Don’t vote? Veteran Democratic Congressman Still Pushing for Reparations in a Divided America

[LebronsHairline]

They haven’t been able to vote on it because the republican speaker of the house won’t bring it up for vote. This is why voting is important to get obstacles of progress the fukk out the way. They will get their chance in 2019 though

What about the last democratic speaker? Actually last one i remember was prolly around the time i was born besides nancy

 

[dj-method-x]

You said yourself anybody who knows civics 101 knows how congress work and it wouldn’t pass...so why write it then?

According to your logic, The only reason to write this bill is to troll just like that’s only reason for creating this thread

Writing and cosponsoring a bill that investigates paths to and awards reparations to descendants of slaves is a troll job to you?

 

[Wear My Dawg's Hat]

First you cry that Democrats never do anything for blacks, now you’re saying that they don’t deserve credit for trying to pass this in the face of republican opposition and at the same time telling us that we shouldn’t vote to decrease the same republican opposition. You don’t see a problem with this strategy?

Aside from former Congressman Conyers efforts and Republican opposition, what do we do about major Democratic opposition to reparations?

Barack Obama: "But I’m not so optimistic as to think that you would ever be able to garner a majority of an American Congress that would make those kinds of investments above and beyond the kinds of investments that could be made in a progressive program for lifting up all people. So to restate it: I have much more confidence in my ability, or any president or any leader’s ability, to mobilize the American people around a multiyear, multibillion-dollar investment to help every child in poverty in this country than I am in being able to mobilize the country around providing a benefit specific to African Americans as a consequence of slavery and Jim Crow."

Hillary Clinton: During her 2000 Senate campaign, Clinton was asked about the award, her position on Holocaust reparations, and whether she would endorse slavery reparations. Without answering directly, she said that "we have some mental and emotional and psychological reparations to pay first."
“We do owe … an apology to African-Americans for hundreds of years of slavery," she said, "but I think that the people I know and the people I work with want us to stay focused on the future, keep our economy going, keep providing good public education, quality affordable healthcare—do the things that will enable people to have the best futures for themselves, and that's what I'm committed to doing.”

Bernie Sanders: "First of all, its likelihood of getting through Congress is nil. Second of all, I think it would be very divisive. The real issue is when we look at the poverty rate among the African-American community, when we look at the high unemployment rate within the African-American community, we have a lot of work to do."

 

[Brolic Scholar]

First it’s dont vote because Dems don’t do anything for us, now your argument is that this obvious attempt to do something specifically for us doesn’t mean anything because of the fact it won’t pass due to republican opposition?

If we voted for more democrats doesn’t this increase the chances of this passing? The don’t vote stance doesn’t seem so constructive here does it?

You’re either not keeping up or you’re playing games. My position has never been about political parties and preference. My position is without an economic base to influence politicians, your votes mean nothing. Politicians run on campaigns that promise a lot of shyt. They actually do things for the people that support them. It doesn’t matter who is in office, it matters who’s influencing them. You can’t hold people accountable with morals, it’s dollars. The system is corrupt and that’s how it works.

In short, with no economic power, black people shouldn’t expect major changes in our favor.

 

[Stone Cold]

Writing and cosponsoring a bill that investigates paths to and awards reparations to descendants of slaves is a troll job to you?

Not if they think it would pass which is contrary to what You are claiming

 

[dj-method-x]

Aside from former Congressman Conyers efforts and Republican opposition, what do we do about major Democratic opposition to reparations?

Barack Obama: "But I’m not so optimistic as to think that you would ever be able to garner a majority of an American Congress that would make those kinds of investments above and beyond the kinds of investments that could be made in a progressive program for lifting up all people. So to restate it: I have much more confidence in my ability, or any president or any leader’s ability, to mobilize the American people around a multiyear, multibillion-dollar investment to help every child in poverty in this country than I am in being able to mobilize the country around providing a benefit specific to African Americans as a consequence of slavery and Jim Crow."

Hillary Clinton: During her 2000 Senate campaign, Clinton was asked about the award, her position on Holocaust reparations, and whether she would endorse slavery reparations. Without answering directly, she said that "we have some mental and emotional and psychological reparations to pay first."
“We do owe … an apology to African-Americans for hundreds of years of slavery," she said, "but I think that the people I know and the people I work with want us to stay focused on the future, keep our economy going, keep providing good public education, quality affordable healthcare—do the things that will enable people to have the best futures for themselves, and that's what I'm committed to doing.”

Bernie Sanders: "First of all, its likelihood of getting through Congress is nil. Second of all, I think it would be very divisive. The real issue is when we look at the poverty rate among the African-American community, when we look at the high unemployment rate within the African-American community, we have a lot of work to do."

Can’t speak in defense of Hilary (never been a fan), but Barack and Bernie are speaking to the chances of getting a plurality of the people in favor of this.

 

[dj-method-x]

Not if they think it would pass which is contrary to what You are claiming

First your day we shouldn’t vote because Dems never do anything for us, and when presented with evidence that they have wrote and supported reparation bills, now you say they are trolling.

Go play in traffic, I’m not about to waste my time arguing with your simple minded dumb ass.

 

[Stone Cold]

First your day we shouldn’t vote because Dems never do anything for us, and when presented with evidence that they have wrote and supported reparation bills, now you say they are trolling.

Go play in traffic, I’m not about to waste my time arguing with your simple minded dumb ass.

No I’m saying you trolling fool

 

[dj-method-x]

You’re either not keeping up or you’re playing games. My position has never been about political parties and preference. My position is without an economic base to influence politicians, your votes mean nothing. Politicians run on campaigns that promise a lot of shyt. They actually do things for the people that support them. It doesn’t matter who is in office, it matters who’s influencing them. You can’t hold people accountable with morals, it’s dollars. The system is corrupt and that’s how it works.

In short, with no economic power, black people shouldn’t expect major changes in our favor.

So if votes mean nothing, would we not have had a better chance of this bill passing if more people voted for Dems like the ones who wrote and cosponsored this reparation bill? This completely obliterates your opinion that votes don’t matter.

 

[Wear My Dawg's Hat]

Can’t speak in defense of Hilary (never been a fan), but Barack and Bernie are speaking to the chances of getting a plurality of the people in favor of this.

How do you pass a bill and make it a law without a plurality of the House and the Senate supporting it, and the president signing it into law?

And that doesn't even take into account constitutional legal opposition that would put a reparations law before the Supreme Court...perhaps a Donald Trump majority-nominated Supreme Court.

 

[EBK String]

nikkas getting hyped over a hypothetical with no popular support or momentum outside of conscious black circles.

 

[Brolic Scholar]

So if votes mean nothing, would we not have had a better chance of this bill passing if more people voted for Dems like the ones who wrote and cosponsored this reparation bill? This completely obliterates your opinion that votes don’t matter.

Once again, money influences policy. Do you know what Congress spends 25 to 75% of their time doing? Fundraising. You can easily verify that btw.

 

[dj-method-x]

How do you pass a bill and make it a law without a plurality of the House and the Senate supporting it, and the president signing it into law?

And that doesn't even take into account constitutional legal opposition that would put a reparations law before the Supreme Court...perhaps a Donald Trump majority-nominated Supreme Court.

This thread is not about whether or not this could actually pass with the current make up congress, executive and judicial branch. This thread is to debunk the notion that Dems never do anything specifically for black people and that we shouldn’t vote. This thread is a direct rebutal of the don’t vote movement showing that if we actually supported more Dems that supported this, we would hange the makeup of the house, senate, and judicial branch so that they can pass things like this reparations bill.

 

[TLR Is Mental Poison]

@GinaThatAintNoDamnPuppy!
@Booker T Garvey @HellRell804 @Easy-E @Crude Abolitionist @Brolic Scholar @YoungmargeliaFleek$$ @Bconscious @xCivicx @CharlieManson @Marcelrellu

And the rest of the “don’t vote because dems never do anything specifically for blacks” coalition, where y’all at?

When did I ever say not to vote you fukking idiot?

 

[dj-method-x]

Once again, money influences policy. Do you know what Congress spends 25 to 75% of their time doing? Fundraising. You can easily verify that btw.

Money definitely influences policy, but voting can be used as a tool too. You can do both. I’m not against building an economic base, I’m against this notion that we shouldn’t vote. If more people voted (not just black people) we’d have more likeminded people in Congress that could support this bill.