Rudy’s demagoguery collides with factual reality
President Obama puts his hand to his heart during the Pledge of Allegiance at the 102nd Abraham Lincoln Association banquet in Springfield, Ill., in 2009. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
It’s a shame that Rudy 9/11 Giuliani didn’t walk the red carpet Sunday night. The hosts could’ve asked, “Who are you wearing?” and he could’ve said, “Joe McCarthy.”
Normally, it wouldn’t be worth my time to bang away for the second straight day on a guy like Rudy. Political has-beens try all kinds of stunts to get attention, so it’s no surprise that Rudy — having flamed out so spectacularly as a presidential candidate, spending $60 million to notch exactly one delegate — would do something wild, like dusting off the ’50s McCarthy playbook.
By now you probably know about Rudy’s dinner talk last Wednesday, when he said that President Obama doesn’t love America. That was standard right-wing pap, you’ve heard it a million times. Even worse, however, was that Rudy subsequently doubled down on his demagoguery by declaring that Obama met commies when he was nine years old. He also fled to the Fox News bubble, where he insisted that Obama never talks about American awesomeness.
Rudy on Fox: “I don’t hear from him what I heard from (other Democratic presidents), which is these wonderful words about what a great country we are, what an exceptional country we are.”
Spoken like a common troll. It’s amazing how hatred can twist the mind to the point of cognitive dysfunction. If only Rudy had utilized his ears these past 10 years . . .
Obama, during his 2015 State of the Union: “God bless this country we love.”
Obama, during a 2014 West Point speech: “I believe in American exceptionalism with every fiber in my being.”
Obama, on Dec. 2 and Dec. 3, 2014: “One of the things that has always marked us as exceptional is our leadership in science and our leadership in research. . . . We’ve got the best workers in the world, we’ve got the best university system, and research and development and innovation in the world, and we’ve got the best businesses in the world.”
Obama, July 25, 2013: “What makes us special — a lot of times we talk about American exceptionalism and how much we love this country, and there are so many wonderful things about our country. But what makes us the envy of the world has not just been our ability to generate incredible wealth for a few people; it’s the fact that we’ve given everybody a chance to pursue their own true measure of happiness. That’s who we are.”
Obama, during his 2011 State of the Union: “I know there isn’t a person here who would trade places with any other nation on Earth. . . . This is a country where anything’s possible. No matter who you are. No matter where you come from.”
Obama, Nov. 7, 2012: “We love this country deeply. . . . What makes America exceptional are the bonds that hold together the most diverse nation on Earth.”
Obama, Sept. 6, 2012: “We keep our eyes fixed on that distant horizon knowing that providence is with us and that we are surely blessed to be citizens of the greatest nation on Earth.”
Obama, Aug. 28, 2008: “We love this country. . . . I love this country, and so do you.”
Obama, Jan. 29, 2008: “(My) family’s story is one that spans miles and generations; races and realities. It’s the story of farmers and soldiers; city workers and single moms. It takes place in small towns and good schools; in Kansas and Kenya; on the shores of Hawaii and the streets of Chicago. It’s a varied and unlikely journey, but one that’s held together by the same simple dream. And that is why it’s American. . . . My story could only happen in the United States.”
Obama, July 27, 2004: “In no other country on Earth is my story even possible. Tonight we gather to affirm the greatness of our nation.”
Actually, Rudy now seems to recognize the factual error of his ways. In a new Wall Street Journal guest column, he’s suddenly scrambling to dial back the demagoguery: “I didn’t intend to question President Obama’s motives or the content of his heart. . . . Obviously, I cannot read President Obama’s mind or heart, and to the extent that my words suggested otherwise, it was not my intention. . . . I bear him no ill will, and in fact think that his personal journey is inspiring and a testament to much of what makes this country great.”
But then, reaffirming his ill will and defying the facts again, Rudy proceeded to whack Obama for his “inability or disinclination to emphasize what is right with America.”
Ah yes, the old rhetorical bait and switch. Somewhere in the ether, Joe McCarthy is smiling.
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Dick Polman’s column appears weekly on WHYY.org/News. He also contributes to The Atlantic online and is a writer-in-residence at the University of Pennsylvania.
