbor extreme negative stereotypes towards certain races. People who actively discriminate when they can. These people are scum but--at least I hope--are a small segment of the population.
The second is the one who is more of a product of the system. He or she doesn't know some of their statements or actions are racially charged. They don't intend for them to be. They'll swear up and down that they're not racist. They'll sometimes even go out of their way to prove they're not, but usually make it worse. They may embrace the stereotypes without knowing it and realizing the harm. They're the ones who, when you tell a story to them about someone, will whisper, "Is he black?" when the story takes a negative turn or possibly touches upon negative stereotypes.
Those people cause harm but don't intend harm. I believe Jeff Sessions could be part of that group. I mean, old dude from Alabama. But I also don't know the man, sooooo...
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Oculus Spirit [93668]
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You either harm or you do no harm.
Feb 9, 2017, 4:20 PM
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'People who actively discriminate when they can.'
You'd think with all the racism going on these days there'd be more lawsuits.
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All-In [49046]
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There are more than you think...
Feb 9, 2017, 4:23 PM
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I know several lawyers who do that almost exclusively. Not just race, but age, sex, etc.
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Oculus Spirit [93668]
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Maybe so.
Feb 9, 2017, 4:27 PM
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I'm probably a heck of a lot closer to the actual volume of racism than the snowflakes and those who cry racist the loudest.
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All-In [42167]
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Soooo... you're saying those don't happen?
Feb 9, 2017, 4:32 PM
[ in reply to You either harm or you do no harm. ] |
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I think you also overlooked where I said that I believe the first group is not a very large one. But it is completely naive to think we don't have plenty of racists in this nation. Our own state is loaded with many of them.
Take a swing up to Circle Fountain in Florence and ask em why it's "members only".
Or maybe play a round at Henry McMaster's whites-only country club.
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Hall of Famer [21614]
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That 2nd definition of racism doesn't fly with me.
Feb 9, 2017, 5:05 PM
[ in reply to I personally believe there are two types of racists... ] |
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If someone believes that a certain race is superior, or treats people that way... that's racist.
Everything else is just observation.
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All-In [42167]
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I think again we're dabbling in the difference between...
Feb 9, 2017, 5:08 PM
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Racism and prejudice.
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Hall of Famer [21614]
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If a person judges an individual based on...
Feb 9, 2017, 6:48 PM
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the color of their skin, they are being prejudiced.
But if a person chooses to avoid black neighborhoods when purchasing a home, that's not racist.
Preference isn't racist unless by acting on that preference you are mistreating or disadvantaging someone as a result.
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Oculus Spirit [78892]
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yes
Feb 9, 2017, 3:07 PM
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cuz I don't like him
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Orange Blooded [3590]
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White, conservative, GOP, the South - what more do you need?***
Feb 9, 2017, 3:12 PM
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Orange Blooded [3516]
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first time you and I have agreed on anything...
Feb 9, 2017, 4:48 PM
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Actually, I don't believe this and hate that stereotype...but you gotta admit that some of those folks don't usually defend themselves in particularly helpful ways...
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Legend [17915]
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No more than Jesse Jackson
Feb 9, 2017, 3:18 PM
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... if you are close you may want to take cover. 
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All-In [26968]
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That's a big accusation to make about someone
Feb 9, 2017, 3:43 PM
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unless you know them personally. I can't think of anyone in government/politics I would be comfortable calling a racist.
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Lot o points [155907]
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David Duke? Robert Byrd?***
Feb 9, 2017, 3:44 PM
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All-In [26968]
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Duke, I suppose so, if that's the KKK guy.
Feb 9, 2017, 3:47 PM
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(Obviously being in the KKK is a pretty obvious indicator.) Don't think of him as a government/politics figure, but I suppose he can be considered such.
Byrd, no, not without knowing him. Does he have some KKK history? That, in itself, is not enough for me to call him a racist in 2017.
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Rock Defender [53]
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I guess you could ask him.
Feb 9, 2017, 3:49 PM
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All-In [28802]
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Robert Byrd was a leader in the KKK before becoming Senator
Feb 9, 2017, 4:26 PM
[ in reply to Duke, I suppose so, if that's the KKK guy. ] |
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Obviously, he at least publicly repudiated the KKK before he ran for office.
I somewhat disagree with you saying that you would need to know somebody personally to say whether they were racist or not. There are certain things that people can do that pretty much will tell you that they're harboring quite a bit of prejudice. I just don't think that Sessions taking that mail fraud case rises to that level, especially in light of other cases he prosecuted as US Attorney.
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Oculus Spirit [93668]
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Calling someone a racist is like shooting them with a gun...
Feb 9, 2017, 4:22 PM
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which has not bullets. The accusation is worn completely out and means practically nothing these days.
Had the little cupcakes seen real racism they wouldn't be slinging the term around so frivolously,
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All-In [42167]
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With all due respect, man...
Feb 9, 2017, 4:33 PM
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You hold the record for the most racially embarrassing post in Tigernet history. Like, on a nationwide scale of embarrassment.
So I'm not sure you have a ton of room to call a foul here.
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Hall of Famer [21614]
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I think that he probably thinks that blacks are....
Feb 9, 2017, 5:03 PM
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less inclined to mesh well with Western Civilization than people of other races.
Is that racist? If so, then I guess yes.
Oh and I have no decent evidence.
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All-In [28802]
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That seems about right as far as our discourse goes
Feb 9, 2017, 5:06 PM
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A: Wild accusation that should disqualify person I don't like!
B: How do you know that?
A: He doesn't support things I like and did something I don't understand, so WILD ACCUSATION THAT SHOULD DISQUALIFY PERSON I DON'T LIKE, AND YOU'RE ONE TOO!
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Hall of Famer [21614]
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I don't say that because I dislike him.
Feb 9, 2017, 5:11 PM
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But I see the tendency you just described all over the place. We are living squarely in the post-fact era.
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CU Medallion [56078]
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Liberals think everyone's racist.
Feb 9, 2017, 5:15 PM
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Conservatives think nobody's racist. I don't know Jeff Sessions well enough to speculate.
He was an early supporter of Donald Trump's candidacy, so that indicates to me that he's a nimrod.
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All-In [42167]
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So we can at least pinpoint poor judgment.***
Feb 9, 2017, 5:16 PM
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All-In [45756]
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Yes. Robert n. is racist? *******
Feb 9, 2017, 7:10 PM
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110%er [6101]
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Re: Does anyone here actually think Jeff Sessions is racist?
Feb 9, 2017, 8:19 PM
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***
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CU Medallion [50635]
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no and maybe some group from alabama doesn't either
Feb 9, 2017, 11:52 PM
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Message was edited by: henry®
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