You see this is why I HATE politics, it all boils down to you hate our president and we'll hate your president. Political debate in this country is still in its infancy, nothing new but browsing through some left-wing blogs here the other day the main point seems to be we're not giving President Obama a fair shake. We're not basing our POVs on Fact and we're blaming him for things he really has no control over like high gas prices and how he deals with foreign affairs. Basically we just hate the man and deep down we probably don't like blacks. OK ok ok I get it but by the same logic liberals need to go back and retract some of the things, many of the things they said about Bush. That'd be Bush Jr. of course but why complain about our treatment of Obama now but we shouldn't complain about their treatment of President Bush then? Politics seems solely based on emotion these days but look I'm gonna take them up on their offer to go easy and cut some slack where justified for the current president ONLY if they go back and take back some of the things said about Mr. Bush.
(silence)
So as I was saying I can't stand President Obama because......
Z, I go along with you to a point.
ReplyDeleteOther than the extreme code pinko folks, there were not many people saying Bush was not American, and as such, unqualified to be president.
Yes, he was attacked, a lot of times unmercifully for his supposed lack of intellect, curiosity and war planning. But where did the mainstream left ever question his basic right to even seek the presidency based on his citizenship?
Attack Obama all you [generic] want. We did it to Bush. Mock his policies and call him names as we did with "shrub".
It's politics.
But don't imply he personally is unAmerican, don't attack his wife, and don't involve his kids politically.
Those levels of critique, save for a few isolated example, were not standard features of the daily discourse before Obama.
Well I do remember in the Bill Clinton days the right-wing vitriol being very high to the more fringey elements insinuating stuff about those two dead kids on the railroad tracks, drug-running at the Mena Airport in Arkansas and even one right-wing radio host asking the question was Bill Clinton a Manchurian Candidate? I thought it was way over the top back then but it oscillates back and forth between right and left and who currently is in the Oval Office.
ReplyDeleteAgreed on the First Lady stuff but many times they open themselves up to criticism so as long as we don't attack. Remember when Nancy Reagan was poked constantly over her Just Say No campaign? Well if they do get involved in public issues then you have a right to commment and of course the kids shouldn't be attacked or brought into this. Is Obama un or anti-American? ok I'm willing to take that one off the table too but he really doesn't seem to understand some very basic constitutional concepts of religious liberty for instance. I think it's the fact that he's so entrenched in his positions that grates on people and opens up the door to the charge but as for the citizenship question no doubt about that one my friend.
ReplyDeleteThere is a tendency to demonize
ReplyDeleteMichelle O that I never saw with
Laura Bush..sometimes quite vicious in the 'uber partisan' blogs.
Guess we chalk that up to the extreme liberal dislike of Bush's
over-reaching VP. IMO, George B
in retirement has shown exceptional class....
Where I get annoyed with her has more to do with my overall annoyance at the Health Movement as I call it, a kind of joyless movement where you have to opt for a broccoli floret or brussel sprout over a donut or slice of pizza every time. It gets heavy-handed after awhile this philosophy of denial but that's kinda it for me, I'm not into fashion critiques of her or anything like that.
ReplyDeleteBB, nice call on the Bush post presidency... It must be part of blood, his dad has been great too... not so sometimes Clinton and Carter...
ReplyDeleteCome to think of it... for the most part, the GOP folks have been a lot better at that then the dems...
Z-man... any ideas why GOP leaders cannot, or will not say Obama is a US Citizen and has every right to be president, as opposed to the weaselly "I take him at his word?"
As for religious liberty, i think he understands religious liberty pretty well... he just comes from a different perspective.
Much like the theological divide between Calvinism and Arianism... both sides are convinced the other has no logical understanding of the facts...
Liberals spent EIGHT years bashing, posting chimp cartoons, and insulting President Bush, and Bush's daughters as well. There wasn't a week that went by when you didn't see a picture or an artificial of one of the Bush daughters drinking a beer. We haven't done nearly half the things that they did and said about Obama. So lets spare us your selective short memory! Don't forget, Bush was blamed for EVERYTHING that happened in America from the wars that were created and started by the Terrorists and that every Democrat in Washington agreed to to the bad policies that Obama made,and even to Al Gore's adultery.
ReplyDeleteAnd while we are on the subject, I dare any liberal tell me Obama has been insulted more times than Sarah Palin and her family! She was harassed, insulted, and had her character assassinated all over the media, and on ever late night show on TV. What for?
What did she ever do to deserve that treatment? If anyone does this to Obama and, or his family, then we are racists.
What else is new!
DD hits the nail squarely there and that's the whole point of my blog. I'm not aware of any GOP leaders implying Obama may not be a US citizen but if you can supply the statements...I actually don't think he fully understands religious liberty but that's my take.
ReplyDeleteRe the so-called contraceptive mandate since that's part of what we're talking about here talking to someone this morning and she had a good take that I tend to agree with. Ms. Sandra Fluke didn't present her message well in terms of it made it sound like here's what I'm doing and I need these pills. Now I don't think that was her intent but you have to pay attention to how your message will sound to others and as for Rush she said she thinks he was talking in general when he used the slut term and you got three hours on the air everyday to ad-lib and to think out loud and it's hard. Just a different take but I can already hear somebody in the background saying oh that's just blaming the woman again.
ReplyDeleteZ-man, you are not aware of GOP leaders refusing to answer yes, when asked if President Obama is a US Citizen born in this country?
ReplyDeleteMitch McConnell, for one, has steadfastly relied on the weasel response, stating, I take him at his word.
Karl Rove has refused to answer the question, choosing instead to say we do not need to be discussing his citizenship.
Rick Perry has said he doesn't have an answer.
Michelle Bachman also hid behind the I take him at his word answer.
This is before we get to the data that says a majority of GOP voters are birthers, or people who do not believe Obama was born in the US.
Where has that type of criticism ever come up against any other Presidential candidates in our lifetimes?
The only purpose is to make Obama out to be unAmerican.
I would just love to hear a GOP candidate for the presidency, or read a partisan blogger say that while he believes Barack Obama is a crummy president, as a citizen of our great country, he has every right to be President and as our first black President, I salute him! Now let's send him home.
I could respect that.
Well I guess it's how you parse language. "I take him at his word", yeah ok I get your point but I guess I haven't followed this stuff that much since I'm not a birther and I thought that was only fringe stuff. On the other hand Obama took overly long to release his birth certificate and as one commenter posted at the time maybe he did this to feed the conspiracy theorists, have a little fun and make them look even more out there.
ReplyDeleteI don't have an opinion on his birth certificate but it has been stated numerous times that his social security number does not comport with having been born in Hawaii circa 1961.
ReplyDelete