Punish your enemies?

By Gracie Smith

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/25/us/politics/25agenda.html?ref=politics

Recent comments made by President Obama on Hispanic news channel Univision encouraged Latino voters to “punish” their “enemies” and “reward” their “friends” in next week’s midterm election, reminding voters of the president’s stark departure from his campaign rhetoric two years ago. For a president that claimed as a candidate that there are neither red states nor blue states, but there is one America, such a comment is highly disturbing. During a time when America is more divided and polarized along party lines than any time in history, President Obama seems to be putting the good of his party above the good of the nation.

President George Washington warned against this very thing, when he directed the nation to avoid being separated by political factions in his final address as president in 1796. Unfortunately, over two centuries later, our current president is toeing the party line instead of inspiring hope in the hearts of all Americans, whether they are conservative, liberal, or somewhere in between. Whether he acts like it or not, President Obama is the president of all Americans, including Republicans. However, as the New York Times article points out, President Obama failed to meet with the Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for an astonishing 18 months. While it is true that Republicans have been the infamous “Party of No” for the last year, it is clear that President Obama has not extended the hand of peace across the aisle of partisanship that so many hoped he would after his 2008 election.

Both parties need to improve partisan relations, and both parties can do a better job of reaching out to the other side to find real solutions for America during these difficult times. When President Obama chooses to alienate his opposition by calling them a term reserved for the terrorists we are at war against, he does nothing to bridge the partisan divide. As the leader of the nation, he has a special duty to reach out to Republicans, and is held to a higher standard than other elected officials. Unfortunately, in order to gain more votes for the Democratic Party, President Obama has intentionally neglected to recognize the bipartisan support some Republicans, such as Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah, offered for the DREAM Act, which offers a path to citizenship for Hispanic immigrants who illegally entered the country at an early age. A leader with such partisan ambition sadly does not provide change all Americans can believe in.  Hopefully, a large gain of House seats by Republican candidates will create a climate where bipartisanship can bring about real change.