Republican Shoe-Throwers

Are Republicans trying to make President Obama the new Bush? Since the president’s inauguration, it seems as if Republicans have been trying to undermine his legitimacy—not through any substantive criticisms, but by picking on personality tics or superficial characteristics.

Sure, every president is criticized by members of the opposing party for more than just his political positions. George W. Bush was a frequent object of political jest—unlike his father, Bush had difficulty thinking on his feet and frequently fumbled linguistically during his speeches. The bygone Bush era was filled with Bushisms; Jon Stewart and his left-leaning cohorts never had to struggle much for material.

But the recent barbs against Obama are more direct, performative, and cruel than ever. Take the recent outburst from Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), who rudely bellowed “You lie!” at the president during his speech to Congress on health care. This behavior might be acceptable during an episode of Jerry Springer, but it shouldn’t fly on Capitol Hill, especially toward the commander-in-chief. Although the congressman later apologized, there are indications that Wilson may have planned his statement; CNN reports that he hinted at it in advance via a Labor Day Twitter feed.

While the most publicized, Wilson’s faux pas is no exception. When President Obama recovered from the shock of Wilson’s behavior and began to speak again, another Republican interrupted by shouting “Not true!” Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) was just as disrespectful, wearing a sign sarcastically asking, “What bill?” True, former presidential candidate John McCain (R-Ariz.) and some other Republicans are now condemning Wilson’s outburst. But the dignity of these responses is outweighed by the embarrassing behavior of their colleagues like derisive laughter, applause at intentionally inappropriate moments, and shouts and boos.

The heckling isn’t just limited to senators. In Arlington, Va., protestors held signs: “Obama-cation Dumbing Down Students,’’ read one; “Obamacation. It takes the Village Idiot,” said another. This was eerily reminiscent of a bumper sticker from the Bush years, which read “There’s a village in Texas that’s missing its idiot.” However, the Republican response was ill-timed and counterintuitive. In the aftermath of bloopers like George W.’s “Rarely is the question asked: is our children learning?”, ridicule can work as a tool to damage the credulity of a leader. But when accusations of idiocy follow a politically neutral speech encouraging education, the arrows of insult fall short of their mark.

If Republicans are trying to succeed in creating an aura of disrespect around President Obama in the same way many Democrats did for Bush, they need to resort to a different approach. It’s possible to make fun of President Obama—Saturday Night Live does it quite effectively—but the Republican party’s stunts have only succeeded in making it seem childish, boorish, and even racist. A couple of months ago, for example, a legislative aide to Sen. Diane Black (R-Tenn.) emailed out a picture of previous, white presidents followed by a black portrait with only two oversized eyes portraying Obama—supposedly meant to remind of us of a dark past of Sambo and blackface images. The aide later apologized not for sending a racist email, but for “sending [the e-mail] to the wrong list of people.”
My advice for Republicans: Learn from Democratic politicians. Even when they were out of power, they did not heckle Bush, take part in the jests of the masses, or try to create a racial caricature of him. Instead, Democrats offered the credible policy options that gave them a sound victory in 2008. No opposing party ever gained traction without bringing at least one new idea to the table. If Republicans want to challenge the president, garner ideas; trying to publicly humiliate Obama can only backfire. Not only are the means Republicans have been using inappropriate, the end they are seeking to achieve—making a fool of Obama—seems improbable. And besides, “Obama-ism” doesn’t even have a nice ring to it.


Nafees A. Syed ’10, a Crimson editorial writer, is a government concentrator in Leverett House.