Jan Brewer vs. Obama: Can you respect the presidency but insult the president?
It was the finger wag seen 鈥榬ound the world. Or at least arcing across the blogosphere.
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer seeming to lecture President Obama on the tarmac. Mr. Obama pivoting away from Ms. Brewer, apparently before she鈥檇 had her full say on immigration.
鈥淚t looks like she鈥檚 giving him the business,鈥� said Doug Luzader聽of Fox News.
Immediately the question became: Was Brewer showing disrespect for the presidency, or merely engaging in brief spirited debate with a fellow politician over one of the hottest issues in an election year?
鈥淲ith all due respect鈥� has been a clich茅 forever, usually uttered just before the rhetorical knife gets inserted.
Like the other night when Herman Cain (remember him?) was giving the 鈥渢ea party response鈥� to Obama鈥檚 State of the Union speech.
鈥淲ith all due respect, Mr. President, some of us aren鈥檛 stupid,鈥� Mr. Cain said, finishing the sentence with a phrase that could be considered insulting.
鈥淧olitics ain鈥檛 beanbag,鈥� humorist Finley Peter Dunne鈥檚 fictional Mr. Dooley said back during the early 20th聽century, and from ridicule to assassination, presidents always have been the brunt of attack.
Abe Lincoln was portrayed in cartoons of the day as ape-like 鈥� long before Barack Obama got the same treatment at some early tea party rallies. George W. Bush鈥檚 image frequently mirrored the all-ears 鈥淲hat, me worry?鈥� kid on the cover of Mad magazine.
But Obama 鈥� the nation鈥檚 first African American president 鈥� seems to have endured more of that.
Three years after his election, he鈥檚 still battered by 鈥渂irthers鈥� challenging the legitimacy of his presidency 鈥� most recently in Georgia, where Republican state lawmakers this week are trying to have him removed from the state鈥檚 March 6 primary election ballot based on the charge that he is not a natural born US citizen.
There may have been raucous responses to presidential addresses to Congress in the past, but it was Obama who had to hear Rep. Joe Wilson (R) of South Carolina shout 鈥淵ou lie!鈥� in 2009 as the president spoke about health care. (Wilson later apologized, sort of.)
This week, Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas refused to attend a White House event honoring the Stanley Cup champions, a nonpolitical event if ever there was one. Tea partyer Thomas cited a government that is 鈥渢hreatening the rights, liberties, and property of the people.鈥�
Thomas鈥檚 decision may not have been personal; he says 鈥渂oth parties are responsible for the situation we are in.鈥�
Although some commentators defended his action as reflecting freedom of political opinion, it was widely seen as a snub to Obama 鈥� perhaps to the presidency, since the White House ceremony for the professional hockey champions represents national recognition by and for sports fans of all political stripes.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a phenomenal hockey player and he鈥檚 entitled to his views, but it just feels to me like we鈥檙e losing in this country basic courtesy and grace,鈥� Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (a Democrat) said this week.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 think much of President Bush鈥檚 policies 鈥� two wars on a credit card, prescription drug benefit that we couldn鈥檛 afford, deficit out of control 鈥� but I always referred to him as 鈥楳r. President.鈥� I stood when he came in the room,鈥� Patrick said on WTKK-FM.
Back during the 2008 presidential campaign, Republican nominee Sen. John McCain had heard some of his rally supporters shout that Obama was a 鈥渢errorist鈥� and a 鈥渓iar.鈥� When someone shouted 鈥渒ill him,鈥� McCain felt the need to respond, and so did the Secret Service.
"We want to fight, and I will fight, but we will be respectful,鈥� McCain said at the time. 鈥淚 admire Senator Obama and his accomplishments and I will respect him. I want everyone to be respectful and let's make sure we are, because that is the way that politics should be conducted in America.鈥�
Perhaps so, but that hasn鈥檛 happened so far. Attack ads by 鈥渟uper PACs鈥� that can distance themselves from the candidate they support 鈥� a relatively new phenomenon since the US Supreme Court鈥檚 鈥�Citizens United鈥� decision 鈥� are just one indicator of today鈥檚 political atmosphere.
"I grew up hearing that you treat the office with respect, and people aren't buying that anymore," Cassandra Dahnke, co-founder of the Institute for Civility in Politics in Houston, told NPR.
"It seems like that practice of disrespect is growing and growing and growing," Dahnke said. "It's eating away at the boundaries which say, you go this far and no further."
