My mother-in-law is a Democrat. Technically. She really, really, doesn't like Obama, however, and so I often subjected to anti-Obama emails from her. Most are easily refuted by snopes.com. She's rather new to the internet and so I guess doesn't realize that much of what is found on it is not true. During the campaign she was unhappy that Obama acted like he was "black before American" and she truly hates Michelle because she is "anti-America". Now, my mother-in-law freely admits that she hasn't had much exposure to non-white people (she grew up in a state that is something like 90% white), and her current job is in a big city and she works with many black people whom she says are "convinced they were denied a promotion because they're black" even when "most of the people promoted are black". I don't intend for this diary to be about how to define racism. We've had quite a few of those lately (and we should!) and there are people here who are much more suited to tackle the subject than I. I only mentioned her views to offer some context. The real irony is that she is technically a government worker!
So here's where you come in. The email she sent me consists of a long list of things that Obama has done that most people "would not have approved of if they had been done by George W. Bush. I have good arguments for some of them, But could really use your help. Links are nice too, but not necessary. Happy refuting!
P.S. I've added comments in bold on some of the items I've come up with answers to. Reading through them there are some that are out-right lies. If you see any that you know aren't true, please point them out to me, and if you have a link to back it up, that would be great.
Now take a deep breath before you read this. Relax and draw your own honest opinion. Please read the entire listing.
If George W. Bush had been the first President to need a teleprompter installed to be able to get through a press conference, would you have laughed and said this is more proof of how inept he is on his own and is really controlled by smarter men behind the scenes? I'm doubting this is true. Does anyone know? Plus I think Obama gives more press conferences than a lot of other presidents.
If George W. Bush had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to take Laura Bush to a play in NYC, would you have approved? For this one I'll point out that Bush took more vacation time than any other president in history, but does anyone have specifics on trips he took that wee purely entertainment?
If George W. Bush had reduced your retirement plan's holdings of GM stock by 90% and given the unions a majority stake in GM, would you have approved? Okay I know that Bush did much worse than Obama on stuff like this, but I need specifics. Can anyone name specific companies whee people lost their pensions, etc.? Help? Also I'm pretty sure that the unions don't have a majority stake. Am I correct on this?
If George W. Bush had made a joke at the expense of the Special Olympics, would you have approved? Anyone recall what the joke was? I forget. And can anyone name a similar joke by Bush?
If George W. Bush had given Gordon Brown a set of inexpensive and incorrectly formatted DVDs, when Gordon Brown had given him a thoughtful and historically significant gift, would you have approved? This was kind of a gaff I guess. Not major though.
If George W. Bush had given the Queen of England an iPod containing videos of his speeches, would you have thought this embarrassingly narcissistic and tacky? I believe the Queen was happy with this gift, as she had said she found his speeches inspiring. Giving speeches is Obama's talent. Musicians would give her their albums, painters a picture, etc.
If George W. Bush had bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia , would you have approved? Yeah, Bush held hands with the Saudi royal family and granted them billions (right?) in oil contracts, etc. Does anyone have specifics on this?
If George W. Bush had visited Austria and made reference to the non-existent "Austrian language," would you have brushed it off as a minor slip? It was a minor slip. It would be like someone saying "The American language". Not the right way to put it, but still easily understood.
If George W. Bush had filled his cabinet and circle of advisers with people who cannot seem to keep current in their income taxes, would you have approved? Most people mess up on their taxes at some point, right? Can someone please help me with specifics or a good argument against this?
If George W. Bush had been so Spanish illiterate as to refer to "Cinco de Cuatro" in front of the Mexican ambassador when it was the 5th of May (Cinco de Mayo), and continued to flub it when he tried again, would you have winced in embarrassment? Anyone know what this is about?
If George W. Bush had misspelled the word "advice" would you have hammered him for it for years like Dan Quayle and potatoe as proof of what a dunce he is? I don't really need help with this, unless someone knows it to not be true. I have an entire book full of Dan Quayle quotes that I'm going to give to her. They weren't ridiculed for just one slip, so when Obama gets to their level, then we can talk.
If George W. Bush had burned 9,000 gallons of jet fuel to go plant a single tree on Earth Day, would you have concluded he ' s a hypocrite? No. He was a hypocrite for passing things like the "Clean Air Act" & The "Healthy Forest Act" that ended up ravaging our environment. We're not going to solve the climate crisis by picking at the people who care about it for doing things that everyone else does too. It's beyond the "switch to florescent" phase. We need major action now. That's easy. But is the actual statement about Obama using the 9,000 gallons untrue?
If George W. Bush ' s administration had okayed Air Force One flying low over millions of people followed by a jet fighter in downtown Manhattan causing widespread panic, would you have wondered whether they actually get what happened on 9-11? What the hell is this talking about?
If George W. Bush had failed to send relief aid to flood victims throughout the Midwest with more people killed or made homeless than in New Orleans, would you want it made into a major ongoing political issue with claims of racism and incompetence? Umm, WTF? This can't possibly be true.
If George W. Bush had ordered the firing of the CEO of a major corporation, even though he had no constitutional authority to do so, would you have approved? Obama didn't claim he somehow had the "constitutional authority" to fire the head of GM. GM could have said no any time they wanted, but the firing was part of the deal made to bail out GM. Right?
If George W. Bush had proposed to double the national debt, which had taken more than two centuries to accumulate, in one year, would you have approved? Okay this is obviously a flat-out lie and I know my mother-in-law knows it. Maybe she doesn't even read this bile before she sends it. It didn't take "two centuries" to accumulate! Bush took the largest surplus in history and turned it into the largest debt in history! Right?
If George W. Bush had then proposed to double the debt again within 10 years, would you have approved? This is a lie too. can someone please give me specifics?
So, tell me again, what is it about Obama that makes him so brilliant and impressive? Can't think of anything? Don’t worry. He did all this in only five months -- so you'll have three and one-half years to come up with an answer.