Aug. 4, 2009
COMMENTARY: The Disloyal Opposition
By Joseph J. Honick
Bainbridge Island, WA (HNN) -- Despite my own criticisms of the stumblings of President Obama and deep disagreements with his policies toward Israel, one thing stand out in the current debates over major policies: the Republican opposition is hardly a "loyal opposition."
While that may be a harsh accusation, the record is replete with evidence of its accuracy. Recent speeches on the floor of the United States Senate seemed to express glee over the situation the President confronts with respect to health legislation. I don’t agree with all his proposals either, but it would seem the leadership of the GOP, while disagreeing with the President, has a firm obligation to present alternatives. Instead, it is selling two main points: fear, as a primary goal…and the idea -- a defeat for Mr. Obama -- could be his presidential “Waterloo.”
In other words, better to knock off the President, in whom the nation clearly vested its support after eight long years of economic and military disaster, than to demonstrate leadership to help more than 50 million uninsured Americans gain a measure of logical health protection.
This strategy has been clear in other areas as well.
In the hearings on the nomination to the Supreme Court, Republican Senator Jeff Sessions, himself rejected some years ago for a federal judgeship for his own racial stands, had the chutzpah to accuse nominee Sotomayor of possibly using a racial approach to decisions.
On the matter of whether concealed weapons could be carried into public places like parks and other recreational spots, Senator John Thune of South Dakota condemned any restraints on were guns could be carried, using the old saw of the Second Amendment that was meant to accommodate the need for militias. What Senator Thune did not propose of course was the elimination of restraints from people carrying loaded weapons into the Gallery of the United States Senate!
A column by veteran Capital analyst E. J. Dionne, Jr. exposed this façade quite clearly.
In the end, the far right of the Republican party has grabbed control from some fine legislators in both Houses of Congress and is more determined to slay the Democratic Presidential dragon than it is to help rescue the nation from its current array of crises that evolved over the Bush/Cheney era when regulators failed to regulate and secrecy was the byword to keep critical information from the American people.
Goodness knows that some of us who worked for the election of Mr. Obama have been quite critical of his management flaws and other areas but never of his intentions. Sadly, when the need for bipartisan cooperation in the best interest of the nation is beyond critical, those who want to feast on the political embarrassment of a sitting president are smirking their way through this year of crisis and opportunity.
The hypocrisy is embedded in the recorded fact that these same people were the very ones who could find no wrong in virtually anything the preceding administration committed this nation to from international conflict that cost so many lives to economic disaster that now threatens the financial and social foundations of the country.
We only have one President at a time. Perhaps the extremists who want to sell fear to the American public will wake up to the Un-American nature of the strategy they have created. The people need the talents and commitment of the best of both parties working together.
* * *
Joseph J. Honick is an international consultant to business and government and writes for many publications, including huntingtonnews.net. Honick can be reached at jhonick@gmaint.net. This commentary was first published in O'Dwyer's PR Report and is reprinted by permission.
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COMMENTARY: The Disloyal Opposition
By Joseph J. Honick
Bainbridge Island, WA (HNN) -- Despite my own criticisms of the stumblings of President Obama and deep disagreements with his policies toward Israel, one thing stand out in the current debates over major policies: the Republican opposition is hardly a "loyal opposition."
While that may be a harsh accusation, the record is replete with evidence of its accuracy. Recent speeches on the floor of the United States Senate seemed to express glee over the situation the President confronts with respect to health legislation. I don’t agree with all his proposals either, but it would seem the leadership of the GOP, while disagreeing with the President, has a firm obligation to present alternatives. Instead, it is selling two main points: fear, as a primary goal…and the idea -- a defeat for Mr. Obama -- could be his presidential “Waterloo.”
In other words, better to knock off the President, in whom the nation clearly vested its support after eight long years of economic and military disaster, than to demonstrate leadership to help more than 50 million uninsured Americans gain a measure of logical health protection.
This strategy has been clear in other areas as well.
In the hearings on the nomination to the Supreme Court, Republican Senator Jeff Sessions, himself rejected some years ago for a federal judgeship for his own racial stands, had the chutzpah to accuse nominee Sotomayor of possibly using a racial approach to decisions.
On the matter of whether concealed weapons could be carried into public places like parks and other recreational spots, Senator John Thune of South Dakota condemned any restraints on were guns could be carried, using the old saw of the Second Amendment that was meant to accommodate the need for militias. What Senator Thune did not propose of course was the elimination of restraints from people carrying loaded weapons into the Gallery of the United States Senate!
A column by veteran Capital analyst E. J. Dionne, Jr. exposed this façade quite clearly.
In the end, the far right of the Republican party has grabbed control from some fine legislators in both Houses of Congress and is more determined to slay the Democratic Presidential dragon than it is to help rescue the nation from its current array of crises that evolved over the Bush/Cheney era when regulators failed to regulate and secrecy was the byword to keep critical information from the American people.
Goodness knows that some of us who worked for the election of Mr. Obama have been quite critical of his management flaws and other areas but never of his intentions. Sadly, when the need for bipartisan cooperation in the best interest of the nation is beyond critical, those who want to feast on the political embarrassment of a sitting president are smirking their way through this year of crisis and opportunity.
The hypocrisy is embedded in the recorded fact that these same people were the very ones who could find no wrong in virtually anything the preceding administration committed this nation to from international conflict that cost so many lives to economic disaster that now threatens the financial and social foundations of the country.
We only have one President at a time. Perhaps the extremists who want to sell fear to the American public will wake up to the Un-American nature of the strategy they have created. The people need the talents and commitment of the best of both parties working together.
* * *
Joseph J. Honick is an international consultant to business and government and writes for many publications, including huntingtonnews.net. Honick can be reached at jhonick@gmaint.net. This commentary was first published in O'Dwyer's PR Report and is reprinted by permission.
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Make HNN Your Homepage (IE Users Only)
