Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Jose Garcia

(2,593 posts)
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 12:20 AM Mar 2019

Ilhan Omar Backtracks After Calling Obama a "Pretty Face" Who "Got Away with Murder"

Source: Vanity Fair

Even as the Twitter commentariat continues to litigate whether Rep. Ilhan Omar’s latest comments about Israel were merely poorly phrased or fully anti-Semitic, the freshman congresswoman ignited another controversy Friday when Politico published part of an interview in which Omar appeared to bash Barack Obama, the patron saint of the Democratic Party, as some sort of war-mongering, neoliberal shill:

Omar says the “hope and change” offered by Barack Obama was a mirage. Recalling the “caging of kids” at the U.S.-Mexico border and the “droning of countries around the world” on Obama’s watch, she argues that the Democratic president operated within the same fundamentally broken framework as his Republican successor.

“We can’t be only upset with Trump . . . 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,” Omar says. “And that’s not what we should be looking for anymore. 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.”

For some, those comments may prove to be more incendiary than Omar’s criticisms of Israel and the pro-Israel lobby in Washington, which left Republicans and more than a few Democrats fuming. Obama, after all, remains astoundingly popular within his party. In a recent Harvard-Harris Poll survey, a plurality of Democrats said they would label themselves an “Obama Democrat”; fewer identified themselves as “progressive,” and even fewer as “democratic socialist.” If the AIPAC flap was successful in turning off the more hawkish members of the Democratic Party, going after one of its most popular members as a “pretty face”—or, at the very least, giving conservatives enough ammo to build that message—could end up being just as damaging for Omar, whose district voted for Obama by about 50 percent both in 2008 and 2012.



Read more: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/03/ilhan-omar-barack-obama-pretty-face/amp

106 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Ilhan Omar Backtracks After Calling Obama a "Pretty Face" Who "Got Away with Murder" (Original Post) Jose Garcia Mar 2019 OP
Ilhan Omar Backtracks ! stonecutter357 Mar 2019 #1
So that hopey-changey Obama was a child kidnapper and warmonger dalton99a Mar 2019 #2
Yes, and his "hope and change" was just a "mirage" according to her. George II Mar 2019 #9
Can you imagine the Backlash if this Cha Mar 2019 #24
Post removed Post removed Mar 2019 #100
More than that. She called him a murderer. Honeycombe8 Mar 2019 #50
Primary her. nycbos Mar 2019 #3
+10000 nt forklift Mar 2019 #101
Wow Me. Mar 2019 #4
Maybe one day there will be no need to "backtrack". George II Mar 2019 #5
How are her constituents in Minnesota responding? Is she likely to be re-elected? NurseJackie Mar 2019 #38
It's really hard to say, it's still very early. But it is way out of line bashing Obama for her... George II Mar 2019 #41
Over the years I've seen candidates who do that. They recite a laundry-list of problems... NurseJackie Mar 2019 #42
This message was self-deleted by its author forklift Mar 2019 #102
She Is Now On My Active Shit List! DoctorJoJo Mar 2019 #6
Let's hope there is someone to primary her this next election redstateblues Mar 2019 #7
i hiope so. like leave now lady. trueblue2007 Mar 2019 #20
Some morning music underpants Mar 2019 #52
There's a little hidden irony in "Shit list" and "heavy.....bricks." Chin music Mar 2019 #56
Rep Omar is not doing herself or Dems MontanaMama Mar 2019 #8
Lifelong Democrat seta1950 Mar 2019 #10
Whoa PatSeg Mar 2019 #11
She's about to lose any support radical noodle Mar 2019 #12
What a buffoon! curiouso Mar 2019 #13
This has to be the shortest political career I've ever witnessed. PSPS Mar 2019 #14
Ilhan, you lost me. Obama was not a murderer. He didn't put kids in cages. SunSeeker Mar 2019 #15
"I'm an Obama fan!" Cha Mar 2019 #25
She needed to say she didn't mean to imply Obama put kids in cages. SunSeeker Mar 2019 #26
Exactly.. Well Done! Cha Mar 2019 #27
Same here PatSeg Mar 2019 #39
Because those words would be meaningless. Honeycombe8 Mar 2019 #51
Words matter and she is certainly not choosing them well. sheshe2 Mar 2019 #77
She will be a one term Representative revmclaren Mar 2019 #16
She may have to leave sooner forklift Mar 2019 #103
All this 'stuff' Dyedinthewoolliberal Mar 2019 #17
And Omar should probably keep some of her thoughts to herself. nt KPN Mar 2019 #59
I cannot disagree! Dyedinthewoolliberal Mar 2019 #79
While I tend to agree with other commenters here, Stonepounder Mar 2019 #18
Your quote is inaccurate. You say '...a pretty face who got away with murder'. TeamPooka Mar 2019 #21
I think you are right about all of this. She didn't do herself any favors with this interview, KPN Mar 2019 #61
Im all for free speech MFM008 Mar 2019 #19
Everyone has free speech. christx30 Mar 2019 #57
She's getting flak DeminPennswoods Mar 2019 #22
Agree ananda Mar 2019 #29
i loved him. He made me feel safe and made me proud to be an american.... samnsara Mar 2019 #33
I agree DeminPennswoods Mar 2019 #37
Never liberal? mcar Mar 2019 #65
Yes, Good and Bad McKim Mar 2019 #30
A "smear job" on HER? SHE is the one who falsely said that Obama caged children, among other... George II Mar 2019 #44
She's getting flak for saying things that are not smart to say onenote Mar 2019 #35
I think Obama would have been a much more PatSeg Mar 2019 #40
I don't know. The ACA and the fact that he was the first black President will vastly overshadow any KPN Mar 2019 #62
Good analysis DeminPennswoods! Devil Child Mar 2019 #78
Omar is getting Major PUSHBACK because she Cha Mar 2019 #85
Noone is perfect quakerboy Mar 2019 #97
Bothsideism nt forklift Mar 2019 #104
Vanity Fair Framing Is Intended To Inflame And Be Sensational DallasNE Mar 2019 #23
Thank You, Dallas!!! McKim Mar 2019 #91
Same as it ever was Grokenstein Mar 2019 #28
Young lawmkers like Omar (and AOC to an extent) are showing why electing them could be a mistake, beachbum bob Mar 2019 #31
When Al Franken was a newbie in the senate, PatSeg Mar 2019 #43
This! mcar Mar 2019 #66
Thankfully the other 38 newly elected Democratic congresspeople are quietly going along... George II Mar 2019 #46
Thirty-seven murielm99 Mar 2019 #60
Double Standard DallasNE Mar 2019 #84
whataboutism nt forklift Mar 2019 #105
oh dear samnsara Mar 2019 #32
Has obama replied? Maxheader Mar 2019 #34
There's no reason for him to respond - he did NOT cage children and he did NOT get away with murder. George II Mar 2019 #47
Well there was some underpants Mar 2019 #54
What a contrast from DU of days of old when talking about drone warfare Blue_Adept Mar 2019 #36
as someone said above imavoter Mar 2019 #45
I wouldn't mind hearing what she Cha Mar 2019 #89
The detentions are NOT the same treestar Mar 2019 #94
That doesn't make it ok for Omar to make up crap.. Cha Mar 2019 #88
I'm afraid that she has lost me. jcmaine72 Mar 2019 #48
Its almost like this Rep is a Right Wing plant. Her actions are a GIFT to the Right oldsoftie Mar 2019 #49
If Omar would just shut up for 72 hours Loki Liesmith Mar 2019 #53
I agree. underpants Mar 2019 #55
Sometimes Our Party Will Send Fools To Congress Vogon_Glory Mar 2019 #58
She can definitely be replaced dalton99a Mar 2019 #63
On the plus side, not near as many fools being sent by the right. Let's not overinflate her KPN Mar 2019 #64
Quite so Vogon_Glory Mar 2019 #75
OK, it's official: I've had a bellyfull of Rep. Omar. Paladin Mar 2019 #67
Jill Stein-ish of her. LuvLoogie Mar 2019 #68
Well, when things swing too far to the right for too long things get nasty & we often see a yaesu Mar 2019 #69
Apparently, Omar never heard the old adage that says... ADX Mar 2019 #70
She should attack the enemy and refrain from bothsiderism dalton99a Mar 2019 #71
You would think that would go without saying... ADX Mar 2019 #73
Is she not attacking the obstacles to a peaceful KPN Mar 2019 #86
This may be the shortest political career on record. nt. BlueIdaho Mar 2019 #72
Omar is quite a troll. JustABozoOnThisBus Mar 2019 #74
And She's Been In Congress...What? Me. Mar 2019 #76
If Ilhan said those things i am disappointed onetexan Mar 2019 #80
I'm sure tRump fans and the media will put more attention on this than gtar100 Mar 2019 #81
I See Some East African Stuff Floating Around Vogon_Glory Mar 2019 #82
Try engaging the brain before popping the clutch on the mouth.... capechacon Mar 2019 #83
"giving conservatives enough ammo to build that message" Beartracks Mar 2019 #87
Four months and ten days. betsuni Mar 2019 #90
Never fear, the Repugnants have given their full consent that the next Democrat in office can ram cstanleytech Mar 2019 #95
Post removed Post removed Mar 2019 #92
If you didn't listen to the entire Democracy NOW discussion, you really do not have enough allgood33 Mar 2019 #93
Omar was the one who made "nasty comments" Cha Mar 2019 #96
Someone should send her the book Calista241 Mar 2019 #98
Someone finally talked some sense into her... Blue_Tires Mar 2019 #99
This message was self-deleted by its author forklift Mar 2019 #106

Cha

(297,154 posts)
24. Can you imagine the Backlash if this
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 06:07 AM
Mar 2019

were said about her?!


"We want to recognize the actual policies that are behind the pretty face and the smile.

“I’m an Obama fan!" Who Needs Enemies!!

Response to George II (Reply #9)

George II

(67,782 posts)
5. Maybe one day there will be no need to "backtrack".
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 12:28 AM
Mar 2019

"We don’t want anybody to get away with murder because they are polished."!!!

Obama did NOT commit "murder"! Please.

George II

(67,782 posts)
41. It's really hard to say, it's still very early. But it is way out of line bashing Obama for her...
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 10:08 AM
Mar 2019

....to be bashing Obama the way that she did, especially since some of it wasn't ever true.

I learned 50 years ago that if one wants to criticize something or someone, first that criticism should be TRUE and second one should have an alternative - a BETTER position or policy.

Don't just complain without being full inform about what one is complaining.

NurseJackie

(42,862 posts)
42. Over the years I've seen candidates who do that. They recite a laundry-list of problems...
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 10:12 AM
Mar 2019
I learned 50 years ago that if one wants to criticize something or someone, first that criticism should be TRUE and second one should have an alternative - a BETTER position or policy.
Over the years I've seen candidates who do that. They recite a laundry-list of problems, but they NEVER have any realistic solutions. No answers at all... no policies... no clue how it's going to be paid for. In the end, it's just a fantasy world wish-list and no idea of how to make those things happen.

Response to George II (Reply #41)

Chin music

(23,002 posts)
56. There's a little hidden irony in "Shit list" and "heavy.....bricks."
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 11:32 AM
Mar 2019

As in...shit a brick. Hahaha. good post in several ways.

PatSeg

(47,399 posts)
11. Whoa
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 01:02 AM
Mar 2019

So many Democrats were giving her the benefit of the doubt. I know I did. Can't possibly mistake what she was saying here. Well, that will be a short political career.

curiouso

(57 posts)
13. What a buffoon!
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 01:52 AM
Mar 2019

She obviously can't decide whether to stand by while the Republican Party sabotages the Democrats' chances in 2020 or to step in and do it herself.
In her case, the middle-of-the-road members of Congress residing on our side of the aisle were right when they warned newcomers speak softly before bringing out the big sticks. They obviously were wrong to attempt reining in AOC and the other liberal newcomers - they've demonstrated class and skills far beyond their years. Omar, on the other hand, is a one-woman wrecking crew.
I don't necessarily disagree with her conclusions about pro-Israeli lobbyists, but her damn-the-torpedoes and fulll speed ahead approach to expressing whatever it is she believes is seriously undermining the sympathy many of us on the left side of the aisle have for the international Muslim community.
I have a poster with the words "F--k You!" in large letters across the top - but in such florid lettering that it's nearly impossible to tell what it says. It looks more like a decoration than a message. The message appears below the florid legendk. In clearly legible type it says "It's not what you say, it's how you say it."
Someone ought to send a copy to Omar.

SunSeeker

(51,550 posts)
15. Ilhan, you lost me. Obama was not a murderer. He didn't put kids in cages.
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 01:53 AM
Mar 2019

The difference between Trump and Obama policies is not just a matter of "polish."

SunSeeker

(51,550 posts)
26. She needed to say she didn't mean to imply Obama put kids in cages.
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 06:15 AM
Mar 2019

And she needed to clarify that she did not mean to imply that Obama committed "murder" via drones.

Calling herself a "fan" actually belittles Obama (suggests he is a TV personality, like Trump) and does nothing to correct or take back what she said about Obama.

I would never call myself an Obama "fan." That's what what my Republican in-laws call me. I call myself an Obama supporter.

Cha

(297,154 posts)
27. Exactly.. Well Done!
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 06:23 AM
Mar 2019

She should apologize for her actual words. Instead of trying to wipe them away by claiming she's an "Obama fan".

Can you imagine the backlash if this were said about her?

"We want to recognize the actual policies that are behind the pretty face and the smile.”



PatSeg

(47,399 posts)
39. Same here
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 09:50 AM
Mar 2019

"Fan" is for movie stars, using it for a president sounds rather shallow and superficial.

Honeycombe8

(37,648 posts)
51. Because those words would be meaningless.
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 11:12 AM
Mar 2019

When you say red = black, it's meaningless and insulting to later say, "I didn't mean to imply that red equals black."

Words matter. She said what she said. She meant what she said. They can't be taken back.


sheshe2

(83,746 posts)
77. Words matter and she is certainly not choosing them well.
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 04:15 PM
Mar 2019

The more she says, the deeper the hole becomes.

 

forklift

(401 posts)
103. She may have to leave sooner
Mon Mar 11, 2019, 09:05 AM
Mar 2019

One more virulent statement in support of radical Islam and she will become persona non grata.

She has already become radioactive.

Dyedinthewoolliberal

(15,566 posts)
17. All this 'stuff'
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 03:03 AM
Mar 2019

we are hearing about regarding the new electeds in the House is really just a distraction and division device. As Democrats we need to pull together, not apart. And while a 2 year term isn't very long, its' really premature for all these pundits and political writers to make predictions about the next election. This Congress has been in session what 9 or 10 weeks.
Breathe deep everyone, newbies are always gonna misstep here and there............

Stonepounder

(4,033 posts)
18. While I tend to agree with other commenters here,
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 03:11 AM
Mar 2019

please read the text above. She didn't call Obama '...a pretty face who got away with murder'. She alluded to some of the military operations that Obama approved, including drone strikes.

However, if she doesn't learn to speak in a somewhat more nuanced style, she's going to have trouble. But we need to remember also that her district has a very large Somali contingent and that she, herself was born in Somalia. So it might be harder to primary her than it might seem at first glance.

Please don't think that I am somehow defending her, just saying that the click-bait headline doesn't accurately quote what she actually said.

TeamPooka

(24,221 posts)
21. Your quote is inaccurate. You say '...a pretty face who got away with murder'.
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 03:58 AM
Mar 2019

but the headline quote is a "Pretty Face" Who "Got Away with Murder"

You do understand the difference with the separate quotes right from the two connected sentences?

These are exact quotes from the article and in context when presented in the headline because both sentences, and their fragments quoted, were connected and leading into each other to clarify and finish her point.

She said Obama had murderous policies that he got away with because he was "polished" and had a pretty face to explain it all.

KPN

(15,642 posts)
61. I think you are right about all of this. She didn't do herself any favors with this interview,
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 12:34 PM
Mar 2019

and, as you said, she's going to have trouble. She needs to get smarter about speaking her thoughts publicly -- in a hurry (in fact, if the comments posted by some above are an indicator, it may already be too late).

Being smart about what one says publicly is something that truly great leaders like Obama were masters at. There are many who are going to read things into just about anything a particular elected official says. Public personas can't control this by any means other than being measured in what they voice.

I hope she learns to do this quickly. I hope it's not too late.

christx30

(6,241 posts)
57. Everyone has free speech.
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 11:54 AM
Mar 2019

Including the people that criticize her.
She decided to become a public figure. If she keeps saying stupid crap, we’re all free to rip her up one side and down the other.
Minnesota deserves better.

DeminPennswoods

(15,278 posts)
22. She's getting flak
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 05:17 AM
Mar 2019

because she's saying things that are uncomfortable to hear.

Obama did both good and bad. There are many good things like hiring a competent cabinet officers who operated in the public, not their own, interest; signing the Lily Ledbetter law; taking on and winning the health care battle; providing "Dreamers" a way to stay in the US and of course approving the operation that killed Osama Bin Laden.

But he was also ready to strike a "grand bargain" with Boehner to cut the social safety net by using a different index to calculate COLAs. He did dramatically increase drone strikes, some of which killed civilian non-combatants. He did wratchet up detention and deportation of immigrants. He was aggressive in trying to stop "leakers". He absolved the torturers at the CIA. His biggest failure was not informing Americans of Russia attacking our democracy.

In the end, imho, history will judge Obama for what he is - a centrist Democrat with a mixed record.

ananda

(28,858 posts)
29. Agree
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 06:33 AM
Mar 2019

Obama was far from perfect and never liberal.

However, what choice did we have, comparably?
He was certainly better than ANY Reep!

samnsara

(17,616 posts)
33. i loved him. He made me feel safe and made me proud to be an american....
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 07:59 AM
Mar 2019

...i had a choice and i chose him.

DeminPennswoods

(15,278 posts)
37. I agree
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 09:10 AM
Mar 2019

Obama was certainly 100xs better than the best R. I think he got more liberal in his second term, too, but sometimes I think we gloss over the parts of his record aren't so great.

McKim

(2,412 posts)
30. Yes, Good and Bad
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 06:54 AM
Mar 2019

Yes, he did good and bad. The wars of choice did not end. The Iran Nuclear Agreement was great! This is a smear job on her. Don’t take the bait!

George II

(67,782 posts)
44. A "smear job" on HER? SHE is the one who falsely said that Obama caged children, among other...
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 10:36 AM
Mar 2019

....things. She also said he "got away with murder"!!!

I think there was a smear job, but not on her.

onenote

(42,694 posts)
35. She's getting flak for saying things that are not smart to say
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 08:40 AM
Mar 2019

Not if you want to be effective within the Democratic Party. It does her no good to alienate members of her own caucus. No member of Congress can be terribly effective on their own.

PatSeg

(47,399 posts)
40. I think Obama would have been a much more
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 09:57 AM
Mar 2019

liberal and progressive president if he had had a congress who would work with him. Republicans did everything they could to undermine him from day one.

KPN

(15,642 posts)
62. I don't know. The ACA and the fact that he was the first black President will vastly overshadow any
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 12:38 PM
Mar 2019

other details in framing his legacy. And rightfully so. He was truly a great President, especially in those regards not to mention his overall graciousness and likability.

Cha

(297,154 posts)
85. Omar is getting Major PUSHBACK because she
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 08:51 PM
Mar 2019

LIED about President Obama.

Ilhan Omar Backtracks After Calling Obama a "Pretty Face" Who "Got Away with Murder"

Democrats didn’t abandon Omar over her comments about Israel. Her criticism of Barack Obama is another matter.


Omar says the “hope and change” offered by Barack Obama was a mirage. Recalling the “caging of kids” at the U.S.-Mexico border and the “droning of countries around the world” on Obama’s watch, she argues that the Democratic president operated within the same fundamentally broken framework as his Republican successor.

“We can’t be only upset with Trump . . . 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,”

Omar says. “And that’s not what we should be looking for anymore. 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.”

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/03/ilhan-omar-barack-obama-pretty-face


"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

quakerboy

(13,919 posts)
97. Noone is perfect
Sun Mar 10, 2019, 08:48 PM
Mar 2019

And if we declare them so, we lock ourselves into repeating their mistakes as well as their successes.

DallasNE

(7,402 posts)
23. Vanity Fair Framing Is Intended To Inflame And Be Sensational
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 05:30 AM
Mar 2019

But Omar did not measure her words well here and now that she has the spotlight on her she needs to better frame her points because the coverage skips her message to focus on phrases like the unflattering "pretty face" statement. She says she wants to talk about policy but she will never get there with her hot, off script rhetoric. Limit your comments to policy. She also jumps to conclusions on the Obama policy versus the Trump policy on our southern border. There is really no comparison in scope between how Obama detained older, unaccompanied children and Trump separating young children from their parents and not having a system in place to reunite families. Indeed, that is offensive. The political upheaval in Central America currently triggers our most pressing immigration problem. What policy would Omar propose to remedy that problem? Again, she went off-script so where is the message discipline?


Her sense of history is not the traditional American framing of history. She calls out the policy of continuation from administration to administration because the policy has to change for meaningful progress to happen and she further points out the illogical division of the Middle East into unnatural countries. An example is how the Kurds have been split up into several countries to diminish their power. She has a valid point but offers no solution - only criticism of the policy of several administrations that got us where we are today. She is also correct on the history of the holocaust where it was Christians that were responsible and not Muslims. But it was other Christians that paid a heavy price to rid the world of Hitler so her portrayal leaves a lot out. Indeed, the threat to Jews and anti-Semitism in America today comes from white nationalist Christians and not Muslims and that needs to be acknowledged.


I have not heard her speak in depth on where she stands on Israel and a two State solution. Her historical view aligns with the Palestinians because of her background. One hopes that she thinks this one through because it could be her Waterloo if she gets it wrong.


I am willing to give her a chance to get her messaging shored up to where she walks the walk when it comes to having a policy debate. Unless she quickly builds discipline into her message, sticks to policy and an accurate description of history she will lose me too. I would say that today she has wavering support. The ball is in her court.

McKim

(2,412 posts)
91. Thank You, Dallas!!!
Sun Mar 10, 2019, 09:14 AM
Mar 2019

Thank you, Dallas, yours is the voice of reason. We can’t get caught up in bashing Democrats when we should be spending our energy getting out the Democratic Party Agenda message out to the unconverted and to everyone.

Grokenstein

(5,722 posts)
28. Same as it ever was
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 06:23 AM
Mar 2019

"Shiny! Oo! Out with old! In with new!"
"Don't you think we should wait to see--"
"Shut up, you stupid old centrist!! Shout 'im down, everyone! Shiny! Oo! Out with old! In with new!"
(center of infatuation opens mouth and crams foot inside)
"In with--wow. Okay, maybe that was just a--"
(center of infatuation, excited by the attention, stretches mouth wider, crams foot in deeper)

 

beachbum bob

(10,437 posts)
31. Young lawmkers like Omar (and AOC to an extent) are showing why electing them could be a mistake,
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 07:16 AM
Mar 2019

yes we need younger people, but need younger people who can control what they say and not jump at every microphone for attention.

Its why age and wisdom is still important

PatSeg

(47,399 posts)
43. When Al Franken was a newbie in the senate,
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 10:21 AM
Mar 2019

in first term, he kept a low profile nationally and focused primarily on his constituents. He knew he had to earn their trust if they were going to take him seriously. He rarely did national interviews and kept his criticism and wry humor in check. Once he was re-elected, he became a little more outspoken, but he earned that right through discipline and respect for those who have already paid their dues.

It was similar with Hillary when she was first elected to the senate. Few people outside of New York knew what she was doing, as she focused on the people who had elected her first and foremost. I was amazed and impressed later when I read about what kind of a senator she was.

The current freshman in congress are energetic and refreshing, but they need to remember that first and foremost they were elected to serve THEIR constituents, not as you say "jump at every microphone for attention". Some of these new representatives will make some rookie mistakes and then later go on to do some impressive work, but others could easily burn out quickly, if they don't stop, listen, and take notes. A little bit of humility wouldn't hurt either.

George II

(67,782 posts)
46. Thankfully the other 38 newly elected Democratic congresspeople are quietly going along...
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 10:39 AM
Mar 2019

....learning and doing the jobs they were elected to do.

DallasNE

(7,402 posts)
84. Double Standard
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 07:44 PM
Mar 2019

Republicans like Steve King and Louie Gohmert say things far worse than Omar on a daily basis and their statements get scant attention. Omar seems new to politics so she keeps hitting the trip wires on loaded words but even then her mistakes are quite minor compared to King.

AOC does not have a "control" problem with her words so I take it you think she is too far out there on policy with her support of a Green New Deal, things like that.

George II

(67,782 posts)
47. There's no reason for him to respond - he did NOT cage children and he did NOT get away with murder.
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 10:40 AM
Mar 2019

underpants

(182,769 posts)
54. Well there was some
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 11:22 AM
Mar 2019

but word got up and down the chain (pardon the pun) that it was not good. He got a lot of flak from the left. They changed the policy to not charge the parents but still hold the family in place together. If memory serves they used some post-9/11 Patriot Act or DOJ opinions to justify it. Charging the parents mean they can't stay with their kids. From DC to juvenile experts to people on the ground there agreed to stop separate the families. Trump of course is doing so as punishment and, in the zany RW thinking that is, that it will alter human behavior of desperate people thousands of miles away.

Blue_Adept

(6,399 posts)
36. What a contrast from DU of days of old when talking about drone warfare
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 08:45 AM
Mar 2019

and the distaste and anger over Obama getting further enmeshed in that.

imavoter

(646 posts)
45. as someone said above
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 10:39 AM
Mar 2019

people forget about all the drones and detentions.

she's saying things people don't want to hear.
She also needs to work on her nuance.

Cha

(297,154 posts)
89. I wouldn't mind hearing what she
Sun Mar 10, 2019, 03:38 AM
Mar 2019

has to say if she hadn't personally insulted President Obama with ugly attacks that weren't true.



Deleting her tweet after trying to "clarify" with a flippant ".. I'm an Obama fan.. "

treestar

(82,383 posts)
94. The detentions are NOT the same
Sun Mar 10, 2019, 02:58 PM
Mar 2019

There was no policy of doing it to everyone. It is a right wing talking point to say that it was the same thing. This was a NEW policy that Dotard and Sessions thought would deter more people from coming.

Cha

(297,154 posts)
88. That doesn't make it ok for Omar to make up crap..
Sun Mar 10, 2019, 03:33 AM
Mar 2019

about President Obama.

Ilhan Omar Backtracks After Calling Obama a "Pretty Face" Who "Got Away with Murder"

Democrats didn’t abandon Omar over her comments about Israel. Her criticism of Barack Obama is another matter.


Omar says the “hope and change” offered by Barack Obama was a mirage. Recalling the “caging of kids” at the U.S.-Mexico border and the “droning of countries around the world” on Obama’s watch, she argues that the Democratic president operated within the same fundamentally broken framework as his Republican successor.

“We can’t be only upset with Trump . . . 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,”

Omar says. “And that’s not what we should be looking for anymore. 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.”

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/03/ilhan-omar-barack-obama-pretty-face


"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

jcmaine72

(1,773 posts)
48. I'm afraid that she has lost me.
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 10:42 AM
Mar 2019

I tried to give her the benefit of the doubt every step of the way, even after she claimed her remarks about President Obama had been distorted by the media. However, the audio she posted that was supposed to lend clarification to her remarks did nothing but confirm the original criticism against them.

I don't really know what else to say about her at this point. There are several Democratic members of Congress in both houses I simply hold my nose to. She has now joined their ranks.

oldsoftie

(12,531 posts)
49. Its almost like this Rep is a Right Wing plant. Her actions are a GIFT to the Right
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 11:05 AM
Mar 2019

Its past time for Speaker Pelosi to show her WHO is in charge.

underpants

(182,769 posts)
55. I agree.
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 11:23 AM
Mar 2019

But she also knows that it's next to impossible for her to not be re-elected AND she's there for a reason and she's making the most of it.

I'd seriously consider just sitting back for a bit.

Vogon_Glory

(9,117 posts)
58. Sometimes Our Party Will Send Fools To Congress
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 12:13 PM
Mar 2019

It looks like Ilhan Omar might be one of them.

Her fault, her tough luck, and I hope the guys and gals in her district are readying a replacement candidate if she makes herself radioactive.

dalton99a

(81,451 posts)
63. She can definitely be replaced
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 12:38 PM
Mar 2019
Did Omar win because of Somali-American votes?

Omar won more than 65,000 primary votes in a district that likely had about 27,600 Somali-Americans. This means she had to have won tens of thousands of votes from non-Somalis.

And even this probably overstates the impact of Somali-American voters.

Not all of the 27,600 Somalis in the district are able to vote, since Minnesota’s Somali population skews young.

In addition, even those who were eligible to vote may not have turned out at the polls. The district as a whole saw only 18.8 percent of the population turn out to vote in the primary. If the district’s Somali population turned out at that rate, no more than about 5,000 Somali voters would have cast a primary ballot.


https://www.politifact.com/facebook-fact-checks/statements/2019/mar/05/viral-image/meme-wrong-about-somali-americans-ilhan-omars-dist/

KPN

(15,642 posts)
64. On the plus side, not near as many fools being sent by the right. Let's not overinflate her
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 12:44 PM
Mar 2019

importance to our our overall success just yet.

Paladin

(28,252 posts)
67. OK, it's official: I've had a bellyfull of Rep. Omar.
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 12:55 PM
Mar 2019

If I want to hear Obama being shit-canned, I'll tune into Fox "news." I don't need somebody on our side furnishing the opposition with juicy talking points.

LuvLoogie

(6,992 posts)
68. Jill Stein-ish of her.
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 01:11 PM
Mar 2019

The geopolitical modus operandi is a centuries-entrenched thing. We've come a long way since the Magna Carta, but ending feudalism is probably just one step in achieving a more equitable distribution and stewardship of the world's resources.

We Democrats need to concentrate on opposing the grinding greed. Our governing system is essentially a dichotomy. It doesn't serve us when Democrats, or those who claim to be Democrats in order to fund their campaigns, shiv our leadership from behind. Obama, Clinton, Biden are in the Vanguard. THEY strive for a more equitable society. trump McConnell oppose that.

It's not that hard. Get to the front and throw your stones--THAT WAY...

yaesu

(8,020 posts)
69. Well, when things swing too far to the right for too long things get nasty & we often see a
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 01:12 PM
Mar 2019

swing to the take no prisoners far left. Decades of repug rule, neo liberalism, centrists has caused a lot of damage to this country. Rep. Omar was taking out her frustrations on the system that created that mess. She needs to focus on the true enemies, vent that frustration toward fascism, unfettered capitalism, getting money out of politics, basically anything rightwing. She is young, she will learn, I'm not ready to give up on her quite yet.

 

ADX

(1,622 posts)
70. Apparently, Omar never heard the old adage that says...
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 02:08 PM
Mar 2019

..."Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt."

The sooner she's gone, the better...

 

ADX

(1,622 posts)
73. You would think that would go without saying...
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 02:28 PM
Mar 2019

...but obviously, it doesn't.

There's a war going on for the future of our party and as far as I'm concerned, she's committing treason...

KPN

(15,642 posts)
86. Is she not attacking the obstacles to a peaceful
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 11:33 PM
Mar 2019

future that everyone might be secure in? Are those obstacles not enemies in effect?

JustABozoOnThisBus

(23,338 posts)
74. Omar is quite a troll.
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 02:31 PM
Mar 2019

Say something completely outrageous, get everyone excited, then sort of almost apologize.

Then hide behind a cute smile, "who, little old me?", and dodge questions from reporters.

The act is starting to get old.

onetexan

(13,036 posts)
80. If Ilhan said those things i am disappointed
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 04:53 PM
Mar 2019

8 years of a scandal-free presidency with none of O's people in his administration in trouble with the law and she throws that records under the bus?

gtar100

(4,192 posts)
81. I'm sure tRump fans and the media will put more attention on this than
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 05:02 PM
Mar 2019

the actual caging of children and separation of families by ICE at the behest of tRump. Give a dog a bone...

Vogon_Glory

(9,117 posts)
82. I See Some East African Stuff Floating Around
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 05:56 PM
Mar 2019

Former President Obama is half-Kenyan and probably has empathy for the folks from his father’s homeland. He probably was upset when terrorists basing themselves in Somalia attacked targets in Kenya.

Ilhan Omar, OTOH, is of Somali extraction. She probably got upset when US and Kenyan forces struck at what they thought were terrorist bases in Somalia.

It looks rather obvious, which is why lamestream corporate news media overlooked it when it was staring them in their smug, lazy-@$$ faces.

 

capechacon

(91 posts)
83. Try engaging the brain before popping the clutch on the mouth....
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 07:31 PM
Mar 2019

Wow...what is with this congresswoman?? She on a hardcore foot-in-mouth diet??

Hmmm....well, to paraphrase the great Pogo, Ilhan has met the enemy and she is Ilhan.

betsuni

(25,465 posts)
90. Four months and ten days.
Sun Mar 10, 2019, 04:24 AM
Mar 2019

That's all the time President Obama had a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. He was supposed to fundamentally change America in four months and ten days?

cstanleytech

(26,281 posts)
95. Never fear, the Repugnants have given their full consent that the next Democrat in office can ram
Sun Mar 10, 2019, 03:18 PM
Mar 2019

through whatever they want by declaring it a national emergency so we will be seeing alot of liberal changes.
Expanded SCOTUS from 9 to 13 seats? YES!!!!! (with all liberal judges appointed)
Expanded Medicare for everyone? YES!!!!!
Marijuana legalized? YES!!!!! (even though I have never used it)
Taxes on the ultra wealthy and corporations raised with all loopholes closed? YES!!!!!

Response to Jose Garcia (Original post)

 

allgood33

(1,584 posts)
93. If you didn't listen to the entire Democracy NOW discussion, you really do not have enough
Sun Mar 10, 2019, 02:38 PM
Mar 2019

information to make nasty comments.

We didn't let up on the Bushes who over saw the killing of white-flag carrying, retreating Iraqis in Desert Storm or droning into oblivion thousands of Iraqi civilians during and after the Iraqi invasion. Obama is my favorite President but I was and am still totally disgusted about his droning of innocents. War is hell! I will forever be upsset about Truman dropping the A-Bomb.

Cha

(297,154 posts)
96. Omar was the one who made "nasty comments"
Sun Mar 10, 2019, 04:24 PM
Mar 2019

at President Obama.

She's getting rightfully called out on them.

Calista241

(5,586 posts)
98. Someone should send her the book
Sun Mar 10, 2019, 09:42 PM
Mar 2019

“How to win friends and influence people.” She could definitely learn a few things.

Response to Jose Garcia (Original post)

Latest Discussions»Latest Breaking News»Ilhan Omar Backtracks Aft...