Anyone who reads my blog knows that I do not hold politicians with esteem; I frequently refer to them in general in my Facebook comments with a tongue-in-cheek 'political whores'. Even the two politicians I tend to favor (Rand Paul, Justin Amash) have come occasionally under criticism in the blog. The same holds true for Rudy Giuliani; I have a lot of respect for what he did as NYC mayor in terms of dealing with a runaway city budget, a rampant crime problem, and of course his unparalleled leadership on 9/11, but I differ from him on a number of issues: his pro-abortion choice, certain tax stands (e.g., the commuter tax and deductibility of state/local taxes), and an interventionist foreign policy.
Now, to be honest, when I heard the kerfuffle break, my eyes rolled: love is such a subjective construct. And what does it really mean in terms of policy? And, worse yet, we have a President who is acutely aware of his public image (credible oratorical skills, unflappable persona) and seeks to manipulate public perceptions for his political benefit: remember candidate Obama's infamous "Words? Just words?" response to 2008 candidate Hillary Clinton's "talk is cheap" talking point?
Obama has a recurring pattern I've pointed out for a long time of anticipating his opponents' objections and paying lip service to them, but he basically tries to co-opt an objection into a toothless reform. So when Washpo's Glenn Kessler, the "FactChecker", gave Giuliani "4 Pinnochios" (whopper lies) on Rudy's claims on Obama's speeches, I have to roll my eyes and award Kessler (and Obama) my "4 Eddie Haskell's" (sycophants).
Kessler's handling of the topic is polemical; Giuliani said that he hadn't heard Obama extol the greatness of the country. Kessler goes and pulls up a few excerpts over several years (and some of them very dubious, as I'll discuss), but here's the key point: what does Kessler say that contradicts Giuliani's experience? How does he know which combination of Obama's speeches Giuliani has heard? Furthermore, Kessler quotes Giuliani on Megyn Kelly's FNC show, where the gist is that Giuliani hasn't found Obama's rhetoric on America inspirational, and pointed out when he did hear Obama call America an "exceptional country", he also called Greece exceptional.
Now before going further, let's look at the latter point first. Kessler traces the relevant speech: "I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism." Kessler then basically goes on to argue, "Wait, Giuliani, you're taking that quote out of context--he subsequently goes on to express his pride in America." STOP RIGHT THERE! Giuliani wins GAME, SET, MATCH! Obama just reduced the concept of exceptionalism to a pedestrian form of patriotism in the sense almost any loyal citizen professes love in his homeland. The point that Giuliani is making is that there is something distinctive about America over and beyond our natural attachment to our country as citizens. If everything is exceptional, nothing is exceptional. Giuliani at the very start of Kessler's quote acknowledges Obama's patriotism, including having mixed feelings about his country. Giuliani didn't say that Obama never has something nice to say about America. But, and this is clear even if the excerpt Kessler quotes, it comes across as a backhanded compliment, i.e., values "although imperfect". This is rather like you admitting you love your wife, although she could stand to lose a few pounds. Let's just say that I don't think the wife would find your rhetoric inspirational. It may or may not be true based on one's preferences; you might even consider criticizing another's weight as "tough love"
The 7/27/04 excerpt: Here he says that his story is fairly unique in terms of what he could achieve elsewhere. The odd thing about this quote is that in the excerpt I just discussed, he praises the economy, the military, etc., but he makes it clear that it's unalienable rights that are distinctive--but let's point out we heavily borrowed from John Locke, a British philosopher, and other countries also acknowledge these values. He doesn't make it clear in this excerpt whether his success is generalizable or how the system makes his success possible. It comes across to me as self-serving.
The 3/18/08 excerpt: This excerpt seems to be chosen because Obama SAYS he loves America. Talk is cheap. Giuliani already conceded that he's not questioning Obama's patriotism. For a Presidential candidate, this is standard boilerplate, not unlike a husband's ritual goodbye kiss.
The 8/28/08 excerpt: Bad choice. Obama is simply responding defensively that let us all agree we (McCain and he) are both patriotic, love our country. Again, he's merely saying that he loves his country. But in fact, he did not spend 20 years in the military, several as a POW in North Vietnam. John McCain was given a chance for an earlier release, but on principle McCain refused his opportunity. That is inspirational; what has Obama done that shows similar self-sacrifice for his country?
The 6/24/09 excerpt: The US is more progressive? I guess if you are "progressive", this is a loving tribute.
The 1/24/12 excerpt: The US is great because "you didn't build that"--it was teamwork. Other countries weren't built on "teamwork"? Wait, I thought we were great because of unalienable individual rights. (See above.) Which is it, Obama?
The 9/6/12 excerpt: God is with us and we live in the greatest nation on earth. Again, this may be patriotic, but not inspirational: many citizens feel the same way about their own country.
The 11/7/12 excerpt: This comes from his reelection soundbite, and to me it comes across as a backhanded compliment: he tries to redefine what America means, talking about obligations to one another, responsibilities and duties. This is a collectivist, not individualist set of values.
The 12/4/13 excerpt: If we allow government intervention in the economy that works for everybody (i.e., redistribution), then America has a bright future. Now wait a minute: Obama seems to be putting conditions for loving America. If it needs his policies to be lovable, doesn't that suggest America is not currently lovable?
The 5/28/14 excerpt: Say what? What makes for American exceptionalism will be if we comply with international norms and the rule of law? But if everyone complies with international norms and the rule of law, who is exceptional? Massive fail. Kessler is really scraping the bottom of the barrel. Obama has completely co-opted, redefined American exceptionalism to reflect his political ideology.
Kessler's piece is rather pathetic; Obama's rhetoric is not as inspirational like Emma Lazarus' New Colossus. For all his post-partisan pre-Presidential rhetoric, he has been one of the most partisan, divisive leaders in American history. His collectivist policies are morally hazardous and have bankrupted future generations. He has engaged in apology tours where he seems more anxious to mollify America's critics than inspire her citizens. Individual rights have eroded under this President; he seems determined to imitate the same failed policies that have resulted in unsustainable debts and mediocre economies in Europe and Japan. His praise for America is limited to its coherence with his collectivist ideals.
When I started looking at this concept (a theory and hypotheses for testing whether Obama loves America), I began by looking at how I approach a new job situation--and one of my ideals is to leave the situation better than I find it. Talk is cheap. I don't see it. I feel that every Obama speech comes with a book full of tiny print legal clauses and disclaimers; it goes beyond a Clintonian 'it depends on what your definition of 'is' is...'
Does he love America? No, I mean, really LOVE America? Well, he says he does--although that comes accompanied by discussions of duties, responsibilities, conditions, etc. It's not a job requirement. I'm sure that he thinks he does. But I'm looking at an $18T national debt and over $90T in unfunded liabilities. I don't see how not dealing with those problems is fair to future generations. But Kessler owes Giuliani an open apology.
