What's behind dissing of the president? Check out the article below because the author hits the nail on the head and I couldn't have said it better!
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- Dean Obeidallah: A reporter from right-wing site heckled Obama as he talked about immigration
- He says heckling from Irish-born reporter part of right's campaign to delegitimize Obama
- He says incidents include Wilson's "you lie," Trump seeking Obama's grades
- Obeidallah: Expect to see more disrespecting of the president as "the other" during campaign
Editor's note: Dean Obeidallah,
a former attorney, is a political comedian and frequent commentator on
various TV networks including CNN. He is the editor of the politics blog
"The Dean's Report" and co-director of the upcoming documentary, "The Muslims Are Coming!" Follow him on Twitter: @deanofcomedy
(CNN) -- A reporter from a right-wing media outlet
heckled President Obama -- not once, but twice -- on Friday as he was
unveiling a new immigration policy. If this shocks you, you haven't been
paying attention. This is simply the latest page from the right's
playbook to delegitimize Barack Obama's presidency.
Some may dismiss it as an
isolated incident, but it's not. It goes much deeper. Believe me, I
know hecklers -- I'm a stand-up comedian. If someone heckles me once, it
can be a mistake: too many drinks, overcome by emotion, etc. But when
you heckle twice, you have an agenda.
Neil Munro, the Irish born reporter
who heckled President Obama, was not just from some random publication.
He works for The Daily Caller, a right-wing website whose
editor-in-chief is the bow-tie wearing Tucker Carlson. (You may recall
Carlson as the guy who famously sparred with — and was taken down by --
Jon Stewart on CNN years ago.)
Munro's first heckle
occurred while President Obama was in midsentence, with Munro yelling
out: "Why do you favor foreigners over Americans?" Obama responded:
"Excuse me, sir, but it's not time for questions." Munro countered: "Are
you going to take questions?"
To which the president answered: "Not while I'm speaking."
Later, Munro again
interrupted the president in midstatement. Obama kept his cool; he
simply finished his statement. If I had been president, I would have
deported Munro back to his country of origin.
A quick perusal of Munro's Twitter feed
reveals he does not hide his contempt for President Obama. His tweets
range from claims that Obama is using NASCAR and country music to
attract "white non-college voters," to slams of Michelle Obama, to
allegations that Obama is racially discriminating against blacks in his
White House hiring practices.
But this is all not about
Munro -- he is just a small cog in the right's campaign to diminish the
legitimacy of Obama's presidency. I'm not talking about people
disagreeing with policies. I mean specifically the campaign to paint
Barack Obama as less than American -- as an "other"--as someone whose
presidency is not entitled to the same respect as that of the presidents
who came before him.
This crusade began in the
days before Barack Obama was even sworn in as president. Back then,
Rush Limbaugh, the radio host and self-described "entertainer," announced on his show that he hoped Obama would fail as president. Obama had not even made his first decision as president.
The campaign has
continued with the right's birther movement contending that Obama was
not born in the United States and hence should not be president. Some,
like evangelical leader Franklin Graham, have suggested that Obama is a Muslim (he is a Christian), which to many on the right would mean he's not a "real" American.
We have seen Republican Rep. Joe Wilson yell out at
President Obama, "You lie" while Obama addressed a joint session of
Congress in 2009. Can anyone remember the last time a U.S. president was
called a liar in a joint session of Congress? I can't.
Then there was Republican Rep. Joe Walsh, who last July called on President Obama to "quit lying"
in regards to the debt ceiling debate. Can anyone remember something
like this with previous presidents? I can't either. And, of course,
there's Donald Trump, not only periodically renewing the "birther"
fabrication, but also demanding to see President Obama's college grades, implying he doesn't think Obama is intellectually qualified to be president.
So you see, Munro is
just doing his tiny part. And no doubt some on the right will exalt him
for his "courage." His boss, Tucker Carlson, defended him by saying that no one was upset when then-ABC reporter Sam Donaldson heckled President Reagan. But Fox News' Chris Wallace recalled today
that when he was a White House correspondent with Donaldson during the
Reagan administration, no one ever heckled the president.
So, yet another lie. But
the truth doesn't matter to the far right. It's not about policy or
what is good for the United States of America. It's about delegitimizing
President Obama for political gain.
In the coming months, as
we get closer to Election Day, you may see many more of these kinds of
attacks. While they may disgust you, they should never surprise you.
It's all in the playbook.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/15/opinion/obeidallah-heckle-obama...
Top Opinion
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Soylent Green is people!!! 2012/06/18 07:28:01I don't think the article substance is right on point
+22I say this author has an agenda, it was not objective by any means. I truly believe that the Obama administration is as corrupt or probably more corrupt then the Bush administration!!! He's not a compassionate idealist. He is a true believer in socialist dogma, but the press simply will not vet him as they would a republican, and even how much the press is already putting Mitt Romney through and Bush before him!!! The press is protecting their guy...the press has had a communist bent since before Edward R Murrow!!! Anyone who is willing to see the truth can plainly see this. It is not rocket science, but you have to love truth above all else. Truth above any political party.
So you are saying all this is purely coincidence, and it has nothing to do with the fact it is happening during the term of our first minority president. It must be our imagination that white members of Congress act as if this president deserves no respect, that he can be shouted down and heckled during speeches, that his genetic makeup is somehow reproachable.
Have another giggle.
You never got past the color of his skin to examine any of his actual achievements. You're hung up on race-- not me.
I know you're earnest about this thing, so I don't think you're a phony. However, there it is... institutionalized projection. That's not meant as an insult, this time-- it's exactly as I see it. I think we're at an impasse.
Given the Left's extreme criticisms of GWBush a few years back, I don't think it's a good idea to start shouting others down for voicing their dissent.
Bush was never interrupted during speeches to Congress. He was not shouted down during speeches or interrupted by interviewers. It would not have been acceptable to treat a president with such disrespect, but with this president it seems to be OK. Why is that?
Bush was met with disrespect every time he opened his mouth. Worse, by FAR than Obama's ever been, anywhere, by anyone.
Think the 'smirking chimp' images that the Left littered the country with during GWB would fly today? I'm betting they wouldn't.
Clearly, these are only for use against Republicans.
Now, for some reason, it is considered OK to interrupt and heckle the President of the United States during official functions. I have sent videos to former colleagues living in Europe, and they were appalled. They all asked the same question: How can they disrespect the office of President like that?
How should I answer them?
When did a member of Congress shout “you lie” at Bush during a State of the Union address? When was Bush heckled during a Rose Garden announcement? He did have a pair of shoes thrown at his head, but that was in Iraq, where he had earned only contempt. I guess that was his peace prize.
OK. If it's so important to your self-esteem, tell them it's not racism. They don't understand the level of incompetence we're dealing with here, because all they see is the color of a man's skin. They don't remember all the disrespect our Liberals have heaped upon Conservatives of every stripe for decades here because they were too busy coddling their own bleeding heart saboteurs.
I think that should cover it. If they need further edification, tell them to address one of our grownups directly. Not that we care what they think in the first place. :O)
I am sorry you don't think they know anything. Some of them covered the events you are such an expert on, and I'm sure they would love to see your take on it. Or maybe not.
Happy witch-hunting.
You know nothing about the field I worked in, so do not presume to judge.
Have a nice day.
You can dislike a President's policies and legislation, I certainly detetsted every single thing GW did, but it never got personal. I hear he is a pretty darn nice guy with a lovely wife and two great kids. He was just in way over his head, incompetent and not very bright.
Thank you MR. Obama SIR!