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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsPresident Obama explains -March 12th 2016- you should read this.
Obama said he was unsurprised by the billionaire businessman and reality TV stars rise.
How can you be shocked? he asked to laughter from the crowd, according to a transcript. This is the guy, remember, who was sure that I was born in Kenya who just wouldnt let it go. And all this same Republican establishment, they werent saying nothing. As long as it was directed at me, they were fine with it. They thought it was a hoot, wanted to get his endorsement. And then now, suddenly, were shocked that theres gambling going on in this establishment.
What is happening in this primary is just a distillation of whats been happening inside their party for more than a decade. I mean, the reason that many of their voters are responding is because this is whats been fed through the messages theyve been sending for a long time that you just make flat assertions that dont comport with the facts. That you just deny the evidence of science. That compromise is a betrayal. That the other side isnt simply wrong, or we just disagree, we want to take a different approach, but the other side is destroying the country, or treasonous. I mean, thats look it up. Thats what theyve been saying.
So they cant be surprised when somebody suddenly looks and says, you know what, I can do that even better. I can make stuff up better than that. I can be more outrageous than that. I can insult people even better than that. I can be even more uncivil. I mean, conservative outlets have been feeding their base constantly the notion that everything is a disaster, that everybody else is to blame, that Obamacare is destroying the country. And it doesnt matter whether its true or not. Its not, we disagree with this program, we think we can do it better its, oh, this is a crisis!
So if you dont care about the facts, or the evidence, or civility, in general in making your arguments, you will end up with candidates who will say just about anything and do just about anything. And when your answer to every proposal that I make, or Democrats make is no, it means that youve got to become more and more unreasonable because thats the only way you can say no to some pretty reasonable stuff. And then you shouldnt be surprised when your party ultimately has no ideas to offer at all.
Washington Post
dchill
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