I'm beginning to type this at 9:03 PM on 9/10/14. For those of you that may not understand the significance of the time or date, 9:03 was the exact time the second plane hit the North Tower of the Twin Towers in New York City, on 9/11, and today we sit just one day from the 13th Anniversary of that fateful day. I will always remember where I was when that happened. I was sitting in Dr. J's 6th grade discovery class at Columbus Middle School. I can remember the Social Studies teacher running in to tell us what had happened, and immediately the television was turned on. Now throughout the day, some teachers watched footage while others did not. I was (or maybe was not) one of the fortunate ones to not be glued to the TV during school, but you can bet your bottom dollar that when I got home, the rest of the day was spent in front of the TV, as well as the days to come.
While it's a day I, and the rest of America, especially those who lost loved ones, will never forget, that's not what I'm blogging about today. I'm blogging about the events that occurred on 9/10/14 and why they are a complete slap in the face to those who did lose dads, moms, brothers and sisters, and friends on that day. For those of you who may not have seen, the President was on your news stations tonight. He came on to talk about ISIS or ISIL or whatever they call themselves these days. In short, they're just another one of the terrorist groups hailing from the Middle East that pose a threat to our country. They've been beheading journalists, killing Christians, and threatening anyone that comes in their way. So what was the President's response? A message to the country. While I love the fact that our government wants to connect with the people, the timing and the message were just not right.
Let's first look at the timing. The speech is on the eve of the anniversary of 9/11. I've said that already. But why is this bad? If you didn't know, this stuff has been going on for awhile (like months...). So why wait for this day to say something? Because he gets to pull on the emotional strings of the country. Everyone knows what tomorrow is, so why not be the first one to remind us in case we forgot?
And this leads into the message. Obama came on TV tonight and first reminded us that he was the one that OK'd the mission to kill Osama Bin Laden. Then he kept talking about how terrorists have no place in this world or this country, and how there is no "safe-haven" in America for those kinds of people. He continued on by saying that we were going to send air strikes and try to beat them that way without putting boots on the ground (which I am in favor of by the way). And he finished with more political jargon. So why am I upset with this?
President Obama didn't really say anything that most people didn't already know. So what's the point of going on national TV to practically say nothing? The answer is simple: politics. In the last few months or so, Obama's approval numbers haven't been great and has been the butt of jokes from the media, including those that worship him. The political impact of the Democratic Party had taken a hit. They can't have that. We have seen Romney pop up from time, whether in actual interviews or quotes from him, where he was 100% correct. The Democrats can't have that. They need a win. Tonight was that win.
The biggest Obama supporters are the low-income, low-information voters that don't have the resources (cable television) or time (because they have large families and multiple jobs) to be informed. Obama and his minions know this. It's not that difficult to figure out. So how do you reach those people? You use the news stations that everyone can see: CBS, NBC, ABC, etc... to get your mug out to the public. And instead of giving the entire country something with any substance whatsoever, he chose to give a reminder to those that are less informed. He brings up Bin Laden. That was a win for him. He talks about defending the country against terrorists with airstrikes against evil. That was a win.
But why are those wins? Bin Laden died in 2011 and was with Al Qaeda, not ISIS. And talking about air strikes? We have been doing that for the last few weeks. So I'll ask the question again. Why wait for this day? Today is one of the few days of the year that low-information voters, again some of the biggest Obama supporters around, care about politics. President Obama took the opportunity today to remind those specific people of the good thing he did in 2011, and to give them something to chew on until January which will be the next time those people care. At that time, Obama will come on again during his State of the Union address, probably remind us about Bin Laden, trash the GOP, and pump up the Democratic party to tie over those low-information voters until the attack ads start hitting the airwaves later in 2015.
Now, I know both sides of the fence play the political games and attack the other. I get it. It's a part of American politics, and it's petty. But the thing that upsets me the most is that Obama used the tragedy of 9/11 to push a political agenda. People died on those planes. People died in those buildings. People died trying to rescue those who were already dead. And what does Obama do? He uses them. He used 9/11 to get people on his side, while spitting in the faces of those that lost loved ones. That was not a win. That was an incredibly unpatriotic move and one that should not be tolerated by the citizens of this great country. We demand more. We deserve more. So the next time you think about being on that "man"'s side, remember that he doesn't care about you. He doesn't care about your family. And he doesn't care about this country. He only cares about himself.
May God bless America and may Jesus reign in our hearts.
P.S. Michelle Obama's lunches suck.
In Christ,
Josh
