There is a saying about respect: Respect is a two way street. In our national politics, there seems to be only one political party who remembers this simple truth.
For the past three and a half years, it has been quite challenging to watch one political party repeatedly show their disdain and outright disrespect for President Barack Obama. The record amount of obstruction and filibustering in the halls of Congress has left our country, at times, in an untenable position. It has left many citizens in a state of consternation with the representatives who supposedly have our best interests at heart.
It has been well documented that a closed door meeting was conducted by the established members of the Republican Party on the night of his inauguration to throw a wrench in every plan laid forth by President Obama and the Democratic Party. This was an unprecedented course of action to undermine not only a president, but the future of a nation. His predecessor used the United States as his personal credit card and spent recklessly like a housewife from Orange County. He was given free reign and his actions resulted in this country being on the cusp of a second Great Depression.
Talk about a lack of respect.
During his first two years in office, President Obama repeatedly extended an olive branch to work with his Republican colleagues in a bi-partisan manner to forge this country ahead to see better days, but they declined and chose a path of disruption. As a result, he has been forced to govern from a singular stance. Imagine how strong the United States economy would be if the president had the mutual respect and assistance of the other party. To the president's credit, he's been able to sign into legislation the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, Affordable Care Act, Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act among other laws with resistance from the other side.
All 43 presidents who have taken the oath of office have been given the utmost respect from their countrymen and women, but as soon as President Obama took the oath, he was at an unfair disadvantage. His counterparts participated in one of the most treacherous actions in our proud nation's history. After his election, Republicans made it their number one priority to make him a one-term president and not to fix the numerous fiscal issues facing the nation.
The Republican Party has been operating under the masquerade of respect for a decade. Some would argue that it has been longer than a decade and maybe rightly so. It is one thing to talk about respect and it is an entirely different thing to actually walk it. Their walking shoes have had holes the size of craters and the time has come to call them out on their shenanigans. The media has given them a free pass for far too long.
Respect is telling the country the truth and not lying to your citizens by going to war in Iraq. Respect is working with the other political party and constructing legislation to uplift a downtrodden economy. Respect is acknowledging a sitting president as a naturalized citizen and not forcing him to show his birth certificate to satisfy your prejudice. Respect is referencing those in the armed forces and not forgetting their ultimate sacrifice at your convention. Respect is entrusting the right to vote to your citizens and not taking drastic measures to enact Voter ID laws before a national election.
The challenger offered up by the Republican Party to try and defeat President Obama this autumn has his own shortcomings with respect. His track record screams disrespect from his time at Bain Capital to his days as Governor of Massachusetts. Former Governor Mitt Romney is the author of a book entitled, No Apology: The Case for American Greatness, which is quite laughable. He is incapable of making a plausible case for his own candidacy for President of the United States. His complete and utter show of disrespect for President Obama falls in line with his political party's jejune agenda.
His latest show of disrespect was trying to one up the president by speaking before him on the recent killing of four American diplomats in Bengazhi, Libya. There have been a plethora of examples citing his repugnance for the president and his policies. The time for Governor Romney to release his taxes has arrived. His outrageous display of disrespect to the American people continues each day he refuses to release his tax documents and a concrete plan to show how he differs from President Obama's vision over the next four years.
A message to the Tea Party Republicans: Stop acting like obnoxious and petulant children and help this country drive out of the ditch your previous regime left us all in. Have some respect for yourselves, this president and this country.