This is one of those Important Questions that the media likes to delve into, in order to create a Narrative.
Why Obama’s mosque visit is criticized — in a way George W. Bush’s wasn’t
The same day President Obama visited a mosque for the first time as president, the Pew Research Center showed why many Americans likely objected to his even setting foot there.
That sentiment was pretty well expressed by GOP presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who cast Obama’s suggestion that the United States discriminates against Muslims as Obama pitting Americans “against each other.”
There are certainly a few difference. Bush was attempting to highlight that the U.S. wasn’t at war with Islam. Al Qaeda most definitely wanted a religious war against the U.S., but Bush refused to give it to them. Said mosque also didn’t have the links to radical Islam like the one Obama visited. It was a much different time. Fifteen years makes a big difference. Fifteen years of people being exposed to the true nature of radical Islam.
Furthermore, Bush attempted to bring people together. Obama used his occasion to divide people. But, hey, you know the real reason why there is such a different tone, right?
Others criticized Obama for the specific mosque he chose and its ties. And late Wednesday night, Donald Trump said perhaps Obama “feels comfortable there” — a comment thick with innuendo from a man who championed conspiracy theories about Obama’s birthplace.
Innudendo is, of course, raaaaacism.
Anyhow, one commentor makes an interesting point
We could learn a lot from Islam when it comes to tolerance. Just look at how the Sunnis and Shia treat each other. The Saudis and Kuwaitis are the best when it comes to their loving generosity care and concern for their Muslim brother refugees from Syria.
Huh.
I suppose Bush wasn’t criticized (although maybe he should have been, because we almost certainly SHOULD be at war with Fundamentalist Islam) because it was clear in his words AND his actions that he was an actual Christian who loved the country he was President of.
You point out the criminal past of the mosque President Boyfriend visited, but let us not forget that, despite Obama’s claims of “my Christian Faith, he continually either outright lies about or really doesn’t know the context of the “my brother’s keeper” comment he uses to push his socialism (HINT: think Cain and Abel).
And he (Obama) also lies about the impact Muslims had on our nation and its founding. They can really only take credit for the formation of the Navy and the re-formation of the Marines, in the Naval Act of 1794, to combat Barbary pirates (READ: Muslim slavers and pirates).
Ask yourself this, if Obama were a Muslim agent here to destroy the United States – what would he do differently than he has thus far?
I mean, the argument of sheer stupidity and ineptness only goes so far, the law of averages says even the village idiot has to get one right once in a while.
And really, ANYONE whining about Obama being criticized is either a liar or a True Believer — Obama has had the most favorable media coverage of any US President in living memory, moving from favorable to sycophantic Palace Guard, really.
Great post.
Excuses, excuses…
Obama is criticized because the right-wing narrative has always been that he is a white-hating, Muslim-loving foreigner.
The right-wing (and corporate media) narrative for Bush was as the Christian doofus we all wanted to have a beer with.
The right view Obama as wanting to destroy America while Bush loved America.
Bush is one of “us”, Obama is one of “them”.
It’s just tribalism.
You write that like it’s a bad thing. Obama’s worldview is almost 100% different than Republicans, and he just doesn’t seem to like America very much at all. He seems to prefer our enemies over our allies. He likes America’s enemies over fellow Americans who disagree with Obama on policy.
Huh, I don’t know. Why is an alcoholic criticized for going to a bar while someone who does not have a drinking problem is not? Why were Nazi guards criticized for going to concentration camp while American soldiers were not? Maybe it’s not just where you go, but why you go there and what you do there.
Like I said, it’s tribalism. Thank Allah that Obama’s vision differs from the Repubs! The New Republican Party’s worldview is different than that of most normal Americans. Flat taxes, abortion bans, dirty air and water, shipping jobs overseas, lower wages, Social Security cuts, higher unemployment… not very popular outside Teabagville. Your insults that Obama doesn’t like America and prefers our enemies over our allies is just right-wing chatter. Did Reagan destroy the middle class because he hated America or because he was an ideologue or because he so loved the rich? Did W gravely harm the nation because he hated the citizens and loved Al Qaeda? Do conservatives wish to transfer the nations’ wealth to the wealthy because they hate the working classes and America?
Fair enough. Like when America invaded and occupied Iraq under false assumptions and cocked up the middle east for yet ANOTHER generation? All I’m sayin’ is I wish W had invaded more mosques and fewer countries.
There was no suggestion that Trump’s stupid remark was racist, just that it harkened to Trump’s earlier unfounded accusations that Obama is a foreigner. To Trump’s credit (or ignominy) he also calls Rafael Cruz (a Canadian) a foreigner.
acethepug,
Muslims had a huge impact on our young country. They are the ones that bought the slaves in Africa (from the African chiefs who had captured them) and then shipped them over to the Americas using English, Dutch and Spanish ships, oh and Yankee ships later. So, I would say that Muslims had a very significant impact on us.
No matter how many times liberals trot out this lie, it doesn’t make any more true.