Presidents Deserve More Respect

I typically avoid writing about politics. Too many diverse opinions out there. I don’t want somebody stopping me in the grocery store to explain why they’re right and I’m wrong. Because, for the most part, politics is a matter of opinion much more than it is a matter of fact. And it seems that facts get twisted and skewed in most political conversations I am privy to. Recently the country I love conducted yet another impressive peaceful transition of power. One ideology replaced an opposing one. The one thing we can always count on is the fact- not opinion- that whoever takes over loves this country and will do his (or someday maybe her) best to lead the country toward a greater future. Of course many of our presidents have failed in that endeavor. History shows that some have done a better job than others. But I don’t think I’ve ever doubted the love any of our presidents had for his country. I don’t like how we treat our presidents. I enjoy some of the parodies but I believe it is disrespectful when they are portrayed as buffoonish cartoon-like characters on late night television and comedy shows. Goes with the territory, you might say. If so, maybe the landscape of the territory needs to change. What message do we send our children when we condone the ridicule of the person who represents the country with arguably the noblest ideals in the history of mankind? A country who has shown for generations that we are willing to spill our blood to protect not only our own freedoms, but the freedoms of others. Of course our presidents have made mistakes in the area of foreign affairs and the conduct of warfare. But that doesn’t make them Bozo the Clown. Our most recent former president became so unpopular late in his second term that a majority of his countrymen assumed everything he did was automatically wrong. Many turned him off and called him vicious names, publicly and privately. Though no president should be immune to criticism, I believe the bashing was excessive. Which brings me to our current president, a man whose approval ratings dropped 15% during his first week in office. Here we go again. I believe we have become so increasingly partisan that we don’t give anybody who disagrees with us an opportunity to prove themselves. Maybe presidents deserve less partisanship and more objectivity. Maybe we can learn to disagree with our leaders on some issues yet still support them with our prayers and our respect. I highly respect the office of president in my country despite the fact that two presidents in my lifetime shamefully disrespected the Oval office during their terms. One was foolish and lied in it and the other fooled around in it, then lied about it. But that doesn’t give Americans a free pass to disrespectfully bash the occupants of the White House. We seem to unite as a country during times of war. Therefore, I am declaring that we are at war. We are at war against apathy and disrespect. We are at war against radical partisanship and blind narrow-mindedness. We are at war against selfishness and greed. So it’s time for Americans to unite. In the meantime, let’s give the old president a break and the new president a chance.