Why do we need to support the president?

[Lady's Human]

Let me preface this by stating that I didn't vote for President Obama, and I find many of his proposed programs questionable at best.

HOWEVER........


It is entirely possible to support a leader and disagree with them. I hope he uses the public support he has at the moment to truly move the country forward away from the partisan sniping, towards a constructive discourse between factions.

Sniping at every decision a leader makes because you dislike them accomplishes nothing. Offering constructive comments and keeping communication lines open accomplishes more in the long term for all parties involved.

A former Battalion Commander summed it up best to our staff one day, (soldier talk removed to keep things family friendly)

"If you're going to (complain) about something, bring me an alternative. Otherwise I'm going to ignore it."

Far, far too much of the discourse over the past two decades has been tainted by complaining for the sake of complaining.(Shrub did this, Klintoon did that, ad nauseum) That needs to end, or we're going to get nowhere.

[K9soul]

It probably means different things to different people. For me, to support a president or someone in authority is not to kowtow and agree with everything they say and do. It means I consider him my president, that he is not my enemy but on "my side," that I include him in my prayers, and wish no harm on him. That I don't disagree just to disagree. That I speak of him with respect and not mockery. To me that is what it means to support my president.

As an aside, as much as I disagreed and was upset at a lot of things Bush and his administration did while in office, I found it in deplorable taste that some of the crowd at the inauguration boo'd him. I'm not saying people didn't have the right to do it, but I found it petty and disrespectful of not only Bush but also of Obama and the spirit of his message of unity.

ETA: I think the president and officials CAN make decisions and take actions that causes support to falter. This post is simply what it means to me to say I support the president (whether I voted for him or not). A president can take actions that cause him to lose support, i.e. Nixon.

[Catty1]

Originally quoted by Lady's Human:

"If you're going to (complain) about something, bring me an alternative. Otherwise I'm going to ignore it."

I like that. One of my faves is, "If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem."

[lizbud]

I think this can't be repeated often enough.

"Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States.


Quote:
To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. "