I guess it’s a good thing that Eric Thieleman is indifferent to torture, because getting through his most recent column was just that. It was so bloated with generic political invective I could have sworn that it was pieced together from crumpled up pieces of paper from Glenn Beck’s wastebasket.
For the record, President Barack Obama has:
Stopped the Great Recession from becoming an Apocalyptic Depression.
Saved the auto industry, which is now making green cars and turning a profit.
Reversed the federal ban on stem cell research.
Invested in green energy jobs and ordered new government buildings to be zero emission.
Reformed and expanded federal student aid, saving families $9 billion.
Funded American cities that struggle with gang violence to fight against it.
Ended federal prosecution of medicinal marijuana users.
Preserved two million acres of wilderness that were threatened by loggers, miners and polluters.
Passed a stimulus bill that helped build and restore highways and railroads, which has been especially needed here in Michigan.
Cut taxes for the middle class and small businesses.
Moved health care reform further along than any president.
Saved Americans from pirates near Somalia.
Called for an end to “don’t ask, don’t tell,” a heinously bigoted policy of discrimination.
Engaged the world in a more thoughtful and effective diplomacy.
Made his administration the most accessible and open in history.
And, he talks to Americans like they are intelligent adults. But even that can fall on deaf ears and numb skulls.
I cannot be sure what Thieleman and the right-wing ignorantia have against making sure pro-profit insurance also is pro-people insurance. The president wants to keep insurance companies from denying coverage because of pre-existing conditions and make sure that access to health care is affordable for all. Thieleman’s ilk doesn’t mind that in the world’s richest country, people have to make the choice between food and medicine or staying alive and going into bankruptcy. That doesn’t happen in France, Germany, Sweden or the U.K.
Thieleman would probably say that those countries are socialist. What does he imagine the quality of life is for people in those nations? They aren’t eating gruel or drinking from puddles. The truth is, their citizens experience a quality of life that matches or exceeds that of those in the United States. Drawing examples from what other nations do right isn’t unpatriotic, it’s something a president does when he loves his country and wants to see it prosper. I for one do not doubt our current commander in chief in this regard.
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“Change” and “hope” continue. Obama’s approval ratings are a virtual mirror to what President Ronald Reagan endured politically early in his presidency. The difference is, this president is charismatic, and in addition, possesses a remarkable intellect.
President Obama has tried to work with a radical political minority that has been fueled by an angry and misinformed mob that feels marginalized by having an educated, intelligent and black president. This group is most represented by people who show up to presidential events with assault rifles and misspell “socialism” and “fascism” on their protest signs.
Despite this, he is the only president to go on live television and take questions from hostile and partisan adversaries in an effort to get something done. Obama will work with people who are willing to work with him, and finally he is calling out people like Thieleman for engaging in willful distortion and intentional disinformation. I suppose I shouldn’t accuse him of malice; Thieleman might simply be among those who aren’t educated or intelligent enough to know the difference. In which case, he has my pity.
As for “saving our own,” Thieleman doesn’t even want the poor in this country to have access to health insurance, or affordable education, or a helping hand when they lose their job. The assertion that he wants to take care of people at all is absurd.
Recovery at home would go along much faster if Thieleman’s friends in Congress didn’t insist that the president needs 60 votes to sneeze and that 41 Senate votes justifies the total derailment of legislation directed toward economic recovery and improving people’s quality of life.
Unfortunately, Thieleman and his right-wing allies insist that short-term political gains are more important than moving the nation forward.
David Tibergien,
2009 MSU alumnus
