An Invitation Befitting a President of the United States?
Posted September 15th, 2009 at 3.22pm in Ongoing Priorities.
Two weeks ago, we alerted you to an event invitation on President Barack Obama’s ongoing campaign website, barackobama.com, which used startling language to describe the opposition. The message urged Americans to call their U.S. Senators on September 11 and “fight back against our own Right-Wing Domestic Terrorists who are subverting the American Democratic Process, whipped to a frenzy by their Fox Propaganda Network ceaselessly re-seizing power for their treacherous leaders.” It went on to call conservatives the heirs to Bin Laden. After we reported this, the posting was removed and the President’s campaign team chalked it up to an independent poster who had no affiliation to the website and was akin to a harmless comment on a blog.
Well, they’ve done it again, only this time the invitation comes directly from Jason Waskey, Maryland State Director of Organizing for America (OFA), and President Obama is headlining the event so it cannot be dismissed so easily. Yesterday, OFA members received an email inviting them to a health care rally with President Obama at the University of Maryland on Thursday at 9:00 a.m. In the invite, Waskey compares opponents of the President’s health care agenda to “swiftboaters” who are “spreading lies and stirring up fear.”
This type of language may be acceptable, even expected, during a political campaign, but as we pointed out two weeks ago, now is not that time. An invitation to see the President speak, any President, was at one point in America a treasured gift. Gold embossed stationary, or simply tickets with the presidential seal or a picture of the White House have been framed and hung on walls across America. Guests of all political persuasions ask the President to sign them if they’re lucky to be close enough. Even in an electronic age, invitations from the President should carry some weight or at least a healthy respect for the office. This invitation does not come close to meeting Presidential standards.
In his speech before Congress last week, President Obama said: “But what we have also seen in these last months is the same partisan spectacle that only hardens the disdain many Americans have toward their own government…Too many have used this as an opportunity to score short-term political points, even if it robs the country of our opportunity to solve a long-term challenge.” Mr. President, you are correct, and this type of partisan campaign invitation is exactly what Americans disdain, and is exactly what makes bipartisan reform so hard to achieve.
When conservatives rightly point out that liberals have consistently defeated health care amendments that would protect against taxpayer funded abortions or against abuse by undocumented aliens, they are not lying, they are pointing out legislative facts. When conservatives rightly point out that tens of millions would lose their private coverage under your plans, even if not by government “force” or “requirement,” but merely by design, they are not “spreading fear,” but merely helping educate a very well-informed populace.
It is often said that nobody wants to see how the sausage is made. When the debate is whether to overhaul one sixth of our economy and put control over a vast amount of American income into the hands of the government, trust us, Americans want to see the details. By discussing the details on both sides, this is not “swiftboating” as the President’s Maryland State OFA Director calls it, but having a transparent debate.
As we said two weeks ago, the time has come for the President of the United States to embrace the office he holds, and end the perpetual campaign. Speaking to the American public via whitehouse.gov and via barackobama.com sends mixed messages that add credibility to the charge that the President only cares about the people who voted for him in November. A positive step towards a bipartisan debate, and as Obama said last week, “[a] recognition that we are all in this together” would be to shut down the barackobama.com website which seeks to alienate voices in this nation and divide Americans as either for him, or against him.
- Author: Rory Cooper
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September 15, 2009 Bill, San Antonio TX writes:
It all began with the lack of transparency and shoving the stimulus package down the throat of the American people.
If we had time to dissect that piece of legislation before “sneaking it through,”
more of an outcry would have been heard - earlier.
They TRIED to sucker the American people again, before the August recess.
So, the American people are supposed to act like lemmings? That has been precisely the problem for decades - the vast majority of Americans standing quietly….
Rule for Radicals by Saul Alinsky specifically alludes to how to manipulate the middle class or “Do Nothings”, as stated in his book. This book is The Guide to Organizing followed by the left. The fact that most Americans never heard of it, let alone read it, is a major reason why the left wing liberals have control over the Democratic Party, the vast majority of whom are not even close to being Socialists.
Now, decades of corruption have come to a head. To be sure, BOTH parties share the blame. More importantly, the “Do Nothings” are finally demanding they be heard. THIS WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN! The vision put forth is even scaring Democrats.
We are all Americans and that is not a cliche.
However, the left wing has seriously miscalculated. MOST Americans abhore what is being proposed and the hypocrisy.
We want to support our President but he has to be moderate; even POTUS Clinton moved somewhat to the center. If POTUS would have ran as a leftist, he would have never won.
The POTUS said it himself. He would be judged by who he surrounds himself with.
Do reasonable Americans like what they see?