“No one Can Make You Feel Inferior Without Your Consent,” explained Eleanor Roosevelt. I hope President Obama feels this way since whatever he does, whichever way he turns, he gets criticized by Republicans.
In 2010, for example, PBO designed the Affordable Care Act. In an unexpected move, a conservative Supreme Court judge, acting as a swing vote, approved it. Ever since, President Obama has been branded a Socialist by the GOP.
When recent immigration legislation was delayed by the Republican Senate, POTUS insisted he would use an executive order to expedite the results. Name calling ensued once again. This time President Obama was called “a king,” and Republicans threatened to sue him.
Despite these accusations that President Obama thinks he is a king on high, too lofty for the American people, lately President Obama has been accused of not being “high” enough. Recently, in China, our president refused the limousine service used to ferry around previous presidents. In addition, when he emerged from his choice of vehicle, he was chewing gum. According to USA TODAY, this earned the president the reputation of a “rapper”. Whether a king or a rapper, Barack just can’t seem to win.
Over the years, I’ve heard him equally disparaged for singing and playing basketball. “The leader of the free world should not be singing and playing basketball,” one Republican I know complained. President Obama recently was even chastised for holding a cup of coffee while saluting a Marine.
All these criticisms hurled at a man I’ve heard praised as the greatest president in the history of our country. Recently, for example, President Obama met with the Chinese. China is a country that has had its doors closed to the outside world on and off since the Manchus started the Qing Dynasty in 1644. (I realize Nixon was allowed in.) Not only did POTUS get the Chinese to open their doors to him, but he made an unprecedented climate deal to cut greenhouse emissions. If people thought the Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. Obamacare) was a fluke, (certainly getting sick uninsured children health care was an anomaly,) this should certainly convince the critics. But, no, the Republican-dominated media seemed more interested in his gum and choice of transportation than his success at helping people.
I’ve heard it said that Fox News and NBC are in the pockets of the Republicans. Is USA TODAY, the gum-chewing critic, too?
My title refers to “presidents” in the plural. This was no error on my part. These criticisms bandied about reminded me of the disparaging comments thrown at Bill Clinton. Like Barack Obama, there was talk of impeaching Clinton. Don’t get me wrong, I do NOT believe in, condone, or practice infidelity, but there was an impeachment hearing for President Clinton after his Monica Lewinsky affair. While I certainly frown on immorality, it was more important to me that the 1990’s were a time of economic success for our country than President Clinton’s philandering ways.
Mitt Romney, the Republican ran for office in two years ago, challenged President Obama to reduce the unemployment rate to under 8%. It’s now under 6% and gas prices are almost down to $3.00 Like in the case of Clinton, it is ridiculous for the press (or anyone) to care about President Obama’s human ways in lieu of his presidential success.
I have promised my readers a tie-in with history in my current events blogs. (Did Roosevelt’s quote count?) Here it is: Abraham Lincoln said, “You can’t please all of the people all of the time.” Barack Obama has certainly proved that true time and time again.
What do my readers think? Should a president act “presidential,” or should they prove that presidents are people too? I look forward to your views.
