Call 'Em Out
>> February 9, 2010
Rachel Maddow aired a segment on her show tonight detailing a nearly exhaustive laundry list of Republicans in Congress who trashed and voted against Obama's stimulus plan, only to turn around and report to their local constituents that the stimulus was beneficial in meeting the needs of their districts. No worries. She included a number of photographs of beaming hypocrites cutting ribbons.
Take a look.
Congratulations to the following Republicans in Congress who were explicitly and unapologetically called out:
Bobby Jindal (LA), Phil Gingrey (GA), John Mica (FL), Frank Wolf (VA), Bill Shuster (PA), Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX), Richard Burr (NC), Kit Bond (MO), Joe "You Lie!" Wilson (SC), Bob Bennett (UT), Pat Tiberi (OH), Mary Bono Mack (CA), Mike Johanns (NE), Lamar Alexander (TN), John Linder (GA), Mike Castle (DE), Jim Inhofe (OK), Jack Kingston (GA), John Carter (TX), Glenn Thompson (PA), and last but certainly not least... John Boehner (OH) and Eric Cantor (VA).
There are well over 100 more shout-outs to make, but there are only so many keystrokes for hyperlinking here. Credit to The Washington Times, Politico, and Think Progess for their contributions.
One last afterthought:
During this same segment and in a prior one, Maddow asked a very intelligent question of Obama and his White House team. Is optimism bordering on reckless now? Considering that the GOP has routinely and predictably swatted away at bipartisanship efforts ever since Obama entered the White House, progressives are getting impatient with the President's unstoppable fount of goodwill. Enough, as they say, is enough.
Again, admitting no fine-tuned political strategy knowledge here, I am surprised at how most people have written off the campaign ads that have already written themselves. In Maddow's exchange alone, there were enough clips to create a solid 30-second back-and-forth, obstruction, Obama, obstruction, Obama, ideas, no, ideas, no refrain. Put in another ten seconds and Obama could wrap up with some salient truth about bipartisanship not meaning "80% of your ideas and none of ours."
With enough rhetorical discipline, supporters for Obama's initiatives could be painfully all too clear about wanting to reach across aisles and work against a backdrop of slow freefall.
Maybe a bunch of animated donkeys in Habitat for Humanity style construction gear putting up planks as shadowy elephants roar and knock them out of the way. What's falling through the wood planks? Everyday people. I mean, if that demonic sheep thing passed for political advertising, my idea can't be that far-fetched.
Believe me. Sometimes I have to check my own contempt at the door. But before we get too wrapped up in Obama making questionable decisions, we have to step back and look at the sudden transformation. Obama's insistence on bipartisanship hasn't changed that much, but the willingness to call out individuals who make that path strenuous and difficult has markedly improved. He is making himself more visible and accessible, and he is offering direct and pointed rebuttals to the wide swath of erroneous and paranoia-induced misinformation. He is the type of President who will use your first name and courtesy, but won't pull a punch on the facts. That's a far, far, far cry from someone who pens "lift American spirits" on her hand as a reminder. She's still polling on top of the 2012 field, right?
