JONATHAN CHAIT FEBRUARY 14, 2011
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On "Meet the Press," John Boehner repeats what is by now the standard Republican formulation on whether President Obama is a Muslim -- "I take him at his word," "the facts as I understand them," etc. It's a way of making it seem as if the underlying matter is in dispute but the Republicans are generously accepting Obama's claim at face value. Thus they can avoid antagonizing, and even subtly encourage, the large segments of the base that believe Obama is a Muslim (watch this frightening Republican focus group) without having to openly endorse these claims. Watch Boehner repeatedly decline to treat Obama's religious as a clear-cut matter:
GREGORY: Do you not think it’s your responsibility to stand up to that kind of ignorance?
BOEHNER: David,it’s not my job to tell the American people what to think. Our job in Washington is to listen to the American people. Having said that, the state of Hawaii has said that he was born there. That’s good enough for me. The president says he’s a Christian. I accept him at his word.
GREGORY: But isn’t that a little bit fast and loose? I mean, you are the leader in Congress and you are not standing up to obvious facts and saying these are facts, and if you don’t believe that it’s nonsense?
BOEHNER: I just outlined the facts as I understand them. I believe that the president is a citizen. I believe the president is a Christian, I’ll take him at his word.
GREGORY: But that kind of ignorance over whether he’s a Muslim doesn’t concern you?
BOEHNER: Listen, the American people have the right to think what they want to think. I can’t — it’s not my job to tell them.
GREGORY: Why isn’t it your job to stand up and say, no, the facts are these? Didn’t John McCain do that in –
BOEHNER: I just —
GREGORY: When you’re saying ‘it’s good enough for me,’ are you really standing up and saying, for those that believe that, or who would talk about that — you had a member of Congress, you had a new Tea Party freshman, who was out just yesterday speaking to conservatives and he said, ‘I’m fortunate enough to be an American citizen by birth and I do have a birth certificate to prove it. That was Raul Labrador, a new Congressman from Idaho. Is that an appropriate way for your members to speak?
BOEHNER: The gentleman was trying to be funny, I would imagine, but remember something – it really is not our job to tell the American people what to believe and what do think. There’s a lot of information out there, people read a lot of things, but I --
GREGORY: You shouldn’t stand up to misinformation or stereotypes?
BOEHNER: I’ve made clear what I believe the facts are.
It isn't just Boehner, and it isn't just an inelegant construction. This is a calculated refusal by Republicans leaders to declare that Obama is a citizen and he is a Christian. I have no reason to believe Boehner, Mitch McConnell and others are doing this because they are secret members of the Ku Klux Klan.
16 comments
But isn't it just this kind of slimy Orwellian BS that makes people HATE Congress? In everything else, it's "too much Political Correctness!", even "no spin zone!". But in this issue, it's "duck the issue, say platitudes, waffle!". I would hope interviewers, and the American People, would do something to hold their feet to the fire.
- AllanL5
February 14, 2011 at 12:15pm
Man, what parts of leader does he not understand?
- kpidcoc
February 14, 2011 at 12:19pm
It's not my job to say whether or not Boner and Mitch "The Bitch" M. are Klan members or not. And Jonathan, it should be "Obama's religion," not "religious."
- liberalref
February 14, 2011 at 12:24pm
The GOP likens the birthers to the truthers. "Oh, Democrats and bloggers accused President Bush of having prior knowledge of 9/11" Perhaps. But no mainstream Democrat, and certainly no Democrat in a leadership position held that view or encouraged it. Nancy Pelosi never said "I'll take President Bush at his word when he says that he had no advanced knowledge of, and helped plan 9/11 so that he could have reasons to invade Aghanistan and Iraq. I take him at his word, but you can't tell bloggers what to think"
- dubyadoubte
February 14, 2011 at 12:27pm
"I have no reason to believe Boehner, Mitch McConnell and others are doing this because they are secret members of the Ku Klux Klan." Says Jon. Well Jon, I haven't heard any of them say that they aren't secret members of the KKK. So the "facts as I know them" indicate that they could possibly be secret members. Anyone who refutes their membership could be lying and until I hear the KKK say they're not secret members I have no reason to believe they aren't. And any proof of non-membership should be questioned as false proof because people make things up all the time. Right? But I wouldn't do something like that. I can't tell the people what to believe but my careful misrepresentations and non-non-denials might lead someone to believe otherwise. I just can't tell them their beliefs are falsely based now can I. And I'd like to reiterate that, as far as I know, Boehner may or may not be a secret member of the KKK.
- singlspeed
February 14, 2011 at 12:28pm
He understands, and only too well, that any chance for a GOP majority rests on as many people as possible viewing Obama as "alien", in one way or another, and not on any (nonexistent) policies which the GOP has to offer. The entire GOP strategy is built on turning normally Democratic-voting seniors with a battery of fears, about using their Medicare and Social Security and tax money to fund health care, unemployment, and schooling for the undeserving poor and uncountably many illegal aliens. Turning Obama from a reasonable moderate to a scheming illegal immigrant socialist Muslim is part of the formula.
- stanalama
February 14, 2011 at 12:32pm
I'll take John Boehner at his word that he weeps so much because of heartfelt emotion, and not that he's in fact a 13 year old girl who's just come from her 14th viewing of "Twilight Saga"
- dubyadoubte
February 14, 2011 at 12:32pm
the American people have the right to think what they want to think So, does Boehner think that in addition to being entitled to their own opinions that the American people are entitled to their own facts?
- sighthnd
February 14, 2011 at 12:37pm
Chait, you could at least imply that Boehner et al. are members of an organization that, if true, would cause them to lose support among Republicans.
- rayward
February 14, 2011 at 12:51pm
It's their double standard. When people questioned Bush's intentions, they were called unpatriotic. When they questioned President Obama's religion, the people are just thinking. When Bill O'reilly asked Bush, "Why does the press hate you so much?" he implied that there was something wrong with the press. When O'Reilly asked President Obama "Does it bother you that so many people hate you?" he was implying that there was, instead, something wrong with the President.
- Nusholtz
February 14, 2011 at 1:20pm
Republicans have played fast and loose with the notions of fact and opinion for years. I once had to explain to a conservative friend that opinions which contradict the facts are in fact wrong, and used Flat Earthers as an example. It would appear that things are catching up with them, and may soon wholly subsume these weak minded megalomaniacs.
- GSpinks
February 14, 2011 at 1:47pm
I'm actually willing to be a bit more generous than Boehner. I will accept a priori, even before some nutcase challenges him, that the Speaker never had sex with his mother. I believe he would be telling the truth as he sees it. Not so sure I'll cut him so much slack when he denies ever being a "log cabin Republican" though. All those tears.......
- IowaBeauty
February 14, 2011 at 2:32pm
Your second comment is priceless, dubya.
- liberalref
February 14, 2011 at 3:00pm
The thing about the birthers and the truthers is that they both believe that everything has meaning and purpose, but so many things are the result of contingency.
- ironyroad
February 14, 2011 at 5:08pm
Yes, so many people see necessity when contingency actually prevails. I will take the opportunity that irony handed me to mention a great book written by my self-selected mentor, Richard Rorty's great 1989 work: http://www.amazon.com/Contingency-Irony-Solidarity-Richard-Rorty/dp/0521367816.
- liberalref
February 14, 2011 at 5:36pm
Well, If I didn't assume Boehner was a complete liar simply mouthing Frank Luntz tested talking points, I would assume he is a victime of split personality disorder. I love the way his talking points force him to contradict himself in the same interview. In the interview where he is playing the quasi-birther bit about, "not being his job to tell the American people what to think." He says earlier something like, "We have to educate the American people about the serious spending problem we have." In another interview, I have heard him say, "we need to have a grown up conversation about Social Security with the American people." Then when asked about raising taxes, he simply shouts, "That is just old fashioned Washington talk..." (a fine way to have a grown up conversation about the topic.)
- MikeB.
February 14, 2011 at 5:54pm