We are facing very hard times in America. The crisis in health care and energy continue occupying the headlines. Other problems, such as unemployment and poverty are persistently worsening.
As if this is not enough, we also have to deal with the political division many Republicans seem to be flawlessly engineering.
“With a few notable exceptions, the Republican Party is standing, arms folded and saying ‘no.’ Many of them just want President Barack Obama to fail,” said Pulitzer winner Thomas L. Friedman in a recent column for The New York Times.
Such a terrible perception, however, is doing more than causing conflicts for Obama, rather, it’s affecting the whole country.
Many Republicans are absolutely failing to recognize that we need a united democratic system in order for America to make it through these hard times. For example, Obama is completely depending on his own party to be able to pass legislation on matters such as the health care reform. Nonetheless, it is unnecessary to affirm that if the president proceeds without bilateral support, the solution to this problem will not be easily achieved.
A united nation is a strong nation, something America is currently not.
“The Republicans have given up any pretense of being the loyal opposition. They’ve become political terrorists, willing to say or do anything to prevent the country from reaching a consensus on one of its most serious domestic problems,” said columnist Steven Pearlstein in The Washington Post.
Nobody can deny that Obama’s latest health reform plans have been opened to very unenthusiastic speculations. I, myself, have much to say about his proposals. Nevertheless, judging whether a health reform would be efficient or not has absolutely nothing to do with claims that Obama is a socialist or other superfluous attacks.
But in regards to addressing the issue, there have been calls for Obama to consider ideas from the other side to help push reform.
Obama will probably need to employ some of the ideas of his former Republican electoral opponent, Sen. John McCain, in order to find a fundable resolution for health care, said Friedman.
Hopefully, the Republicans will at least have the decency of supporting ideas stemming from their own party.
The Republicans are covering their shameful behavior by citing reasons that make no sense at all. It is more than clear they are misusing their power to negatively affect the president’s position. It is up to us, the people, to avoid being mentally misled, controlled by those who are far from helping our nation, and almost close to destroying it.
Reach Brenda at blflores@asu.edu.
