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In a move that reminds this blogger of nothing more than the movie "Forrest Gump," the Obama Administration has now edited the White House Website's biographies of former Presidents, adding in details about President Obama. Some of them are harmless tidbits which would've been appropriate for any President like:
President Reagan designated Martin Luther King Jr. Day a national holiday; today the Obama Administration honors this tradition, with the First and Second Families participating in service projects on this day.
Fine. No problem. Fun fact of the history of a national holiday and a comment about how the current occupant of the White House continues the tradition.
Unfortunately, there are other examples that are no where near so appropriate (or accurate) and are a clear attempt to co-opt and rewrite history to make past Presidents who were beloved sound like Obama.
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Here's one of the most egregious from Ronald Reagan's page:
In a June 28, 1985 speech Reagan called for a fairer tax code, one where a multi-millionaire did not have a lower tax rate than his secretary. Today, President Obama is calling for the same with the Buffett Rule.
This quote ignores history completely, taking Reagan out of context. The truth is this: When Reagan gave this speech, the top marginal tax rate was 50% and Reagan ultimately cut that rate to 28%. He did, however, eliminate significant numbers of tax loopholes and deductions that made it possible for people in that 50% bracket to pay 0% of their income in taxes, meanwhile middle class taxpayers paid 10% of their income in taxes.
Reagan's solution was to reduce the rate to 28% but to expect people in those brackets to actually PAY that rate. Quite reasonable, actually. Reagan in essence said "We're going to cut rates to 28%, but we're also going to expect you to pay it." That was Reagan's "fair share." Obama's "fair share" is "The 35% you're paying isn't enough, so pay 50%."
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Here's another blatantly political inclusion, this time from Harry Truman's page:
In a 1946 letter to the National Urban League, President Truman wrote that the government has "an obligation to see that the civil rights of every citizen are fully and equally protected.” He ended racial segregation in civil service and the armed forces in 1948. Today the Obama Administration continues to strive toward upholding the civil rights of its citizens, repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, allowing people of all sexual orientations to serve openly in our armed forces.
Look at that! President Obama is the great anti-discrimination President, right? Never mind the fact that race is absolutely 100% certain a matter of biology and genetics, something that cannot be said with any honesty about sexual orientation. But hey, whatever it takes to make Obama smell like a rose, right? I suppose I should be pleased that the White House didn't equate the decision to send in Navy SEALs after Bin Laden to Truman's decision to drop the atomic bomb.
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This one is from Lyndon Johnson's page:
President Lyndon Johnson signed Medicare signed into law in 1965—providing millions of elderly healthcare stability. President Obama’s historic health care reform law, the Affordable Care Act, strengthens Medicare, offers eligible seniors a range of preventive services with no cost-sharing, and provides discounts on drugs when in the coverage gap known as the “donut hole.
Wow, so Obamacare is JUST LIKE Medicare! Okay, not really, since there is no such thing as "no cost-sharing" in any service in the World...seniors are just paying for it (along with the rest of us) in taxes, instead of in the form of a co-pay.
Wow, so Obamacare is JUST LIKE Medicare! Okay, not really, since there is no such thing as "no cost-sharing" in any service in the World...seniors are just paying for it (along with the rest of us) in taxes, instead of in the form of a co-pay.
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This is from Franklin Delano Roosevelt's page:
On August 14, 1935, President Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act. Today the Obama Administration continues to protect seniors and ensure Social Security will be there for future generations.
This one is just a blatant lie. President Obama hasn't done a darn thing to save Social Security for coming generations, save for cut the primary fuding of it with his continuing Payroll Tax holidays and pretending that we can just raise taxes to make this program soluable. Nice try, Mr. President.
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As I said above, most of the edits are quite harmless, like the comment above about Martin Luther King Day or this quote from Dwight D. Eisenhower's page:
(Again, I should be surprised the President didn't equate his orders to go get Osama Bin Laden with teh Normandy Invasion.)
However, there are also the above four which are blatantly political and often rewriting history. I'm surprised there aren't also doctored videos of President Obama telling President Kennedy that he's "gotta pee" or telling stories about Obama somehow being the one who broke the Watergate scandal with a call about a flashlight in a window. The fact is the President is doing his best to edit himself into history. I guess that's because he hasn't done anything in terms of policy worth bragging about on it's own? I'll let you decide.
