USA Today parrots GOP talking point in "Search for civility grows in Washington after midterms"

[Bill USA]

"Obama cast his political foes as 'enemies'"..?? Really? I wonder if the authors can provide a quote or document this allegation which they present as a fact?

THis GOP Talking Point was used by Paul Ryan, earlier this week on Charlie Rose. I don't know of any instance of Obama calling the GOPers 'enemies'. The GOP however, have loudly proclaimed themselves to be enemies of Obama:

"We'll be the party of 'NO'"

"We'll make HCR Obama's Waterloo."

They have proclaimed their objective is to get Obama out of the WH in 2012.

They have demonized Obama as a Boschevik (for a HCR bill which is modelled on Republican ideas: insurance exchanges, individual mandate).

But their attacks have not been restricted to Obama. JOhn Boehner, talking about a Democratic Congressman who voted for HCR said: "He's a dead man, when he goes back home (to his district)."


Now, Obama has said that the REpublicans have made it their goal to see that he fails at whatever he trys to accomplish. Given that they have filibustered every stimulus bill, every unemployment extension bill and they even filibusterd the Small Business aid bill - which was paid for - it would NOT increase the deficit - I don't think Obama's statement could be considered an exaggeration, let alone a hyper partisan remark.

Those who want civility better forget about it. The Repulicans are too good at demagoguery and offensive personal attacks, they are not about to give it up. Obama started out his campaign for the presidency appealing to the Republicans to not indulge in demagoguery. He said that we can disagree without questioning the patriotism of those we disagree with. Yeah, that had a big impact on the Republicans (I think it just whetted their appetite).

Since Obama came into office he's been subject to a withering fire of personal attacks and lies and distortions of his policies. All the while, he has for the most part, chosen to not respond to, or 'call' the Republicans on their disinformation and demagoguery. For more than a year he has kept working along trying to get legislation passed, trying to get things done. Only in the last few weeks has he really started to respond directly to these wild distortions and acts of disinformation.

But the GOP's M$M are very sensitive to any Democrat responding to disinformation to defend himself against wild distortions, or to clarify issues to remind people of reality and to counter GOP fables. I guess that constitutes hyper-partisanship. THe GOP can say whatever lies they want but the instant a Democrat speaks up to protest they are being 'hyper-partisan'.


http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2010-11-19-1Acivility19_CV_N.htm

After a hyper-partisan campaign during which Obama cast his political foes as "enemies" and a Tea Party billboard compared him to Adolf Hitler, "it's going to be an exceptional, exceptional challenge" for politicians to work together, says former Republican congressman Jim Leach of Iowa, chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Even after Obama issued his invitation to the White House meeting, Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said Republicans should focus on a starkly political goal: to "deny President Obama a second term."

"The gloves are off," University of Texas presidential historian Bruce Buchanan says. "Ultimately, politics is a substitute for war. ... Is civility impossible? No. Is it likely? No."
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[MiniMe]

1. After Boner refused to meet with Obama

And had a press conference in the same time frame,they have a lot of nerve even speaking about searching for civility.

And yes, I know how to spell his name, but he is acting like a boner.

[The Wizard]

3. Boner isn't acting

He really is a boner.
Some say John Boner has a skeleton in his closet. The American people want to know, at what age did John Boner first realize he enjoyed having intimate relations with farm animals?
How's that for civility?

[subterranean]

2. Why on earth would Republicans have any interest in civility?

Their obstructionism, intransigence and hyper-partisanship were handsomely rewarded by voters in the recent election (at least that's how they perceive it). Why would they change the strategy that's worked so well for them? If anything, they'll become even more uncivil.

And about that article: The word "enemies" is placed in quotation marks, suggesting that Obama used this word. Obviously I don't follow his every utterance, but I never heard him refer to Republicans as enemies. It certainly would have been posted (approvingly) on DU if he had!

[nxylas]

4. " They have proclaimed their objective is to get Obama out of the WH in 2012"

Well, of course it is. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with a political party actually seeking to win elections. Wish our side would do it more often.