Recently, at one of these Freedomworks-sponsored tea party events, a man whose family members perished in the Holocaust attacked another man who was holding a sign that depicted President Obama as Adolf Hitler. The attacker was arrested. Now we're not saying that the man shouldn't have been arrested, but what we are saying is that overt racist references that are still open wounds for an individual or particular group of people will provoke a heightened reaction.
In David Gregory's interview with President Obama, as he made the Meet The Press round of his Sunday intervews, he reacted to former President Jimmy Carter's remarks, centered on race and racist resistance, with regard to criticism of the President. Jimmy Carter was a peanut farmer in Georgia, living in the height of segregation where overt racial bias [understated] and racial violence prevailed. In other words, he's a man who knows. Now, is President Carter sometimes guilty of over-dramatization? Sure, but he also has a knack of telling people what they need to hear even if they don't like it.
Of course, the President has too distance his answer from Jimmy Carter's observations. To say anything otherwise would then invite the distillation of every debate on public policy down to that one element. Mr. Obama acknowledged that for a small amount of people it is a problem but that is not what drives the language. He once again referred to the example of President Franklin D. Roosevelt when in his day amidst the changes he was making, he was called every name in the book.
(Just an impression: On this topic of race at one point, this column felt that Mr. Gregory pressed the President in a way that simply sought to obtain a provocative quote. It is a tact to which Mr. Gregory is prone, but one that he should get away from. Another probing but thoughtful question should be the approach.)
As we know, the above topic is fueled by the debate on healthcare reform. What more can be said? At least that's our initial thought. We'll try and keep it within the context of what was said on today's program... but no guarantees.
Given what we said above about Mr. Gregory's tact, we liked that when asking the President about the public option he asked it as such: So the public option is dead? In a matter of fact tone. The President needs to clearly state his way out of this box, repeatedly. This column, frankly, finds his answer disappointing. He said that it is not dead, but not essential for reform. As long as the insurance companies dictate who receives what coverage for treatment, core reform is empty.
And lastly, with regard to Afghanistan, at this moment, the President is still getting only minor pressure from the Republicans and minimal heat from the Democrats and the left. The President is closely following the advice of the generals, but a report, mentioned on the program, indicates that the Obama Administration is asking the generals to hold off on their assessment. This is a mistake on two levels: One, we should never delay an assessment that should lead to the wisest strategy on the ground. Literally, Our soldiers depend on it. And two, politically, putting more focus on Afghanistan could serve as a counter balancing issue that unites politicians versus what is going on in the healthcare debate.
However, on today's program, House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) said he was concerned about the 'changing goals' in Afghanistan. The strategy, as it stands, is to stabilize the country by destroying any Taliban influence, the group that harbors Al Qaeda, the leadership of which we're trying to catch. The constant problem with Congressman Boehner is that he makes these statements that he doesn't like the Administration's direction but never offers a concrete alternative view. Exasperatingly, it begs the question: What is solution to the problem? On Afghanistan and Iraq, for that matter, Mr. Boehner was in lock step with most all of the previous administration's disastrous decisions making his 'concerns' virtually irrelevant.
For a change of pace, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) put his support behind the President and wants him to succeed. Whether he agrees with everything or not, foreign military policy should not be a partisan issue. Unfortunately, former Vice President Dick Cheney solidified that it always would be. Despite all of this, decisions and assessments should never be put on hold.
On the domestic front, it has and always will be grossly partisan. Senator Graham said that the President is saying everything that everyone wants to hear but that the 'details just don't add it,' Mr. Boehner added that he didn't want to see a giant government take over of healthcare. The Republicans, as they did on today's program, are floating the notion of stopping and starting over with the legislation. In unprecedented expression for this column, that is the biggest load of bullshit we've ever heard.
One, the minority party does not dictate the terms of discussion.
Two, the Republicans would never entertain such a notion if they were in control [see the previous administration].
Three, Republicans complain also complain about the T.A.R.P. when considering cost for healthcare, but if it was for their deregulating everything during the previous administration's run, we wouldn't have needed the T.A.R.P. in the first place.
Four, it is a blatant delay tactic to block any real reform before the mid-term elections start heating up, hence the presence of a huge wedge issue.
Five, until the Republicans come up with some serious proposals to reform healthcare so that the insurance companies don't control everything, then they have no ground on which to stand for even the right to ask for a 'do-over.'
We could digress further...
And with regard to the vitriolic public rhetoric, all Mr. Boehner could offer was that, 'it's been spirited.' Senator Graham pointed out that the President was combative in his address to the joint session. These two statements reek of enabling, or to frame it in political operative terms (most used by Republicans), guilt by association. For Senator Graham, his sensitivity comes off as passive aggressive in so much that it says that what his South Carolinian colleague Joe Wilson said was appropriate, even given Mr. Graham's statements to the contrary. Not to mention what a tight-knit group South Carolina politicians are with the senator stating on today's Meet The Press that Governor Mark Sanford should finish his term. Despite the Governor's disappearance for five days and his apparent usage of government travel for private purpose.
As for Congressman Boehner, sadly, it just seems as though is just sitting back and letting the rhetoric take hold, almost content with what he sees. So if this week's column seems particularly disgusted with some of the Republican statements, it's because when you enable people by condoning images of our President as Adolf Hitler, you're going to get a harsh response.
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