Obama Backlash re: terror non-response

[miniroller]

I looked & hadn't seen anything posted, sorry if I missed it. Also, I partly blame myself (my H) for having the tv tuned to MSNBC/ Morning Joe this am.
Obviously, most know the Obama family is visiting Cuba & was attending a baseball game, sitting beside Castro (Fidel's brother) yesterday afternoon. He hadn't yet issued a public statement re: the terror attack, & is predictably getting attacked from R's.

He gave a public speech on Cuba-America relations last night & mentioned the attacks. www.cnn.com/2016/03/22/politics/obama-belgium-terror-attacks-cuba/index.html

Nonetheless, I'm finding myself a bit thrown off-kilter in terms of my Obama-can-do-no-wrong obsession. Joe Scarborough's outlandish judgement, which usually pushes me further into Big O's arms, gave me some pause. He asked how Americans would respond if the French president was laughing with Kim Jong at a soccer game the afternoon of 9/11?*
*which I realize is nowhere near a fair comparison, but it is Joe, after all
This made me question how the Belgians felt at our leader's response.*
*which is Most Obviously not something that they've noticed, seen, currently care about & probably won't for months, years, or at all

I will admit that when I first saw the Obamas at the game, my first thought was, "Oh boy- the right's gonna be All Over this!" So I wondered what CEP thought- should he have changed his plans? Made a public statement first? What do you guys think?

[simpsongal]

I think Joe is completely discounting and underestimating the magnitude of our president engaging in diplomacy with CUBA. Basebal game or not. I mean, if he were watching hockey with Justin up North - foul. But I cut him slack on this one. That's my personal take.

[miniroller]

Mar 23, 2016 6:40:13 GMT -5 @mx said:

I think Belgians are worried about a lot of other things. It's so evident of our self obsession as a nation that we think our president is THAT important.

Sorry MX- when I was re-reading, I noticed I hadn't noted that completely self-evident point. Hence my 2nd asterisk.

[eclaires]

I don't understand why both Cruz and Kasich said President Obama needs to come home immediately and cancel all this Cuba stuff.

I mean, what happened in Belgium is terrible, but what does his coming home do? It didn't happen here.

Also this isn't like he's palling around with one of our usual allies and they are just laughing it up. American issues with Cuba have been going on since before he was born so these plans are a big deal.

IDK, I think social media has made me hyper aware and critical of co opting other people's tragedies. This isn't about us. It didn't happen to us.

[jojoandleo]

How would it help Brussels for Obama to cancel plans in Cuba?

And I have no idea what any leaders in other countries did on 9/11. None. Nor do I care.

[summer]

Mar 23, 2016 6:40:13 GMT -5 @mx said:

I think Belgians are worried about a lot of other things. It's so evident of our self obsession as a nation that we think our president is THAT important.

Belgium cares not at all about what POTUS is doing right now.

And this is Cuba. 

[eclaires]

Mar 23, 2016 6:46:09 GMT -5 jojoandleo said:

How would it help Brussels for Obama to cancel plans in Cuba?

And I have no idea what any leaders in other countries did on 9/11. None. Nor do I care.

I was just thinking about that. Granted it was the day after my 20th birthday so I was young and self absorbed. But I have a lot of memories of that time and I couldn't tell you anything about a foreign leader that I remember. Or cared about.

[eclaires]

Also, I think Belgium and the rest of the world knows that America will be there for them when it matters. When it comes to stuff like this, America isn't exactly hesitant.

[isabel]

Mar 23, 2016 6:46:09 GMT -5 jojoandleo said:

How would it help Brussels for Obama to cancel plans in Cuba?

And I have no idea what any leaders in other countries did on 9/11. None. Nor do I care.

This is an excellent point. Nor do I know what they did after Paris last year or even this attack in Brussels. I also don't know/can't remember what any of them said after any of these attacks.

I don't have strong feelings on any of this, but I sincerely doubt the people of Brussels are butt hurt that Obama didn't fly home immediately.

[miniroller]

Ok, this is why I needed to be talked down/ hear from CEP.. Mostly, ban MSNBC from my bedroom tv in the am while getting ready- lookin @ you, H (who watches for laughs). Definitely agree that Obama is making a hugely important step with Cuba, & that besides saying expressing sorrow, wtf is he supposed to do about this tragedy... The day OF the tragedy?

It's amazing how listening to Joe rant for five minutes made me lean toward the "should I question?" side. AHHH!! But very informative in how a short clip of can further fuel the Obama-hate ire.

Thanks guys.

[andwhat]

I am so confused by this. Is Castro or Cubans responsible for the attacks in Belgium? Was Kim Jong responsible for the 9/11 attacks? How does Obama coming back to the US help Belgium at all? I swear some of the issues raised about Obama make me feel like I am stupid and not understanding something deeper. And I am not all rah rah Obama either.

[miniroller]

Mar 23, 2016 6:57:24 GMT -5 andwhat said:

I am so confused by this. Is Castro or Cubans responsible for the attacks in Belgium? Was Kim Jong responsible for the 9/11 attacks? How does Obama coming back to the US help Belgium at all? I swear some of the issues raised about Obama make me feel like I am stupid and not understanding something deeper. And I am not all rah rah Obama either.

No, they were showing other European leaders expressing condolences. They focused on Obama's position as Leader of the Free Word, essentially, who remained silent & laughed at a baseball game hours after the attack. They then claimed that US's NATO involvement should've dictated (see what I did there?) he at least make a statement & also shows Obama's obvious disrespect for his position.*
*which is, of course, when I stopped watching/ couldn't swallow another second.

[andwhat]

Mar 23, 2016 7:05:46 GMT -5 miniroller said:

Mar 23, 2016 6:57:24 GMT -5 andwhat said:

I am so confused by this. Is Castro or Cubans responsible for the attacks in Belgium? Was Kim Jong responsible for the 9/11 attacks? How does Obama coming back to the US help Belgium at all? I swear some of the issues raised about Obama make me feel like I am stupid and not understanding something deeper. And I am not all rah rah Obama either.

No, they were showing other European leaders expressing condolences. They focused on Obama's position as Leader of the Free Word, essentially, who remained silent & laughed at a baseball game hours after the attack. They then claimed that US's NATO involvement should've dictated (see what I did there?) he at least make a statement & also shows Obama's obvious disrespect for his position.*
*which is, of course, when I stopped watching/ couldn't swallow another second.

I could see this argument if it were something that happened on US soil or one of our bases, but the President (any President) cannot stop their job every time something happens somewhere else. If that were the case that is all he would be doing. It is like people thinking the president should make a statement every time an officer or military member is killed. He would be doing that every day.

This is not directed to you because we are in agreement.

[summer]

Mar 23, 2016 7:05:46 GMT -5 miniroller said:

Mar 23, 2016 6:57:24 GMT -5 andwhat said:

I am so confused by this. Is Castro or Cubans responsible for the attacks in Belgium? Was Kim Jong responsible for the 9/11 attacks? How does Obama coming back to the US help Belgium at all? I swear some of the issues raised about Obama make me feel like I am stupid and not understanding something deeper. And I am not all rah rah Obama either.

No, they were showing other European leaders expressing condolences. They focused on Obama's position as Leader of the Free Word, essentially, who remained silent & laughed at a baseball game hours after the attack. They then claimed that US's NATO involvement should've dictated (see what I did there?) he at least make a statement & also shows Obama's obvious disrespect for his position.*
*which is, of course, when I stopped watching/ couldn't swallow another second.

Interesting because French and British news mostly just showed his acknowledgement during his speech along with all other world leaders' acknowledgements. And then they would switch to speaking about Cuba but no footage of baseball games and what not. It doesn't seem that anyone here is bothered. And I think they would head/tilt at learning he flew home to America after the attacks in Brussels.

Unless this is all about whether Americans think he should have come back to reassure them and make them feel safer because that would be a different story. I don't see what that would have done, but if optics like that matter to you then ok, be mad about it. 

[josieposy]

If POTUS is supposed to drop everything every single time shit goes down somewhere else, he/she is never going to get a thing done.

[ECB]

Mar 23, 2016 7:05:46 GMT -5 miniroller said:

also shows Obama's obvious disrespect for his position.

If I had been drinking coffee, I think I would have spit it out at this sentence. OHHHHHH the irony.  "They" are calling out Obama for supposedly disrespecting the position, but yet how many of these nimrods are all "TRUMP TRUMP TRUMP!!!!"?


Because, yeah, he's already shown SO MUCH RESPECT for the position he's running for.  ** layers and layers of heavy sarcasm with that last sentence ***

But yet they want to claim that's what Obama is doing? 

I can't handle the stupid in this country.  

[WanderingWinoZ]

Yea, ditto all the PP. haters gonna hate...

If anything, Obama is engaging in diplomacy and building relationships, exactly he sort of thing that needs to be done to stop terrorism and build a better world.

[miniroller]

I'm blaming my lack of coffee (don't worry- I've righted the issue) for even giving pause to his daft judgements ECB

[mbcdefg]

Did these people give two shits what Obama was saying/doing when the Ankara and Istanbul attacks happened?

[summer]

I just went in with a huge Trump supporter on FB over this topic. I expect them all to come for me. I couldn't let it go. She had posted a video with Guiliani......I HAD to respond.

[Deleted]

Mar 23, 2016 8:30:16 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

Did these people give two shits what Obama was saying/doing when the Ankara and Istanbul attacks happened?

Nope.

I've found many people want simple answers to complex problems. To them, Obama singlehandedly must stop terrorism. They don't care that in the few hours before he made a statement yesterday he was being briefed, on the phone with Belgian leaders, and probably waiting for intel from the several departments that were busting their ass determining potential threats to OUR security. Apparently, they want to see him on Twitter or the Today Show talking about water boarding Islamist terrorists two minutes after the attacks happen.

[ttt]

Isn't the point of terrorism to disrupt our lives and make us afraid? Isn't Obama literally letting the terrorists win if he drops a critical and historic diplomatic visit because of a terrorist attack?

[katietornado]

I saw the headline "Obama criticized for attending baseball game" and that was all I needed to see.

The man literally cannot do ANYTHING without criticism.

[starlily]

Mar 23, 2016 9:28:47 GMT -5 ttt said:

Isn't the point of terrorism to disrupt our lives and make us afraid? Isn't Obama literally letting the terrorists win if he drops a critical and historic diplomatic visit because of a terrorist attack?

This is exactly what the President said when he was asked about it yesterday, while at the baseball game.

[elleblue]

Mar 23, 2016 12:10:39 GMT -5 starlily said:

Mar 23, 2016 9:28:47 GMT -5 ttt said:

Isn't the point of terrorism to disrupt our lives and make us afraid? Isn't Obama literally letting the terrorists win if he drops a critical and historic diplomatic visit because of a terrorist attack?

This is exactly what the President said when he was asked about it yesterday, while at the baseball game.

I was coming in to post this very thing but I see it's already been handled. I think Obama did the right thing. 

[heyjude]

This comes from the same crowd that expresses faux rage if Obama so much as sneezes in their direction.

[2doxies]

A lot of conservatives I know are already pissed off about his trip to Cuba so this is another opportunity to remain pissed.

Giuliani is BEC to me, so it almost made my head explode when I saw him saying that Obama should come back so he can work on defeating Isis. What does that even mean??? They're not a country. It doesn't work like that.

[ttt]

Mar 23, 2016 12:10:39 GMT -5 starlily said:

Mar 23, 2016 9:28:47 GMT -5 ttt said:

Isn't the point of terrorism to disrupt our lives and make us afraid? Isn't Obama literally letting the terrorists win if he drops a critical and historic diplomatic visit because of a terrorist attack?

This is exactly what the President said when he was asked about it yesterday, while at the baseball game.

Yeah well, you know, Barack and I chat a lot and sometimes he uses my ideas :-p