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[Dude Abides]

And to add another dynamic into the mix, the "fake news" that conservatives or anti-Hillary people like JonTron formed their beliefs around pre-election were, in large part, created by liberals that were trying to get clicks for money write fake stories to show how "dumb" conservatives are. Meanwhile conservatives (and uneducated) are less adept at bothering to source-check news feeds, so the whole process is basically one of circular destruction. Who can really start pointing fingers for these bad beliefs?

One example = in large part, eh?

 

[pigeon]

Anecdotes and all that, but on a usually favorite moderate blog of mine the comments could not determine if literal cross burning had a racist element behind it. Disappointing.

They did seem to mostly agree that racism is bad though, although I'm not sure what they're personal definition of racism encompasses at that point.

Somebody on GAF talked about the quantum theory of racism.

Basically everybody agrees that racism exists but whenever you try to measure an individual sample of it suddenly it disappears.

 

[danm999]

I mean for all the people questioning how Trump voters could be racist if they voted for Obama previously...

The emergence of BLM and Obama's response to it drove a lot of people off the deep end.

 

[Carpe Carnim]

Somebody on GAF talked about the quantum theory of racism.

Basically everybody agrees that racism exists but whenever you try to measure an individual sample of it suddenly it disappears.

Much like the arm-chair revolutionaries that cry "Red Baiting" whenever evidence of Russian interference in the election comes to light; many Conservatives refuse to accept that racists exist within their ranks unless they are given a picture of said person in Klan robes, at a cross burning, holding up two forms of ID accompanied by a personal narrative of their racial-hatred which has been notarized by their Grand Wizard.

 

[Killa Sasa]

Much like the arm-chair revolutionaries that cry "Red Baiting" whenever evidence of Russian interference in the election comes to light; many Conservatives refuse to accept that racists exist within their ranks unless they are given a picture of said person in Klan robes, at a cross burning, holding up two forms of ID accompanied by a personal narrative of their racial-hatred which has been notarized by their Grand Wizard.

They seriously remind me of the "Maybe it collapsed on its own" guy from Simpsons but it's not as funny :/

 

[pigeon]

They seriously remind me of the "Maybe it collapsed on its own" guy from Simpsons but it's not as funny :/

Trump voters were saying boo urns

 

[Slayven]

Thought we established he won the racist vote. However, lets not pretend that every single person that voted for him was out of racism. That game is old.

Maybe not racist, but cool with racism. Either way the end result is the same

 

[Sianos]

Somebody on GAF talked about the quantum theory of racism.

Basically everybody agrees that racism exists but whenever you try to measure an individual sample of it suddenly it disappears.

The HTown Theory of Quantum Locked Racism: it's so true!

A related GAF quantum theory of racism is that minorities in general are either too intelligent and hard-working, selfishly stealing all the "good" jobs for themselves... or also so dumb (usually insert an impassioned appeal to a poor understand of what IQ scores are here) and lazy that all they do is suck resources out of welfare programs. This theorem is also a part of why The Wall won't work, because quantum-Mexicans can just phase through it as soon as you look away.

 

[Carpe Carnim]

Trump voters were saying boo urns

If we get a rendition of Monorail from Elaine Chao, then i'll know we are definately living in the Matrix.

 

[HStallion]

If we get a rendition of Monorail from Elaine Chao, then i'll know we are definately living in the Matrix.

Hi everybody! I'm President Paul Ryviera!

 

[Massive Duck. C.M.]

They seriously remind me of the "Maybe it collapsed on its own" guy from Simpsons but it's not as funny :/

This reference tho

 

[Crocodile]

A bit too much hand-wringing on "did Trump voters become more racist this election cycle" and not enough on "Trump threw out the whistles and went for the bullhorn and it was a (barely) successful strategy". That's the big kicker, Trump used explicit racism as a winning card!

Reposting an old post of mine from right after the election:

He denigrated minorities at every turn. Even when he claimed to be reaching out to them it was always in an insulting manner.
He cap-ended his campaign with an ad saying that his opponent's campaign was controlled by, funded by, and partnered with rich jews.
He opened his campaign by accusing an entire population of minorities as being rapists (furthering the well worn racist attack of darker skinned people being sexual predators) and criminals directed by their state to trespass into america.
He bolstered his campaign by saying that he would block muslims from being able to enter the US.
He chose a known white supremacist as one of his delegates for the RNC.
His children give interviews on white supremacist radio.
He hesitated to denounce the KKK.
He called for the execution of demonstrably innocent black and brown kids.
He started his career off by refusing to rent to minorities.
He questioned the otherness of the first black president for years.
He spread white supremacist propaganda to his followers in the form of made up statistics trying to mislead his followers into thinking they are being hunted by black thugs.
He spread white supremacist propaganda to his followers in the form of spreading a neo-nazi image attempting to link his opponent to Jews.

And that's just a partial recounting.

People within and sympathetic to the KKK picked up on all of these. They endorsed him and frequently praised his presidential run.

And I'm to believe that his voters didn't think any of that was important enough to sway their votes? Either they agreed silently or their indifference to the experiences of minorities in America is large enough that they would elect someone that is openly courting and inciting racists to become their next president. Neither cast a good light on his voters.

Yep yep yep. Trump never hid who he was. Everybody who voted for him either wanted this or were ok with this. Both are bad!

 

[Arkage]

One example = in large part, eh?

At any given time, Coler says, he has between 20 and 25 writers. And it was one of them who wrote the story in the "Denver Guardian" that an FBI agent who leaked Clinton emails was killed. Coler says that over 10 days the site got 1.6 million views.

Are you one of the biggest in the fake-news biz?

If you look at someone who has specifically sometimes peddled in fictional news then I think that I would probably be considered one of the larger sites.

This is not a one-dude-at-his-computer operation.

 

[kirblar]

You don't think that a guy in charge of Fake News might not be an accurate source?

 

[akira28]

racial anxiety

 

[pigeon]

And to add another dynamic into the mix, the "fake news" that conservatives or anti-Hillary people like JonTron formed their beliefs around pre-election were, in large part, created by liberals that were trying to get clicks for money write fake stories to show how "dumb" conservatives are. Meanwhile conservatives (and uneducated) are less adept at bothering to source-check news feeds, so the whole process is basically one of circular destruction. Who can really start pointing fingers for these bad beliefs?

"Racism might exist but society is so complicated who can say really" is not as persuasive an argument as you seem to think it is.

 

[Easy_D]

And to add another dynamic into the mix, the "fake news" that conservatives or anti-Hillary people like JonTron formed their beliefs around pre-election were, in large part, created by liberals that were trying to get clicks for money write fake stories to show how "dumb" conservatives are. Meanwhile conservatives (and uneducated) are less adept at bothering to source-check news feeds, so the whole process is basically one of circular destruction. Who can really start pointing fingers for these bad beliefs?

People have this big big biiiiiiiiiig tendency to follow sources and opinions that match and reinforce their own. It's part of confirmation bias. We all do it to some extent, it's human psychology

 

[crackhead_bob]

We do. The problem is that if you talk about the economy 10 times and racism one, that racist ass white voter thinks its as 10:10000 ratio, not a 10:1 ratio.

Hence why we write these voters off and focus on other gettable votes, because people aren't going to just stop talking about it even though you want them to.

Also, let's assume that progressives were to drop the social issues? You don't think the GOP wouldn't use them to drive their base in elections? I really don't like social issues either, but to say that liberals and liberals only are all about identity politics is such horseshit, especially when its coming from pundits who themselves are the ones who are constantly agitating these tensions in the first place is disingenuous at best.

 

[Arkage]

"Racism might exist but society is so complicated who can say really" is not as persuasive an argument as you seem to think it is.

Who can say what, specifically? Racism is bad. Who or what do you want to blame? Lack of educational programs that teach compassion? Bad parents, who had bad parents, who had bad parents, etc? Biological tendencies to form in-groups based on homogeneity levels? Fake news sites and the refusal to fact check? Social media exacerbating partisanship, essentially guaranteeing that any political ideology can be not only self-sustaining, but thriving, no matter how bad the ideas?

Do you have the easy effective solution to racism that nobody has realized yet?

 

[Carpe Carnim]

Who can say what, specifically? Racism is bad. Who or what do you want to blame? Lack of educational programs that teach compassion? Bad parents, who had bad parents, who had bad parents, etc? Biological tendencies to form in-groups based on homogeneity levels? Fake news sites and the refusal to fact check?

Do you have the easy effective solution to racism that nobody has realized yet?

"C'mon everyone, these bigots are too fucking stupid to recognize their own pathologies. Let's feel bad for people who vote for Fascists. Whoopsie Daisy!"

 

[geomon]

Who knew?

 

[theignoramus]

Unbelievable the amount of excuse making for Trump voters. Im not buying what yall are selling. The voters who didn't want to align themselves with that toxic mess voted third party, stayed home or voted for HRC. The Trump voter owns ALL of Trumps degeneracy. All of it. It was perfectly clear what he was on Election Day.

 

[HStallion]

Who can say what, specifically? Racism is bad. Who or what do you want to blame? Lack of educational programs that teach compassion? Bad parents, who had bad parents, who had bad parents, etc? Biological tendencies to form in-groups based on homogeneity levels? Fake news sites and the refusal to fact check? Social media exacerbating partisanship, essentially guaranteeing that any political ideology can be not only self-sustaining, but thriving, no matter how bad the ideas?

Do you have the easy effective solution to racism that nobody has realized yet?

Whose asking for an end all and be all solution to racism? I'm just saying don't get offended if I Iump people fine with racism for economic reasons in with actual full bore racists.

 

[danm999]

Please provide comprehensive solutions to racism before thinking about chiding them.

 

[pigeon]

Who can say what, specifically? Racism is bad. Who or what do you want to blame? Lack of educational programs that teach compassion? Bad parents, who had bad parents, who had bad parents, etc? Biological tendencies to form in-groups based on homogeneity levels? Fake news sites and the refusal to fact check? Social media exacerbating partisanship, essentially guaranteeing that any political ideology can be not only self-sustaining, but thriving, no matter how bad the ideas?

This is gonna sound crazy, but I was thinking about blaming the racists.

 

[Slayven]

Unbelievable the amount of excuse making for Trump voters. Im not buying what yall are selling. The voters who didn't want to align themselves with that toxic mess voted third party, stayed home or voted for HRC. The Trump voter owns ALL of Trumps degeneracy. All of it. It was perfectly clear what he was on Election Day.

Why does this voting block get babied, they get the benefit of the doubt, they get all the sympathy, and the their own strong arm defense force?

Every other voting block expected to and own their decisions

Ever noticed how GOP say Democrats keep minorities on the plantation by offering them free and easy stuff?

The right have a herd that they feed a steady diet of racism and bullshit. And they are tickled to death to suck it up

 

[Dude Abides]

This is not a one-dude-at-his-computer operation.

But it comes nowhere close to establishing that liberals were responsible for the majority of fake news stories.

Good try at the "liberals are the reason Trump won" angle though. It was certainly the most creative attempt at it that I've seen.

 

[Not]

Sure, I agree that your family are probably not morons.

That's exactly why their moral culpability for their choice is so great. They knew what they were doing. And you know they knew.

Sure, and again, there's no way I could justify the decision to turn a blind eye to those suffering, but I understand WHY people such as my family members cling to that mindset; they're comfortable in the religious culture that benefits them. Because at the end of the day it's a welcome and necessary reprieve for their own pain. My mom specifically lost her dad in Vietnam when she was 11 and her husband to cancer when she was 35. She worked for Campus Crusade for Christ her whole life and raised donations from other people in the organization (which allowed her to be paid for being a stay-at-home-mom of 5 kids) and now follows Breitbart and Infowars. Her only frame of reference for suffering is her own (and can you blame her), and she thinks that cure-- fundamental Christianity-- can be applied to every other person's brand of pain with little adjustment, because it's too hard to accept that after what she's gone through she's actually had it better than if she wasn't white, straight, and Christian.

Shit's complicated. Of course white people are awful as a whole and have constantly refused to own up to their delusions and selfishness. But I don't have to forego all my empathy whatsoever for anyone who suffers from a delusion rather than the people who consciously give into their greed, malice, and desire for power (i.e., the people who manipulate said sufferers.)

 

[Deepwater]

Why does this voting block get babied, they get the benefit of the doubt, they get all the sympathy, and the their own strong arm defense force?

because people would rather try to convince them to vote than do the work of convincing the 50% of the electorate that chooses to stay home for reasons

 

[TaterTots]

Maybe not racist, but cool with racism. Either way the end result is the same

I have to argue about your point because I know a certain percentage is simply oblivious and ignorant to basic understanding. There are voters who simply thought he would bring jobs back and save their failing cities. However, I'll admit upfront the racist vote greatly outweighs that.

 

[EdibleKnife]

Why does this voting block get babied, they get the benefit of the doubt, they get all the sympathy, and the their own strong arm defense force?

It's easier to tolerate the idea that minorities aren't trying hard enough to stop racism than the reality that unreasonable almost religious clinging to bigotry and white supremacy has a vested interest in going to great lengths, even warping the rules in their favor or straight up denial and lies, to keep equality from being the status quo. The people who perpetuate it are seen as victims that have been brainwashed and need a kind word or a gentle hand to change rather than people who are fully aware of their actions but not willing to own up to the fact that they don't care about the fate of anyone beyond themselves.

 

[Slayven]

because people would rather try to convince them to vote than do the work of convincing the 50% of the electorate that chooses to stay home for reasons

 

[Arkage]

Whose asking for an end all and be all solution to racism? I'm just saying don't get offended if I Iump people fine with racism for economic reasons in with actual full bore racists.

That's fine, as long as you can rationalize to me the benefits of calling an ex-Obama Trump voter a racist and ensuring they don't vote Democratic, versus trying to win that person back to the Democrat side, especially when Democrats are disadvantage in the electoral college at this point. Does calling them racists rally potential undecided or unregistered voters in red leaning states? Does calling them racist rally those Democrats who apparently couldn't give enough of a shit to turn out to vote for Hillary even in the name of being an explicit anti-Trump vote? What is the point, other than the feeling of self-satisfaction one gets when judging others? I don't understand the pragmatic angle to this at all.

because people would rather try to convince them to vote than do the work of convincing the 50% of the electorate that chooses to stay home for reasons

1 Lost Trump + 1 Gained Dem vote = 2
1 Gained Dem vote = 1

Especially when likely voters who switch between parties are already motivated enough to go to the polls in the first place.

 

[HStallion]

That's fine, as long as you can rationalize to me the benefits of calling an ex-Obama Trump voter a racist and ensuring they don't vote Democratic, versus trying to win that person back to the Democrat side, especially when Democrats are disadvantage in the electoral college at this point. Does calling them racists rally potential undecided or unregistered voters in red leaning states? Does it rally those Democrats who apparently couldn't give enough of a shit to turn out to vote for Hillary even in the name of being an explicit anti-Trump vote? What is the point, other than the feeling of self-satisfaction one gets when judging others? I don't understand the pragmatic angle to this at all.

I wouldn't trust the help of someone who plays so fast and loose with matters of such importance. I say fuck'em and work to get the other 50 percent of America voting instead of wasting time on a dead end. I'd find bashing my skull against the wall till I pass out a more fruitful endeavor than appealing to the average Trump voter at this point. If they want to come along in the future then great and if not, oh well.

 

[Deepwater]

also to help bridge the gap of understanding how an obama-trump voter could be racist, think about how many white people were ready to bury the racism hatchet after his election and either used their own vote, or the victory itself, to laud their own non racist selves.

The people most concerned with not appearing as a racist are the ones who switched sides. Just cause you vote for a black man don't make you an anti-racist, or even a non-racist for that matter.

 

[Not]

also to help bridge the gap of understanding how an obama-trump voter could be racist, think about how many white people were ready to bury the racism hatchet after his election and either used their own vote, or the victory itself, to laud their own non racist selves.

The people most concerned with not appearing as a racist are the ones who switched sides. Just cause you vote for a black man don't make you an anti-racist, or even a non-racist for that matter.

Right, I think the white "moderates" were mad that racial tensions only ignited after Obama was re-elected. It's all symbolism, they still have no idea what it's like to be black.

Easy solutions and shit. Hence, religion.

 

[EdibleKnife]

That's fine, as long as you can rationalize to me the benefits of calling an ex-Obama Trump voter a racist and ensuring they don't vote Democratic, versus trying to win that person back to the Democrat side, especially when Democrats are disadvantage in the electoral college at this point. Does calling them racists rally potential undecided or unregistered voters in red leaning states? Does calling them racist rally those Democrats who apparently couldn't give enough of a shit to turn out to vote for Hillary even in the name of being an explicit anti-Trump vote? What is the point, other than the feeling of self-satisfaction one gets when judging others? I don't understand the pragmatic angle to this at all.

If they're unwilling to hear "you and your voting behavior has propped up and given power to bigotry and damages the lives of minorities" without throwing a fit, that's a problem they have to deal with. There's no point or possibility to have them suddenly change to progressive voters if they can't even square away the fact that they've voted regressively previously. There can be no growth if there's no acknowledgement that you did or participated in something wrong to begin with. If an adult capable of voting can't take harsh truth without stubbornly clinging to their lies because the truth wasn't sugar coated enough for them to swallow, then they are lost at that point. At that point it is only about their feelings rather than the reality and sweeping extent to which their choices have affected and will affect people. It's not about judging people, it's about expecting people to hold themselves accountable for their own actions and choosing to do better.

 

[dpunk3]

Something something asshole something dementia.

We get it, the guy's a dick. Why do we need a thread every time this guy does something generally dickish? Policy related, sure, makes sense. But seeing posts every time he wets the bed or throws rocks at cats, come on. There's only so many times we can see the same thing.

 

[Platinumstorm]

I'm not entirely sure I agree with the WaPo here. I don't see anything in the data about racism being a large source of republican's voting for Trump.



The above graph, for instance, doesn't seem to support their argument, which is why I found it weird that they brought it up. What I seen in that graph is a slight decrease in racism indicators compared with 2012, putting it about on par with 2008. Nothing about that suggests there was any correlation between Trump's rhetoric causing people with even less favorable views of minorities than usual to vote.

What is quite striking, however is the huge drop off in between 2012 and 2016 in Democratic racism, which is very nice. Whether this has to do with changing viewpoints, Hillary's campaign, or the DNC's position is not known. I don't think we'll have an entirely clear idea until 2020 when we have more data.

I am going to go beyond the realm of this data for a bit, so it should be known that this is pure speculation on my part. What is possible is that more people who had similar views on race as the generic republican voted in this election. Indeed, the stark drop off of Clinton supporters negative views on race relations could be those in the higher percentile dropping off and going to Trump's campaign. This could be the cause of his victory without moving the average too much.

I honestly can't think of an excellent way to test this, since that is talking about raw numbers rather than percentages. Perhaps a survey of voters specifically who switched from D -> R in the past election, and their view on race relation. If we were to find a score above the Democratic average, I think that would confirm that Trump's racial rhetoric along with Hillary's more inclusive campaign, were a reason why Trump won.

In all honesty, if that is the case, I think that the democratic party can do without them. I don't need to agree with my average democratic voter on everything, bur respect for their fellow human is something I can not and will not compromise on. Racial relations are arguably the most important issue in America, and has been our entire history. The way we as a country view and treat minorities affects the country as a whole, from our support of social programs and better health care, to our willingness to go to war against people who we do not know and have never met. It is something that the democratic party needs to fight daily, and if that scares off people, so be it. I'm sure the DNC will find numbers elsewhere.

Edit: To be clear, I do think racism played a part in Trump's win. Indeed other studies found an increase in racism causing a shift to Trump. While I had a slight problem with a number of studies methodology, I do think the sheer volume of them seems to indicate racial views played a significant part of this election. I just do not think that this data is supportive of the argument.

Right, with the author's commentary analysis, you can make the argument that Democrats or Obama voters [it's hard for me to understand the base since the article doesn't explain and the key is unclear] were more racist in 2012.

You can make the argument that Trump voters were less racist than Romney voters if you use the author's explanation.

I also would be hesitant to say that Democrat or Clinton voters became less racist, versus knowing how to answer these questions in the appropriate fashion.

I don't think anyone can argue against white racists were more supportive of Trump, the bigger question is did that matter, and I don't think the commentary provided in this article did a reasonable job justifying it, but everyone is hopping on the bandwagon despite that really easy counter argument.

 

[Slayven]

Something something asshole something dementia.

We get it, the guy's a dick. Why do we need a thread every time this guy does something generally dickish? Policy related, sure, makes sense. But seeing posts every time he wets the bed or throws rocks at cats, come on. There's only so many times we can see the same thing.

You do know you don't have to click them, right?

 

[rjinaz]

Something something asshole something dementia.

We get it, the guy's a dick. Why do we need a thread every time this guy does something generally dickish? Policy related, sure, makes sense. But seeing posts every time he wets the bed or throws rocks at cats, come on. There's only so many times we can see the same thing.

Wrong thread? This isn't about Trump sneezing impolitely or some shit it's about an article about racism motivations that got Trump elected.

 

[Not]

Wait wait wait imagine if Obama sneezed impolitlely tho

 

[jroc74]

"You don't fucking say?" - Ancient Minority Proverb

No!


No!


No!


Way this needed a study.

Was super obvious the entire campaign.

Whoever thought and thinks otherwise, I envy you.

 

[HStallion]

Right, with the author's commentary analysis, you can make the argument that Democrats or Obama voters [it's hard for me to understand the base since the article doesn't explain and the key is unclear] were more racist in 2012.

You can make the argument that Trump voters were less racist than Romney voters if you use the author's explanation.

I also would be hesitant to say that Democrat or Clinton voters became less racist, versus knowing how to answer these questions in the appropriate fashion.

I don't think anyone can argue against white racists were more supportive of Trump, the bigger question is did that matter, and I don't think the commentary provided in this article did a reasonable job justifying it, but everyone is hopping on the bandwagon despite that really easy counter argument.

I didn't need this article to tell me that everyone who voted for Trump was fine with racism and bigotry. They voted for Trump.

 

[rjinaz]

Wait wait wait imagine if Obama sneezed impolitlely tho

Would have made #mustardgate look tame.

 

[Platinumstorm]

I mean for all the people questioning how Trump voters could be racist if they voted for Obama previously...

The emergence of BLM and Obama's response to it drove a lot of people off the deep end.

I am more of the idea that the Ferguson riots pushed people into more of a race mindset, and it took until this year to definitively say that the Martin situation was handled terribly; and the coverage of the aftermath from it isn't really being done well.

I feel the reception to this would have been different if the movement had started after Eric Garner and didn't involve the obscene and unnecessary riots. As someone in medicine, the blocking of roads for EMS response is something that bugged me a lot.

Obama did fail to provide guidance to anyone during this situation, and I found it really awkward that he stumbled during this domestic crisis. He certainly didn't take a position that was wrong, but he also didn't take a position that benefited the country. It left him open to the attack that Obama "worsened race relations," with no proof behind it.

I had wanted to write about this earlier, because when people are asked those questions in that survey, the events that unfolded around the BLM uprising certainly affacted the answers to those questions for people. Again, however, the trend for both Republicans and Democrats from that study was that white members of both parties were less racist in this election compared to 2012.

 

[Platinumstorm]

I didn't need this article to tell me that everyone who voted for Trump was fine with racism and bigotry. They voted for Trump.

Do you seriously know no one who voted for Trump solely based on abortion positions? That is a wedge issue that defines a large percentage of voters in every single election. Do you truly believe that 82% of evangelicals feel Trump was a good representation of evangelicals? That's the entire reason there was the message of "God's messengers come in many forms" blah blah excuses. You are doing a disservice to everything you support by simplifying the argument based on reactionary politics.

 

[danm999]

Wait wait wait imagine if Obama sneezed impolitlely tho

http://www.theblaze.com/news/2014/02/26/about-that-obama-sneeze/#comments

 

[David H Wong]

I didn't need this article to tell me that everyone who voted for Trump was fine with racism and bigotry. They voted for Trump.

And by their logic, everyone who voted for Hillary was fine with murdering infants. Why bother looking any closer at the issues? Trump = babies live, Hillary = babies die. Babies of all races!

Every party has a magic trick for turning literally everyone else into a monster. The key is to shut down all thought so they don't have to try to win your vote, just make you terrified of the Other Side. "Sure, this Trump guy says dumb shit sometimes, but Hillary literally wants an infant Holocaust via abortion and to push policies that will encourage more black-on-black crime. Who's the REAL racist?!?!?!"

But I get it - it feels great to feel ultimate superiority over others, to just imagine their minds are nothing but pure, black evil. The moment you start to look even a tiny bit closer at their position, shut it down. Shut down all thought. We're good. They're bad. Plain and simple.

 

[danm999]

I am more of the idea that the Ferguson riots pushed people into more of a race mindset, and it took until this year to definitively say that the Martin situation was handled terribly; and the coverage of the aftermath from it isn't really being done well.

I feel the reception to this would have been different if the movement had started after Eric Garner and didn't involve the obscene and unnecessary riots. As someone in medicine, the blocking of roads for EMS response is something that bugged me a lot.

Obama did fail to provide guidance to anyone during this situation, and I found it really awkward that he stumbled during this domestic crisis. He certainly didn't take a position that was wrong, but he also didn't take a position that benefited the country. It left him open to the attack that Obama "worsened race relations," with no proof behind it.

I had wanted to write about this earlier, because when people are asked those questions in that survey, the events that unfolded around the BLM uprising certainly affacted the answers to those questions for people. Again, however, the trend for both Republicans and Democrats from that study was that white members of both parties were less racist in this election compared to 2012.

Ferguson riots were what, mid to late 2014?

BLM had appeared and Obama had made his comments on Trayvon almost a year earlier. Right around when his approval rating started to dive.

I'm guessing Ferguson didn't help, but the horse had bolted by that point.