Just wondering what you think

[yeartolate]

I am not talking about disagreeing with what bush does. I am talking about all the bashing of every president we had. This wasn't a thread about current issues. I am talking about t-shirts, bumpersticker, rude comments by the media, etc.

Your original post

I know this is probably going to start the flaming, but does anyone else feel that Americans need to stop putting down our president. I don't agree with everything that he does at all, but I feel that Americans are hated world wide. I don't think it helps that everytime you turn around you see anti-Bush bumper stickers, anti-Bush protest, anti-Bush news and radio, etc. I just think we would be liked more worldwide if Americans weren't so antipresident. Stuff like this has been going on as long as I remember. It doesn't matter who the president is. It doesn't matter if they are democrat or republican. It just seems like everything is antipresident.

I don't think that a tshirt or a bumpersticker that is antipresident is going to change any foriegners feelings abour our country.

I agree that I do see some of these things that I consider are over the top and not constructive, but our President has made so many controversial choices for our country that it is only natural to see an upswing in this type of antipresident sentiment.


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[kristen821]

Your original post


I don't think that a tshirt or a bumpersticker that is antipresident is going to change any foriegners feelings abour our country.

I agree that I do see some of these things that I consider are over the top and not constructive, but our President has made so many controversial choices for our country that it is only natural to see an upswing in this type of antipresident sentiment.


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I agree that our current president has made some controversial decisions, but really I am not seeing much of an upswing in antipresident sentiment it has always been like this. I think it just makes us as a country look bad. Right now we are fighting for freedom in other countries and I think all the antipresident sentiments makes it look like we don't have a voice in the presidents decisions. Our voice is who we voted into the house and senate. They have a say in almost everything that is done by the president. I also, think a lot of the decisions made by the people voted in by the American people are made because they have more facts then we know. We can't know everything. Again, it is o.k to disagree, but I think there needs to be more respect for the president.

 

[yeartolate]

I think it just makes us as a country look bad. QUOTE]

Kind of just the opposite. It makes us look like we have a country which respects free speech.

If you are really speaking of just the "nasty" bumperstickers and such - that reflects more about the displayer than the person it speaks of. But to criticise our government - it is a necessary American way.

 

[scubamouse]

I am not sure who Karl Rove is, but I'm not him! Everyone has the right to disagree of course, but I do think that things have gotten out of hand. It seems like the in thing to do is to bash the president no matter who it is. I believe the president deserves the amount of respect you would give a teacher or your parents. He is an authority figure. You don't always have to agree, but he still deserves some type of respect.

you want me to respect the president but you don't know who Karl Rove is - that's the funniest saddest thing i've seen here.

so i'm sure you have no idea who scooter libby is?
and does the name valerie pflame ring a bell?
what about harriet miers?
oh and there's a newsflash ... the WMD's weren't there in Iraq - we were misled at a minimum as to why we went to war. get back to me when you can get the $200 billion we spent over there back into the US coffers

google karl rove and get back to me if people that surround themselves w/rove and libby et. al deserve respect

IMO almost every negative comment about this admin is warranted!

 

[yeartolate]

google karl rove

Ewwwwwwwwww.................no thank you.

 

[Tiggeroo]

it makes me uncomfortable to see people criticize our president as well. I don't care if other elected persons are criticized. A certain amount of respect should be shown for the office. I'm lean toward liberatarionism and in practical terms that generally means I vote republican. I had a strong dislike for Clinton. But I wouldn't put a bumper sticker on my car that made fun of him or his wife, or wear a shirt etc. I might in a discussion give a carefully worded part of my feelings on the matter, in private. I wouldn't vote for him. I would vote against alot of things that were his policy. But he still deserved my respect as president. I also couldn't blame him for most of the things that were laid at his feet. A president alone has very little practical power. A president with a senate majority in his party has power. Checks and balances limit the president and I tend to think of them more as a figurehead with some privelages.
I can, however, understand some who criticize the current president. If you are strongly anti-war then the current situation in Iraq would be one of those times that it would be considered righteous to criticize the president.

 

[kristen821]

you want me to respect the president but you don't know who Karl Rove is - that's the funniest saddest thing i've seen here.

so i'm sure you have no idea who scooter libby is?
and does the name valerie pflame ring a bell?
what about harriet miers?
oh and there's a newsflash ... the WMD's weren't there in Iraq - we were misled at a minimum as to why we went to war. get back to me when you can get the $200 billion we spent over there back into the US coffers

google karl rove and get back to me if people that surround themselves w/rove and libby et. al deserve respect

IMO almost every negative comment about this admin is warranted!

First off if you read all my post you would have seen I did google him and realized who he was later on. I am not good with names sorry! Also, if you read my post I am not talking about disagreeing with the president. Nobody is going to agree 100%. I am talking about bumper stickers, t-shirts, the media and famous people stating opinions about how stupid are presidents are. I am also not talking about just Bush. I am talking about every president we had since I was born. It is ok for the media to state facts, but they need to let people form thier own opinion. It is ok to talk about your dislike of the president with friends and family, but I think it needs to stay there. I think the president is an authority figure (like a teacher or a parent) and deserves that amount of respect. That is all I am saying. I am not saying I am into politics or know alot about them.

 

[bicker]

It is ok for the media to state facts, but they need to let people form thier own opinion.

Well, we'll just have to agree to disagree about that, Kristen. I believe the media has always, and should always, have a role in cutting through the malarky put out by those in power, and the right of editorial has always been the way to do that.

It's been nice chatting with you though.

 

[kristen821]

O.K. agreed. It was nice chatting with you too. You seem to really know politics.

 

[yeartolate]

it makes me uncomfortable to see people criticize our president as well. I don't care if other elected persons are criticized. .

What would it take for you to feel comfortable about folks critiscisng the President? A president with unchecked powers sounds more like a dictator.

 

[WIcruizer]

What would it take for you to feel comfortable about folks critiscisng the President? A president with unchecked powers sounds more like a dictator.

I don't think that's an honest post. You know from reading all the comments that nobody is saying you can't criticize this president, or any president. It's HOW we criticize that bothers many of us. And that has been outlined in great detail.