During President George W. Bush’s term, Democrats undermined and delegitimized him by referring to him as the “Thief in Chief”. This made the Democrats appear like childish, disrespectful losers.
During President Barack Obama’s term, Republicans undermined and delegitimized him by referring to him as the “Current Occupant of the White House”. This makes the Republicans appear like childish, disrespectful losers.
Just because a political opponent disrespected you “first” gives you no right nor privilege to exercise the very same action you previously denounced when it becomes politically beneficial for you to do so. That does not elevate the conversation to a higher level and perpetuates the pettiness and posturing that is poisonous in politics.
Like them or not, George Bush and Barack Obama deserve a measure of our respect not merely because they hold the Office of the President of the United States of America, but more so because they are human beings with inherent dignity and worth.
Truth.
Editor’s Note: This series entitled “Political Peeves or Righteous Rants” is a continuous, stream-of-consciousness series of articles concisely commenting on the gross hypocrisy and double standards exercised by Democrats and Republicans alike in the name of political expediency.
About Phil Tran
Agreed. Childish & peevish to stoop to degrading terms like that.
Seems like a series right up my alley. I’ll look forward to reading it.
Will this be a series where you lecture and chastise both democrats and republicans? Will it be followed by a series on how to win friends and influence people? You’ll have to excuse me if I opt-out. I do politics and give/get enough of the chastising and lectures.
I’m going to respond to you and Congressman Rigell with this note. I wholeheartedly disagree about calls for “civility” and so-called “respect” in political discourse. One of the hallmarks of our political system has been the freedom of the people to criticize our leaders in any way imaginable.
And rightfully so. Since the days of “pamphleteers” in the early Republic, we have held the feet of our leaders to the fire. You make decisions in public and if you’re not prepared to take the slings and arrows that come with being a leader, then you shouldn’t hold yourself out as one.
Therefore, no such thing as a “coarsened political discourse,” exists. The only thing that has changed is that we no longer have to listen for a loud man in the town square with a pamphlet–we just turn on our radios, televisions, or log on to the Internet.
Now, there are many places where political conversations are “respectful.” Those are places with leaders who have names like “Castro,” “Assad,” and “Kim Jong-un.” The lack of “respect” here is why you can write this blog and Scott Rigell can decide to run for office, despite opposing the regime of the Current Occupant of the White House.
So, with the most important election of our Nation’s history approaching, lets get this right:
1. Criticizing our leaders is healthy and one of the few things that makes it possible for this Nation to exist. If they can’t take it–they aren’t leaders, and need to find another occupation.
2. Barack Obama and his friends don’t care if we have jobs–they prefer that we don’t, because it makes us depend on them. That dependence is the only thing that keeps them in power, because their motives are wrong and their policies are bankrupt. What they’re doing is nothing more than theft from the present and future generations.