Just play this out. Every person who speaks up, you try to talk to personally. Hooray for your altruism. Now...what happens next? What's next is every speech you ever give, every appearance you make, someone does this. At this point, are you leading the American people? Or are you talking to a few dozen individuals? Your priorities are skewed, and you start getting skewered by either party's media, because you're losing sight of the country for fringe cases that just yell the loudest.
Then you go on a popular TV show with hundreds of thousands of viewers in a specific demographic. You talk about a particular initiative or policy either to educate the voters on it, or to garner support, or to begin a discussion on the topic. Now, which is more useful...hundreds of thousands, or the loudmouth at the rally who just needed a face-to-face? Hell, go smaller: What's more important, the lone person yelling in your video, or enunciating the White House's position on a particular issue in from of cameras, media, etc.? That person's voice is as important as anyone else's, sure. But the President can't get stuck in the individual, he/she must look at the larger picture.
Then, sometime later, someone gets close to you with a pamphlet they want to hand to you. Or a message they have to say to your face. Or a knife.
I'm not saying everything a President does is equally important. There are plenty of questionable stops for any President. What I'm saying is, talking to random hecklers as a matter of policy is unconscionably dumb. You'd unequivocally be the least productive President in history, and the most reviled by either party.
Originally posted by Time-Immemorial
Yea I can see that. I also see the other part that if Bush tossed a transgender out of the office, the shit would be piled high here.The reason its not, is because its Obama and he supposedly is for transgender, even though he really hasn't done shit for gay marriage or the LBGTC.
You're right; he could be doing lots more.
But. I don't think most here would care if Bush did the same. I saw the video as throwing out a heckler, not making a political statement on the LGBT community. Most are going to be able to see it for what it is.
The only media outlets to care would be ones that reasonable people would ignore. Much like we should be doing now.
To be fair there was a time you could walk through the white house and just look around and even take whatever you want. This only really ended once Lincoln was killed. A vice president whose name I forget used to tell people poking their head in his office to throw peanuts at him.
But anyways, are people upset because he threw a heckler out or because the heckler was transgender? I hate hecklers. It is one thing to have your voice heard, but to specifically heckle doesn't help. My favorite shut down of a person heckling was "I don't heckle people at their job, do you see me coming up to McDonalds and heckling you?".
Originally posted by Time-Immemorial
Yea I can see that. I also see the other part that if Bush tossed a transgender out of the office, the shit would be piled high here.The reason its not, is because its Obama and he supposedly is for transgender, even though he really hasn't done shit for gay marriage or the LBGTC.
This isn't a gay rights issue. This is an issue of how you deal with unruly people who try to disrupt an event.
Originally posted by Omega Vision
Obama is slow to act and rather reactive rather than proactive when it comes to LBGT issues, and he's been criticized a lot for this.This isn't a gay rights issue. This is an issue of how you deal with unruly people who try to disrupt an event.
Lol, well Bush had shoes thrown at him, and he was pretty jovial about it.
This makes me think, about a few things, how did someone that is supposedly a illegal alien get a invite to the white house? There must have been some sort of background check.
Originally posted by Time-Immemorial
Yea and tell me what Bush did that was right. Everyone is critical of the sitting president. I'd like you to name em for me.
I would argue that Bush's Africa policy was probably his greatest initiative, and if Obama had carried it on with the same intensity it would have been Bush's one good legacy. Instead China is slowly taking over Africa and its resources through soft power.
Originally posted by Omega Vision
Investing heavily in Africa. Even guys like Bono and Ben Affleck LOVED Bush for what he did for Africa, more than any US President has ever done, including Obama.I would argue that Bush's Africa policy was probably his greatest initiative, and if Obama had carried it on with the same intensity it would have been Bush's one good legacy. Instead China is slowly taking over Africa and its resources through soft power.
Thats all you can come up with?
Originally posted by Time-Immemorial
Yea and tell me what Bush did that was right. Everyone is critical of the sitting president. I'd like you to name em for me.
Don't recall having a lot of major issues with Bush before 9/11 actually. His huge missile-defense, especially with trying to work with Russia, Europe and NATO seemed alright with me, as it seemed to be less involving in other countries affairs. At least at the time.
Originally posted by Omega Vision
Investing heavily in Africa. Even guys like Bono and Ben Affleck LOVED Bush for what he did for Africa, more than any US President has ever done, including Obama.I would argue that Bush's Africa policy was probably his greatest initiative, and if Obama had carried it on with the same intensity it would have been Bush's one good legacy. Instead China is slowly taking over Africa and its resources through soft power.
Ah, very good. Another one right there TI.
Excuse me if I can't come up with a list of Bush's 100 greatest feats on the moment, considering it 13+ years ago.