Bachmann: Blacks had more stable families under slavery than under Obama

[Conley]

Not sure that there are really good statistics to back that up, but I suppose theoretically it could be true.

Still, there are better ways to discuss the breakdown of the black family unit and I don't think you can pin that on Obama.

"Michele Bachmann, the Republican presidential candidate, signed a Christian conservative pledge that stated that African American children were more likely to grow up in stable families during the era of slavery than under President Barack Obama."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...iage-pact.html

[freecell]

Many black families are a one parent home. In fact it's becoming a norm with others as well. Not good for the youth of our future. Saying it's Obama's fault is crazy.
Were they better off in slavery times? NO I can't imagine what it felt like to have your children sold at public auction. Not all were just saying. In slavery you had no control of what the owners did to your children. With that said, blacks owned blacks and whites were also slaves.

[Conley]

yes, d and i had a good discussion about this. imo a lot of the problems in our society are from single parent homes. it takes two to raise a kid, at least that is the ideal.

the thing is i know where bachmann is coming from but this was just a stupid way of putting it. not sure what she was thinking.

next thing you know she'll say black unemployment was lower during slavery than it is under obama

[spunkloaf]

yes, d and i had a good discussion about this. imo a lot of the problems in our society are from single parent homes. it takes two to raise a kid, at least that is the ideal.

the thing is i know where bachmann is coming from but this was just a stupid way of putting it. not sure what she was thinking.

next thing you know she'll say black unemployment was lower during slavery than it is under obama

That sounds like something Palin might say. ;D

[Mister D]

yes, d and i had a good discussion about this. imo a lot of the problems in our society are from single parent homes. it takes two to raise a kid, at least that is the ideal.

the thing is i know where bachmann is coming from but this was just a stupid way of putting it. not sure what she was thinking.

next thing you know she'll say black unemployment was lower during slavery than it is under obama

Any sensible person knows what Bachmann meant by that remark or what the pledge crafters meant by the inclusion of the clause. This is rapidly becoming another "niggardly" moment. The smarter commentators are just malicious hacks.

[Conley]

It's not really a distortion though...the opening line of the pledge she signed, says verbatim:

""Slavery had a disastrous impact on African-American families, yet sadly a child born into slavery in 1860 was more likely to be raised by his mother and father in a two-parent household than was an African-American baby born after the election of the USA's first African-American President," the opening statement introducing the pledge read. "

So she is saying exactly that. It was not a smart move politically...I don't think one can blame the press for this lack of common sense.

[Mister D]

It's not really a distortion though...the opening line of the pledge she signed, says verbatim:

""Slavery had a disastrous impact on African-American families, yet sadly a child born into slavery in 1860 was more likely to be raised by his mother and father in a two-parent household than was an African-American baby born after the election of the USA's first African-American President," the opening statement introducing the pledge read. "

So she is saying exactly that. It was not a smart move politically...I don't think one can blame the press for this lack of common sense.

What she said may actually be correct. The black illegitimacy rate is around 70%. All she did was make a statistical comparison. For example, it's been said that the death rate among blacks is higher in some cities (or maybe even nationwide) than it was in Vietnam. Does that mean blacks are better off joining the army and fighting a war? No, it just makes a point about the murder rate.

In any case, a rate of 70% is a social and economic disaster. That's what she was calling attention to.

[Conley]

She may be correct, she may not. You say she is making a statistical comparison, but without solid numbers that doesn't really work.

If she was concerned about the illegitimacy rate, she should have just come out and said so. Using this 'petition' to make the point was foolhardy, as not only does it suggest blacks were better off under slavery, but also that Obama is to blame for the current collapse of the black family unit.

I maintain that is just not smart politics, and you can believe that Romney and the others are more than happy to see this story gather steam even if it is mostly the left wing media fanning the flames. GOPers can complain about the Dems using the race card, but if you know the other sides' tactics, why give them another opportunity to use it against you? I'm just saying she needs to run a practical and realistic campaign, and this is not the way to do it.

[Conley]

Also I notice I've been misspelling Bachmann's first name this whole time. Oops.

[Mister D]

She may be correct, she may not. You say she is making a statistical comparison, but without solid numbers that doesn't really work.

If she was concerned about the illegitimacy rate, she should have just come out and said so. Using this 'petition' to make the point was foolhardy, as not only does it suggest blacks were better off under slavery, but also that Obama is to blame for the current collapse of the black family unit.

I maintain that is just not smart politics, and you can believe that Romney and the others are more than happy to see this story gather steam even if it is mostly the left wing media fanning the flames. GOPers can complain about the Dems using the race card, but if you know the other sides' tactics, why give them another opportunity to use it against you? I'm just saying she needs to run a practical and realistic campaign, and this is not the way to do it.

I think the petition is about marriage or something like that not specifically about black illegitimacy. She/they just did that to make a point about how bad the situation has gotten. Frankly, I don't think it either blames BO or suggests that blacks were better off as slaves. Moreover, I keep hearing about it's supposed inaccuracy but I have to see that inaccuracy demonstrated. All I've seen thus far are some commentators saying slave families were routinely broken up. I doubt that is the case. It probably depended on time and place from what I have read on the subject. More importantly, black two parent families simply don't exist anywhere near to the extent that they did in 1960. Were 70% of black children raised without fathers under the slave regime? I think that may not be the case.

Was it wise? I agree with you there. Yeah, her handlers should have known how this would be twisted against her.