A plea for respect, political decency

Last week, Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina announced to ABC he was not planning to attend the president’s speech about his job creation proposal. He’s not alone, either — Rep. Joe Walsh of Illinois also announced last week that he would not be attending. You might be thinking, “So what?”

Well, stop thinking that.

It has long been tradition that if the president of the United States wishes to address the Congress about an issue of national importance, he is able to do so.

Further, it is explicitly required of the executive in the Constitution that he “shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.”

It is assumed, and has been assumed for the overwhelming majority of our nation’s history, that members of Congress will attend these addresses.

When was the last time we had members of Congress skipping out of speeches en masse? Oh yeah, just before the outbreak of the Civil War.

The outright defiance of tradition is rather ironic, considering the far right’s insistence of the absolute preservation of tradition, no matter the cost, in nearly every other facet of the political sphere.

What’s even more disturbing is what this behavior really signifies: a whole segment of the political elite continue to lose touch with something fundamental to the function of our democracy — respect.

To illustrate this point just a little more clearly, let’s rewind the clock just a few years, to where I believe we really saw this trend begin.

In the middle of President Obama’s speech about health care legislation, another legislator from South Carolina, Congressman Joe Wilson, screamed at the podium, “You lie!” after a clause he particularly opposed. If that isn’t the height of disrespect, I don’t know what is.

Fast forward to today. In the same breath as announcing he would not be attending the president’s speech, Rep. Walsh asked, “How idiotic is this president?”

He introduced the next sentence with the clause, “I don’t want to be disrespectful.” Sorry, I think you already missed the boat on that one, congressman.

You don’t have to agree with the president. You don’t even have to like him. But as the constitutionally elected president of the United States, Barack Obama should be treated with the respect due to that office, regardless of your political orientation. 

Years ago, when President Bush gathered Congress to talk about Iraq and the War on Terror, did Democrats snub the president and not attend?

To the best of my searching, I could not find a single instance when they did so. The childish petulance emanating from Sen. DeMint, Rep. Walsh and their ilk is beyond frustrating. It is this kind of attitude that has paralyzed constructive political discourse in this country.

If we aren’t yet sick of it as Americans, we should be. I guess I have only one thing to say to the fringe of the conservatives that refuses to treat this president, or anyone of an opposing view, with respect: Grow up.

­— jontodd@indiana.edu