Posted on 01/27/2012 1:48:59 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
It starts from the Superiority Syndrome: People acting as if they’re more important than a U.S. President — when they clearly are not. To fingers in the face. To people questioning his already established and proven citizenship.
The incidents of disrespect towards President Obama continue.
When people criticize Administration policy, that’s just politics. But several incidents directed at this President appear to find new lows. Of course, people can disagree with the President. But, why can’t people respect the Office of the Presidency?
The very public nature of disrespect towards President Obama is noteworthy. Did Gov. Jan Brewer (R-AZ) have to conduct business with the President in front of reporters? Wasn’t there a better time and place? Would a visiting leader from a foreign country be greeted with a finger in his face by a Governor? If not, why would it happen to the leader of our own country? Could a hockey goalie have executed a quiet no-show for a White House invitation honoring his team? See Facebook for the answer on that one.
It wasn’t the end of the world when Speaker John Boehner refused the President’s date to speak to a joint session on jobs in September 2011. And yes, the White House picked that date to steal attention from a GOP debate. But like so many moments of disrespect towards the 44th President: No one can find another example in American history where a U.S. President requested a date to address Congress and was refused. Can anyone find another incident like the Brewer one? That the list below can even be compiled is telling.
1. The birther fiasco (2009-2011). No evidence. No proof. No documentation. But the story traveled on for years. Yes, Hawaii is part of the United States of America.
2. “You lie” (Sept. 2009). That any individual — no less a member of Congress watching a U.S. President during a joint session on live national television — is so lacking in self control that this moment was made possible is incredible — even in an age of incivility. Remember this happened only nine months into Obama’s presidency and is another “we can’t remember that ever happening ever before” moment. Close your eyes and pretend Rep. Maxine Waters was Wilson doing this to President Bush and image the reaction.
3. Signs of the Tea Party (July 2010) and Naked Racism (April 2011). Anyone remember California GOP official Marilyn Davenport’s racist e-mail? Did she ever resign for that? I remember all the criticism of the NAACP – particularly from Black Republicans — for their “Tea Party resolution” of 2010. Where was that indignation regarding what can be viewed in this video? Click here.
4. Donald “unchecked ego” Trump inflames birther fiasco, media assists (April 2011). The mouth of Donald Trump is a powerful thing when joined with a 24-hour cable news cycle desperate for viewers. That news organizations invited Trump on the air unchallenged with zero proof of what he was saying speaks volumes on the state of journalism. That Trump was completely comfortable demanding that a U.S. President “show him his papers” displays a superiority complex that exists among those who can’t accept someone they view as “lesser” in a position of power over them.
4. Deadbeat dad and probable one-termer thinks his presence before the President actually matters and needs to tell everyone (Sept 2011). The disrespect isn’t that probable one term Congressman Joe Walsh (R-IL) wouldn’t attend the President’s Sept. 8 speech. The disrespect is that Rep. Walsh actually believed that everyone knowing he wasn’t attending was important. That he needed to announce he would not attend on national television, as if anyone cared, was yet another delusional superiority episode. That proudly showing public disrespect towards the President is a winning strategy in some political circles reveals a lot.
5. Newt Gingrich’s “Kenyan anti-colonial behavior” comment (Sept 2010). Even Washington Post columnist and conservative thinker George Will slammed this attempt to define the President as “foreign.” Never mind the facts: President Obama wasn’t reared by his father in Kenya with whom he spent only a month of his 50 years on this earth. The strategy to define the President as a “foreign” or “alien” being was started by Sarah Palin in 2008.
6. One of the underlying premises of disrespect towards the President is that he can be ordered around and dictated to like he’s Tipi the laundry boy. The presumption that a U.S. President can be ordered around is a new phenomenon that appears to have gotten underway around January 2009. From big mouth Congressmen to millionaires with nothing to do, you name it — they all inherently believe they can order President Obama around. At least Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is an actual leader of something. Regardless, read this and ask yourself if you think this would have happened to Presidents Bush, Reagan or Clinton.
7. Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer puts her finger in the President’s face (January 2012). The photo speaks for itself. Of course there are strong political disagreements between President Obama and Gov. Brewer. But is it just possible there was a better time and place for this conversation? Brewer said she felt “a little threatened” by President Obama. Please.
8. GOP House, prompted by Tea Party — refuses to raise debt ceiling (Aug 2011). Sounds like this was just hardball politics right? Let’s review the facts: The debt ceiling had been raised 69 times since 1962 without incident. Seven times during Bush II and 18 times during Reagan. Suddenly, with President Obama, a shiny new precedent is set with regard to raising the debt ceiling. Another never before seen incident is born.
9. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) Publicly Announces His Top Political Priority (Dec 2010). McConnell wants the President out of office? No news there, but, wait, there’s more to it. “Our top political priority over the next two years should be to deny President Obama a second term,” Sen. McConnell told the Heritage Foundation. Of course the Senate Republican Leader doesn’t want the President to be re-elected. But what’s with the public announcement? In July 2010 McConnell acknowledged his single most important political goal: President Obama being a one-term President. Again: In public and on national television.
10. Speaker Boehner refuses speech date request (September 2011). No it is not the end of the world. Of course, the White House intentionally wanted to step on a GOP debate that same night. But, this is yet another first in American history. Once again, no one can find another instance where a President of the United States requested a date to address Congress and was refused.
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Lauren Victoria Burke writes on Congress and politics from Capitol Hill in Washington. She is the creator of the blog http://www.Crewof42.com which focuses on Black members of Congress. Her previous work includes the U.S. Senate Democratic Policy Committee, ABC News, where she was Cokie Roberts' assistant, USA TODAY, the Washington Post and Associated Press. She also owns WDCPIX.COM photoservice. Follow her on twitter at @crewof42.
Well, yeah. I am.
He works for me, not the other way 'round. This dipwad would do well to remember that.
When a totally evil anti-American communist and secret Mudslime defrauds his way into the presidency and see out whit total determination to destroy the Constitution, and the rights it guarantees, and the vey laws themselves to erect a Marxist utopia, respect for the presidency demands that subhuman POS be disrespected.
There is a problem with trying to create a distinction between the Person of the individual President and the Office of The President. It fails to address the problem of the individual holding the office being an absolutely incompetent buffoon, in such a case one eventually loses respect for the office. Furthermore, there is increasing evidence he is a crook i.e. Solyndra’s Kaiser and other Green Company “bundlers.”
Gee, what a surprise. Boo-freakin’ hoo. Shall we compile the list of 4,876 top worst moments of disrespect toward George W. Bush?
Let’s see now... Obambi picked a fight with Governor Brewer about her book and then got his panties in a bunch because she didn’t kowtow to his magnificence. Now poor Miss Burke has her panties in a bunch because some people refuse to kiss Obambi’s butt! There seem to be a lot of panty-bunching lefties around these days.
Perhaps that's the impression he he makes when he bends at the waist like some pathetic supplicant for every two-bit, third-world POS he is introduced to.
Precisely. Yet she (or it, I’m not sure) seems to think that is a point in her favor.
Every damn election since I was old enough to vote, every Republican is given an endoscopy and if there is the slightest hint of concealment, the media are on them like ugly on a frigging ape.
Obama, heck you’re racist for even daring to want to see such basic documents.
I didn’t know Newt called Obama ‘the Kenyan’. LOL
GO NEWT!!!
I can’t believe the list is this short. Does anyone actually respect Obama?
Hell people, I was born and raised in New York City and I have run out of swear words to call the bastard.
She missed my hand out the car window with a big “thumbs down” as his motorcade went by in Hawaii.
True story: Obama Sr. took one look at the little bastard, said "that ain't mine", and took off like a bat out of hell.
Fortunately (or unfortunately) mainstream Americans are too decent to stoop to it.
Dang it! I didn’t make the list.
Gonna have to step up the disrespect. Maybe I’ll make next year’s list.
She didn’t include mine. “Excuse me, i’m going to the head to take an obama.”
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