Friday, February 12, 2016

"Why Obama says 'That's not who we are'"

USA Today Opinion: Simply put, “that’s not who we are” performs a very difficult rhetorical maneuver: It’s a way to call a policy, idea, or person un-American without using that harsh term. It subtly conveys what would otherwise be an incendiary claim.

Calling people un-American, or challenging their love for America, thus runs afoul of liberal lore and Obama’s own rhetorical code. So he reaches for a subtle phrase with less baggage.
“That’s not who we are” implicitly accuses political opponents of being apart from the American ideal, of being “other.” There’s no argument for why the targets are un-American, or what they are instead (Communist? Kenyan? Canadian?). It’s enough for those five syllables to challenge the American-ness of whatever idea or policy the president dislikes, and the informal language makes the act of exclusion hard to detect, a stealth test of national identity.
Obama is certainly justified in making claims based on specifically American values. But it is important to recognize that this is what he’s doing, because accusing others of being “un-American” diverges from his party’s history and his earlier rhetoric.
In their own minds, that’s not who they are.

10 comments:

chickelit said...

Super delegates giving Hillary Clinton electoral parity in NH is "not who we are." The rigged process may remind people of the Electoral College, but the two are different, I believe.

A Federal Law Enforcement agency gathering evidence in an investigation but then not prosecuting the law is also "not who we are."

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

IRS asking for detailed prayer contents is not who we are.

ricpic said...

Which "we?" The faculty lounge we? There's a huge "we" out there that has been dismissed as irrelevant for 25 years, since the election of Bush I. That's what the "inexplicable" Trump phenomenon is all about. Inexplicable to the connected we that is.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Obama is constantly telling us how much he hates us. How we are not worthy.

Corruption under Obama-Hillary - it's who we are now.

bagoh20 said...

"We" are schizophrenic with delusions of good luck.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Obama is like your nagging mother trying to guilt trip you into obedience. Passive aggressive and very annoying once you catch on to the game.

"I'm so disappointed in you"
"I thought I raised you better than this"
"Our family doesn't act this way"
"You are an embarrassment to your father and I"
"We taught you better than this"
"When you act this way.....sigh.....I though I was a better mother than this. I guess I'm just a failure...sigh"

Lots of sighing, moping and sad puppy dog eyes from poor put upon long struggling Mom.

What next....is Obama going to ground us? Send us to our rooms? Cut off the internet....actually that last one is a real possibility.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

ot: OMW this is amazing. My head just exploded.

Damn it feels good o be a Clinton.

I concur - Ted Cruz ad people are genius.

Amartel said...

He's going to cut off our allowance (the amount of our earned income we're allowed to keep).

Amartel said...

Well well well, "selected not elected." It's just too fucking funny. Anyway, the super delegates are there (in the Dem party) to prevent another McGovern Situation (nominating a super-lefty that few regular people want to vote for). Given the state of the left these days, I'm not sure that's necessary. Lefties will obey orders, albeit there will be less enthusiasm but they'll still zombie lock-step to the voting booth to vote for the selected jackass.

Amartel said...

Obama's the Aspirational Office Wall Poster of the United States.