Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

amerikat

(4,902 posts)
Tue Feb 21, 2017, 10:24 PM Feb 2017

When Trump Voters Say We Suffered Under Obama For 8 Years, This Is How You Respond


“We suffered for eight years. Now it’s your turn.”
Scott wrote a brilliant response asking how exactly his friend had suffered under Obama:
T
“I am surprised you would wish suffering upon me. That of course is your right, I suppose. I do not wish harm on anyone. Your statement seems to continue the ‘US v THEM’ mentality. The election is over. It is important to get past campaigning and campaign rhetoric and get down to what is uniting, not dividing and what is best for ALL Americans.

There will never be a President who does everything to everyone’s liking. There are things President Obama (and President Clinton) did that I do not like and conversely there are things I can point to that the Presidents Bush did that I agree with. So I am not 100% in lock step with the outgoing President but have supported him and the overall job he did.

And, if you recall, during the Presidential Campaign back in 2008 the campaign was halted because of the “historic crisis in our financial system.” Wall Street bailout negotiations intervened in the election process. The very sobering reality was that there likely could be a Depression and the world financial markets could collapse. The United States was losing 800,000 jobs a month and was poised to lose at least 10 million jobs the first year once the new President took office. We were in an economic freefall. So let us recall that ALL of America was suffering terribly at the beginning of Obama’s Presidency.

But I wanted to look back over the last 8 years and ask you a few questions. Since much of the rhetoric before Obama was elected was that he would impose Sharia Law, Take Away Your Guns, Create Death Panels, Destroy the Economy, Impose Socialism and, since you will agree that NONE of this came to pass, I was wondering: Why have you suffered so?

So let me ask: Gays and Lesbians can now marry and enjoy the benefits they had been deprived of. Has this caused your suffering?

When Obama took office, the Dow was 6,626. Now it is 19,875. Has this caused your suffering?

We had 82 straight months of private sector job growth – the longest streak in the history of the United States. Has this caused your suffering?

Especially considering where the economy was when he took over, an amazing 11.3 million new jobs were created under President Obama (far more than President Bush). Has this caused your suffering?

Obama has taken Unemployment from 10% down to 4.7%. Has this caused your suffering?

Homelessness among US Veterans has dropped by half. Has this caused your suffering?

Obama shut down the US secret overseas prisons. Has this caused your suffering?

President Obama has created a policy for the families of fallen soldiers to have their travel paid for to be there when remains are flown home. Has this caused your suffering?

We landed a rover on Mars. Has this caused your suffering?

He passed the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Has this caused your suffering?

Uninsured adults has decreased to below 10%: 90% of adults are insured – an increase of 20 Million Adults. Has this caused your suffering?

People are now covered for pre-existing conditions. Has this caused your suffering?

Insurance Premiums increased an average of $4,677 from 2002-2008, an increase of 58% under Bush. The growth of these insurance premiums has gone up $4,145 – a slower rate of increase. Has this caused your suffering?

Obama added Billions of dollars to mental health care for our Veterans. Has this caused your suffering?

Consumer confidence has gone from 37.7 to 98.1 during Obama’s tenure. Has this caused your suffering?

He passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Has this caused your suffering?

His bi-annual Nuclear Summit convinced 16 countries to give up and destroy all their loose nuclear material so it could not be stolen. Has this caused your suffering?

He saved the US Auto industry. American cars sold at the beginning of his term were 10.4M and upon his exit 17.5M. Has this caused your suffering?

The deficit as a percentage of the GDP has gone from 9.8% to 3.2%. Has this caused your suffering?

The deficit itself was cut by $800 Billion Dollars. Has this caused your suffering?

Obama preserved the middle class tax cuts. Has this caused your suffering?

Obama banned solitary confinement for juveniles in federal prisons. Has this caused your suffering?

He signed Credit Card reform so that rates could not be raised without you being notified. Has this caused your suffering?

He outlawed Government contractors from discriminating against LGBT persons. Has this caused your suffering?

He doubled Pell Grants. Has this caused your suffering?

Abortion is down. Has this caused your suffering?

Violent crime is down. Has this caused your suffering?

He overturned the scientific ban on stem cell research. Has this caused your suffering?

He protected Net Neutrality. Has this caused your suffering?

Obamacare has extended the life of the Medicare insurance trust fund (will be solvent until 2030). Has this caused your suffering?

President Obama repealed Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. Has this caused your suffering?

He banned torture. Has this caused your suffering?

He negotiated with Syria to give up its chemical weapons and they were destroyed. Has this caused your suffering?

Solar and Wind Power are at an all time high. Has this caused your suffering?

High School Graduation rates hit 83% – an all time high. Has this caused your suffering?

Corporate profits are up by 144%. Has this caused your suffering?

He normalized relations with Cuba. Has this caused your suffering?

Reliance on foreign oil is at a 40 year low. Has this caused your suffering?

US Exports are up 28%. Has this caused your suffering?

He appointed the most diverse cabinet ever. Has this caused your suffering?

He reduced the number of troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Has this caused your suffering?

Yes, he killed Osama Bin Laden and retrieved all the documents in his possession for analysis. Perhaps THIS caused your suffering?

From an objective standpoint it would appear that the last eight years have seen some great progress and we were saved from a financial collapse. Things are not perfect. Things can always be better. We are on much better footing now than we were in 2008.

I look forward to understanding what caused you to suffer so much under Obama these last eight years.”

Copy & paste to share. I hope you will.
42 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
When Trump Voters Say We Suffered Under Obama For 8 Years, This Is How You Respond (Original Post) amerikat Feb 2017 OP
This is great. AJT Feb 2017 #1
My hope too. amerikat Feb 2017 #5
I dought it. amerikat Feb 2017 #10
wish there were a way to save articles krakfiend Feb 2017 #16
Bookmark this page in your browser. dchill Feb 2017 #17
Click the emmadoggy Feb 2017 #19
bookmark it. you can also copy and paste into your own email accounts (which is what I do niyad Feb 2017 #34
That's what I do, too. Besides bookmarking in your dmr Feb 2017 #41
exactly!! niyad Feb 2017 #42
Their answer of course Glamrock Feb 2017 #2
Right? They're brainwashed and unreachable SammyWinstonJack Feb 2017 #18
That's Why RobinA Feb 2017 #31
Wow just wow Lotusflower70 Feb 2017 #3
Thanks amerikat Feb 2017 #6
Already shared and tweeted. onecaliberal Feb 2017 #4
Let me know what happens. amerikat Feb 2017 #7
Will do onecaliberal Feb 2017 #11
Great list thanks for sharing! Luciferous Feb 2017 #8
You're welcome amerikat Feb 2017 #9
Somebody had to do it, so I volunteered! Stellar Feb 2017 #12
I've posted this in various forums... MrPurple Feb 2017 #13
But... askyagerz Feb 2017 #14
KNR!!! Great post. Thanks. AgadorSparticus Feb 2017 #15
They will be dying under Trump.... Historic NY Feb 2017 #20
K&R and Tweeted yuiyoshida Feb 2017 #21
President Obama is half black and his middle name is Hussein Martin Eden Feb 2017 #22
This Blaukraut Feb 2017 #25
Good points Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin Feb 2017 #23
Please let us know how your friend responds. CrispyQ Feb 2017 #24
Translation: For 8 years Obama made a mockery of their bigoted values bigbrother05 Feb 2017 #26
All lies. Turbineguy Feb 2017 #27
We need another question... Auntie Bush Feb 2017 #28
They did not suffer under Obama, that is more lies and smears. BeckyDem Feb 2017 #29
Marking so I can find later... TheDebbieDee Feb 2017 #30
A lot of good points! But, Sentath Feb 2017 #32
"How did you suffer for 8 years under President Obama?" DinahMoeHum Feb 2017 #33
k and r and bookmarking. I really try not to engage with the racist assholes who voted niyad Feb 2017 #35
They have that attention span of gnats, that is way to long for them to "suffer" through. Javaman Feb 2017 #36
TL;DR ... Answer "Suffered HOW exactly?" mwooldri Feb 2017 #37
THIS BumRushDaShow Feb 2017 #40
Thanks for posting (nt) JaneQPublic Feb 2017 #38
Great answer, but it only has one problem... MrScorpio Feb 2017 #39

AJT

(5,240 posts)
1. This is great.
Tue Feb 21, 2017, 10:30 PM
Feb 2017

I only hope there are some people on the right that still reasonable enough to communicate with.

krakfiend

(202 posts)
16. wish there were a way to save articles
Wed Feb 22, 2017, 12:31 AM
Feb 2017

would love to come back to this in a future time to show some people i know. they have the same mentality, "the 8 years of obama was hell". yeah, let's see what the next four under trump will be like.

niyad

(112,434 posts)
34. bookmark it. you can also copy and paste into your own email accounts (which is what I do
Wed Feb 22, 2017, 02:38 PM
Feb 2017

with some things, in their own folders)

dmr

(28,321 posts)
41. That's what I do, too. Besides bookmarking in your
Wed Feb 22, 2017, 07:07 PM
Feb 2017

browser, we can also bookmark this thread right here in DU.

Sometimes I text the link to myself, too.

I get so mad at myself when I can't find something that I'm sure I saved. Ha! "I'm sure" are the operative words here!

RobinA

(9,878 posts)
31. That's Why
Wed Feb 22, 2017, 01:05 PM
Feb 2017

my response to "We suffered under Obama" and the like is to ask in an innocent, neutral, just wondering tone if they can elaborate on what caused them to suffer. That puts the ball in their court and pretty much ends the discussion after some initial stammering and stuttering. If they manage to come up with some nonsense, I ask a follow-up question about said nonsense. This puts them in the position of having to come up with specifics, not me. They are, after all, the ones making the assertion. It also pretty much ends any further propagandizing in my presence, because they know they are going to have to do more than issue catch phrases or end up backed into a corner. I have a friend that I have nicely backed into a corner exactly twice since the mid-Clinton era. Once about the Clinton's frequent murders from the Arkansas days and once about the WMDs we secretly found in Iraq. Needless to say, the word "Trump" has never been uttered in my presence and all political discussion has ended.

Martin Eden

(12,802 posts)
22. President Obama is half black and his middle name is Hussein
Wed Feb 22, 2017, 10:15 AM
Feb 2017

That's enough to cause suffering for the deplorables.

bigbrother05

(5,995 posts)
26. Translation: For 8 years Obama made a mockery of their bigoted values
Wed Feb 22, 2017, 11:30 AM
Feb 2017

Now their bigotry makes a mockery of American values

That's exactly what we deserve for being all hopey-changey.

Auntie Bush

(17,528 posts)
28. We need another question...
Wed Feb 22, 2017, 11:46 AM
Feb 2017

List all the things that Trump has DONE and PLANS to do that Will HURT Democrats and many other minority group.

BeckyDem

(8,361 posts)
29. They did not suffer under Obama, that is more lies and smears.
Wed Feb 22, 2017, 11:52 AM
Feb 2017

How quickly people forget the crash in 2007 and GW Bush's years of problems, like the war pushed upon by lies.

By the time Trump is done or even Pence if they can impeach Trump, the looting they'll do to this country may show them what suffering really means. These people are nuts.

Sentath

(2,243 posts)
32. A lot of good points! But,
Wed Feb 22, 2017, 01:17 PM
Feb 2017

Saying that there was no suffering is .. Pollyannaish.

Rather than using the vast authority, discretion, and funding available from TARP, the bailout bill, to tackle this, Obama’s policy response to troubled homeowners was “Keep Calm and Carry On.” Obama’s administration trusted the predatory financial institutions that created the crisis to manage the aftermath and buried investigations finding that predation continued. The debt was only worked down through foreclosures, and even then it’s still with us—negative equity was a solid predictor of Midwestern counties that flipped to Trump.
[link:https://www.dissentmagazine.org/online_articles/austerity-obama-years|

DinahMoeHum

(21,737 posts)
33. "How did you suffer for 8 years under President Obama?"
Wed Feb 22, 2017, 02:10 PM
Feb 2017

". . .Be Specific. . ."

. . .is all you have to ask.

If they hem and haw on this, call them out on their bullshit, then walk away from them.

niyad

(112,434 posts)
35. k and r and bookmarking. I really try not to engage with the racist assholes who voted
Wed Feb 22, 2017, 02:40 PM
Feb 2017

for the sexual pervert in chief.

Javaman

(62,439 posts)
36. They have that attention span of gnats, that is way to long for them to "suffer" through.
Wed Feb 22, 2017, 04:24 PM
Feb 2017

has to be something short, to the point and they can't forget.

mwooldri

(10,291 posts)
37. TL;DR ... Answer "Suffered HOW exactly?"
Wed Feb 22, 2017, 04:49 PM
Feb 2017

Let them say what caused their suffering and rebut each one in turn.

I find it hard to figure out how people "suffered" under Obama.

BumRushDaShow

(127,300 posts)
40. THIS
Wed Feb 22, 2017, 05:56 PM
Feb 2017

Over and over here on DU, lists of Obama's accomplishments like this were posted. Memes were created and distributed that included the list. And still (notably the haters), some eyes still rolled.

There are some who will never accept it - in some cases because one or more items that they felt were critical to them, were not on that list (and I expect there are quite a few things) and some of the positive things there did not occur for them (entirely valid).

One of my sisters suggested a trip to D.C. this spring or fall. We have been there a number of times but not to the new African American History Museum. As an additional tour, she suggested a trip to the White House. I told her that I am so repulsed by what is there now, what he stands for, and who he has tapped to bring about a reversal of everything that so many of us fought for, that I would not want to set foot in there at all until he is out of office (I wish I had had the time when the Obamas were there). She thought I was being silly but I am not and I expect some of these Drumpf voters felt the same way.

MrScorpio

(73,626 posts)
39. Great answer, but it only has one problem...
Wed Feb 22, 2017, 05:11 PM
Feb 2017

It's too long for your basic Trump loving winger. These morons have the attention span of a two week old puppy.

Is there a way to boil this down in to something that would fit on a bumper sticker?

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»When Trump Voters Say We ...