How bad is racism among black voters, considering way more whites voted for Obama than blacks voted for Romney?
Well, Romney was widely perceived, by Black Americans, as backing policies that would specifically harm Black Americans. Obama was not widely perceived as backing policies that would specifically harm white Americans — key word, “widely”; some white Americans did perceive it this way (remember Glenn Beck’s declaration that he was “a guy who has a deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture”?), and thy were quite vocal in not supporting him.I sense, though a suggestion that the Black voters voted for Obama specifically because he was Black. Because surely that would be racist, right?No. You see, not all situations can be accurately inverted. You can’t reverse the current through a microwave to make ice cubes. You can’t step on an elephant’s head, then let it step on yours with the same lack of result.So when a minority population that is defined in part by a more-or-less common experience specific to them, feels that its needs have gone unmet, it is reasonable to hope that a member of their population might — having an understanding of this experience — be more likely to see to those needs than would one of the population that has historically ignored those needs. In this situation, voting for the person who is like you in this regard just makes sense.So, what about white voters who voted for Romney because he was the white guy? I just showed that that’s perfectly reasonable, didn’t I? Well, no; I showed that it’s perfectly reasonable to vote for the person who is like you in a specific situation: sharing a common experience of difficulty. For this situation to apply to white voters, you would have to state the unique difficulty of being white in America that the Black candidate is likely to ignore either because of ignorance or disinterest.
Were there any scandals surrounding President Obama’s personal life while he was in office? Why do people not like his character?
He was clean as a whistle.Given the horrors of Trump, an increasing number of Conservative commentators have stepped forward to say that while they didn’t agree with any of Obama’s policies, they can find no fault with his character and decency.While few Trumpists would agree with that last clause, I think most of their objections to Obama were rooted in either policy or abuse of power — a complaint that has faded since Trump turned Executive Orders into a made-for-TV stunt.Some may say he was weak or indecisive, particularly in foreign policy. That may well be true in Syria, where his tendency to think through 3rd, 4th and even 5th level consequences ran into a situation where there are no good answers.And he wasn’t above attacking Republicans, although he was almost always careful to limit his complaints to GOP Congressmen and Fox News rather than Republican voters.But he hasn’t given the Human Attack Machine much to work with, which is why Trump will talk about Obama’s “dumb deals” but focus on Hillary when it comes to character.
What do you think is the biggest, most important issue in the US and how would you solve it?
The biggest most important problem that the US has and the one that all polling attests to is the fact that the US has had 8 years of Republican rule and virtually all the problems are traceable back to Bush and the Republicans. It has been in fact the Republican "philosophy/ideology" as exemplified by the neo-cons that has crippled the US. This is NOT a partisan post but a profoundly held believe that we need a new philosophy/ideology to lead us out of this mess . It is NOT individual items that ultimately matter for in most cases all these individual items/concerns are tied to the same source .
How many people here miss Obama?
I believe if there is an award to be giving for true ‘human spirit’, Gandhi, Mandela will be on top of the chart. Rich and powerful countries will have very little to show. But for USA the saving grace will be Barack Obama.I was a skeptic of Obama for a very long time till I found the contrast. My belief got stronger and stronger as I found the extreme contrast — first was Romney, and then was Trump. Romney strengthen me but Trump just nailed it.I miss Obama because I thought he brought the persona of America that was so dear and uncontested (by the fear of America) which was before Obama.Before his presidency, people across the world loved (or hated) US because of its military myth. Obama did carry the stick but lead by compassion. We were loved for a short time after 9/11 due to his demeanor. He communicated with grace, charm and civilized demeanor.I miss Obama towards my opposition for the contrast US Electorate has presented us now. (I don’t think that needs to be spelled out.)When he first rose to promonance during primaries in 2008, I was a Skeptic. I thought there must be a sex scandals, or corporate lobbing somewhere and that will come to forefront. (I was supporting Hillary).Till today I want to find what is one thing wrong in the character (or his policies) with Obama, but nothing has surfaced.I place his human act next to Gandhi, Mandela. I firmly believe one day American will wake up to realize that one of their best product was also a great human product in the name of Obama.
What do Indians think about other countries?
USA : Superpower, Hollywood, Great Institutions like MIT , Harvard etc., Obama, NASA , jobs, extraordinary inventions, superheroesUK: The country which looted us and made us poor, Queen Elizabeth, Kohinoor Diamond, Invented some of the most played games in today's world like football , cricket etc.Canada: Another PunjabChina : Our cunning neighbour, Hard working people, Poor products , Probable future threat to usJapan: Respect for their punctuality and indomitable spirit, Amazing anime series, Hard working people ,Nuclear attack on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Bullet trainsRussia: Our best friend, Strong military power, PutinItaly: Sonia Gandhi’s birthplace, Venice a city submerged in water, PizzaArgentina: Lionel MessiPortugal: RonaldoSwitzerland: Beautiful mountains, Black money is keptFrance: Paris , Eiffel towerGermany : Adolf Hitler, Great Automobile IndustriesBrazil: Football crazy nation , PeleUAE: Super rich people owning oil wells, Burj KhalifaSaudi Arabia: Mecca , Sheiks ,Oil rich countryAustralia: Kangaroos, Cricket Rivalry,Opera HouseEgypt: Great Pyramids, Nile River , Desert, MummiesWest Indies: Black people, Amazing athletes, Good cricketers with superb dance capabilitiesPakistan: Our biggest enemy , Heaven for terrorists, Cricket Rivalry, Nuclear poweredBangladesh: We helped them to gain Independence from Pakistan, Rude CricketersSri Lanka: Once Ravan's Kingdom , Island Country which arrests our fishermenBhutan: Friendly country, BuddhistsNepal: Mt. Everest, KathmanduIraq: ISISAfghanistan: Osama bin laden, Taliban, US fought war for many yearsNigeria: Drug Imports on a very high scale, Muslim Country, Poor countryJordan: Ehmmmm….. may be a Muslim CountryIndonesia: Most Populous Muslim majority country above India , full of islandsPhillipines : Nothing… seriouslyMongolia: Genghis khanSouth Africa : AB de villiers , African savannahIsrael: Jewish country, People with great grit and determination to make their country great, Badass army, surrounded on all sides by Muslim countriesIran: Oil rich country, trying to be a nuclear powerSingapore : Full of skyscrapers, a lion statue , spurting water from its mouthVietnam: Only country to win a war against USNorth Korea: Crazy leader Kim Jong unSouth Korea: Having trouble with North Korea but better than it in everything, SamsungSpain: Bull fights, Barcelona, Real madrid, La Tomatina( Suggested by Nick Hill )Thailand: Cheap tourist destination