President Obama Teaches A Heckler About Respect During Las Vegas Speech

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President Obama showed that he still has his touch when dealing with hecklers. During his speech in Las Vegas, Obama listened to a heckler complain that his executive actions didn’t apply to all illegal immigrants. When the heckler kept interrupting him, the president delivered a lesson about respecting others.

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Obama responded to a student who interrupted him with the claim that the law doesn’t go far enough by saying,

Not everybody will qualify under this provision. That’s the truth. That’s why we’re still going to have to pass a bill. So listen…I heard you you and what I’m saying is we’re still going to have to pass a bill. This is the first step. It’s not the only step. We’re still going to have to do more work.

So, I’ve heard you. I’ve heard you young man. I’ve heard you. And I understand. I’ve heard you. But what I’m saying is this is just a first step. So young man, I’m talking to a lot of people here. I’ve been respectful to you. I want you to be respectful to me.

The president didn’t get angry. He didn’t order security to remove the student from the building. Obama took a moment to deliver a lesson about listening to the point of view of others, and being respectful to them even if you disagree.

In our increasingly polarized society where political media has increasingly passed off two people screaming at each from across the table as debate, the president’s lesson is something that we would all be wise to remember. One of the reasons that our political system has broken down is that Republicans have treated this president with a lack of respect from day one. Few moments have been as disrespectful in American politics as when Rep. Joe Wilson screamed you lie at President Obama during his State Of The Union address.

Democrats responded to the Republican behavior towards the president by disrespecting Republicans. Respect means that two people can disagree without being enemies. Respect is missing in our current politics, and President Obama took a moment to deliver an important lesson in the value of respect that everyone could learn from.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association