Yay or Nay? Respecting the President...

January 17, 2008

George W. Bush. Based on the debate following this post yesterday, your feelings about President Bush are pretty passionate.

I'm willing to bet even reading his name evokes a definite reaction—and it's clear that reaction varies pretty wildly from person to person. But whether you love him or hate him, my question is this: even if you don't agree with a president's job performance, does the Office itself deserve respect?

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News Yay Or Nay President Bush

71 Comments

CollegeGirl 5 years 17 weeks

Regardless of your own personal politics, the President of the United States deserves respect. It's a difficult job and not one that I would like to tackle. For every vocal opponent of President Bush, there are many quiet supporters.

politica 5 years 17 weeks

The office of the presidency demands respect, regardless of who is occupying it.Other than that, I have every confidence that Bush will be vindicated by history.

politica 5 years 17 weeks

The office of the presidency demands respect, regardless of who is occupying it. Other than that, I have every confidence that Bush will be vindicated by history.

oinkoink 5 years 17 weeks

We have every right to criticize his performance. We gave him the power to be president and he betrayed our trust and ruined our reputation around the world. I still can't believe people defend him. He should be tried for war crimes.

LuciLu 5 years 17 weeks

for me, respect as a leader is earned through actions, performance, and leadership abilities. this man has polarized our country like never before. no, it is not entirely his fault, but as our "leader" his priority should be to unite, not divide. he can have respect when he admits his faults. now THAT would greatly impress me. btw: LOVE this new sugar site! great job1 :D

LuciLu 5 years 17 weeks

blondie01 5 years 17 weeks

And one last thing... I stand behind what I said about Bush being overly targeted. First off, I don't even like Bush and while he has MANY responsibilities that he might not be doing well, the man is not given enough credit and simply issued more blame than he deserves.

blondie01 5 years 17 weeks

And one last thing...I stand behind what I said about Bush being overly targeted. First off, I don't even like Bush and while he has MANY responsibilities that he might not be doing well, the man is not given enough credit and simply issued more blame than he deserves.

blondie01 5 years 17 weeks

I never intended to insult anybody...there is just so much I could write, but I feel like its pointless because at the end of the day, everyone is going to have their own beliefs. I completely agree that a President should earn our respect but there comes a point where people cross the line...such as mocking the President or terribly disrespecting him. There are so many sour things said, written, drawn, etc. about him and its just NOT necessary. THATS what I mean when I say he should be given respect. Everything thus far should be earned, of course. And I'm sorry you didn't like my choice of wording but don't get so hung up about it.

blondie01 5 years 17 weeks

I never intended to insult anybody...there is just so much I could write, but I feel like its pointless because at the end of the day, everyone is going to have their own beliefs.I completely agree that a President should earn our respect but there comes a point where people cross the line...such as mocking the President or terribly disrespecting him. There are so many sour things said, written, drawn, etc. about him and its just NOT necessary. THATS what I mean when I say he should be given respect. Everything thus far should be earned, of course.And I'm sorry you didn't like my choice of wording but don't get so hung up about it.

MandyJoBo 5 years 18 weeks

I think the position deserves respect, and as such, the President deserves a minimal amount of obligatory respect. Even if that respect only extends so far as to realize he or she is human and just like us. I think the best way to show your contempt for the President is to do something to counteract what he has done. There are a lot of armchair politicians that do nothing to help the country and everything to enjoy the rights as a citizen of it.

starkiss23 5 years 18 weeks

Basic respect is something that should be shown to all people who have not proven themselves unworthy of it. Others though..

The City Girl 5 years 18 weeks

If you want to have an intelligent debate, please bring your thoughts to the table, but don't just insult many us by calling us lazy, while ironically not bothering to support your own beliefs.

The City Girl 5 years 18 weeks

Blondie, I find your comments really unbelievable, and you seem to be adhering to the same theme in multiple forums: that Bush has no culpability or responsibility to his people whatsoever. You cannot be serious when you say it's just laziness that makes people upset about what Bush has done. It's just so ridiculous. I see so many comments on here that cleary contain a lot of thought and intelligence--these are smart and articulate people, not lazy. You, on the other hand, just toss out a judgment with NO evidence or thought! 70% of the rest of the nation has woken up, so you should, too. As for this topic itself, I agree 100% with Legalbeagle that people cannot respect him because he has totally failed to live up to the prestige and honor of his office. That really hits the nail on the head for me. I never liked him, but I couldn't have imagined what a national disappointment/disgrace he would become.

The City Girl 5 years 18 weeks

Blondie, I find your comments really unbelievable, and you seem to be adhering to the same theme in multiple forums: that Bush has no culpability or responsibility to his people whatsoever. You cannot be serious when you say it's just laziness that makes people upset about what Bush has done. It's just so ridiculous. I see so many comments on here that cleary contain a lot of thought and intelligence--these are smart and articulate people, not lazy. You, on the other hand, just toss out a judgment with NO evidence or thought! 70% of the rest of the nation has woken up, so you should, too.As for this topic itself, I agree 100% with Legalbeagle that people cannot respect him because he has totally failed to live up to the prestige and honor of his office. That really hits the nail on the head for me. I never liked him, but I couldn't have imagined what a national disappointment/disgrace he would become.

karisaamy 5 years 18 weeks

Respect has to be earned it does not come with a job title

kmariem 5 years 18 weeks

When President Bush was elected, without my vote, I adopted a wait and see attitude. Unfortunately, my worst fears were realized when his administration proceeded to bring my country to it's knees - wiretapping, torture, Katrina, bullying, arrogance - very, very ugly. He has earned my disrespect and I look forward to the day when he leaves office.

Linny 5 years 18 weeks

I agree with others who said the POSITION is respectable but I think whoever gets elected needs to live up to it and earn respect though their decisions and leadership. It is a big job but I don't think any President is the glue that holds the country together. There are a lot of civil service jobs that keep things running and even the pres has a lot of secretaries and aides. Personally, I think Bush lost a lot of the country when he went to war in Iraq (even if he did get re-elected) and has lost a lot of support since then. I respect that he is president and he was (eventually) our elected leader. I don't think he is living up to the title.

Linny 5 years 18 weeks

legalbeagle 5 years 18 weeks

Just thought I would chime in about FDR- put that history degree to some use lol Many people really disliked him. They thought his social policies were overstepping the Constitutional powers given to the executive office. He tried to pack the Supreme Court with 12 judges during his Presidency so that he could have more power. His social programs and the misuse of the commerce clause during his administration have put us in the position we're in today- the federal government can regulate anything that is in the stream of commerce (pretty much everything). This set precedent for every administration since then to overstep their Constitutional authority. He also refused to get involved in WWII when he knew what Hitler was doing. So when you say that FDR was a great President- which I believe he was- you have to look at in perspective. Many people who lived during his time would have said the exact opposite. (Thats not to say I believe the same thing will happen with Bush)

legalbeagle 5 years 18 weeks

Just thought I would chime in about FDR- put that history degree to some use lolMany people really disliked him. They thought his social policies were overstepping the Constitutional powers given to the executive office. He tried to pack the Supreme Court with 12 judges during his Presidency so that he could have more power. His social programs and the misuse of the commerce clause during his administration have put us in the position we're in today- the federal government can regulate anything that is in the stream of commerce (pretty much everything). This set precedent for every administration since then to overstep their Constitutional authority. He also refused to get involved in WWII when he knew what Hitler was doing. So when you say that FDR was a great President- which I believe he was- you have to look at in perspective. Many people who lived during his time would have said the exact opposite. (Thats not to say I believe the same thing will happen with Bush)

pequeña 5 years 18 weeks

I'm with Jillness here, a president needs to respect his position in order to be respected. Being the president of the Unites States is a huge responsability, not only inside the country, but also outside. Bush has shown no respect for the United Nations many times, for example. He has had no respect for his people (Katrina, huh) and even less respect for the rest of the world.

JessNess 5 years 18 weeks

errr I have a lot of spelling mistakes I just wanted to mention that some of the greatest (good and bad) changes that have happened in history came from people being unhappy with their governments (governments that definitely did not have respect). Look at our own American Revolution which went on to inspire many other countries and peoples to stand up for themselves (I just learned in a lecture today the effect of the American Revolution of the Inca and Spanish relationship in South America during the late 1700s)

JessNess 5 years 18 weeks

errr I have a lot of spelling mistakesI just wanted to mention that some of the greatest (good and bad) changes that have happened in history came from people being unhappy with their governments (governments that definitely did not have respect). Look at our own American Revolution which went on to inspire many other countries and peoples to stand up for themselves (I just learned in a lecture today the effect of the American Revolution of the Inca and Spanish relationship in South America during the late 1700s)

JessNess 5 years 18 weeks

FDR became president in a time when the U.S public was very mad at the government due to the work of Hoover. He came in during the Great Depression and quickly rejuvenated the country and pulled it out of the horrible economic situation. FDR EARNED his respect due to this. FDR also was fully aware of not wanting to be photographed in a wheelchair. That was a decision that both he and the press made. When you are trying to reestablish a country you do not want to put out an image of a physically weak leader thus the lack of wheel chair pictures. But FDR definitely earned respect he did not go into that job with the countries confidence Luckily we live in a country were you have every right to question your leader and form whatever opinion you want of him/her. I certainly did not vote for Bush so he needed to earn my respect and Im sure the respect of everyone else out there who did not vote for him. Even if the president was someone who I voted for that does not mean that they automatically have respect. Actions speak louder than words and I think Bush's actions definitely say a lot about the inadequacy of his terms. If respect is automatic because of a job then it really is not respect at all. Also I think there is a difference between being tolerable of someone because of their position and having respect for them. I dont want to start any arguments but I really fail to see one good thing that Bush has done for this country. We were at a good place when Clinton was president but everything has gone downhill...we are in wars that we are stuck in for all the wrong reasons, our economy is heading for recession, people are losing their homes, our health care is in shambles, New Orleans and other areas hit by Katrina are still in complete disarray (Brad Pitt has done more for that area than Bush), our government is a joke to many people. Luckily Bush is done with at the end of this year and we have opportunity for a fresh start. Bush is this generations Hoover. Where's are next FDR?

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