Please tell me why the President needs to go to the border?

[babylonsister]

I'm not getting it. Photo op? I don't understand what a visit would accomplish otherwise.

PS I asked that question recently on FB, and the response I got is 'he's a coward'. That puzzles me even more.

[randys1]

1. Doing his job, what I dont want him to do is meet with any rightwingers anymore

they hate him beyond description.

[99Forever]

2. An excellent question.

I anxiously await an answer.

[rug]

3. Going to a hurricane doesn't do much either.

[babylonsister]

11. When Americans are drowning in front of our eyes, a little

care, concern, water, and aid would have been nice. Totally different imo.

[LeftyMom]

4. Because there's a humanitarian crisis involving children?

It's a little sad when the discussion is about whether or not they can be used to his advantage or against him politically.

[babylonsister]

9. But what would his presence solve? I totally understand the crisis,

but don't understand what his being there would solve; that would be nothing without the aid of rethugs.

[LeftyMom]

15. A few things: He can meet with local groups who want to help, and amplify their voices.

He can talk to the children. Even if that does nothing else they need to be reminded that they do matter to the people of this country.

He can make it clear to officials that conditions for those children need to improve. It's one thing to say so into a speakerphone and another thing to walk in and have a look.

In any case a visit would not harm his understanding of the situation and could only help. And whatever decisions he makes on the matter would be better informed by a personal experience of the conditions those children face, and hearing some of their stories directly. Further if he has to defend any decisions to the American people or to elected officials he can do so more effectively if he's speaking from personal experience and conviction, rather than relaying secondhand accounts.

[rock]

5. If he went to the border then

the GOP could complain about his wasting tax money on those ridiculous jaunts that he's always taking. See?

[babylonsister]

10. BINGO! nt

[rock]

17. A-ha, you knew the answer all along

[Arkansas Granny]

22. Not to mention that the right wingers would say that he was issuing

personal invitations and encouraging more refugees to come. As someone said earlier, damned if he does, damned if he doesn't.

[SummerSnow]

6. Tweety just said he should've went to the border to give the workers there "moral support".

Damned if he do,damned if he don't. Cause if he had went there, Rethugs would have cried photo op.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

8. He can give the workers "moral support" from anywhere in the world

You're right. They'll attack him no.matter.what

[1StrongBlackMan]

19. And moral support ...

much like moral victories, counts for very little in the face of financial/resources support or just plain victory.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

21. Exactly

If only there was a body of people in this country whose job it was to debate matters of great national import and come together to figure out a solution to the big problems of the day.....................

[1StrongBlackMan]

25. Yeah, what could we call that body? ...

What if we need two of them and gave them co-equal powers ... and a long history of supporting the President during times of crisis; even when they disagree on how to solve the problem?

[Proud Liberal Dem]

33. Why think of what we could accomplish as a country!

n/t

[Proud Liberal Dem]

7. So that he can stand astride a pile of immigrants with a bullhorn

and issue a stirring call to action to do.............something?



I seriously have no idea what the wingnuts expect him to accomplish by going down there. Another day, more Obama bashing. zzzzzzzzzzzzz......

[babylonsister]

12. That's about it. :( And Matthews is stirring the pot, too. Sigh. nt

[TwilightGardener]

13. Political bullshit. GOP wants him to "own" the problem, Dems want him to

have a photo-op being nice to immigrant kids so we don't lose the Hispanic vote, and the media just wants to manufacture controversy. I remember when they wanted him to open a second White House on the Gulf coast during the oil spill, because OPTICS!!

[babylonsister]

31. Yes, I think that's what is going on. nt

[TwilightGardener]

32. People who compare this to a natural disaster, in terms of photo ops, don't understand

the fraught politics here. Way more complex than standing with tornado victims and promising help to rebuild. It's just not a politically smart photo-op issue.

[Skidmore]

14. The RW crowd are trying to

look like they are forcing him to do something. It is a game for them. I'd rather he attend to whatever business he can without being forced into one of their childish.\ mindgames.

[1StrongBlackMan]

16. Because republicans say ...

he should?

I watched a segment on it this morning. The Morning Joe crew all agreed that he should go; but no one could say why.

[herding cats]

18. To inconvenience the people there already working overtime dealing with the influx?

It's not as if they don't already have their hands full. Sure, schedule a visit from the president and bring in all the required security that entails. The more the merrier! Or not, and just let the people busting their butts get their jobs done so they can eventually get a day off again.

[DURHAM D]

20. I noticed yesterday on MSNBC

that several hosts were pushing this. Just seems like some weird media group think.

[femmocrat]

24. Yes, it was the first thing out of their mouths after Obama's speech.

Why didn't they ask... Why didn't Rick Perry attend the press conference?

Is Perry a "coward"?

[onehandle]

23. Ok, I actually like their food. Easiest to find vegetarian/vegan food from coast to coast.

Oh, you said 'go to the border,' not 'run to the border.'

[IMG][/IMG]

[elleng]

26. He doesn't,

but IF he doesn't, repugs will holler about it.

It ain't Katrina, ffs!

[vi5]

27. He doesn't, and it is political theater.....BUT

The fact is that he's not above political theater on many other issues. Pretty much most of these visits to spots around the country are political theater as well. Was what he was doing in Colorado a serious, pressing issue? No, it was photo ops and gladhandling and making the rounds.

Can't be both ways. Can't dismiss one thing as pointless because it's just a photo op and won't accomplish anything, when he's in the midst of what amounts to other photo ops that also won't accomplish anything.

Especially if it's an issue on which he expects the rest of the country to be engaged and involved in and interested in the results and consequences of.

[TwilightGardener]

29. You misunderstand the nature of what Repubs want out of this situation.

They want photos of Obama being there to make the immigration issue HIS FAULT. They want politically charged images of him watching busloads of immigrants getting shipped away, or photos of him standing with Border Patrol (taking the law-n-order side, thus alienating immigration-rights groups). The Repub Congress refuses to act on immigration because of midterms, but they want to pin this on Obama and Dems, in pictures.

[babylonsister]

34. Exactly, and so far, he's not taking the bait. nt

[vi5]

35. Who cares?

It's a big issue. He himself admits it is a big issue. If he doesn't go and does phot ops anywhere elese, they'll paint him as unconcerned with the issue.

How about he just does what is right, rather than continually worrying about what Republicans want or don't want? If it's an issue that he thinks is important and needs to be addressed, then go down there and make a speech and point out the Republican inaction and inability to lead. Hang it on them.

[GoCubsGo]

28. Yes, photo-op.

The republicans want an opportunity to bash him for conducting a tax dollar-wasting dog-and-pony show. He's damned if he does, damned if he doesn't with that crowd. I'm glad he didn't give them the chance. I am so sick of those assholes and their bullshit games, I can't stand it any longer.

[alp227]

30. Taking right wing "gotcha" bait.

These right wingers are so incoherent, their demands of Obama keep morphing.