Obama Continues Grand Liberal Tradition of Praising Republicans, So Long As They're Dead

Obama has a new op-ed praising Reagan's sunny disposition. This is his attempt to show he's trying to "change the tone." See, he's willing to praise Reagan.

But praising the dead is pretty cheap theater, because the dead cannot run for election nor campaign for candidates nor write op-eds in response. (Reagan, were he alive, might have mentioned to Obama that it wasn't all about his messaging, but rather the substance of his policies, which generally worked and worked well.)

This is of a piece with liberals' dishonest comparison of all living, active politicians to the previous generation's dead or inactive ones -- and of course the current crop is always the worst ever. Praising the dead is simply a rhetorical gimmick to purchase some unearned credibility -- see, I can praise my opponents, so that means I'm objective and fair-minded and should be listened to in my other judgments.

But they only have praise for the safely interred.

Has Obama any praise to offer Paul Ryan? I doubt it.

Further, Byron York digs into Obama's past (now there's an idea) and finds that, when Reagan was alive, he had an entirely different take -- he urged the defeat of Reagan and his "minions" and their "dirty deeds," and also said that Reagan's sunniness was a mask to hide his dark actions.

So is this "civility" then? Dishonesty and hypocrisy and manipulation, and all of a cheap and shabby sort besides?

posted by Ace at 12:47 PM

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