Was Michelle Obama Wrong?

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In 2016, Michelle Obama left attendees at the Democratic National Convention in awe after finishing her speech in support of Hillary Clinton’s bid for President. A speech that will surely be remembered for decades was highlighted by her now famous moto that has probably been echoed and repeated more than a billion times since…

“When they go low, we go high!” 

In reference to not stooping to the level of a figurative bully, how could anyone regardless of their socioeconomic background or political beliefs disagree? It’s a perfect example to set for our children and followers alike. It’s also a courageous and impressive thing to say regarding an opposition who has taken shots at the legitimacy of your husband’s citizenship and faith, who’s been accused of sexual misconduct by numerous women, and who’s incited violence at his protests… to say the least. I don’t think anyone on the left would’ve faulted Michelle for stooping low. But she didn’t, she stayed high just as she informed and directed millions of people do to that evening in Philadelphia, PA.

Except, there’s one problem.

In reference to the 2016 election, she was wrong… dead wrong. Candidate and soon to be President Donald Trump went low, extremely low… and won. Hillary and Democrats tried to go high, much higher than Trump and his surrogates, and they lost. How did this happen?

Did Hillary run a bad campaign? Maybe

Did FBI Director Comey’s announcement about her emails hurt her campaign? Maybe

We could go on and on about who and what potentially impacted the election. But in the game of politics, can Democrats continue to go high when their opposition is willing to do whatever it takes to win?

Regarding our moral compass, the ramifications of going high have and will continue to cost Dems and their constituents a lot. Countless criminal justice reforms have been rolled back, LGBT protections have been reversed, environmental regulations have been cut, we’ve imposed tariffs on our allies, the Courts upheld his travel ban which could last for decades, he’ll get to nominate another Supreme Court Justice (Kennedy’s resigned – 6/27/18), and Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling which legalized abortion, will likely be on the table in the near future. It hasn’t even been 2 years, and that’s just a few of the going high costs that will hurt Dems for years to come.

So looking back, and looking forward, was going high worth it… when going so low paid off?

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Remember Flint? 4 Years Later They Still Have a Water Crisis

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Flint still doesn’t have clean running water… or at least water that doesn’t stink or burn when you take a shower. The government, of course, begs to differ.

This crisis made national news in 2014. The government knowingly subjected their residents to dangerous levels of lead in an attempt to save a dollar. Now tens of thousands of residents are sick and their medical resources are limited. According to the latest Census data, Flint has the highest poverty rate in the nation with 45% of their residents living below the poverty line. 58% of their children (or residents under the age of 18) are living below the poverty line, which is more than 3x the national average of 18%. Common sense would suggest that the most vulnerable need the most help? Yet, it’s the exact opposite.

Michigan (R) Gov. Rick Snyder recently announced that they will stop providing bottled water to Flint residents.
“We have worked diligently to restore the water quality and the scientific data now proves the water system is stable and the need for bottled water has ended.” – Gov. Rick Snyder

Churches and nonprofits have been tasked with handing out much of the water. They’re now bracing families and residents, who normally come by weekly for their water, that it’ll likely stop with no set plans or alternative options in place once it does. Synder states that the water system is now stable; but Flint residents, who are now being told it’s ok to bath and cook with this water, have heard that before. They tell a much different story.

“My water stinks. It still burns to take a shower… There’s no way they can say it’s safe. I think it’s really cruel what they’re doing to us as a city, as a whole. We’ve been struggling over four years almost. It’s just cold-hearted — now they’re taking our drinking water away from us.” – Flint resident Melissa Mays

Do you know someone in Flint, MI? We want to hear from them. Their story is important. Unfortunately, this crisis, which has been going on for 4 years, doesn’t get covered as much as it should… and that’s troubling, to say the least.

The Trump Train Wreck

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The Trump Administration is on a collision course, hurtling headlong into the relative normality of the GOP. All of the unpalatable, offensive things that many of us saw so plainly long before Donald Trump was elected, are apparently now crystal clear to them for the very first time.

I have always had cause to shake my head at the GOP and the religious right on occasion, but I have never constantly been aghast at the behavior of their leaders as I have been over the last couple of years. And only now – when their “prince who was promised” has, for all intents and purposes, endorsed the politely termed “alt right” (aka racists who call themselves patriots) – are they abandoning the ship in droves.

That was the last straw for them.

Do you know what the last straw wasn’t?

The last straw was not that Trump had dealings with Putin’s shady administration, endangering national security and putting our entire country in jeopardy (don’t tell me it’s not proven; the evidence is simply being ignored by his followers).

It wasn’t the fact that he built his cabinet largely of Wall Street fat cats and coal magnates, who have the sole objective to enrich themselves, damned the poor souls who are crippled with the burden of making them richer.

It’s not the fact that he has, with the stroke of a pen, hobbled our efforts to clean up the environment by crippling the very agencies charged with that task and installing a climate change denier to head the EPA, nor by brazenly walking away from the Paris Accord.

It wasn’t the firing of James Comey, for doing nothing more than his job, nor was it the fact that he threatened to fire Robert Mueller for investigating any collusion with the Russians in his bid for the White House.

It wasn’t for praising Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte for his murderous campaign against suspected drug criminals without evidence or trial.

It wasn’t that he effectively and efficiently disintegrated the United States’ credibility on the world stage, dragging our country from respectable to laughable during his first trips abroad.

It wasn’t the patently dishonest statements he has made on Twitter, in interviews and speeches, and at press conferences – all on camera – and denies having done so even when presented with the evidence.

It wasn’t the on-camera braggadocio in claiming that he can grab a woman’s genitals with impunity, or the number of lawsuits against him for sexual assault.

It was not the literally dozens of lawsuits against him for fraud and failure to pay his contractors.

The GOP and religious leaders drew a line in the sand when Trump became inconvenient and unprofitable for them. Displaying sympathy for racists was that last straw.

All the above mentioned straws before then were okay, I suppose.

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