Is it okay to be proud of your heritage and race?

[1bad65]

Yes, this is the sensible and ethical way to think about race. However, there are people on the left that are obsessed with skin color/race and inject that obsession into politics, culture, sports, business, everything. It’s a big problem in this country and is making us more tribal and partisan.

Sadly, alot of those types have gravitated here.

[AllBoxingAD]

Yes, this is the sensible and ethical way to think about race. However, there are people on the left that are obsessed with skin color/race and inject that obsession into politics, culture, sports, business, everything. It’s a big problem in this country and is making us more tribal and partisan.

Is that whats happening in this country?

How do you explain the 'Unite the Right' rally?

[DreamerUSA]

Is that whats happening in this country?

How do you explain the 'Unite the Right' rally?

For every action there is an opposite an equal reaction. Kind of cliche, but true. The more pervasive an extreme faction gets on one side the more pervasive the extreme will get on the other side.

[BostonGuy]

Is that whats happening in this country?

How do you explain the 'Unite the Right' rally?

Those guys are a fringe minority, have no political voice or clout and are insignificant. This notion of "right wing violence" or "****s" in this country is completely exaggerated. Look at the "unite the right rally" in Washington DC earlier this summer; I think there was maybe 30 people who marched. Where are all the white supremists and ****s that I keep hearing about by the media?

[BostonGuy]

Yes, this is the sensible and ethical way to think about race. However, there are people on the left that are obsessed with skin color/race and inject that obsession into politics, culture, sports, business, everything. It’s a big problem in this country and is making us more tribal and partisan.

Here's an example to back up my claim:

Was last week the worst week of the Walsh administration?

One could easily make that case. Consider: On Tuesday, multiple candidates the mayor endorsed and actively supported ?most prominently US Representative Michael Capuano ?were soundly beaten at the polls.


But Walsh’s bad week didn’t end there. Later, federal prosecutors asked an appellate court to revive the Boston Calling corruption case in which two Walsh aides were indicted in 2015. The case had been dismissed in March.

Finally, Walsh’s former chief of staff, Dan Koh ?a candidate for whom the mayor did everything but set himself on fire ?stands right now as the razor-thin loser to Lori Trahan in the Third Congressional District (though that race is headed for a recount).

This is not good, not good at all, for a mayor who seemed to view this fall as an opportunity to display his growing influence. In addition to campaigning for Koh north of the city, the mayor has also been on the stump in other states, campaigning in labor-friendly, working-class areas.

I don’t want to overstate the woes of a very popular mayor. But if Walsh harbors ambitions beyond Boston City Hall, as is widely presumed, those dreams took a hit last week.

The biggest blow, of course, was Capuano’s defeat at the hands of Pressley. It’s also the most instructive, because it combines several of Walsh’s weaknesses in one event.

For the most powerful politician in the city, Walsh has backed more than his share of losers. Warren Tolman, Joe Ruggiero, Stephen Passacantilli, Jeffrey Sanchez . . . the list goes on. The common denominator is that he backs people who supported him. He has a lot of old friends in the business, and he remembers his friends.

As a human being, his loyalty may be a lovely quality. As a political matter, it’s becoming problematic. Not surprisingly, many of his longtime acquaintances ?not all ?are white guys.

And now he has actively opposed the election of Maura Healey, Lydia Edwards, and Pressley, backing white males in each case.

For a progressive mayor, it’s not a good look.
There’s also the matter of how Pressley toppled Capuano. She was able to inspire a large number of voters who weren’t part of the traditional ********ic machine ?who, in fact, voted explicitly against traditional party politics. Pressley won despite being hugely outraised in terms of campaign finances. She won with limited support from organized labor. Indisputably, she beat the machine.

If you are a mayor whose single greatest political asset is controlling the levers of that machine, that can only give you pause.

None of this is to imply that Walsh is some political hack. He is not. He is presiding, mostly successfully, over a time of huge growth in the city. He is managing the most inclusive city government Boston has had, by far. He is respected as a manager, and admired for his inspiring personal story.

But if he wants to run for governor, Koh’s likely defeat suggests that his appeal loses some luster beyond the city limits. If he wants to scare off future opponents with the strength of his indomitable political operation, well, that operation just became less intimidating. If nothing else, a strong opponent in Walsh’s next race just became a much more likely prospect.

As for that machine: Some savvy observers believe that it was simply stretched too thin. These people, who didn’t want to be named because they’d like to continue working in Boston politics, think the mayor ?at a minimum ?should get more selective about his causes.

They’re right, but there is more going on than that. It’s possible that the era of the big political bosses is ending before our eyes. The formulas that have guaranteed victory in the past don’t anymore.
For the better part of a century, Boston mayors have been invulnerable. What if that’s no longer true?

Adrian Walker is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at adrian.walker@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @Adrian_Walker.
Show 103 Comments

So, basically, this columnist is calling out Walsh (a white male) for not backing the 'right' candidates e.g. women and 'persons of color.' It's very cynical and implies that Walsh only backs white men for political office. I don't believe for a moment that Walsh didn't back these candidates because of their race or ***; he backed them because they were political allies and the best person for the job.

Another problem is that Walsh and his supporters will not push back against this article and or call out the racial implications in it.

[AllBoxingAD]

Those guys are a fringe minority, have no political voice or clout and are insignificant. This notion of "right wing violence" or "****s" in this country is completely exaggerated. Look at the "unite the right rally" in Washington DC earlier this summer; I think there was maybe 30 people who marched. Where are all the white supremists and ****s that I keep hearing about by the media?

No political voice?

Steve Bannon made it to the President's inner circle riding this wave.

Breitbart
Drudge
**********
AR
Infowars
...

All have alot of political and social influence in this country.

[BostonGuy]

Obsessed...with...race

Why Sandra Oh's Emmy Nomination Matters

"She's the first person of Asian descent to be nominated for Best Actress in the HISTORY of the Emmys."

"Her entire filmography is an endless series of surprises considering she's Korean-Canadian yet her career isn't built upon stereotypical fare that trades in white people's expectations of Asians."

How condescending do you have to be to write something like this? "Wahhh...white people"

[EdWins]

No, this is “the guilt by association?fallacy. By no effort or fault of my own was I born white, therefore I should not be punished by the actions of others (in the group identity).



What about all the great innovations, inventions and contributions to humanity that white people are responsible for? Why is it always the negative things attributed to whites?

nobody is saying you are guilty of anything. But the fact remains: The KKK and Neo ****s have terrorized people of color for generations and their slogans were white power/white pride.... therefor it is mot appropriate to say that. If it was POC who terrorized whites and said "Brown Power" or whatever then we wouldn't be allowed to say it either, but WE are the victims. We never burned crosses on white peoples front yards and lynched yall come on....

[BostonGuy]

nobody is saying you are guilty of anything. But the fact remains: The KKK and Neo ****s have terrorized people of color for generations and their slogans were white power/white pride.... therefor it is mot appropriate to say that. If it was POC who terrorized whites and said "Brown Power" or whatever then we wouldn't be allowed to say it either, but WE are the victims. We never burned crosses on white peoples front yards and lynched yall come on....

Of course it’s not appropriate to proclaim “white power?given the historical context in which the slogan was used to terrorize and oppress people and to communicate superiority

[Boksfan]

No it's not, it's called racism.