The politics of dirt spawns political smoke screens

The politics of dirt spawns political smoke screens

By Derek Joy

     And wouldn’t you just know it. The attacks are mounting. Aimed squarely at President Barack Obama.

You see, the Republican Party, especially Tea Party Republicans, are having the kind of field day they have repeatedly failed to get in any other way.

This time satisfied their insatiable appetite for dirt as a source of complaints designed to get a leg up on Democrats in the midterm elections next year.

Yep. The President had to go before the American public and take full blame for the humongous failures that have crippled the Affordable Care Act website. He apologized for the assurances he previously gave to the American public.

Oh, boy! What a field day Republicans are having with that.

Republicans fought tooth and nail to the bitterend. They never wanted the Affordable Care Act, which is loosely called Obamacare. They filibustered. Manipulated facts and truth. Even outright lied, as have some Democrats.

When those efforts failed, Republicans forced a partial federal government shut down by refusing to fund the federal budget.  They act like scurrilous scoundrels mired in scandalous conduct.

Now, they feel like the tables have turned. A truckload of new political ammunition. Really loaded for bear. They lay all the blame in President Obama’s lap, at his doorstep.

Yes. The President is at the helm. He makes the public statements. And yes, a great deal of responsibility and blame fall on his shoulders.

Interestingly enough, with the 151st Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, which abolished slavery in America, due to be celebrated on Jan. 1, President Obama finds his popularity waning.

Republicans couldn’t be happier. They found a way of throwing rocks and hiding their hands from being accused of racism. The culprit is the Affordable Care Act website that has made a mess of enrollment.

It’s a subtle way of telling President Obama that he’s not immune to criticism and political attacks just because he’s a Black American.

So a valid question goes unanswered: Why aren’t Republicans, as well as the frustrated American public, attacking the website’s designers and those charged with the responsibility of making it operationally effective?

That is the same as Florida Governor Rick Scott being free of blame when he was the CEO of a Health Maintenance Organization that was found guilty of defrauded Medicare of some $400-million.

Scott was never blamed for the scandalous actions of the company he headed. Instead, he walked away with $200-million, much of which he spent on his successful gubernatorial campaign.

But President Obama is fully responsible for the failures of the Affordable Care Act website. Or say the finger pointing Republicans.

All the noise simply reeks of political dirt thrown to create smoke screens. The Emancipation Proclamation officially abolished slavery on Jan. 1, 1863.

So why create political smoke screens to hide remaining remnants of racism and slavery?