He probably wished later he had used a different
word, but last month the President made reference to “the crazies.”
According to Associated Press,
At a Democratic fundraiser
Monday night [Aug. 24] in Nevada, Obama declared himself ready for the
challenges he faces this fall in dealing with a Republican Congress that
disagrees with him on the budget, energy policy, education and much more.
Obama said that as he’d ridden to the fundraiser with Senate
Democratic leader Harry Reid, they’d done some reminiscing and spent some time
“figuring out how we are going to deal with the crazies in terms of managing
some problems.”
He
didn’t identify exactly who the two of them had defined as “crazies.”
Although he was by no means the only
one to do so, Missouri 6th District Representative Sam Graves took it personal,
for he thought the President was referring to those who opposed the Iran
nuclear deal.
In his September 14 email to his
constituents (of which I am one), Rep. Graves wrote, “A few weeks ago,
President Obama said that those of us who oppose his Iran deal are ‘crazies.’
What’s actually crazy is that our President trusts Iran with a nuclear weapon.”
Well,
the opponents of Iran deal may or may not have been who the President had in
mind, but that is not what he said. But it is clear, and disturbing, what Rep.
Graves said.
After
many months of principled diplomacy, the P5+1 — the United States, the United
Kingdom, France, China, Russia and Germany — along with the European Union,
have achieved a long-term comprehensive nuclear deal with Iran that will
verifiably prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and ensure that Iran’s
nuclear program will be exclusively peaceful going forward.
So, on what basis does Rep. Graves,
and his many Republican cohorts in Congress, say that the President trusts Iran
with a nuclear weapon?
And why would we think that a farm
boy from northwest Missouri (as I am also) knows more about this deal than the
President, the Secretary of State, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the
Chancellor of Germany, and the presidents of China, France, and Russia?
In addition, the Iran nuclear deal
has been praised by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as well as 29 of “the world’s most knowledgeable experts
in the fields of nuclear weapons and arms control” (according to the
New York Times).
Of course, maybe “the crazies” the President had in
mind are those, such as Sen. Ted Cruz, who (again) are threatening to shut the
government down next month—this time because of opposition to Planned
Parenthood.
Cruz and most of the Republican presidential
contenders, especially Carly Fiorina, are so opposed to Planned Parenthood because
of their opposition to abortion.
But according to Planned Parenthood’s 2013-14
financial report, more than 95% of their expenditures went for STD/STI testing
and treatment, contraception, cancer screening and prevention, and other health
services.
Three per cent of their expenditures went for
abortion services, but none of the funding for that came from the
federal government.
 |
| Planned Parenthood's 2013-14 Financial Report |
So maybe those who want to shut down the government
over this issue can be thought of as “the crazies.”
Or, perhaps the President was thinking of those who
still, after all these years, think that he is a Muslim and not born in
America. According to a recent poll, 29% of the
U.S. population—including 43% of Republicans and 54% of Trump
supporters—believe Obama is a Muslim.
There is, sadly, no shortage of “the crazies.”
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Oh, Leroy, you have said it so well. But, of course, the crazies won't pay any attention.
ReplyDeleteOne's heart sinks, again, to see those poll numbers you've shared regarding the beliefs and mentality of such large percentages of Americans. It's interesting: I was walking along a two-mile-stretch of country road in rural Missouri the other day, and marveling at the incredible amount of litter thrown out of vehicles--bottles, cups, whole bags of trash... And on this particular road the trash has to be from country folk, who, I would think, would be more sensitive to trashing the environment than urban people. And I had this terrible thought: We're simply much farther away from being an informed and enlightened people than I had thought. Or just hoped?
ReplyDeleteThe crazy stuff people think and say is a kind of cultural pollution. And I find myself wondering who in our culture is most responsible for America's current level of cultural pollution? Unfortunately I think I know the answer, and some of their friends are running for president. *sigh*
I try to stay out of politics and remember that GOD is in control, but our world of confusion just shows us how far we are from GOD.
ReplyDeleteIt amazes me how our officials Pray when things go wrong and continually say,"God Bless America" and yet won`t even consider what our Bible says.
I appreciate how well you put things so clear Leroy and agree totally with most things you say.
I will try and do my part as a Good Christian and continue trying(with our Holy Spirit`s help) to bring more people to our LORD.
Please keep doing what you are Leroy!
\Blessings,
John (Tim) Carr
Once again I have received important comments from Thinking Friend Eric Dollard in Chicago.
ReplyDelete"Obama probably should not have used the term 'crazies,' although I do believe that the 'birthers' are crazy.
"While the Iran deal may not be perfect, it is better than any alternative. If the rest of the world lifts sanctions, then any effort by the U S to retain or double down on the current sanctions regime will fail. That leaves the military option, which would probably kill thousands of innocent people, appall the rest of the world, and ultimately backfire by convincing Iran that it needs a nuclear weapons program after all. Note that the hardliners in Iran, along with most Republicans in Congress, oppose the deal. Strange bedfellows indeed.
"Refusing to fund Planned Parenthood also makes little sense as Planned Parenthood has helped to prevent thousands, and perhaps, millions of unwanted pregnancies. There is little doubt that without the efforts of Planned Parenthood, teen pregnancies and abortions, whether legal or illegal, would increase. The Republicans candidates have tried to characterize Planned Parenthood as nothing more than an abortion mill, but this, as you have pointed out, is very far from the truth.
"So while the birthers may be crazy, the opponents of the Iran deal and of funding for planned parenthood, while not necessarily crazy, are either delusional or disingenuous."
John Boehner made it pretty obvious who he thinks are the crazies. After two decades of trying, he finally got his wish to have the Pope come speak to Congress. The next day he announced he had had enough, and is leaving Washington at the end of next month. Sam Graves may be one of the reasons!
ReplyDelete