I'm Not Offended, But They're Still Stupid Things To Say

I don't know if I should be offended by this...

President Obama invoked the Fort Hood shootings in an emotional appeal to Democrats to pass health care reform today, contrasting the sacrifices of soldiers with political positioning.

The impassioned pitch to the entire Democratic caucus came hours before the House vote tonight on the signature issue of Obama’s presidency, with Democratic leaders struggling to keep members from conservative districts on board.

“He was absolutely inspiring. In a very moving way, he reminded us what sacrifice really is,” said New Jersey Rep. Rob Andrews, estimating the persuader-in-chief turned several votes.

“Sacrifice is not casting a vote that might lose an election for you; it is the sacrifice that someone makes when they wear the uniform of this country and that unfortunately a number of people made this week,” said Andrews.

“It made a lot of people feel a little less sorry for themselves about their political problems,” he added. “This is an emotional time for a lot of our folks politically, but this is politics and I think he correctly pointed out what’s a heck of a lot more important.”

Politicians invoke the sacrifice of our soldiers for so many purposes that it's hard to find outrage when Obama's doing it to try and push reluctant Democrats to pass healthcare legislation. But I am pretty sure that if Bush had said the same for Social Security privitization, he would have been pilloried for it. And I would fully understand if members of our armed forces took offense.

Now, this isalso close to the line...

Mr. Obama, during his private pep talk to Democrats, recognized Mr. Owens’s election and then posed a question to the other lawmakers. According to Representative Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, who supports the health care bill, the president asked, “Does anybody think that the teabag, anti-government people are going to support them if they bring down health care? All it will do is confuse and dispirit” Democratic voters “and it will encourage the extremists.”

Another freshman Democrat from New Mexico, Representative Martin Heinrich, said the president’s comments overall were reassuring. “If you want to see a recipe for failure,” Mr. Heinrich said, “don’t do the things you talked about in your campaigns and turn your back on your base. All the independent voters in the world don’t matter if the Democrats don’t turn out.”

(hat tip: Best of the Web) I think referring to your opponents by a homophobic slur is pretty awful and below the office of the President, if not this President. But I'm hoping Blumenauer misquoted Obama. However, it's Heinrich's line that is telling -- Obama doesn't seem to care about independent voters in the least. Maybe they'll remember that in 2012.