Omar Has Opinions. Get Used To It.

[Stare Decisis]

I don't care what the media has to say. I read these quotes. I am not in agreement. So what? Omar didn't sign some pledge that requires her to think like me. I think she is misinformed to a degree, but that does not make me more important. I am proud of my association with the Obama era. I believe there are more than a few things she is off base about.

That is disagreement. That's it. The way the press would is presenting it is something akin to a disciple spitting on their religious savior. That is spin. Spin is poison to a free country. Now disagreement? That is something we used to use as an ingredient for self-governance.

I don't know what goes on obviously, and I am not saying Barack is or was perfect, but this freshman rep is not likely to have any understanding of the inner workings or agendas of the Chiefs. But this I believe-Barack Obama did not lie with a straight face to enter us into an unwinnable war with no foreseeable conclusion and endless sacrifice, or completely destabilize the region by handing Syria to Russia.

So on this continuum of rage, the letters W and DJT should in this case, precede B and O. That said we do need to have a real conversation about a recalibration of our military approach and a reassessment of this commitment to manifest destiny the USA seems to be addicted to. Understand this-that is something that one could hypothetically express to someone over a friendly lunch. No rage. Just points of view.

I don't in any way shape or form take kindly to comparing Trump and Barack. That is the reality. There is a way of responding to that without giving an appearance of disarray however.

We must stay focused and I must say the media is making a concerted effort to divide us, and it seems only us.

In an world where people of color and the LGBT community is no longer low hanging fruit for the right wing, we can count on them to use Islam as a cudgel. Like another DU member said, (apologies for not remembering it is on a now blocked post) it will always be something, don't you see? If it isn't real, they will just make something up, some TV corporoslut will point out something AOC said, or Omar, or dredge up Lewisnsky and look at the camera to tell you with a straight fucking face that multiple felonies and an indiscreet sexual favor are "both sides behaving badly."

Cutting healthcare for millions while complaining about Amazon's lack of tax burden is "both sides being out of touch."

That in mind, whether we love Omar, or AOC, or not, is also not relevant. What is is that we are remember what the media is and that whores are gonna whore. So us constantly bickering over these freshmen is nothing more than than driving up on the political street corner and asking how much.

We have been fucked enough already-we don't need to do it to ourselves.

[jberryhill]

1. That's the power of the internet outrage machine training

If DU was, collectively, a person, it would be a person with borderline personality disorder.

You are my best friend or my worst enemy.

Anything, anything at all, is either wonderful or horrible.

If your opinion differs from my opinion it is because you are dishonest, a paid troll, or simply morally bankrupt.

It can't be that many things are a mixed bag or complex. You must totally agree or totally disagree with whatever is the current mood.

This seems to have picked up in the last couple of weeks, more so than depressingly usual.

[allgood33]

2. I don't have to agree with her, but i want to hear what she has to say. I want to see how she votes

on legislation. If 35% of the voting population can support a scumbag like Trump...

What she said about Obama and drones and immigration is not untrue. I was disappointed in him for those actions too. But no one should ever equate Obama to Trump. Omar is not familiar with the cultural innuendo of our language so I give her the benefit of the doubt. I adore Obama but not all of his war actions. I adored Bill clinton too bu really did not agree with some of his policies with respect to welfare and crime. No one is going to be perfect in the job of President. But no one but Trump is a scumbag as President.

Speak your truth Omar...and we will speak ours.

[wellst0nev0ter]

109. Obama should not get a pass

for cruel policies just because Trump is worse. That is what she is saying.

[allgood33]

112. Yes. i adore Obama and Carter. Both were the most decent men to occupy the WH in my lifetime.

Both made mistakes. Both carried out some action with which I did not agree. They were not perfect, nor should we pretend that they were. I only get angry when others lie about them, not when they are criticized...no matter the language.dkkkdk

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

3. Love Omar... criticizing women with strong opinions is nothing new.

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[leftynyc]

15. When she compares Pres Obama to

degenerate donnie and calls Pres Obama a pretty face, she deserves whatever blow back she gets. That's not a strong opinion. That's bullshit

[BannonsLiver]

19. Some folks are cool with that, apparently.

[Kurt V.]

66. how is that not a strong opinion. bc she hates war....?

[John Fante]

107. It wasn't a strong opinion, it was a moronic one.

One she tried to backpedal from on Twitter, to no avail.

[Kurt V.]

108. to no avail is only your (and many tweeters) opinion. that doesn't make it fact.

She has many backers for many reasons.

[John Fante]

110. She has backers? Whoopity doo. So does Jill Stein.

Trumpism must be destroyed in 2020, simple as that. The last fucking thing we need is this bothsideism shit from our own representatives. Equating Obama to Trump is appalling on countless levels.

I will gladly donate to the Democrat who primaries her.

[Lotusflower70]

102. I know right

I am definitely not cool with that. It's incredibly insulting.

[malachi]

54. Good chrst! Are you kidding. Women can't be criticized

when they say some really offensive shit. Give me a break.

[still_one]

76. excellent observation

[Lotusflower70]

103. Agree 100%

I call bullshit on this one. She is wrong. Hopefully she gets a clue and learns from it. As a woman, I will critique women as well as men in politics. I am not talking about looks, age, what she wears, etc but I am talking about the issues.

[ZeroSomeBrains]

63. I agree

I didn't see anything she said as offensive. I think it's anti-semetic that people think all Jewish Americans are unanimous in their disagreement with what she said. It's the only group that people are allowed to make a blanket statement about when some faction within the Jewish community speak their mind. Strong islamic women who speak out against what Israel is doing are rare especially in Congress.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

4. The cult of personality developing around Obama on here is, frankly, alarming.

[Stare Decisis]

6. I don't think the country moves forward

unless we can honestly assess ourselves and our leaders. Barack Obama is not perfect. He honestly was not even very liberal. He governed with a cautious approach however it suited us at that time. But it can't be all or nothing. We can't find perfect or even close, so at the least we must be able to come up with respectable. On that count, there is no comparison between Trump and Barack.

As far as the cult of personality, that always existed with his followers. There is a nostalgia for that era so that will exacerbate it.

This is my concern with Beto-there has to be a logical reason to support him, policy wise, he is basically Obama. Yes charisma is awesome, but we need the Overton window shifted. Yesterday.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

9. Very well said.

[Scruffy1]

60. Spot on.

IMHO he is a very good man, with limitations like everyone else. We'll never know what could have been done if the Obama Care roll out disaster hadn't happened. It was a fiasco but not really as much his fault as critters like Baucus with enlarged ego syndrome.They should have studied their history better and learn to strike quick before the enemy could organize. I am old enough to know how Civil rights and Medicare were passed. That led to the electoral debacle of 2010. with a Republican controlled legislature he was handcuffed.
We really need to be honest about ourselves and look at our failures to learn from them. I have no problems with Ilhan and many in her district agree with her comments. I live here and have quite a few Somali, Palestinian and Jewish friends. None of them has any problems with her comments. The African American population is on her side Ill wager forty acres of black bottom land she will get reelected.

[PatrickforO]

85. Agreed.

Trump can't hold a candle to Obama. But Obama was not perfect. Definitely a bit to my right. Yet, he was who was needed. The country was sliding to an economic abyss and we needed some good old-fashioned Keynesian economics to get us out of it. That's what we got, along with the ACA.

Now, I think Obama was the best president in my lifetime (I'm 60) by virtue of the scope and magnitude of his accomplishments.

How old is Omar, maybe 20-something? She's in a whole different generation, a generation that has never enjoyed the opportunity we boomers had. 44 million people are slaves to student debt. These kids can barely afford a car and an apartment. There's nothing, nothing good - they had their friends blown away in the forever war, they have been exploited every which way but loose, and they have seen old white greed-heads pollute this world until it is almost too late to ensure its continued habitability.

Omar's comments remind me of the old movie Cross of Iron, with James Coburn as Rolf Steiner. They are on the Russian front. It is 1943, the beginning of the end as the Germans were forced to retreat across the Taman Peninsula towards the Crimea, which was itself in the process of being surrounded.

Rolf leads a rag-tag platoon and he's in the Colonel's dugout. The Colonel tells him, "I'm getting tired of getting you out of trouble with other officers," and Steiner replies, "I never asked you to."

This infuriates the Colonel, who tells Steiner to 'get out!'

On the way out, the adjutant asks Steiner why he is so ungrateful, and Steiner looked at him unbelievingly and replied, "WHAT do I have to be grateful FOR?"

Same thing with Omar and the whole Millennial generation. As I say, they have been screwed every which way but loose in this capitalist utopia of ours.

So, just a warning, I guess - when these kids get their voice, and they ARE getting their voice, we shouldn't insist on liking what they have to say, because we've left them a world that is much worse, less forgiving and more tilted against them than the one we found.

[treestar]

7. not agreeing with the idea of him as a polished Trump

is hardly a cult of personality, let alone an alarming one.

[melman]

10. She didn't say he was a polished Trump

That's the other thing that always happens here. Things get distorted into the worst possible version for max. outrage.

[George II]

24. Among other things, she said Obama had the same policies but they were more polished. Plus...

She said, in reference to Obama, she doesn't "want anybody to get away with murder because they are polished."
She spoke of Obama's "caging of kids" at the border.
She spoke of the "hope and change" offered by Obama being a mirage.

Spin it any way you want.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D1Ir0X-WkAA963I?format=jpg

[melman]

30. "Spin it any way you want. "

Accuracy isn't spinning. Nowhere does she say the words "Obama was a polished Trump"

[George II]

32. Yes, spin it any way you want.

[melman]

33. I'm not spinning anything

Truth and accuracy are important. That's not spinning.

[Cha]

37. Rep. Omar says Obama was a more polished version of Trump, and suggests -- incorrectly -- that Obama j

Link to tweet

"They only seperated families when it was determined that the children would be in danger in prison, and the parent couldn't be released due to criminal charges. They always placed children either with relatives or sponsors who were thouroughly vetted."

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=11901011

Link to tweet

What "media" does she consume?

[George II]

44. Children were NEVER jailed nor was there "caging of children".

Comparing one of the best presidents in our lifetimes with the worst in our history is uncalled for. Period!

[Cha]

48. It's a travesty.. Omar owes Pres Obama a huge apology.

[Kurt V.]

59. That's probably not going to happen. i was never ok with Obama's

drone program.

[Cha]

87. I understand that and neither was I, but

Omar is not being truthful here.. and she owes President Obama an apology.

Link to tweet

"They only seperated families when it was determined that the children would be in danger in prison, and the parent couldn't be released due to criminal charges. They always placed children either with relatives or sponsors who were thouroughly vetted."

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=11901011

[brush]

65. Makes you wonder whose side is she on.

She's got a lot to learn. Attack repugs not Democrats. How fucking hard is that? She gained a high profile platform but if she keeps this up attacking and alienating those on her side, she won't last long to do what her voters sent her to DC to do.

[Cha]

35. Now you're just insulting members who

object to her trying to smear President Obama with the maniac trump.

Link to tweet

"They only seperated families when it was determined that the children would be in danger in prison, and the parent couldn't be released due to criminal charges. They always placed children either with relatives or sponsors who were thouroughly vetted."

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=11901011

Link to tweet

[onenote]

43. I would say the same thing about the cult of personality developing around Omar.

Obama put up with a lot of bullshit from Republicans, in case you don't remember. I for one don't need to see bullshit from Democrats aimed at him (such as denigrating him as a pretty face version of Trump.

If someone can't comprehend the fundamental difference between Barack Obama and Donald Trump, that person has no business being a Democratic member of Congress.

That being said, she's inexperienced and, to some degree, unprepared for the attention that she is getting. So I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope she figures out that she doesn't have to say everything that comes into her head -- and that she'll be a more effective politician, building alliances, working as part of a team, once she learns that.

[uponit7771]

67. This, too, was said last primary

[lapucelle]

73. What cult of personality? N/T

[still_one]

77. hmmm, The cult of personality developing around Omar on her is, frankly, alarming

[John Fante]

111. So you also believe he's just a well-dressed version of Trump?

[FrankBooth]

5. She's not doing herself or the party any favors

hey, she's a 37 year old woman, not a child.  She is entitled to her opinions, and the Dem brass is entitled to judge if her methods of opining are worthy of party support.  So far I think she's been reckless and immature, and I hope she can turn it around. Offering up fodder for the GOP is not smart and shouldn't be tolerated by party brass IMHO.

[Stare Decisis]

8. Anything can be fodder.

Dijon mustard can be fodder. We probably need to adopt their "So what?" approach. I remember once I broke a window playing ball. I was so upset. The neighbor was cool-he said mow his lawn a few times, call it even. But I was apoplectic. In fact I was so ashamed I quit baseball. I was more worried about it than anybody. So I didn't play. The guy whose window I broke was chill-my point is we tie ourselves up worrying about how "they" will respond. And so we treat a political broken window like somehow politically "torching" the place.

And quit playing. And they win.

[FrankBooth]

11. Respectfully disagree.

Will be interesting to see what the Dem brass does about it, if anything.

[mahina]

21. +1. Welcome to DU. Well put.

Nice to meet you.

[yaesu]

51. The GOP even used the color of Obama's suit as fodder, they should never be taken serious

and their warped opinions never count.

[marylandblue]

12. That's what I think. She is not ready for prime time.

Of course a Muslim woman is going to have a target on her back. She needs to learn how to protect herself and deal with it. AOC also has a target on her back but she is much better at handling it. She should give Omar some pointers.

[47of74]

82. the dem brass throws people under the bus all the fucking time

They're so goddamn afraid of what the GOP will say they betray the members

[GulfCoast66]

88. Bullshit! There not afraid of what Republicans will say.

They are rightly concerned about how the majority of voters will respond. That’s their only concern.

[pnwmom]

13. And if she keeps this up, someone may start to primary her a year from now. Get used to it. n/t

[stewrat]

14. Yes, she has opinions.

I voted for Omar. But I don't remember her sharing these opinions when she was running for office. Maybe I just wasn't paying attention. But I am now. I've always ben sorry that Ellison ran for the SOS instead of staying put.

[dalton99a]

16. Do we need more of this:

[Cha]

38. Thanks for this, dalton.. I am PISSED!

Link to tweet

"They only seperated families when it was determined that the children would be in danger in prison, and the parent couldn't be released due to criminal charges. They always placed children either with relatives or sponsors who were thouroughly vetted."

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=11901011

Link to tweet

[mahina]

17. I refuse to be a human pinball for the right's use to divide us.

Thanks for your post.

[malachi]

57. Did they right force her to say incredibly dumb shit?

[Cha]

106. Really! Lying about Pres Obama has nothing to do with

the fascist wing.. except their lapping it up.

Omar deleted her "dumb shit opinion".. That's what she thought of it.

Link to tweet

[Adrahil]

18. Yeah, if her opinion is...

.... that Obama got away with murder, she can GTFO.

Disagreeing about policy is one thing. Accusing him of murder, however, is beyond the pale.

[BannonsLiver]

22. Get used to the pushback.

She’s not above criticism either. And she’s about to get a boatload of it. And it’s well deserved, too.

[tonedevil]

25. Did you take a poll?

I didn't get my ballot.

[kcr]

26. Did you?

I've been on DU long enough to know this place usually doesn't march lock step to any one DUer telling it what to do.

[tonedevil]

27. I didn't try to speak for most of DU. /nt

[kcr]

28. But you're ok with the OP, who did.

[tonedevil]

31. I don't see where the OP...

is claiming to speak for anyone except themselves. In your post, #23, you said Most of DU doesn't care what you think. Get used to it. I merely wanted to know the basis for you being spokesperson for most of DU.

[apcalc]

29. I'm fine with her.

I don't agree with all she said, nor do I agree with all Obama nor any candidate says. Big deal.
The media works to divide us. DON"T FALL FOR IT.

[theaocp]

34. Too late, unfortunately.

There are posts calling her a fake Democrat, for fuck's sake.

[kcr]

40. Indeed. See post 39

[kcr]

39. I wonder how some who seemed to love her "opinion" so much will like this one?

Going to make it hard to get used to

Link to tweet

[mjvpi]

64. Thank you for posting this.

It gets scary sound here sometimes.

[JudyM]

90. The tweet was scrubbed... what did it say?

[IronLionZion]

41. Omar Coming!

[Stare Decisis]

42. Many missed my point.

Last edited Thu Apr 4, 2019, 05:17 AM - Edit history (1)

[onenote]

45. I'm not asking her bow down to factions or crater to any media

I'm simply hoping she wises up and figures out that making outlandish headline grabbing statements (and if she didn't know that's what she was doing she would be hopeless naïve and I don't think she is) she undermines her effectiveness. Being the outspoken renegade may get her attention, but it isn't going to make people want to work with her.

[kcr]

46. You're not going to tell us what to do or think

But feel free to tell us we're DEMOCRATING WRONG!

But what do you make of this? Which opinion is it? I want to be sure I'm DEMOCRATING THE RIGHT WAY!

Link to tweet

[kelly1mm]

47. If her opinions are anti semetic get used to

Her going criticized for them. Same if she attacks other Democrats.

[George II]

49. I will never "get used to" ANYONE saying that Obama was "get(ing) away with murder"!

[NurseJackie]

50. I hope she doesn't tarnish the Democratic party.

[keepFocused06]

52. She needs to get it together

Im just about sick of her. The anti-semetic accusations were pure bs but she needs to understand that there is only one goal right now. Defeat trump at all cost. Fracturing her own party is not helping. Debates can be had as soon as the troll and his republican enablers are gone.

[JudyM]

92. Are you Jewish?

[keepFocused06]

95. no

No I'm not. I just don't like her and think she's becoming a problem.

[JudyM]

100. Same reason a white person opining about whether something is racist matters. Or a guy about sexism.

This statement by the poster is, as we now know, “‘splainin”:
“ The anti-semetic (sic) accusations were pure bs”

[oldlibdem]

53. Mouth in forward brain in nuetral?

My advice to her would be to think before she speaks! Unless she's going for the alt-right vote and the last time I checked they do not like people of color nor muslims.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

55. I stand with Barack Obama.

I hold him in the same reverence as the martyred Kennedy brothers, Abraham Lincoln, and Dr. King and am not ashamed to say so.

[brush]

56. Why'd she run as a Democrat and then proceed to bash Dems?

I don't get it. Obama strove mighttly to stay out of wars and did. If she's naive enough to think that no deaths are going to happen in any president's term she needs to go study some history. And the Palestinians, who she advocates for are responsible for deaths to in fightingfor their cause.

She's alenating people who are on her side. She won't last long in Congress doing that.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

58. I have to censor myself from saying worse.

People of small intellect are totally unaware of the cross pressures Barack Obama labored under. His critics remind me of armchair generals and quarterbacks.

[brush]

75. I know. She needs to study the history of what forces...

were arrayed against O from his first day. He stayed out of wars despite repeated calls to send troops here, send troops there. She was right about Abrams but her bashing of O and her less than artful critique of Netanyahu's right wing policy alienated Jewish voters and now she's alienated many African Americans.

Unfortunately she seems to talk first and have to apologize later.

It's not smart to go after your friends and I doubt she's making many in the Dem Black Caucus, those who look like her in Congress.

[Ferrets are Cool]

62. Circular firing squad. I get so fucking sick of it

[DemocratSinceBirth]

68. She shouldn't have called President Obama an empty suit.

She didn't use those exact words but if what she said was in the form of a SAT question asking what the author of the passage was trying to convey that would be the correct answer.

[Ferrets are Cool]

80. She has the right to say whatever the FUCK she wants to say

as long as she votes with the Democrats and votes for ME, I'm NOT going to pick her mind apart. I love President Obama, but he was NOT a perfect president. If anyone can't understand that, then it's their fault. If someone wants to point it out and is STILL a true blue Democrat, I will SUPPORT THEM.
Do what you want.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

81. She shouldn't have suggested President Obama is an empty suit.

I am truly sorry that upsets you.




https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211902027




I would like to amend my comments:

I hold him in the same reverence as the martyred Kennedy brothers, Abraham Lincoln, Muhammad Ali, and Dr. King and am not ashamed to say so. He was the fundamentally most decent man to ever hold that office.

[Ferrets are Cool]

83. I agree with you, BUT

I am unwilling to throw her under the bus. Besides, I thought speaking badly about Democrats was discouraged here.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

84. My friend...

There was a bit of hyperbole in my effusive praise for President Obama but beside being a great president he was a good guy. Suggesting he's an empty suit is hurtful to those of us who hold him in high regard. Ms. Omar should know how hard it is for a person of color to navigate the white man's world and President Obama was the leader of it. Sadly Ms. Omar is not alone in ignoring that fundamental truth.

[LAS14]

97. Totally agree. We have to protect the right to different opinions.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211901347#post96

[mjvpi]

69. Her takedown of Elliot Abrams was brilliant.

What the hell is he doing in politics again? Especially anything to do with South America.

[still_one]

70. I don't have to "get used to her". I don't like her, and I don't care for her divisive rhetoric,

but she isn't my representative. She represents those in her district in Minnesota. If they like her they will re-elect her, if they don't they will elect someone else

However, if she wants to engage in attacks on President Obama, and her other colleagues in Congress, inferring allegiance to other countries or dual loyalties, she is NOT going to get a free pass

[lapucelle]

71. Some Democrats disagree with and are even offended by her opinions. Get used to it. N/T

[Hassler]

72. So do the rest of us.

[Meowmee]

74. My thoughts

She is an anti semitic and anti Israel. Now she is attacking Obama with right wing talking points. I hope she is primaried. She is causing damage to dems. I will vote for dems but I won’t supprt them financially if they continue on of the path of defending her and people like her.

[BannonsLiver]

79. +1

I’d like to see a primary challenge. She’s revealed herself as someone unready for the big stage.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

86. Hillary Clinton won her district by fifty five points. Let that sink in.

You or I could win it with all the important (D) after our name.

[JudyM]

94. +1. She has a history of expressing antisemitic sentiments that she has been enlightened about

before, yet they continue to spew out of her.

Some don’t have any problem with this... racism against Jews is too subtle for them to see unless there’s physical violence involved. And even then... they find it’s excusable because of Israel.

[Meowmee]

113. +1 nt

[empedocles]

78. The reckoning has begun.

[Cha]

89. We have "Opinions" about her opinions.. Get Use To It.

[Little Star]

91. I have opinions also so get use to it.....

I do not like Omar one little bit.

Never in my life has any democrat ever turned me off the way she does. Never. If this is where my party is going then I'm not following.

[MicaelS]

93. She needs to learn the lessons of today.

If you make comments that are viewed as bigoted or stupid, you are going to get push-back on it.

[LAS14]

96. If you are simplistic enough...

..to think that the use of drones is "murder," (unjustified killing) then you ought to be able to point out that a Democrat (a beloved Democrat) engaged in these policies without being personally attacked. Obama had a policy that she strongly disagrees with. Fine. It doesn't mean she's not a Democrat. Surely we can disagree with one another's policies???

"We can't be only upset with Trump because he's not a politician who sells us his policies in the most perfect way. His policies are bad, but many of the people who came before him also had really bad policies. They just were more polished than he was, and that's not what we should be looking for anymore," Omar added. "We don't want anybody to get away with murder because they are polished, we want to recognize the actual policies that are behind the pretty face and the smile so that we can understand the kind of negative impact, or positive impact they will have on us for generations to come."


https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/week-controversy-rep-ilhan-omar-criticism-president-obama/story?id=61564148

[jalan48]

99. Identity politics demands loyalty to your identity group.

[RelativelyJones]

104. Get used to the fact that not every Democrat is on board with her. Her opinions can be criticized

as much as any public figure.

[Cha]

105. Omar Deleted her "Opinion" Tweet.

Link to tweet