He’s So Good, But Didn’t You Hear? The Other Guy’s A Racist!

President Obama has an “accomplishment sheet”, and one Virginia Senator isn’t afraid “to put boots on the ground” and energize voters with such a stacked résumé.

That’s why Virginia state Senator Louise Lucas said this on local radio: “Let’s be real clear. Mitt Romney is speaking to a group of people out there who don’t like folks like Barack Obama in any elected or leadership position.” Couched differently, she repeated (nearly back-to-back) the same claim twice in a short, six-minute interview.

Having listened to the spiel, I had expected to hear about this revered accomplishment sheet—since of course, it’s so good. Fool me once, shame on Sen. Lucas. Maybe she’ll e-mail it to me.

Let’s ask a simple question. If you have much to brag about, why demonize the opponent and attempt to label him a racist? A few answers come to mind.

One, if the label (albeit false) sticks, it’s a deadly strike to center mass and a sure path to victory. Two, it’s a fantastical evasion of a dreadfully un-stacked résumé. Both answers are in play, and we should pay attention. Why? Fool me twice, shame on.. well.. not Sen. Lucas.

Bearer of the President’s Résumé

Just last week, Treasury Secretary Tim Geitner gave us the highlights when testifying on Capitol Hill:

• “The economy is not growing fast enough.” No kidding.

• “Unemployment is very high.” Who knew?

• “There’s a huge amount of damage left in the housing market.” Happy selling!

• “Americans are living with the scars of this crisis.” Scars would be appropriate if we weren’t still screaming for a medic and perhaps a job.

Of course, still hoping to pin the racist tall tale on the elephant running for president, Sen. Lucas pressed on.

“All of the folks who are saying, ‘We don’t like Barack Obama,’ can’t tell you any reason that they don’t. … Intelligent people understand that President Barack Obama did not create this mess—and the mess that was created could not be solved in two or three or four years,” she said.

Um… how long has President Obama been in office? Yeah, that many years—whatever timeline says the President isn’t at fault. Hey, can we still blame President George W. Bush?

The Real Picture

There is no accomplishment sheet; we aren’t better off than we were four years ago. Navy SEAL Team 6, not the President, killed terror leader Osama bin Laden, and we remain at war.

Healthcare isn’t fixed; Congress and the President threw a 3,000-page money order at old systems that are nearly bankrupt. Millennials didn’t get a break on student loans. Congress froze the interest rates but put off the inevitable, and high taxes will pay for it later.

They didn’t save the American economy or preserve future opportunity. Bailed-out and propped-up companies still hemorrhaged jobs (if they didn’t altogether.) Finally, for each of the last five years, Congress spent $1,000,000,000,000 (that’s trillion) more than it took in.

For this election, those are the stakes and résumé items on the table. To falsely label a presidential candidate as a racist is a disgrace and devoid of civility—especially when the President can’t muster facing his and Congress’ stark failures.

Borrowing from former president Ronald Reagan, “I will not stand by and watch this country destroy itself under mediocre leadership that drifts from one crisis to the next, eroding our national will and purpose.” Republican or Democrat, liberal or conservative, you shouldn’t either.

Photo credit: terrellaftermath