Alright kids, it’s time to say goodbye. I love complaining about politics and hate to withdraw my two cents but I can’t say it hasn’t been a good run. In fact, 2011 thus far has been filled with a lot of craziness and a rather bizarre turn of events.
Just in the time that I’ve been writing this column, the political sphere has completely shifted after the Republicans took the House in the November elections. As a result, the unions in Wisconsin had their collective bargaining rights threatened, a movement made up of active wackadoos gained an actual platform in American politics and the government was an hour away from completely shutting down. Seriously.
I would invoke the cliché response, “Stranger things have happened,” but I can’t think of a much stranger political climate in recent history. For the most part, I’ve been in disbelief over the circus of topics that have become real issues in politics over the past couple months.
At the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night, the president seemed to have shared my incredulity in his 20 minute address/stand-up routine. He played off of the stupidity of current events with what I thought was a hilarious speech that he delivered expertly. In the speech, Obama took jabs at both Republicans and at himself.
In an attempt at self-deprecation, Obama said, “Some people now suggest that I’m too professorial. And I’d like to address that head-on, by assigning all of you some reading that will help you draw your own conclusions. Others say that I’m arrogant. But I’ve found a really great self-help tool for this: my poll numbers.”
Of course, the night wouldn’t be complete if he didn’t mock potential GOP presidential candidates such as Tim Pawlenty, Jon Huntsman, Mitt Romney, and of course, Donald Trump.
In talking about The Donald, Obama said, “Obviously, we all know about your credentials and breadth of experience. For example, just recently in an episode of “Celebrity Apprentice,” at the steakhouse, the men’s cooking team cooking did not impress the judges from Omaha Steaks. And there was a lot of blame to go around.”
He continued, “But you, Mr. Trump, recognized that the real problem was a lack of leadership. And so ultimately, you didn’t blame Lil’ Jon or Meatloaf; you fired Gary Busey. And these are the kind of decisions that would keep me up at night. Well handled, sir, well handled.” I don’t know about you, but I laughed rather loudly at that particular punchline.
The funniest moment, however, came at the opening of the president’s speech. In addressing his decision to release his long-form birth certificate to put the “birthers” to rest, Obama said, “Hopefully this puts all doubts to rest. But just in case there are any lingering questions, tonight I’m prepared to go a step further. Tonight, for the first time, I am releasing my official birth video. But let’s take a look.” Cue the opening sequence of “The Lion King” in which Rafiki presents Simba for the entire animal kingdom to see.
He followed the video with a zinger directed at the Fox News table. “That was a joke. That was not my real birth video. That was a children’s cartoon. Call Disney if you don’t believe me. They have the original long-form version.”
The joke was clever for two reasons. I’m not sure that Obama’s birth didn’t happen like Simba’s in “The Lion King.” Judging Obama’s by badassery, I’d believe it. It also highlighted the sheer ridiculousness of questioning where the president was born and the absurdity of how the debate escalated. Thus, I say the underlying sentiment in Obama’s speech at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and in the direction of politics in the future is threefold.
First, we need to stop talking about issues that don’t matter. Why are we only focusing on 12 percent of the budget? Why are we discussing whether or not NASA staged the moon landing? Why are we questioning whether or not Obama is a Muslim? These things do not matter. Dozens are dead in Alabama. One in six American children don’t know where their next meal will come from. 42 million adult Americans can’t read. We should be working to fix these actual problems, instead of concentrating on topics that have nothing to do with the improving the lives of Americans.
In what other profession would a lack of focus be tolerated? “No, I don’t think I’m going to write that report, boss. It’s more important for me to do background checks on all everyone who works here because I heard Jerry smoked once at a party and Linda had a baby out of wedlock.” How is this relevant? Can we please focus on the task at hand? Apparently, it’s too much to ask politicians to do their jobs. And it’s not just Republicans, though they’re often the ones who start all the crazy talk. Democrats make the situation worse by instigating the GOP or even offering rebuttals. Liberals need to do a better job of steering the discussion toward important subject areas.
Second, the era of misinformation needs to end. I hold the opinion that if political discussions aren’t based on fact, we shouldn’t have them. Someone should stand up and say, “Obama’s healthcare bill does not allow the government to take over hospitals and if you’re going to say that, there will be no debate. Call me when you’ve read the bill.” Politicians should start with factual information. It shouldn’t be an afterthought. I will admit, though, that the media is partly to blame for this. Yes, a lot of news outlets are biased and that’s okay. The problem lies in the fact that Fox News claims to be “fair and balanced” when it’s clearly not, and the same goes for MSNBC. If you’re a news organization and you’re not objective, own it! Just how this column clearly appears under the “Opinion” section, the press owes it to their audience to be honest.
Third, politicians need to stop making decisions based on personal, religious morals. The First Amendment clearly provides for a “wall of separation between church and state.” How can you, then, justify defunding Planned Parenthood because your religion forbids abortion? I’m a Christian, too, Republicans. I can’t say what I would do if I had an unplanned pregnancy but who am I to tell any other woman what to do, especially when Planned Parenthood offers so many other health benefits for women? We can just go down the list of legislation that limits the freedom of Americans due to the religious beliefs of one group of people or a single individual. It shouldn’t be allowed and frankly, I can’t understand how this keeps happening. Again, politicians on both sides of the aisle are guilty of this pattern.
Though there is a lot wrong with the political climate, I’m hopeful for the future. To me, government partisanship has come to a breaking point or is close to it. I predict a shift toward a more rational and peaceful future. If not, I’m moving to the Netherlands and making and forming my own colony. At any rate, it’s been an interesting ride so far.
Your faithfully cynical servant, Emily.
Emily O’Donnell is a sophomore at the College of Communication and a weekly columnist for The Daily Free Press. She can be reached at emilyod@bu.edu.
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