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The President & the “Tea Parties
Showing Respect for Them Would Increase his Stature

April 22, 2009 by GayPatriotWest

During the better part of the transition, it seemed that then-President-elect Barack Obama would truly live up to the image he put forward during the campaign, a post-partisan figure able to transcend the divisive politics which had defined national politics for nearly twenty years.  Once in office, he would use his formidable gifts to unite us as a nation.  He appointed competent people to his cabinet (or so they appeared at the time), spoke in measured tones, was gracious in relationships with the-then incumbent Administration, refraining from criticizing George W. Bush and his team.

He reached out to his campaign rival, John McCain, inviting him to Chicago shortly after the election and hosting a dinner in his honor the day before his inauguration.

Yeah, there were a few fumbles and stumbles along the way, but on the whole, a class act.

That all changed almost from the moment he took office.  During the inauguration, he bypassed an opportunity to stand up to the hate on his side of the aisle when he failed to silence those who booed his predecessor.  What a gesture that would have been!

And then in (what I believe was) his first meeting as president with a bipartisan congressional delegation, he snapped, “I won” to defend the “stimulus” he was then pushing.  Shortly thereafter, he starting blaming his predecessor on a pretty regularly basis.  In a very short amount of time, President Obama forfeited the chance he had to truly bridge the partisan gap and unite the nation, moving us toward an era of less intense political acrimony.

Well, today, one week after nearly one half-million people rallied to protest increased government spending and the tax increases we fear will follow to pay for them, he has a chance to recover the ground he lost in the days immediately after the election.  All he need to is acknowledge the sincerity of the Tea Party protesters and fault those who would question it.

He could make a stand for civil discourse by showing some understanding of the concerns of his fellow citizens, maybe inviting some leaders of the nascent grassroots movement to the White House.  Or he could deliver a speech wherein he praises our activism as within the American tradition.  Perhaps, he could do this as part of a larger address where he tackles head-on the issues we raised in our rallies.

Like Jonathan Rauch with gay marriage opponents, he would “encapsulate” his adversaries’ arguments, acknowledging our points, then carefully rebut them, defending his policies.  By showing respect for his political opponents, this appraoch would also help elevate him “above the fray.” It might even help him win support for his budget proposals.

In short by acknowledging the legitimacy of the protesters’ concerns, he would increase his own stature as President of the United States.  It would show that he sees his office not as one to promote partisan ends, but to advance the national interest.

Mr. President, stand up to the hysterical and intolerant voices on your side of the aisle and show some respect for your political adversaries.  It’s what a President does should do.

Filed Under: Civil Discourse, Credit to Democrats, Tea Party

Comments

  1. Levi says

    April 22, 2009 at 12:24 pm - April 22, 2009

    Bi-partisanship is a two way street. You can’t put 100% of the blame on Obama for failure to achieve something that is dependent on two parties cooperating. He certainly gave it a better shot than the Republicans did.

    His tendency to reach out to you guys is one of the biggest things I don’t like about him, by the way.

  2. Gene on Pennsylvania says

    April 22, 2009 at 12:31 pm - April 22, 2009

    Obamateleprompter post partisian? Hardly. Sure it’s what he promised, but since his immacualtion he has gone as far left as is possible. Instead of appointing more moderates or conservatives to his cabinet he has appointed boobs and bunglers. In the mold of Jumpin Joe Biden. Now the latest to rise to the surface of boobdom…..Janet Napalatano.
    http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090421/USA_Border_090421/20090421?hub=TopStories
    The latest of Obamas boobs in the cabinet doesn’t even know the details of the 9/11 attackers. No wonder she considers pro lifers more of an American threat than muslim terrorists.
    Yes Napalatano isn’t a tax cheat, at least one that we know of, but boob, dummy, moron, she fits right in.
    One of our closest allies, Canada, is horribly offended and wonders who appointed her….duhhh. The same guy who picked Biden, Geithner, Sebalious, and the other dummies and cheats in this administration.
    Could some of our leftists buds in here comment on BO’s first 100 days please? Read some of the Napalatano quotes in the following:
    http://www.nationalpost.com/todays-paper/story.html?id=1520295

  3. Gene on Pennsylvania says

    April 22, 2009 at 12:33 pm - April 22, 2009

    Funny Obama won’t go on FOX News but he’s hug and kiss Chavez, Ortega, and the Castros. NICE. And very brave.
    Obamateleprompter is about as post partisian as Stalin. (Google Stalin and read about him.) hehe

  4. Gene on Pennsylvania says

    April 22, 2009 at 12:34 pm - April 22, 2009

    filtered, why?

  5. The Livewire says

    April 22, 2009 at 12:36 pm - April 22, 2009

    Examples Levi? I assume ‘I won’ is an example of the bipartisanship of the President?

  6. Hunter says

    April 22, 2009 at 12:40 pm - April 22, 2009

    Sorry Levi, but you can blame Obama 100% for failure to achieve bipartisanship. Just “reaching out” is not what creates cooperation, actually changing your position on something is what does the trick. Just having the opposition over to the White House for drinks is just for show. I didn’t see much sway from Obama regarding the recently passed deficit spending plan, and I haven’t seen much give from him regarding energy policy, healthcare policy, tax polcy, defense spending, etc. Don’t get caught up in a celebration of process. It’s the policies that Obama executes that are what count, and so far those have pretty much shut the GOP out.

  7. Levi says

    April 22, 2009 at 12:53 pm - April 22, 2009

    Sorry Levi, but you can blame Obama 100% for failure to achieve bipartisanship. Just “reaching out” is not what creates cooperation, actually changing your position on something is what does the trick. Just having the opposition over to the White House for drinks is just for show. I didn’t see much sway from Obama regarding the recently passed deficit spending plan, and I haven’t seen much give from him regarding energy policy, healthcare policy, tax polcy, defense spending, etc. Don’t get caught up in a celebration of process. It’s the policies that Obama executes that are what count, and so far those have pretty much shut the GOP out.

    You guys don’t seem to understand how elections and power work in this country. Obama doesn’t have to ‘sway’ at all, in any direction, because you guys are almost totally marginalized. He needs one vote from you in the Senate, and that is all. Any overtures he might make towards your side are absolutely unnecessary gestures he makes either out of abundant generosity or crippling naivety, I can’t really decide, but he doesn’t need to be doing them.

    You can stand there and say you’ve noticed no efforts on his side if you want, even though he gutted his stimulus bill to put in a bunch of tax cuts, even though he’s appointing conservatives to his cabinet, and even though he continues to insist he wants to find ‘bipartisan solutions’ to our problems, but at least recognize that he could be totally ignoring your very existence if he wanted – that’s how relevant the GOP is these days.

  8. North Dallas Thirty says

    April 22, 2009 at 1:28 pm - April 22, 2009

    We understand completely. You lied to the voters, Levi, and now the lies are being exposed as such.

    How long do you think your party unity will last now that people know Obama supports massive deficits, that he wants vast increases in taxes, that he endorses and supports tax cheats, and that he is continuing the policies of the Bush administration that you screamed were impeachable war crimes?

  9. ILoveCapitalism says

    April 22, 2009 at 1:32 pm - April 22, 2009

    Gene – Good one. After reading your article, it’s clear that Janet Napolitano is a freakin’ idiot.

  10. Peter Hughes says

    April 22, 2009 at 1:58 pm - April 22, 2009

    #7 – “even though he’s appointing conservatives to his cabinet”

    Name one, Levi. I double-dog-dare you. As if it wouldn’t be filibustered in the Senate.

    Also, if you think you’re going to be cute and say “Robert Gates,” he’s no conservative, even though he is a holdover from the previous administration.

    Regards,
    Peter H.

  11. ILoveCapitalism says

    April 22, 2009 at 2:06 pm - April 22, 2009

    Obama didn’t appoint Gates in any case; he only passively refrained from appointing a Gates replacement, like Bush when Bush initially didn’t replace George Tenet and several other Clinton people in the security apparatus.

  12. Linda Strickland says

    April 22, 2009 at 2:42 pm - April 22, 2009

    FYI to Levi. There’ll be other elections in the not too distant future so we’ll see how the power shifts go. Just remember we don’t elect a president for life here, at least not yet. The Obama may be daydreaming about how to change that. It wouldn’t surprise me.

  13. windybon says

    April 22, 2009 at 6:33 pm - April 22, 2009

    If O’s cap and trade policies are put into place, MANY people will die. Projected increases of $3,900 a year per household for energy will keep most people I know from being able to use their air conditioning and/or heat.

    http://weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/016/412cwueq.asp

  14. Gene on Pennsylvania says

    April 22, 2009 at 9:25 pm - April 22, 2009

    #13 but don’t you see Obama’s plan is for more Americans to apply for energy bill welfare.

  15. Annie says

    April 23, 2009 at 12:29 am - April 23, 2009

    I also recall Obama sparking the “You can’t just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done” controversy, which prompted his followers to gleefully disseminate the story for weeks afterwards. Regardless of Rush’s comments on his show, I didn’t think initiating a pissing match with a radio talk show host seemed very Presidential and didn’t live up to his bipartisan rhetoric.

  16. ThatGayConservative says

    April 23, 2009 at 5:57 am - April 23, 2009

    Obama doesn’t have to ’sway’ at all, in any direction, because you guys are almost totally marginalized.

    So he won’t be running for reelection then? Gracias a Dios!!

  17. The Livewire says

    April 23, 2009 at 6:57 am - April 23, 2009

    …even though he gutted his stimulus bill to put in a bunch of tax cuts…

    Sorry, still laughing over this. ‘gutted his stimulus bill’ We’d need a 72 inch monitor to dosplay this then if he’d not ‘gutted’ his porkulus bill.

    Or maybe you mean the whopping 100m in ‘spending cuts’. I made more of a budget cut by discontinuing my Planet Stories subscription.

    Tax cuts? Where? A change in withholding is not a tax cut.

  18. Peter Hughes says

    April 23, 2009 at 10:35 am - April 23, 2009

    #10 – Still waiting for Levi to supply proof of his assertions. I’d be better off waiting for a taxicab in Manhattan. At least one will show up with a few hours.

    Regards,
    Peter H.

  19. Gene in Pennsylvania says

    April 23, 2009 at 12:26 pm - April 23, 2009

    When the leftists were ripping on Palin ‘s lack of experience and accomplishments I listed at least 6 off the top of my head. I challenged them to list two, just 2 of Obamas prior to him running for President. I’m still waitng. hehe These boobs are kool aide drinkers who don’t think for themselves. So I ignore them now.

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