Every single time the president makes a public statement, check Twitter. The first thing you’ll see is members of the opposite political party vehemently disagreeing with whatever he just said, and it doesn’t matter what that was.
People spit hateful words into their keyboards, more concerned with discrediting the man than listening to him. You don’t agree with his statement that the U.S. should launch military strikes at Syria? A tweet isn’t going to do anything.
The amount of hate displayed by Americans toward the president of their country is ridiculous. Just because Barack Obama is a Democrat and you are a Republican does not mean that he is a horrible leader that deserves venom hurled his direction when he makes an announcement.
This country has its problems. No one is denying that, and whoever’s fault it is is irrelevant (although Republicans and Democrats are quick to point the finger at the other). Shouldn’t it be the priority of both parties to fix this country, regardless of who sits in the Oval Office?
Unfortunately, it rarely is. It was refreshing when the Speaker of the House, John Boehner, R-Ohio, said he hopes the Senate “gets off their a-- and begins to do something.”
Finally, it seems someone is taking a bipartisan shot at a Congress that is publicly perceived to be inept. Until you realize that Boehner was speaking to Senate Democrats, who wouldn’t pass the Republican House resolution.
Here’s the thing that conservatives need to understand about President Obama: Like it or not, he is the president of your country. He was in fact born here, he does not stand for anything anti-America and he does want what it is best for our (not his, not your) nation.
That is not to say that people can’t disagree with Obama or his policies. Disagreement and settlement made this country what it is. A country undivided is a country uninspired. Debate, dispute and eventual compromise turned the U.S. into one of the greatest nations in the history of the world. I would not want to live in a country where everybody agrees on everything. Only through debate can great thought emerge.
Barack Obama will be leading this country through 2016. The Democrats won. Obviously Democratic ideals are going to be coming from the executive branch. There is nothing that conservatives can do about that. So should half this country shut down and refuse to cooperate with him? Who is that helping?
A country built on spite is going nowhere. Issues can only get worse if the red half of America is standing with their arms crossed and backs turned to the blue half. Turn around, swallow your pride, admit that you lost and get to work on fixing our country.
Conservatives, don’t mistake me as another voice of your so-called “liberal media.” I stand with you on issues of finance, health care, social programs and gun control, among other things.
The difference is, I also stand with our president.
Reach the columnist at justin.emerson@asu.edu or follow him at @J15Emerson
