There’s been a lot of talk about how some Democrats don’t feel like they can be seen with President Obama, particularly in red states. While the politics behind this choice make sense, there’s another bolder choice. A choice that shames anyone who shows disrespect for the office of the president.
It took a woman to lead the way down this proper path, and that woman is Texas State Senator, Democrat Wendy Davis.
When asked during a live stream interview with the Texas Tribune Thursday morning if she would attend an event that President Barack Obama would be attending on April 10, she responded, “I’m definitely planning on being at the celebration. I’m excited about greeting our president there, and our former presidents.”
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President Obama will be delivering the keynote address at a Civil Rights Summit in Austin, Texas, ironically commemorating the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. First Lady Michelle Obama will attend the Summit with the President.
Moderator Texas Tribune Editor-in-Chief Evan Smith followed it up by acting like he was getting in on a dirty secret, asking Ms. Davis with his hand over his face if she would shy away from photographs with the President.
This is the kind of thing that needs to stop, and yes, the press is complicit in it. The press buy into the notion that Democrats can’t afford to be seen with this President — the guy who won two elections, the last one in a landslide.
Wendy Davis wasn’t having it. She set the record straight by saying firmly, “No, I’m definitely not going to do that.”
Ms. Davis, who just days ago officially won the Democratic nomination with Won with 79.05% of the vote, became a national name during her widely watched filibuster during which she stood up for women against highly a restrictive and harmful abortion law passed by Texas Republicans.
“I’m excited about greeting our president there, and our former presidents,” Davis said, crisply putting Obama in with other presidents, pointing out that he belongs in the presidential category which should infer respect for the office if not the person.
When the moderator, Texas Tribune Editor-in-Chief Evan Smith, covered his face to ask whether Davis would shy away from photographs with the president, Davis said with great dignity, “No, I’m definitely not going to do that.”
And that is how Democrats should be handling this matter. Instead of buying into the bullies’ narrative that Obama is the uncool kid and being seen with him makes them dirt, Democrats need to take a stand for decency and respect for the office. They can use this moment to show their respect for traditional values like respecting authority, a note that should play well to red state independents and Republicans who haven’t been completely hate-washed. And if done properly, it leaves the frothing madness appearing just as fringe as it is in reality. It exposes it for what it is, instead of enabling it and acting like it’s okay.
“No, I’m definitely not going to do that” implies “Why would you even suggest it?” Sometimes it takes a Southern lady to sweetly shut it down with an implied “How dare you”.
Democrats should make them speak the problem with this President, because in the end, they can’t. They’ll pretend it’s about Obamacare, but of course, that was never a viable cover, and now that it’s putting money in individual’s pockets and increasing spending while helping people and lowering healthcare costs, it’s a total fail of a disguise.
Sure, it’s not perfect and neither is this President. But he deserves the respect of his office. He has done nothing to deserve being treated like an interloper at the cool kids’ table, when in fact he is the cool kid and he is definitely not an interloper. It’s almost surreal that the very people who are only in office because of gerrymandering and lies accuse this President of being the interloper.
We all know what this is about. Wendy Davis isn’t having it.
Wendy Davis is running against Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott, who leads her by 12 points in Rasmussen‘s first look at the 2014 Texas gubernatorial race. However, as Ms. Davis pointed out in her interview, these are early days.
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