Speaking before an adoring crowd of gay and lesbian supporters Saturday night in Washington, Barack Obama dressed down the entire field of Republican presidential candidates for remaining silent when a gay member of the U.S. military was booed during the recent debate in Orlando. The smattering of boos from a few audience members unleashed a fast and furious response from Mr. Obama.
"We don't believe in a small America," Mr. Obama said. "We believe in a big America - a tolerant America, a just America, an equal America - that values the service of every patriot. We believe in an America where we're all in it together, and we see the good in one another, and we live up to a creed that is as old as our founding: E pluribus unum. Out of many, one. And that includes everybody."
Since "we're all in it together" and according to Mr. Obama "that includes everybody," will he be standing up for each and every one of us who are being insulted, cursed, bullied and threatened? Will the chief proponent of "a tolerant America" finally address Democratic Party colleagues like Sheila Jackson Lee who compared the Tea Party to the KKK? Maybe he should ask Maxine Waters to apologize for saying that "The Tea Party can go straight to hell." Mr. Obama could have a chat with Andre Carson about his claim that the Tea Party wants to see Black Americans "hanging on a tree," if he were so inclined.
The man who called for civility in political discourse in the wake of the Gabrielle Giffords shooting has remained silent as the ordinary Americans of the Tea Party have been subject to the worst type of abuse from members of his own party. When Politico reported that Joe Biden nodded in agreement as Mike Doyle said Tea Party members "acted like terrorists," Mr. Obama was forced to respond. In their follow-up article Politico reported:
President Barack Obama on Monday stood by the vice president's denial, and then on Wednesday morning The Washington Post's Glenn Kessler in his Fact Checker column took a shot at POLITICO's reporting, saying he was "dubious" that Biden actually made such remarks.
For the record, POLITICO stands by the story and has done so since the moment it was posted on our website. Furthermore, the vice president's office has never asked for a correction or retraction despite follow-up denials by Biden himself.
The ever divisive Mr. Obama wasn't actually present when his fellow Democrats attacked the hard-working, loyal Americans of the Tea Party movement however he was on hand this Labor Day in Detroit when Jimmy Hoffa Jr. went on the offensive. The Washington Times reported:
Shortly before President Barack Obama spoke to the labor unions in Detroit, Jimmy Hoffa Jr. warmed up the audience and harshly attacked the Tea Party movement saying: (emphasis is mine)
"We got to keep an eye on the battle that we face: The war on workers. And you see it everywhere, it is the Tea Party. And you know, there is only one way to beat and win that war. The one thing about working people is we like a good fight. And you know what? They've got a war, they got a war with us and there's only going to be one winner. It's going to be the workers of Michigan, and America. We're going to win that war," Jimmy Hoffa Jr. said said
"President Obama, this is your army. We are ready to march. Let's take these son of bitches out and give America back to an America where we belong."
Although Mr. Obama was in the house when the Teamster Boss made his threat against the Tea Party he chose to begin his remarks by telling the gathered union crowd that he was proud of the union leaders assembled there, including Mr. Hoffa. The man who called for a new era of civility has yet to address the reprehensible behavior of the Teamster's President.
While Mr. Obama has ignored the numerous attacks against his political opposition he has found ways to encourage uncivil behavior against the Tea Party and Republicans. During the public sector union's siege of Madison, Wisconsin, the divisive president stood in support of the protesters. The Washington Post reported:
Obama accused Scott Walker, the state's new Republican governor, of unleashing an "assault" on unions in pushing emergency legislation that would change future collective-bargaining agreements that affect most public employees, including teachers.
The president's political machine worked in close coordination Thursday with state and national union officials to get thousands of protesters to gather in Madison and to plan similar demonstrations in other state capitals.
Emboldened by the support of the Obama administration it wasn't long before Republican Senators and Governor Walker started receiving death threats. Channel 15 WMTV reported:
MADISON - The Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation and the Wisconsin Capitol Police have investigated numerous threats against elected officials over the last four weeks. Last evening, the DCI identified and located a subject suspected of sending at least two of those threats.
The suspect subsequently admitted to authoring and sending two e-mails threatening to kill the Governor and members of the Senate. DCI Administrator Ed Wall said "The Division of Criminal Investigation takes these kind of threats seriously and will follow through with the investigation and prosecution whenever possible."
Only a matter of weeks after his impassioned plea for civility, Mr. Obama helped fan the flames of political discord in Wisconsin and then chose not to address the death threats which were made against the state's Republican leadership.
Mr. Obama says "we're all in this together," but his actions (or lack thereof) indicate he is only speaking to his supporters. Democrat members of Congress can insult and denigrate the Tea Party, the vice president can call loyal Americans terrorists, labor leaders make open threats against decent hard-working citizens, elected officials can receive death threats and racial mob violence can tear our cities apart, but don't let anyone dare boo a gay soldier during a debate because "we're all in it together." Still it seems that Mr. Obama may be making progress towards civility, after all he didn't tell the audience "if they bring a knife, we bring a gun."
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