Friday, February 7, 2014

Selling the Myth: GOP Bashes Obama for Policies Reagan Endorsed

by Sunnyjane

 
All must worship at the alter of the Godhead of the Conservative Party!

When general election time rolls around, every Republican who desires to be the GOP candidate for president must firmly adhere to  Reagan's conservative credoGovernment is not the solution to our problem; government IS the problem!** Now, in their hearts souls minds (I'll get it right in a minute, don't rush me!) corrupt craniums, they all know that in today's world of Republican Teabagger Party rule, most of the fortieth president's policies would never get him anywhere near the White House.  (Clarification: Conservatives have never attributed the above Reagan quote to President Obama.)

But invoking Reagan's name appeals greatly to conservatives who have no knowledge of what policies he actually supported; those who believe anything they hear from flap-yapping conservative maws; and those who continue to wish upon the Legendary Chicken Fairy for election results.  Or, all of the aforementioned.

Let's just jump right in and examine a few of Ronald Reagan's policies for which President Obama now finds himself being crucified on a daily basis. 

Oh, Ronnie, Why Hast Thou Forsaken Us?

Here endeth the Second Lesson.
It is always great sport for the far-right God-botherers -- both leaders and followers -- to do a little mouth-foaming and lament that Obama has a war on Christianity because he's a Kenyan-Muslim-Anti-Christ-Communist-Nazi-Marxist-Socialist sonofabitch.  Or, words to that effect; choose one or all.  In truth, President Obama says very little about the Separation of Church and State doctrine.

The late President Ronald Reagan, however, had a great deal to say, and basically he was all for it.  In a 1984 speech, the Gipper said, ...we were founded as a nation of openness to people of all beliefs. And so we must remain. Our very unity has been strengthened by our pluralism. We establish no religion in this country, we command no worship, we mandate no belief, nor will we ever. Church and state are, and must remain, separate. All are free to believe or not believe, all are free to practice a faith or not, and those who believe are free, and should be free, to speak of and act on their belief.

Now, about Obama's war on Christianity?

Holy Guacamole Dip, Sports Fans!


Carl J. Friedrich: To be an American is an ideal, while to be a Frenchman is a fact.  
The very mention of immigration reform gives the right-wingers a bad case of acid reflux.  They accuse the President of everything from mongrelizing America to claiming that birthright citizenship would enable pregnant terrorists to come to America, deliver their babies, and raise them as sleeper agents.  No, seriously

St. Ronnie would never have approved of such nonsense as immigration reform!  Would he?  Actually, he did! 

I believe in the idea of amnesty for those who have put down roots and lived here, even though sometime back they may have entered illegally, Reagan said in a 1985 speech. 

In a 2010 interview with NPR, his former speechwriter said, It was in Ronald Reagan's bones — it was part of his understanding of America — that the country was fundamentally open to those who wanted to join us here.

Oh.  

Lawless Obama Subverts Congress!  

Um, welllll...
Lying vice-presidential loser Paul Ryan is about the umpteenth Republican to claim that President Obama's use of Executive Orders is leading to an increasingly lawless presidency and is creating a dangerous trend which is contrary to the Constitution.

Not only do the facts speak for themselves, but let's review ONE...MORE...TIME:  President Barack Obama is a Constitutional Law scholar and a former Constitutional Law professor.  I do believe he knows a thing or two about what is and what is not contrary to the Constitution. 

Note to self:  Deep breaths, take deep breaths.

Socialized Healthcare Will Make You Sick!

Why yes, yes it is going to work.  Thanks for acknowledging that.

Ever hear of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act?  No, me either.  And obviously neither has the current group of bobble-headed goons in the Capitol Building.

Ronald Reagan signed this act in 1986, and it is socialized healthcare.  Briefly, the law requires hospitals to treat patients in need of emergency care regardless of their ability to pay, their citizenship, or even their legal status. It applies to any hospital that takes Medicare funds, which is virtually every hospital in the country.  Translation: the Government picks up the tab, which means the taxpayer pays the bill.

The Affordable Care Act, on the other hand, requires that a covered person pay for some of his or her healthcare insurance.

A Little Hypocrisy on  the Side, Please

Can you say sniveling lying bitch?  Yes, I thought you could.

If anyone cares to read about Sir Ronald's sordid Iran-Contra scandal, including all the indictments and convictions of Reagan's people and the subsequent full pardons granted by President H. W. Bush, be my guest.  I have absolutely nothing to add.

 Umbrellagate
History will record that on this day in 2013, a Marine was forced to hold an umbrella.

So one day in May, it began to rain.  It rained at the White House.  It rained on President Obama and the Prime Minister of Turkey.  And because it rained, the President of the United States asked someone -- specifically, the Marine sentries right behind him -- to hold umbrellas over his and the Prime Minister's heads for a few minutes.  

Cue the hysteria from conservatives.  And, of course, Sarah Palin had to take to Twitter and voice her spoutrage: Mr. President, when it rains it pours, but most Americans hold their own umbrellas.

And which Americans might those be, Mrs. Palin?

These two Americans?

This American?

Or this small-minded American?
Just to clarify the role of the Marine Sentries who stand to post behind the President: their only official  duty is to open the door for anyone entering or exiting the West Wing, where the Oval Office is located.  That's it!  So when the President of the United States, who also happens to be the military's Commander in Chief, asks his door handler to hold an umbrella for a few minutes, the door handler damned well does it.

Besides, as one young sentry joked, With this on my resume, I'm sure I could land a job at New York's Waldorf Astoria.  See?  The position provides excellent job training.

Oh, and speaking of Palin's spoutrage, I must have missed the part where she slammed Ann Coulter for calling the President a word she claims offended her deeply.  You remember, when she went off on Rahm Emanuel for using the same word?   Well, after the third presidential debate between the President and Mitt Romney in 2012 -- which the President handily won, according to instant voter polls -- Coulter tweeted I highly approve of Romney's decision to be kind and gentle to the retard.   

I guess to Palin that was just, um, some more conservative wing-nuttery satire, right?

And the Award Goes to...

"And the Oscar for Best Overt Racism and Blatant Hypocrisy goes to...Fox News!" the First Lady never, ever said.
Michelle Obama was invited to reveal the Academy Award for Best Picture during the 2013 Oscar presentations.  She accepted, and in a short appearance from the White House, announced that Argo had won the award.

Of course, the conservatives once again went into absolute apeshit-crazy-mode.  Todd Starnes of Fox Noise tweeted that Tonight was supposed to be about Hollywood – but Mrs. Obama made it about herself.   Never one to miss an opportunity to bash an Obama, Michelle The Mouth Malkin sent a tweet, too: Can POTUS and FLOTUS just relocate the White House to Hollywood and be done with it?   Jennifer Rubin, the right-wing political screecher at the Washington Post, said that the First Lady feels entitled and that both the president and the first lady seem small and grasping. 

They didn't have a whole lot to say when presented with the fact that both First Lady Laura Bush and President Ronald Reagan had made short appearances on Oscar night.

A Little of This Fact and a Little of That Fact







**End Note
 



Acknowledgement

My grateful thanks to BuffaloGal for allowing me to hijack her idea -- and modify the approach -- to toss out some of Ronald Reagan's middle-ground policies, attribute them to President Obama, and watch right-wingers' heads explode.

As always when I snatch an idea for a post from a Politicalgater, I hope I have done the topic justice.

Thanks again, BuffaloGal!  

 

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