Trump -- once again -- fails to condemn the alt-right, white supremacists

[Huss417]

Posted: 8/12/17 at 7:29pm

I really have no words for what went on today in Charlottesville, Virginia but this man makes me ill. Again for those who voted for him like Broadway Concierge. You were so strong in your position on him would love to know if you still stand by him now?

http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/12/politics/trump-fails-to-condemn-the-alt-right-white-supremacists/index.html

Updated On: 8/12/17 at 07:29 PM

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 8/12/17 at 7:52pm

I wouldn't love to know what BroadwayCongierce thinks. I don't give a sh!t. This is no more of a surprise to her/him than it is to anybody else. Of course s/he still stands by him.

[James885]

Posted: 8/12/17 at 7:56pm

The fact that our idiot-in-chief won't call out these white supremacists out by their name is not surprising in the least, when you consider that he fanned the flames of their hatred all throughout his campaign.

He's afraid of alienating them - after all, they helped put him in office. It's the likely the same reason why he won't ever say a bad word against Vladamir Putin.

Updated On: 8/12/17 at 07:56 PM

[Huss417]

Posted: 8/12/17 at 8:18pm

 

Michelangelo Signorile posted this on his Facebook page.

New York City folks: There is a protest march to Trump Tower planned for tomorrow, as Donald Trump has decided to step foot back in Manhattan. That decision was made before the outrage of #Charlottesville and we know how he hates protests -- thought he could slip in and out. So, join it! People will be gathering at 5 p.m. at 59th Street and 5th Avenue, and will head down to Trump Tower.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 8/13/17 at 8:41am

Trump won't say anything beyond the "both sides" bs because this is his base. He was already rebuked by David Duke for his non-statement statement, when Duke reminded him in twitter that these were the people who put him in the White House. 

We have actual white supremacists in the White House. In 2017. That's where we're at right now. 

[adamgreer]

Posted: 8/13/17 at 9:33am

You know it's bad when Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, of all people, have the wherewithal to call this what it is: domestic terrorism. Shame on Trump for being such a coward. 

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 8/13/17 at 12:07pm

I'm going to be brief as possible in posting here because avoiding these Off-Topic threads has been one of the best things I've done for myself, but only because I've been called out by name...

This may come as a surprise to some of you, but this moment is one in which I am disappointed in the President. Part of the reason why I slowly but surely went toward Trump's camp was because of his forthrightness and outspokenness, so the fact that he won't explicitly call this what it is—hateful, disgusting racism, white supremacy and neo-Nazism—is extremely disheartening to me.

Please don't expect a followup response from me here (I've been enjoying getting along with so many of you on the regular Broadway boards lately!), but I had to express this. He should've called this what it was. Doing so and having those words come from the White House would have been so very powerful.

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 8/13/17 at 1:34pm

You voted for him knowing this, so, whatever.

https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/896771001756901378

[Huss417]

Posted: 8/13/17 at 2:20pm

Thanks for replying but I can say since all of your posting in the off topic boards during the election has taken my enjoyment away from the main board as I can not understand someone with a love of the arts and for people in them voting for this person in the first place. Or then again for people in general but that is just me I guess.

 

Updated On: 8/13/17 at 02:20 PM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 8/13/17 at 2:29pm

I can honestly say I don't think I've truly known the feeling of hate before this man ran for, and got into, office.  

[kdogg36]

Posted: 8/13/17 at 3:45pm

dramamama611 said: "I can honestly say I don't think I've truly known the feeling of hate before this man ran for, and got into, office."

I feel exactly the same. It's very hard to keep it in check.

[Cat Guy]

Posted: 8/13/17 at 4:03pm

A young woman in Charlottesville was murdered standing up against Nazis.  The Coward-in-Chief doesn't have the balls to do the same.

[Huss417]

Posted: 8/13/17 at 4:29pm

"My heart goes out to Heather Heyer's family. She died standing up against hate and bigotry. Her bravery should inspire all to come together," Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe tweeted Saturday along with a photo of Heyer

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/heather-heyer-charlottesville-virginia-car-attack/

[Cat Guy]

Posted: 8/13/17 at 5:42pm

 As I write this, protesters in Seattle are gathering and marching in opposition to a planned nazi rally today.  Police are preventing the crowd from approaching.

This is the new norm of living during a fascist administration.

[ihavenevergotatony]

Posted: 8/13/17 at 10:00pm

The problem is that showing free speech no matter how sickening neo nazi is legal. Killing by car is . I am not justifying either in my eyes they should both be illegal. Showing racism so openly makes me think of the 1936 Olympics. I am too sick to vomit when I see this

[binau]

Posted: 8/13/17 at 10:20pm

ihavenevergotatony said: "The problem is that showing free speech no matter how sickening neo nazi is legal. Killing by car is . I am not justifying either in my eyes they should both be illegal. Showing racism so openly makes me think of the 1936 Olympics. I am too sick to vomit when I see this

 

"

I do think we need to be careful about governing what people can and can't say.

 

The first reason is making this kind of demonstration/speech illegal probably won't help change their attitudes and will simply mask/hide the problem. I feel we are much safer to have it out in the open so we know what and who we are dealing with. 

 

The second reason is I don't think we will be very good at determining what should be illegal or not. We can look at right-ring theocracies around the world and so called blasphemy laws to see the devastating effects some governments will take to suppress freedom of speech. And the left, while good intentioned, is not always perfect at accurately detecting racism. For example, see the Great Comet incident or look at how atheist and ex-Muslim critics of Islam are treated by the left. I would not trust any government, left or right, to adequately police what people can and can't say. 

[Taryn]

Posted: 8/13/17 at 11:33pm

qolbinau said: "ihavenevergotatony said: "The problem is that showing free speech no matter how sickening neo nazi is legal. Killing by car is . I am not justifying either in my eyes they should both be illegal. Showing racism so openly makes me think of the 1936 Olympics. I am too sick to vomit when I see this"

I do think we need to be careful about governing what people can and can't say.

The first reason is making this kind of demonstration/speech illegal probably won't help change their attitudes and will simply mask/hide the problem. I feel we are much safer to have it out in the open so we know what and who we are dealing with. "

We're not safer when racists and bigots collect together to enact racism and bigotry, incite violence, and get people killed. Giving speech like this space in the democratic discourse makes democracy less safe.

[binau]

Posted: 8/13/17 at 11:42pm

It almost sounds like you are advocating for a fascist dictatorship and 1984esque world but think it's ok because the ideas will be aligned to your moral principles. This is a dangerous slippery slope to a world I don't want to live in. Get ready for Republicans to introduce blasphemy laws and make it impossible to criticise Christianity without being fined or worse. We won't be capable of sustaining that world for good. This is why we have free speech. It is essential to the very fabric of progress. 

[Marianne2]

Posted: 8/14/17 at 8:41am

It's sad when the makers of tiki torches put out a statement how they don't approve of their products being used in a hateful way, while our president does nothing.

https://www.google.com/amp/www.marketwatch.com/amp/story/guid/2B423408-8079-11E7-955A-A9AB09A54355

And I am glad for the twitter account @YesYoureRacist is finding out who some of these people are.  You march, clearly you should have nothing to hide. 

[kdogg36]

Posted: 8/14/17 at 9:21am

Taryn said: "We're not safer when racists and bigots collect together to enact racism and bigotry, incite violence, and get people killed. Giving speech like this space in the democratic discourse makes democracy less safe."

People should be able to say absolutely anything they want to say, short of imminent threats and incitement to violence. These last two terms have - quite appropriately - been interpreted very narrowly by the courts. Truly broad protections for free speech set the US apart even from most other liberal democracies; it is one of the (few) truly great things about this country, and I'm not willing to yield an inch on it.

Of course, these protections only bar the government from punishing people for what they say. They don't prevent the rest of us from ratting them out to their employers, or their employers from firing them. :)

Updated On: 8/14/17 at 09:21 AM

[madbrian]

Posted: 8/14/17 at 10:45am

If you want to do something more practical than railing against Trump here, how about donating to the Charlottesville chapter of the NAACP?  That's what I've done. Seems like the best response to the hatred. 

[uncageg]

Posted: 8/15/17 at 2:58am

I will just sit this right here....

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tlgN6y4tFJE

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 8/15/17 at 6:28am

BroadwayConcierge said: "I'm going to be brief as possible in posting here because avoiding these Off-Topic threads has been one of the best things I've done for myself, but only because I've been called out by name...

This may come as a surprise to some of you, but this moment is one in which I am disappointed in the President. Part of the reason why I slowly but surely went toward Trump's camp was because of his forthrightness and outspokenness, so the fact that he won't explicitly call this what it is—hateful, disgusting racism, white supremacy and neo-Nazism—is extremely disheartening to me.

Please don't expect a followup response from me here (I've been enjoying getting along with so many of you on the regular Broadway boards lately!), but I had to express this. He should've called this what it was. Doing so and having those words come from the White House would have been so very powerful."

NOW you're disapponted? You voted for Trump in spite of the fact he spent an entire campaign stoking racial hatred. In spite of the fact he is a BIRTHER. This is exactly what you voted for. It's what you endorsed when you voted Trump. And now you're disappointed? Sorry. You don't get off that easy.

Good to know how much you're enjoying posting on the main board. Maybe people there need to be reminded who you voted for.

[South Florida]

Posted: 8/15/17 at 8:14am

I generally agree with Erik on everything he writes, but if a Trump supporter finally gets it we should be happy with that and move on.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 8/15/17 at 8:35am

This is exactly how Trump behaved in the campaign.  He refused to condemn David Duke and the KKK even then. His behavior now is no different, so you don't suddenly get to have buyer's remorse.  This is what those people voted for.