Politics Thread

Obama to Black Lives Matter: 'You can't just keep yelling'


US President Barack Obama takes a question as he speaks to a town hall meeting at Lindley Hall, the Royal Horticultural Society, in London, Saturday, April 23, 2016.


Speaking at a town hall event in the Royal Horticultural Halls of central London, President Obama took questions about LGBTQ and civil rights in the US, and offered a measured criticism of the Black Lives Matter movement.

"I think that what Black Lives Matter is doing now to bring attention to the problem of a criminal justice system that sometimes is not treating people fairly based on race, or reacting to shootings of individuals by police officers has been really effective in bringing attention to problems," Obama said in London.

But he quickly tempered his praise with advice — urging young people to seek compromises and to work within the system.

"One of the things I caution young people about though, that I don't think is effective, is you've highlighted an issue and brought it to people's attention ... and elected officials are ready to sit down with you, then you can't just keep yelling at them. And you can't refuse to meet because that would compromise the purity of your position."


He's right on that statement, and he should know, Congress has been doing that for eight years. There comes a point at which, after you've gotten their attention, it's time to come to the table and talk.

Can we stop pretending Trump protesters are non-violent and reacting to violence from supporters now?

I mean, I'll vote for Hilary. Because Trump is laughably horrible, but come on. Those California protesters deserved to get arrested.

Holy shit!


Ted Cruz ends his bid for Republican presidential nomination


SCOTT BAUER and STEVE PEOPLES 32 minutes ago
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Texas Sen. Ted Cruz ended his presidential campaign Tuesday, eliminating the biggest impediment to Donald Trump's march to the Republican nomination.

The conservative tea party firebrand who cast himself as the only viable alternative to Trump announced his exit after a stinging defeat in Indiana's Republican primary.

"It appears that path has been foreclosed," Cruz told supporters in Indianapolis. "Together, we left it all on the field of Indiana. We gave it everything we've got, but the voters chose another path, and so with a heavy heart but with boundless optimism for the long-term future of our nation, we are suspending our campaign."

Cruz had already been mathematically eliminated from clinching the delegate majority in the state-by-state primary process, but hoped to force a contested national convention in July. That possibility ends Tuesday with the Texas senator's announcement.


Had he succeeded in his quest, Cruz would have been the first U.S. president of Hispanic descent, although he often downplayed his heritage on the campaign trail, instead, touting the need for tougher immigration laws, for a border wall along the border with Mexico, protecting gun rights, repealing President Barack Obama's health care law and instituting a flat tax.

Cruz argued he was the only true conservative in the race, building on his reputation in the Senate where he clashed both with Democrats and members of his own party over his ideological stubbornness. Cruz railed against what he called the "Washington cartel," trying to appeal to an electorate that is craving political outsiders.

But he ultimately couldn't compete with Trump's appeal among white, working class voters who were drawn to the billionaire's outlandish approach to politics.

Cruz's campaign placed its hopes on a data-driven effort to turn out conservative evangelical Christians who had opted out of recent presidential elections. Increasingly, he would modify his travel schedule to go where data showed there might be pockets of untapped supporters.

With the scale tipping increasingly in Trump's favor, he announced an extraordinary pact in April with his other rival, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, in which the two would divide their time and resources based on states where they were each poised to do better.

Days later, he prematurely named former Hewlett-Packard chief executive Carly Fiorina as his running mate, hoping it would woo some of the female voters turned off by Trump's brash rhetoric.

Trump's appeal to evangelicals, though, and the New York billionaire's popularity with the broader Republican electorate, proved too much.

Lol popped her in the nose first

Looks like Trump has all but sealed it as the GOP nom:

www.cnn.com/2016/05/04/politics/john-kasich-drops-out/index.html

Jibbs Doomsday Dracula

Trump won't win

Exactly. Again I'm not a Trump supporter in any sense of the word however people who are against him have been wrong every single time they've said he can't or won't get as far as he has. Every single time.

Cant stop watching it.

#Cruz4UFC

Let's see if it sticks. If it does that'll be good, the anti-Trumps only need to be right one time and we won't have to sit through a Trump presidency. So far they've been right 0 times out of 1,000.

Yeah, but... how do I put this... so far he's only been competing for Republican primary votes and Republican primary voters are... the kind of people who aren't disgusted by his bullshit.