Ignoble Reaction to the Nobel Prize
A word of advice to the GOP from my mother: if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. Once again, the Republican Party is so consumed by thuggery and hate, they see a political opportunity to slam the president rather than to praise America.
What kind of traitor so actively roots for America and its President to fail? Let's put aside the GOP rooting for the stimulus package to fail rather than working to ensure it would do exactly what it has done - bring America back from the brink of financial disaster; let's also put aside the lies and attacks designed to turn America's need for real health care reform into "Waterloo." The Olympics would have created jobs immediately and been a source of national pride. Now they are attacking the Nobel Peace Prize?
Even some "friends," and others in the DC punditocracy carp that this honor could widen the divide in Washington, and are downplaying the significance with analysis about whether or not this came too early in his presidency.
The only person who seems to be taking this in stride is President Obama.
The Nobel Prize is a world-respected honor. One that as President Obama so graciously said, many people share in the credit. Every American, regardless of political party, can and should take pride in such an honor.
This represents an opportunity for America to truly turn the page on our nation's standing and relationships on the world stage. Of course we have a lot of work to do, disagreements to be revealed and many tough decisions to be made. But we enter those discussions in a completely different and stronger place than we were a year ago
I'd like to think that this will also serve as a reminder to those members of congress who may have lost or misplaced their spine, that as elected leaders they also shoulder the responsibility to ensure America confronts tough challenges and support the vision the American people overwhelmingly chose when we elected Barack Obama.
Our president is a transformational figure here in America and around the world. I've traveled abroad both during the campaign and since; and the phrase I've heard time and again from Europe to Latin America is, "Where's our Barack Obama?" His candidacy and election has sparked a global conversation among a new generation of leaders around the world who are themselves looking for new ways to approach many of the challenges we all share both domestically and internationally.
As a patriot, I'm always rooting for America. It's an honor to again be seen as a leader in confronting critical global issues like climate change, the economy, proliferation of nuclear weapons and defeating terrorism.
Follow Karen Finney on Twitter: www.twitter.com/finneyk
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My wonderment at the tone deaf Republicans knows no bounds. They have now achieved WEFTY status: wrong every f****** time. To accomplish this amazing feat they have isolated and insulated themselves from the ordinary citizens they supposedly represent. The Michele Bachmann's do it with impenetrable dogma. ManTan Boehner does it with gin. (He who never met anyone that supported the public option). With GW Bush the aristocratic avoidance of "unpleasantness" led to extreme physical isolation: no hostile demonstrators in sight; spend as much time as possible hermetically sealed in Crawford, Texas. Republican legislators routinely brag that they've never left this country.
And so it goes. This is a party so fearful of a changing world that they have walled themselves off from reality. Psychologically they are isolationists whose thoughts and beliefs are fed to them by a few bombastic fools. They have spent 30 years creating a mass delusion of America as a "shining city on a hill," while neglecting the residents of that city. I don't see how they can survive the catastrophic implosion of their political power. All they have left is their Appalachian base and their financial overlords, factions that have almost nothing in common. Republican Imploded Party = RIP.
Does anyone really care about the GOP anymore?
Serious question.
I'm bothered by the hypocrisy.
I have not noticed that the Republican party as it is today has any great desire to join the world if the world doesn't think in lockstep with them. They had no trouble with Bush pulling aid money from international organizations that promoted birth control because "omg they might mention abortion"...
...."everybody eat their freedom fries because the French wouldn't join us in Iraq"....so this caterwauling now about a foreign award means nothing. There is group of Americans who never have or will be able to look beyond their own borders and see anything good.
And the progressives...oh for crying out loud....suddenly Nobel Prize is to be awarded like the Academy Award...best good work by a member of the human race.
Both Began and Sadat died before seeing true Middle Eastern peace accomplished...matter of fact we are still waiting. So really if your going to be true to the good works accomplished ideal...there's more than a few past winners who were still working towards their goal after the won the prize.
and then there's the lack of just plain good manners and common sense....next there will be a different winner, maybe one the Republicans or the progressives (unlikely the same one) are happy with but I think is unworthy.
But I will say congratulations anyway because it's just the decent way to behave.
Much as I hate to agree with Republicans on anything -- and certainly their anti-Obama reactions are as bad as ever -- I do not believe Obama has yet done anything to earn a peace prize. He has not halted any war, banned any weapon, negotiated any peace, or won over any opponent. He has escalated the war in Afghanistan. Maybe over the course of two terms he will achieve some of these things. I hope so.
I don't quite understand the point above...does not the Burmese winner still sit in her under arrest with Burma not yet a democracy??
So if one follows the above to it's logical conclusion....she has not accomplished anything either.
I
The committee explained their reasoning and it makes a lot of sense to me: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/09/nobel-prize-to-obama-defe_n_316098.html
"Some people say - and I understand it - 'Isn't it premature? Too early?' Well, I'd say then that it could be too late to respond three years from now," Thorbjoern Jagland, chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, told the AP. "It is now that we have the opportunity to respond - all of us."
What I find amazing is not the republican reaction. It was completely predictable. But the reaction from so many people ostensibly on the left. "waaa Clinton deserved it more" "I support Obama but its too soon, he should give it back"
JFC! For once can't we all just get behind our guy, support him and be proud! I guess not, being liberals we have to find the dark cloud in every silver lining. At least some of us do, as for me I popped a bottle of Champaign last night and drank to the president.
poignant!
Bears fans know a thing or two about loyalty.
"The Republican philosophy might be summarized thus: To hell with principle; what matters is power; that we have it, and that they do not.” - Pat Buchanan
I hate to agree with Pat but he's right.
I also can't believe I agree with Pat "white men built this country" Buchanan!
The GOP turn down every invitation to be gracious or mature. Is whining and complaining part of their party platform?
At last I finally find a voice of reason on this subject. Thanks for an intelligent and sane article.
I wholeheartedly concur.
I co-sign.
I just find it ironic. The republicans have life all mixed up. They cheer when Chicago is not selected for the olympics and say that it's a direct reflection on and failure of our president, but then when he is selected as the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, they are livid. What is wrong with this picture?
Will they ever come aboard and show the world a united front on anything?
On war. They like wars. Never saw a war they didn't like. And tax cuts. Because that solves all the problems that the nation has. They like to give tax cuts, start wars, and then blame the guy that is elected to fix all of it for everything.
Awesome article! I'm ignoring it to the best of my ability. The internet is crawling with anti-Obama trolls.
Well said Karen: Republican thuggery - if this trait is eliminated from the American collective psyche, the Obama era will have achieved its purpose.
It is the Bush-Cheney gang that started this "no holds barred, no prisoners metality", which profoundly goes against democratic tolerance and conviviality - and one should never forget the input of Protestant fundamentalist intolerance that makes aggressive stances completely rigid. Well, perhaps this prize will have a healing effect on the American psyche - for the good of the world.
I think Republican thuggery is definitely drawing a line between the intellectuals and the teabaggers. Blanket hatred is no longer concealed and the fringes are leaking bile uncontrollably.
I don't think thuggery will be "eliminated," but it's being concentrated to such a point it's driving thinkers and centrists out of the GOP party.
Who exactly are the intellectuals in the Republican party? Is it the politicians? Like George Bush and Sarah Palin? Or is it their senators and reps that speak at the tea parties? How about the former elected officials that organize the tea parties and pay people to go to town halls and yell down the politicians that are actually trying to get things done?
Worst case scenario-global warming fake: New enviroment friendly technology, cleaner enviroment, and an end to dependence on foreign oil, and the spending of alot of money
Worst case scenario-global warming real :Massive human migration, global pandemics, worldwide panic and the deaths of millions.
Which wrong answer do you like most?
Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/karen-finney/ignoble-reaction-to-the-n_b_315863.html
Worst case scenario-global warming fake: New enviroment friendly technology, cleaner enviroment, and an end to dependence on foreign, and the spending of alot of money
Worst case scenario-global warming real :Massive human migration, global pandemics, worldwide panic and the deaths of millions.
Which wrong answer do you like most?
Which side of the debate sounds more reasonable?
I've said for years that, even if global warming isn't real (and I think it is), the side-effects of the technology are worth having anyway: Cleaner air and water, resulting in a healthier and more pleasent enviroment; more efficient transport; less money going to repressive regimes and the unquantifiable benefits of the research done.
Climate change? You mean that discredited global warming scare peritrated by the ICC which is a political and not a scientific body. The only thing green about the green movement is the lust of producers of failed technologies like windmills for a government handout of green, green mony to prop up ventures which cannot actually produce power density of the required proportions to keep our industrial civalization running.
Nuclear energy, nuclear power plants, and lots of them is what we need.
What nonsense! There is perhaps enough uranium for 40 years of power - then it is all gone. What are you going to do with "lots of nuclear powerplants" that will remain toxic for 100.000 years? And what will replace them? You obviously have not very thoroughly studied the subject.
My Lord, what an interesting collection of fiction and lies. To quote Joe Wilson: YOU LIE!
I will agree with you if you can answer this one big question: What do we do with the nuclear waste? Putting it in a hole is not a viable answer.
New GOP motto: 'We got nothin.'
So ashamed of themselves & their situation
that all they can do from now on is bitch & moan.
Thank you for being sane Karen. People are reacting as if President Obama stole the damn prize from the committee.....they had 9 months to vote for somebody eles but they still choose to vote for Obama BUT the naysayers are sitting around saying what he does or don't deserve. He doesn't deserve all the hate he gets everyday but I don't see any republicans speaking up about that.
agree with you charmed
THANK YOU!!!
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