Count me as one conservative who is disappointed that President Obama's hometown will not be hosting the 2016 Olympic Games.
Chicago is a beautiful city that would have made a perfect backdrop for the Olympics. The President was right to fly to Copenhagen to try to land the games, not for the sake of his city, but for the good of his country. The fact President Obama failed makes me respect him more for taking the chance, and the fact many right-wing figures opposed the President's mission shows just how narrow-minded partisanship makes us all.
For the better part of 20 years, a bitterness has infected our politics that has weakened our country.
We Republicans spent eight years trying to delegitimize Bill Clinton.
Democrats spent the next eight years doing the same to George W. Bush.
Now that a Democrat is in the Oval Office again, it is the GOP who is trying to delegitimize a sitting president.
When I try to talk to Republicans about the need to break this cycle of viciousness, some cite the chapter and verse of every hateful left wing attack against George W. Bush.
Whenever I attempt to have a conversation with some Democrats about the need for us respect our president-- whether he be an Obama or a Bush-- I am told that Bush deserved whatever he got because he was a lying war criminal who hated the Constitution and loved torturing
people.
Fortunately, there are a growing number of Americans who believe we cannot continue going on this way.
You and I may disagree on how the CIA handled terror suspects. But that does not mean that you are soft on terrorism anymore than it means that I hate the Constitution.
You and I may have a different approach to Afghanistan. But just because you want to stay there another five years doesn't mean you are an imperialist. And if I believe a decade in that forsaken land is more than enough, that doesn't mean I'm soft on al Qaeda or the Taliban.
It just means that we view the world differently.
That creative tension--that intense give and take--has been what has kept America strong since Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton fought like hell in George Washington's White House.
Hamilton wanted a strong centralized government while Jefferson believed that the government that governed least governed best.
Both men were frustrated by the checks and balances that stood in the way of their agendas, but that debate shaped America for years to come.
But something has gone terribly wrong.
Today on Morning Joe, NBC News Legend Tom Brokaw remarked to Pat Buchanan about how the level of partisanship is even more intense today than during the depths of the Watergate crisis. Brokaw was commenting on Congressman Grayson's comments, but he could have easily
been talking about Joe Wilson or death panels or the bizarre claim that the President "hates all white people."
Some of the rhetoric is dangerous. But what we saw from some conservative corners regarding the President's failed Olympics bid was just plain stupid.
I'm happy for Rio and think it is past time that South America got a chance to host the Olympic Games. But put me down as one conservative who is glad my president flew across the ocean to try to bring the 2016 Games to America.
Nice try, President Obama. And thanks for taking time away from your young girls for the sake of your hometown and your country, Michelle. I know that's never an easy thing to do.
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This morning I watched morning Joe 10/14 and was appalled to see Jim Cramer on trying to push a book.... it's a great way to cross market crap from cnbc to msnbc, but come on. Jim Cramer set the table for a lot of people to lose money. He was always a buy buy buy buy guy. But now he's a "Americans need to learn how to sell sell sell. He's repulsive.
Joe lumped right in there with his friends from Fox News.
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Right now extreme positions from some in the Republican party have reached their limit. It seems that whenever Republican
I enjoyed reading this article -- it reflects things that I've felt all along -- and can applaud some his comments. But I question the timing, and can't help but feel that this sudden "disappoin
I'm admittedly reluctant to trust the words, motive or timing of Republican
These comments just seem a bit too convenient
I remember the names they called President Clinton. All the while, they were using the congress to do it. They attacked a sitting president.
It's got to be acceptable to question the public actions of anyone in public office. Therein lies the whole concept of checks and balances. Even a sitting president cannot be immune.
However, the "attacker" better make a d@mn good case, and better do it respectful
(nytimes)
Thank you, Joe. Thank you for "getting it".
I watch your show every day. I don't usually ever agree with you, but I still enjoy your program.
Why are elected official going to foreign countries in an attempt to denounce and undercut the Un!ted States gov't? Is this behavior accceptabl
Dan Gowen
Florida
And I think that arguing about whether the right is more or less hateful than the left or whether Bush is more or less deserving of being hated than Clinton or Obama misses the point. And the point is that the quality of our political debate in this country has simply decayed to the point of putrefacti
I'm old enough to remember when there was such a thing as dialogue among political rivals, and it didn't always start at a shriek and escalate to slugfest. Something happened while we weren't looking... and now all of a sudden it's okay to yell at the president while he's addressing congress or to accuse anyone who disagrees with the president of being a racist. And the real tragedy is that our "represent
We certainly have fallen far as a nation.
1) The news media needs to grow up. Either give the people the facts or give them nothing. I couldn't care less what Sam or Robert or Tony said on their Twitter. And I certainly couldn't care less what the news anchor "thinks" or whomever they're interviewi
Until the hate-fest stops from the news media, the American public will not stop hating. Americans are what they hear and see on TV - if you feed them stupidity, then Americans will be stupid. Feed them facts and they may actually make an informed decision.
2) OR - if we get attacked by aliens from another planet! That event would bring this country together! Orson Welles, where are you?
Having said that, I appreciate this post, Joe. This country could use more reasonable conservati
You perhaps haven't seen that poll in 2006 in which 900 registered voters that asked them "Regardles
Anyways.
Divisive partisansh
Can you name one Dem U.S. Senator talking about "Bush's "waterloo"
Can you provide an effort by Bush of something that would've been positive for the country that failed and was cheered by Dems? Do you have a link to that video?
I didn't think so.
I was an active blogger on several 912 sites because I believe in the 912 values and principles