On Wednesday, White House spokesman Josh Earnest was asked to react to the controversy surrounding the clown’s actions. Rather than refuse to answer the question, the Missouri native said that the event was “certainly not one of the finer moments in our state.” Some have suggested that President Obama take time away from his vacation to address the hyperbolic reaction his supporters have displayed over his mockery. This would have been an unnecessary elevation of the incident, not to mention a diminution of the office’s stature. That is, it would have been until today. Now that the White House has weighed in on the incident via an official spokesperson, and their response was to lament on how the incident reflects negatively on the state of Missouri, the only conclusion we are left to draw is that this White House condones the absurdly defensive overreaction. This is what anyone who dares mock the president is due. This is a disturbing and, frankly, terrifying development. Any classical liberal should be offended at the prospect that a presidential administration would use its considerable leverage to justify the suppression of the right of average citizens to freely mock and deride the political class without the fear of reprisal. Indeed, lampooning and creating caricatures of political figures is a foundational American value. To attack that value is to attack what it means to be a citizen of the republic. We can draw only one conclusion from Wednesday’s events. The president will not weigh in on the controversy, not because he does not think this event should not be elevated beyond its present outsize stature, but because he does.
Posted on: Thu, 15 Aug 2013 19:53:30 +0000
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