Even though I’m a registered Independent and it’s no secret how my personal politics lean, my social media contacts – friends and acquaintances collected over the years – span a wide political spectrum. And during the health care fight, I never hesitated to engage some of my more conservative connections in respectful debate. But there are times when partisanship is just in poor taste, and some of the remarks that popped up on my screen last night as news broke of Osama bin Laden’s demise made me cringe. It’s like a girlfriend of mine replied when I emailed her a screengrab of the first FB post below:
Jesus, for f*ck’s sake dude! Get some f*cking perspective!!!
Here’s some of the anti-Obama rhetoric streaming during what should have been a respectful and grateful moment – one of appreciation and national pride:
Where does it stop? To whomever said they’ll never give Obama a break – let alone credit – no matter what he does as President, you weren’t kidding. If not now, when? At the same time, I also cannot indulge the suggestion emerging from some of these same folks that we thank President Bush in any way, shape, or form. We got attacked on his watch. We diverted military attention and resources away from the hunt for bin Laden to invade a country that had nothing to do with 9/11. And we failed to capture or kill bin Laden during Bush’s 8 years in office. What exactly does that President deserve credit for?
You may not like Obama, but there is something truly disturbed about choosing last night to nitpick the President, and in my eyes, those who did will never look the same.