While the Republican National Convention is busy trying to promote their narrative that Obama has been a disappointment of a president, there are two things that you should remember:
First of all, that it is a lie. Despite relentless opposition from the Republicans — who even opposed their own ideas (like Romneycare/Obamacare) when Obama adopted them — and despite inheriting an economy in free-fall, this administration has actually succeeded in turning the country around and gotten it moving in the right direction again.
The “Please Cut The Crap” blog has put together a comprehensive list, with comprehensive citations, of 200 accomplishments of Obama. Whether it is tracking down Osama bin Laden, saving the American automobile industry, reforming America’s reputation abroad, putting new emphasis on education, pushing less polluting forms of energy, or even cutting taxes, there is a lot to like.
Second, notice that there is one person who will be noticeably absent from the Republican convention, and that is George W. Bush. Even Republicans realize that the last Republican president was one disaster after another. Sadly, the main reminder of the Bush administration today will be Hurricane Isaac dumping rain on New Orleans on the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Well, that, and having to live with the legacy of Bush appointments to the Supreme Court, like the Citizens United decision that has opened the floodgates of special interest money in elections.
So when someone like Reince Priebus declares that Obama has “never run a company“, remember that Bush was our first CEO president.
And it isn’t just Bush. What have the rest of the Republicans been doing the last four years? Opposing Wall Street reforms. Opposing health care reform. Opposing gay marriage and trying to outlaw abortion. Trying to shut down Planned Parenthood. Promoting tax cuts for the rich and giveaways to large multinational corporations.
And what are the GOP priorities for the future? It is telling that the first item on the Republican platform is “Preserving and protecting traditional marriage” (against gays). While the first item on the Democratic platform is the economy.
It is instructive to read the rest of the Republican platform. Their vision of the future says “The Internet must be made safe for children” by going after “all forms of pornography and obscenity”. But they don’t say how they will do that while protecting freedom of speech.
Ironically, their “Prescription for American Healthcare” says:
We believe that taking care of one’s health is an individual responsibility. Chronic diseases, many of them related to lifestyle, drive healthcare costs, accounting for more than 75 percent of the nation’s medical spending. To reduce demand, and thereby lower costs, we must foster personal responsibility while increasing preventive services to promote healthy lifestyles.
And yet, when Michelle Obama promotes healthy eating for children in order to fight obesity, she is mocked as promoting a nanny state.
The Republican Platform also promotes education reform, which they call “A Chance for Every Child”. Wasn’t that what Bush’s “No Child Left Behind” was supposed to do? And under “Improving our Nation’s Classrooms” they complain that “Ideological bias is deeply entrenched within the current university system” and call on “State officials to ensure that our public colleges and universities be places of learning and the exchange of ideas, not zones of intellectual intolerance favoring the Left.” You know, those liberal ideas like evolution or climate change.
10 Comments
Rather than argue Obama’s accomplishments, tis better to refer the “Uninformed” to “Politifact” where the scoreboard for the GOP and Obama is kept. Now most of the uninformed have a set mind and aren’t going there, but there is nothing one can do about that.
And also remember Obama can be President only 8 years. In four years, he will only be 56 years old. Of course, I want Elizabeth Warren in four years, but she could be his Vice President if he doesn’t use up his eight years this time around.
Or let’s think out of the box — Obama could be Warren’s VP!
warren can follow him in 2020 for eight years. I speak as I wear her campaign shirt.
I may be getting old and moving more to the middle, but to make the point that George Bush’s name is not mentioned at he convention is an outright falsehood. Bush gave a speech, albeit via video conference or tape, but your assessment he won’t be mentioned is not accurate and it leaves you open to direct attack on what else is not accurate.
The fact that the GOP has deep sixed Palin and did not allow Bush or his cohorts a podium is story enough. Embellishing it with inaccurate statements makes both sides look extremely sophmoric.
How can ostensibly Religious people lie so much? Or are they also lying about being Religious? I read the FACK CHECK write up of all the lies that Ryan, Santorum, Christie, Portman told at the convention. And how can Religious people vote for all these liars? It is sickening. I guess one could say to anyone who wants to vote for Romney that one could doubt their Religion as they are willing to vote for liars who only want to fatten the pocket of the rich.
I just read in New York State where I live that the consumer confidence is improving as shown by people spending more. Romney and Ryan and the Republicans don’t buy any more toilet paper than anyone else in this country; yet they are sitting on money that could be in circulation if they were taxed more. We have X amount of money produced by the treasury. It needs to circulate. I need to pay $4K more in taxes. Oh, and I pay a lot more in NYstate tax then I do in Federal. We are a wonderfully blue and successful state.
Jim, consider this: Bill Clinton has given live, headlining speeches at the 2000, 2004, and 2008 DNC, and he is again scheduled for 2012. Even Jimmy Carter gave a speech at the 1984 (1988 and 2004, too) DNC four years after his blowout loss. GWB has not given live, *in-person* speeches at either the 2008 or 2012 RNC (though the former was blamed on a hurricane), and references to him and his policies are far from common.
Yes, it’s an exaggeration to say that Bush’s name won’t be mentioned at all, but everyone does that when speaking in broad terms. (Notice that I just did when I said “everyone.”) It is quite remarkable that a president whose approval rating was almost 90% a decade (+ 1 year) ago is getting very little mention these days.
Thanks for keeping me honest. I was going on a news story that claimed that Bush’s name wasn’t going to be mentioned at the RNC. I’ll fix it.
IRON KNEE: Nothing to fix, here! You never said Pres. Bush’s name wasn’t going to be mentioned at the RNC!
Reader Jim’s criticism was INCORRECT: ” . . . but your assessment he won’t be mentioned is not accurate and it leaves you open to direct attack on what else is not accurate.”
Iron Knee, you simply said that,” . . . there is one speaker who will be noticeably absent from the Republican convention,” and you included the link to the article from which this information was gleaned. George Bush WAS absent from the RNC, per his own pre-RNC announcement that he would NOT be attending. And his party, inarguably, ignored the former president, other than the video and his brother’s defense of him. Sad that The same time couldn’t have been spent with Brother Jeb and other notable speakers giving any SPECIFICS about Mr. Romney’s gubernatorial record (something screamingly omitted during the RNC) and perhaps the specifics of just HOW he plans to accomplish all that he and his cohort, Mr. Ryan are promising to do.
Even sadder, though, that Mr. Romney and Mr. Ryan couldn’t have stuck to the truth in their own RNC speeches. The lies were simply glaring! (Where is mainstream media on THIS, anyway???)
YOU, Iron Knee, did NOT misrepresent the truth. You were fully responsible, and included your sources, as usual (something which the critics on the right seldom do — easier to take paraphrased potshots, beginning with a bit of the truth and taking liberties with the rest — speaking of embellishing the truth).
From the New York Times (Editors Blog): “But it is striking the way the 2012 Republicans are ignoring Mr. Bush, who was president from 2001 until 2009 and was given the same sort of grossly overblown accolades at his two conventions that were showered on Mr. Romney tonight and will be showered on him for two days more.”
http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/28/selective-memory-in-tampa/?ref=georgewbush
Reader Jim closed with: “Embellishing it with inaccurate statements makes both sides look extremely sophmoric.”
Sorry Jim. Seems only ONE side, here, is looking that way.
And, BTW — it’s sophOmoric, Jim.
Sorry. Don’t mean to be petty, but you left yourself open.
Spellcheck, Jim. And Fact Check.
“My mind’s made up; don’t confuse me with the facts.”
Before any comments: Spellcheck, Spell Check and Spell-Check are all accepted spellings, according to multiple language usage reference sites (although the two-word version is the most commonly used).
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