Was Michelle Obama Wrong?

by with 6 Comments CultureFeatured

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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Sports and Religion… Eagles Redefine Faith

by with 8 Comments FeaturedSports

If you haven’t noticed, the Philadelphia Eagles are not shy about thanking who they feel is most responsible for their athletic ability and team success. Whether you’re a religious person or not, it’s hard to push back on their collective sentiment considering their season ultimately ended with them defeating the favored New England Patriots in Super Bowl 52 (2/4/18).

Coaches, trainers, teammates, parents, the list goes on of who athletes usually thank first whenever a mic is shoved in their face after a big game. But not these Eagles… that first breath is reserved for their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, which was the common (genuine) theme you heard over and over after winning Philadelphia’s first pro football championship in more than 50 years.

You often hear a pro athlete here or there thank the Lord for their on-field success, but the Philadelphia Eagles all seem to be on the same page. Almost like political pundits sent out with their talking points prepared to answer contentious questions on the Sunday morning talk shows, they didn’t skip a beat. Do a little digging and you quickly find out this isn’t just for show. A majority of players attend weekly Bible class, and many of them were baptized over the past year like Marcus D. Johnson.

“Last night I took another step forward in my faith. First time being baptized, and it wouldn’t have been possible withouth these group of MEN in this picture. Corporate worship is a beautiful thing!! Cleansed and reborn in Jesus name!!” – Marcus D. Johnson, Eagles Wide Reciever, (featured image above was posted by Marcus on his Instagram account: @mojomdj with this caption on October 12th, 2017) His picture garnered 4,600+ likes and nearly 300 comments.

“I wouldn’t be out here without God, without Jesus in my life… Unbelievable. All glory to God.” – Nick Foles, Eagles Quarterback, Super Bowl 52 MVP

Evangelicals, many of whom publicly support President Trump, have also been quick to publicly support the Philadelphia Eagles for their strong faith and Christianity. However, after the Super Bowl, many of these religious God-fearing Eagles quickly stated that they would not be attending the White House for the traditional visit. We’ll see if Evangelical support dwindles considering the White House will likely respond as time passes.

Either way, a quote from Tight End Zach Ertz might sum up the Eagles potential impact on millions of people around the world who have been questioning their faith.

“…faith and football this Sunday is huge. This is a platform to draw people to the Word, to Jesus. It’s not something we take for granted by any means.” – Zach Ertz, Eagles Tight End

Whether you’re a super religious person or not, it’s safe to say many people are probably re-examining their faith because of the Eagle’s willingness to publicly state how strong theirs is, and it’s hard to argue that’s not a good thing.

Similar read: Eagles Decline the White House

Eagles Decline the White House

by with One Comment FeaturedSports

This past week Philadelphia sport fans have been celebrating the city’s first Super Bowl Championship, FINALLY! Along with post-win celebration comes, usually, the invitation to the White House. Some Eagles players have already publicly stated that they have no intention of going, and that’s their right.

The notion that teams or team members who respectfully decline the White House are anything but respectfully allowed to do so, is misguided frustration about ideas of tradition, patriotism, racism, and a variety of other ‘isms. Citizens can be critical of the country or unsupportive of the president and still love, respect, and support the country, as well as respect the office of the president. These ideas are not mutually exclusive.

They have every right as a team to decline the invitation. Their decline was respectful, and they’re are allowed to say no. Respect for anyone, even the president, does not mean acquiescing to every request and whim.

Response: Tell us what you think! Should sports teams be able to decline White House invitations?

Trump’s Tax Bill Might Destroy the Middle-Class

by with 2 Comments Uncategorized

Inside the numbers… According to a recent WSJ Poll, only 24% of Americans believe this is tax bill is a good idea and 41% think it’s a bad idea; 63% of Americans think it’s designed for corporations and the wealthy, and only 7% think it’s designed for the middle-class, which has been a Republican talking point over the past few weeks.

As this recent poll states, this tax plan is highly unpopular.

Without going into grave policy detail… this tax plan will absolutely benefit corporations and wealthy individuals more than the middle-class. It will increase wage inequality and shrink the middle-class, sending more households to the lower class and fewer to the upper class. Also, this tax plan repeals the individual mandate in the Affordable Care Act. According to the CBO (Congressional Budget Office), a nonpartisan group of economists, roughly 13 million people will lose their health insurance due to repealing the mandate.

What Republicans are not telling us, excuse me, what they’re not admitting, is that they know trickle down economics doesn’t work. They also know that corporations likely won’t hire more employees or increase wages when these tax cuts are signed into law, instead, they’ll reinvest in their businesses, buy back stock, and give out record bonuses to their top management and c-suite executives. While this tax bill adds $1.5 trillion to our national debt, they’re already planning on proposing huge cuts to entitlement programs in 2018_ all while 6-7-8 figure earners, as well as select groups like real estate developers and private equity professionals, benefit from these massive tax cuts.

With all that being said, Republican’s brilliantly designed this bill to have an immediate positive impact on most middle-class households [short-term]. But considering the personal tax provisions are set to expire in 10 years, it’s important to note that the business tax cuts will not. Therefore, the positive impact for corporations and the wealthy [in the long-term] is astounding and much greater. For example, in 2027, two-thirds of middle-class households will see a tax increase in their personal income taxes, and none of them will see a tax cut.

By design, this middle-class tax honeymoon will surely last long enough to surpass the 2018 mid-terms and 2020 presidential election. However, can Democrats capitalize on recent big wins in Virginia, New Jersey, and most recently Alabama, and pick up enough seats to challenge Trump and maybe win the White House? IF Democrats can somehow win the House and Senate, and the White House in 2020, can such a massic tax bill be easily reversed, or amended to thwart such a negative long-term impact on lower and middle-class households?

Alabama Surprises Everyone… The LCR Responds…

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On Tuesday night (12/12/17), Doug Jones pulled out a narrow victory (by just 2%) over the Republican hopeful and alleged pedophile Roy Moore. For the first time in 25 years, Alamaba will send a Democratic Senator to Washington. Despite Donald Trump initially supporting Luther Strange, he eventually jumped all in to support Roy Moore. But allegations of sexual harassment and abuse proved to be too much. We asked some of our contributors to weigh in, and this is what they had to say…

“I suppose now Moore has completed the circle. Now everyone has a reason to hate him. He should have stepped aside. This to me is less of a call to halt conservatism and more of an end to the indecency that’s been endemic in our politics these past few years. Perhaps we are finally past the high water mark.” – Right Army Veteran 

“Doug Jones narrowly beating Roy Moore despite Moore’s recent accusations and historically spewing racial and religious intolerance for others should be of no surprise. Alabama historically stays proud of rejecting anyone who isn’t a white Protestant, scientific facts, healthcare, education, and countless other positive elements. What should be of surprise is the nation needing the likes of Alabama. In 2017, where phones can recognize your face, the US Senate shouldn’t be one Senator away from going back to 1940. Seems we have much more work to do. Using Alabama football as an example, we’re just a field goal ahead and haven’t even reached halftime yet.” – Independent Texan Male

“Alabama stood on the right side of history in this election. While the margin was a lot closer than I would like, the best man for the job won. I really hope this is indicative of what the 2018 elections will be like. We need these small victories to keep hope alive. Way to go, Alabama!” – Center Left HR 

“A year ago, Alabama overwhelmingly voted for Trump. Today marks a turning point, where the vote reflects a change in the ‘anything but a Democrat’ mentally. Perhaps there has been the wake-up call that some of us have been waiting for.”– Registered Independent Voter

“Doug Jones’ upset victory in a deeply red state bodes well for the Democrats and for the future of American politics. It demonstrates that there truly is a red line and that not any candidate can win just because of their party affiliation. That being said, Democrats need to take note of the importance of African-American voter turnout in this race and keep that in mind for 2018.”– Center Left College Student 

Similar Read: Model Citizen or Not, You Can Win in Alabama

J Lucas – I’m Not A Racist… The LCR Responds

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Whenever most people hear a white person say the word “nigga” or “nigger,” they usually stop what they’re doing and commit their full attention to that person. And if you’re Black, you most likely are instantly enraged and probably ready to physically confront that person about why they thought it was okay to use that word. Well in a controversial video from rapper Joyner Lucas, he presents a middle-aged, overweight, white male, with a Trump-sponsored “Make America Great Again” hat on, who takes it there and is met with a strong response. His diatribe is full of negative stereotypes regarding African-Americans. If you can stomach the first few minutes of this video, and that’s a strong “if”, this might be the one instance where a white man repeatedly using the “N” word gets a pass – or maybe not. Either way, if this video makes you challenge your bias or thoughts of others, perhaps it serves its purpose.

If you haven’t seen it, the video is below. We asked several of our contributors to weigh in, and here’s what they had to say…

 “Spending a few minutes watching a video showcasing a large bearded white man wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat while lip syncing disparaging remarks about black people isn’t my ideal form of entertainment or learning. After resisting the urge to cut the video off, I did watch it in its entirety and conclude the message is spot on, for two basic reasons. The viewpoint of many non (and Black Americans) is the ills of Black people today in 2017 are isolated and removed from racism. The second viewpoint is despite self responsibility and/or success, systematic racism still derails Black progress in this country. From beauty standards to credit scores, the nation has structures designed without Black people in mind or specifically designed to go against Black people. Like the video, will people turn it off upon first view and stay the same, or will we as nation watch all of it and use it to get better.” – Independent Texan Male

“As an African American woman, the first verse made me so upset because it was just full of stereotypes. Inside I was screaming I’m not lazy! Where’s your suit? There are plenty of great black fathers! Ever heard of institutionalized racism? Then the second verse came on and I saw where the video was going and my heart rate slowed down and I started to breathe again. This video highlights the essence of what is wrong with America. No one has discussions with others with the intent on seeking understanding. We are so focused and getting our pain out. We don’t take a step back to see what it’s like to live in someone else’s shoes. We cast judgement on a community based on the opinions of those who aren’t a part of, nor living, in said community.  We all need to have more conversations like this to start moving the country in the right direction.” – Left Healthcare Professional

“How can we acknowledge a problem unless we address it honestly and accurately? When something as poisonous as racism is endemic in our society, it has to be addressed. That’s why this Joyner Lucas video is truly art. I was enraged, provoked, challenged, and inspired. Both sides spoke with extreme, intentionally offensive candor to represent the racist animosities that this country should A. Acknowledge and B. Work diligently to abolish. There is truth on both sides somewhere in the fog of historically fueled resentment. We are all races here now and must find a way to not just coexist, but thrive with one another. Despite initial appearances to the contrary, this video is working towards that end.” – Unaffiliated Humanist Musician

“I feel so strong about this video; yet I’m finding it difficult to find the words to describe the reasons why. To me, this was a visual depiction of someone’s comment section under a Facebook status. I’ve seen this argument many times over the last year and some change. When I see people arguing online, it’s clear that the two people going back and forth are not even bothering to read the other person’s comments for comprehension. People are only looking for points to rebut. This is a great reminder to us all that sometimes when you stop and listen, you may be able to at least achieve a level of understanding with one another. We all need to stop coming to the table to argue and instead come willing to listen and learn.” – Center Left HR 

Your perspective is important, let us know what you think.

“Sending Them Back To An Impoverished Land Is Simply Cruel!”

by with One Comment FeaturedPolitics
First Nicaragua, now Haiti…

On January 12, 2010, Haiti experienced a devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake that ravished the island, killed more than 200,000 people, and displaced more than 1.5 million residents. Immediately following that earthquake they had a cholera outbreak that killed an additional 9,000 people, and just last year Hurricane Matthew slammed the island and damaged 80% of the homes. Considering the impact of the initial earthquake in 2010, Haitians were granted temporary status in the United States.

Their temporary protected status (TPS) was extended by John Kelly, the previous Secretary of State and current Chief of Staff. However, it was set to expire on January 22, 2018. With that being said, I think we’d be foolish to believe the extensions would continue considering Trump’s campaign stance on immigration. Also, for the past few months administration officials have been echoing his position on immigration, specifically mentioning their intent to end special programs like TPS that allow Haitians to stay and work in the United States. And not just Haitians, Nicaraguans TPS ends January 2019, and a decision for Hondurans and El Salvadorians is expected to be made soon – in all, roughly 325,000 people representing 10 countries.

On September 18, 2017, members of South Florida’s congressional delegation, both Democrats and Republicans, including Frederica Wilson and Marco Rubio, wrote a bipartisan letter to the acting Secretary of State Elaine C. Duke requesting an 18-month extension (July 2019) for the 60,000 Haitian immigrants in the United States. And last night, the officials from the Department of Homeland Security announced plans to do just that.

Their bipartisan letter stated…

“The government of Haiti has outlined plans to rebuild the country and boost economic activity, and the United States remains steadfast in assisting Haiti. In order to allow full implementation of these efforts, and given the ongoing extraordinary conditions in Haiti, we urge you to extend the TPS designation for 18 months, within all applicable rules and regulations, for Haitian nationals who are currently living in, and contributing to, our great country.” 

This letter was signed by 10 members of South Florida’s congressional delegation, from both parties. If there were no plans for an additional extension, is 18-months was considered a win? Also, do Florida Republicans like Marco Rubio deserve credit for joining their Democratic colleagues in signing this letter?

Why did they decide to write a letter? Well many Haitians here in the U.S. under TPS reside in South Florida. Many of them work in healthcare, and according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, their immediate absence would cause a shortage in labor, which would likely have a negative impact on South Florida’s economy. 

When asked about this sudden announcement, Gary Coichy, a Haitian American and marketing professional in NYC, said…

“How quickly do we forget the catastrophic earthquake that struck Haiti in 2010. TPS has allowed these Haitians a new sense of hope, a new start. No statistical data can point to Haitians causing violence or committing any act of terrorism. This action by the U.S. Government is inhuman and illogical. There’s ways to monitor this program and ensure they go through the due process to become legal Aliens. Sending them back to an impoverished land is simply cruel!” 

Is there anything that can be done? Is this an example of Trump over-stepping with his aggressive immigration agenda, or should such policy decisions be viewed as customary and inevitable?

Regardless of how you might feel politically, it’s hard to believe that Haiti’s economy and infrastructure will be prepared to welcome and support 60,000 people in just 18 months.

Alabama Republicans: Politics Over Everything, Literally

by with One Comment Uncategorized

Roy Moore, who is the current Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Alabama, is just the latest prominent male figure to be accused of dispactable sexual harassment and/or sexual misconduct since the recent Harvey Weinstein allegations. He’s being accused of initiating a sexual encounter with a 14-year-old when he was a 32-year-old assistant district attorney (in 1979).

If that’s not disturbing enough, Alabama Republican reactions might be worse.

Mitch McConnell and other Republicans have asked Roy Moore to step down in the Alabama Senate race; however, Alabama Republicans are singing a different tune.

When asked about the allegations, here’s what one of them had to say…

“Take Joseph and Mary. Mary was a teenager and Joseph was an adult carpenter. They became parents of Jesus… There’s just nothing immoral or illegal here. Maybe just a little bit unusual.” – Alabama State Auditor Jim Zeigler

The details of the Roy Moore allegations are hard to read, but such responses from anyone, Republican or Democrat, are inexcusable. At best, Jim Zeigler is a lousy human being and extremely confused about the conception and birth of Jesus Christ. At worst, his response speaks volumes regarding the current division and state of our political system – that he, as well as other Alabama Republicans who came to Roy Moore’s defense, would rather have a sexual predator in office than a Democrat.

Women deserve better, voters deserve better.

Can our politics ever return to civility and respectable discourse? Can the Republican Party survive with a Roy Moore in the Senate considering the results of the recent elections?

Indicted For Conspiracy… The LCR Responds…

by with One Comment Uncategorized
This morning Special prosecutor Robert Mueller’s office announced the indictments of Paul Manafort, Donald Trump’s former campaign manager, and Rick Gates, his longtime business associate. Twelve counts in total… including conspiracy against the United States, money laundering, making false statements, and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign principal. We asked several of our contributors to weigh in regarding this groundbreaking development, and here’s what they had to say…
“Mueller is sending a message with two revelations today: cooperate like Papadoulous and you’ll get a good deal, or else you’re going down. While the indictments aren’t necessarily tied to the President they can definitely be used as leverage to force others to cooperate in the investigation. And let’s not forget the immediate fact that President of the United States had as his campaign manager a man who was simultaneously serving as an unregistered foreign agent and laundering large amounts of money. That should be startling enough in and of itself. If nothing else it’s yet another black mark on the first year of a presidency that has been marred by scandal.” – Center Left College Student
“This is a long way from an indictment of the President – both for reasons he will tout and reasons he will not.  First, as he says, it is not clear yet that there’s a determination that anyone who was making policy decisions was actively colluding with Russia. Secondly, he remains a billionaire with pardoning power and those indicted and likely to be indicted later are unlikely to be able to work for anyone else ever again. Even if there was collusion, his ability to influence those indicted remains very strong.” – Right Army Veteran
“It’s disappointing to me that these charges are not directly related to the Trump campaign, but I realize that baby steps are needed here so that we can cover the immense swath of ground that the Russian influence seems to cover on many levels of our democratic process. How long will it take? No idea. But we can’t start jumping to conclusions – this is a marathon, not a sprint.” – Registered Independent Voter 
“Unlike before when an administration was placed under findings of wrong from Watergate to Iran Contra, supporters of that administration distanced itself and soon after voting reflected the distance. It will be interesting to watch how the support for the Trump administration unfolds, especially with midterm elections on the horizon. In support, I’m talking about the rank and file, not Republican Party leadership.” – Independent Texan Male
“Chickens come home to roost… What more can I say? People need to wake up and stop allowing racism to control their vote. Whenever hate and racism motivate any action, utter destruction will be the result. This administration and those who support it will continue to feel the residual effects of “Making America Great Again.” – Apolitical Elected Official
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What Frederica Wilson SHOULD’VE DONE

by with One Comment Media

“He knew what he signed up for… but when it happens it hurts anyway.” – Trump’s remarks according to Congresswoman Frederica Wilson and the family of La David Johnson.

[Prior to Chief of Staff John Kelly’s remarks about Frederica Wilson] After talking to people on both sides of the aisle, I’m convinced that most Democrats think that the politicization of this “private call” is President Trump and his administration’s fault, and most Republicans think it’s Rep. Frederica Wilson’s fault. Attempting to remove politics, and considering President Trump lacks tact and compassion in the most obvious situations, I still think it’s safe to assume that he did not call this gold star widow with malicious intent.

Unless you’ve chosen to ignore this story, by now you know that Congresswoman Frederica Wilson is a close family friend of Sgt. La David Johnson’s family. She’s known the family for quite some time… La David Johnson and his brothers were alum of her 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project, a mentoring program she started in 1993 geared to help “minority male students graduate high school, go to college, vocational school or the military, and be positioned to become contributing and self-sustaining members of society.” She was also the principal of a school that La David Johnson’s father attended.

I don’t think anyone would blame the Congresswoman for “defending” the Johnson family, or speaking up if she felt they were slighted or disrespected in such a time of grief and anguish. But, the family should be her #1 priority. Considering Trump’s inability to take the high road in any situation, considering Trump blatantly disrespected a gold star family during his campaign, did the Congresswoman really think that publicly expressing her frustration with Trump’s remarks would render an immediate apology from him?

More importantly, did she think the inevitable media attention it would create would be in the best interest of the family or help them heal? If you believe so, then maybe she made the right decision. But if you don’t believe her immediate response of going to the media would be in the best interest of the family or help them heal, then maybe a different plan of action would’ve been better.

What should she have done? 

She should’ve reached out to the President and the White House in private expressing her frustration, as well as relaying the pain his words caused the widow. It’s a snowball’s chance in hell it would’ve rendered a positive reaction or an apology; but, it wouldn’t have appeared to be political, and most importantly it would’ve allowed the family to mourn and grieve in peace without the media frenzy. If the President or a White House Offical chose to ignore her or not render a positive reaction or an apology, then going public with a statement would’ve probably been better received as less political, and truly genuine regarding her concern for the family.

It’s hard to give the Congresswoman the benefit of the doubt when it feels like she’s capitalizing on the moment especially when she’s calling herself a “rockstar” in the process.

With that being said, in such situations, we’d hope the president could take the high road and just render an apology. By doing so, he proves that he can show empathy, it makes the Congresswoman’s point irrelevant, and most importantly, it preserves the privacy of a family forced to mourn the loss of their hero.

Unlike the other 3 U.S. soldiers who were killed and retrieved when the other soldiers were rescued, La David Johnson was left behind and his body was retrieved a mile away and 48 hours later. The family was not allowed to I.D. the body and they had to have a closed casket funeral, which suggests that La David Johnson’s body was mutilated or in extremely bad condition when they found him.

They deserve answers… not sure receiving an apology or the current back and forth between a Democratic Congresswoman and the White House supersedes those answers and the speed in which they receive them.