As I posted yesterday, I thought Obama gave a good speech at the Tucson memorial.
The mainstream media, which has been seeking a way to redeem Obama’s presidency, is portraying the speech as turning point in which Obama brought us all together, in contrast to Sarah Palin’s allegedly divisive speech.
I don’t see the speech having a lasting impact on Obama’s presidency unlike George W. Bush’s speech after 9/11. While Tucson was a tragedy by any account, it simply was not on the scale of 9/11, and therefore Obama’s speech was not of equivalent importance to the nation.
While we ponder the impact of the speech, let’s not forget the role Obama has played in coarsening the national dialogue, going back to the campaign. Rather than repeating what I have said before, here are some of my prior posts:
- January 4, 2011: Obama: Those Partisan Republican Hacks Should Stop Being Partisan
- October 10, 2010: Obama The Divider, Part 101010
- April 27, 2010: Politico: Yeah, Barack Got Enemy
- January 28, 2010: A Window Into His Divisive Soul
- September 6, 2009: Demonizer-In-Chief Upset People Demonize Him
- March 1, 2009: Barack Got Enemy
- October 15, 2008: Race as Political Weapon
Having used divisiveness to push through Obamacare and other expansions of government, Obama now wants everyone to come together and lower the volume.
That’s fine. But it should not affect our policy goals one iota, or the vigor with which we seek to roll back some of the mistakes of the past two years.
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Comments
That needed to be said, about moving foward,but I can hear the howling now:"Cruel, mean-spirited Republicans,trying to roll back a law that helps the folks,at a time like this".
Want to bet?
I thought it was a good speech, too, and like you, I see it having no lasting impact. I honestly don't think he's going to be able to control himself. He'll be calling us "teabaggers" and "enemies" again within a month (maybe sooner, depends what happens with all the crazy leftist legislation being proposed from repealing the 22nd Amendment to banning guns/ammo and free speech).
If there's one thing we've learned about BO it's that he says one thing (sometimes well, like last night), but he always does another. Always. This will be no exception.
The NY Times continues its descent into Hacksville Cavern:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/13/opinion/13thu1.html
Bad Sarah!! Bad!! Bad!!
I'm pretty sure a disaster doesn't have to be "on the scale of 9/11" to result in an important speech or important message. Like 9/11's message of fighting off terrorism, this one's message seems to tell us that even though politics may not have been the cause, it has shed light onto our wrong ways of politicizing through violent rhetoric. We need more positive campaigning than negative. More collaboration than clash.
I agree with Fuzzy. The only reason he got elected is because he said he would govern as a uniter, "there's not a red America or a blue Amerca, but one America".
Then after he was elected, he froze Republicans out of the legislative process completely. I think Mitch McConnel said he had more meetings with Obama during the lame duck session than he'd had in the nearly 2-year period prior to the lame duck.
As far as civilty, only about a month ago he was referring to Repubicans as "hostage takers". So much for setting the leadership example.
However, I think he will take a markedly different tone from here until the election. That's because he's rammed through most of what he wanted to ram through. All he's got to do is play nice (like he pretended to during his campaign) and try to regain the independents who abandoned Democrats in droves in November. If he can do that, then he can get himself re-elected. And if he gets re-elected, repealing Obamacare is dead.
I really doubt he has any grand aspirations for new legislation the next two years. It's all about appealing to independents to get re-elected to save healthcare. Because if healthcare is not repealed in his second term, the price controls and regulatory burden will ultimately bankrupt private insurers. At that point the government takeover of healthcare will be complete.
That's his goal, and it can only happen if Obama gets re-elected to prevent repeal.
That's the plan as I see it.
Once again, Obama and the Democrats are setting the rules, defining the terms, and giving everyone guidelines on what is "acceptable." Why do we accept them?! The speech was fine – he read the teleprompter well. But he is 3 days too late to try to "cool" the divisive, hate-filled rhetoric. As is evidenced by today's MSM continued attacks, it is not being heeded, no matter what he said. They know he didn't mean THEM; after all, they are doing his dirty work for him. He is one of the most despicable people to ever lead our nation. And, to re-state the almost cliche comment: there is NO journalism in the US. Period. Only the internet and talk radio are avenues to the truth.
Obama's the incumbent. Would he be lecturing America on "toning down" its political rhetoric as a candidate struggling to unseat a sitting (pretty) President and to upend his/her agenda?
Palin has done nothing wrong. Her hysterical detractors weren't sufficiently denounced by Obama, our so-called "every American's President" who took too much time before telling supporters on the left to ratchet down the hate talk and threats over supposed violent talk and hate from the right.
No, wait, I don't think he actually even said that. My impression of his message is that he indirectly chastised one side more than the other for its uncivil tone and tenor. Guess which one.
And, yes, he and his Party will continue to viciously and unironically demonize Tea Partiers and conservatives and get away with it, because they and their invested press are fighting Very Bad People, apparently.
Stop citing recent history and facts.
Just accept that you're murderers or accomplices to it, and that you've destroyed the national dialogue on (X).
I cannot agree. This was supposed to be a memorial service, a solemn occasion of remembrance, consignment and rededication, but the White House and probably the University as well stole the occasion and transformed it into a self-serving political rally, complete with t-shirts, unseemly sights and loud alarums.
And a hectoring, self-serving tergiversator posturing again the plaints of smug superiority. Unctuous thief.
Who in hell do he and his supports think they are? That is a rhetorical question. They know who in hell they are.
Didn't bother to watch.
With Obama there, I knew it would devolve into a campaign rally, and based on the snippets I've seen, he didn't disappoint.
We needed a leader. We got a campaigner. And there is a difference.
At the NY Times, blood libel is thicker than circulation:
"The president’s words were an important contrast to the ugliness that continues to swirl in some parts of the country. The accusation by Sarah Palin that “journalists and pundits” had committed a “blood libel” when they raised questions about overheated rhetoric was especially disturbing, given the grave meaning of that phrase in the history of the Jewish people."
One can almost imagine (while conscience dreaming) that in the NY Times's eyes, Sarah Palin can do no right. Stop the ugliness, Sarah!!
"Together we Thrive" Yea right, As long as we jump on board Obama's newly enacted, change the narrative, political campaign and stop questioning his acts and agenda. Disgusting is a gentle word in describing the political event last night masquerading as a Memorial…Allowing a nut case to guide a political agenda will only facilitate another nut case to act again in a horrendous fashion…
I expect that we will be able to buy a "Together We Thrive" teeshirt at the Together We Thrive.org website soon…
I agree with Maggott, if he wins in 2012, we'll never be rid of ObamaCare.
And DINOMarie also makes a good point about his trying to make the rules as we go forward.
DrJim's point is also sound. Anything Republicans do now will be lambasted as "uncivil" and not in the spirit of the new ObamaNation. Look how he's working so hard to work with them, and those mean old Republicans are determined to keep up the hate. It'll be the same song we heard for the last two years, except now the Republicans won't try to enter committee meetings only to find the locks have been changed. Now BO will actually take their calls and even *gasp* meet with them. No more "I won" and "elections have consequences" flip, dismissive remarks. Now it's all sweetness and light and working together. Because between November 2nd and his own hope for 2012, he has no choice. But that will get lost.
We saw this coming, and now we just have to make sure that the Republicans don't fall for it. That's my big fear. I don't think the fringe media has as much influence as they did even a year ago, so it's the beltway fog we need to fight through and remind them that out here in America, we don't give a crap about "optics" or senseless, baseless attacks from the senseless and base.
We care about our country and our Constitution. Period. Unfortunately, BO has shown nothing but contempt, even shame, for both.
The 'service' was creepy. As I've heard others point out, it was almost as if the State-worship crowd 'crossed over' briefly to allow the reading of some scripture. I did not find the thing overly dignified, what with the clapping/hollering, or the branding with the tee shirts. Very low-brow! My prayers are for the families of the victims, and the citizens of this country. We must recognize the danger of the statism-on-steroids that we have now. We must stand up with reasoned debate, and defend Liberty from the advance of big government.