A common meme on the Right is having President Trump say something really obvious and have Leftists then do exactly the opposite. Well, I must inform you that they did the meme. Indiana University's president appeared at an event with President Trump announcing a scholarship program for people who have been in foster care. It was amusing to read people in the comments become very angry.
First, let's address a more substantive criticism: That President Trump has made cuts to other important programs and this does not make up for that. (This is their argument, not mine.) That is fine and worth addressing, but that does not mean helping people who have been in the foster care system is bad. If someone has been in the foster care system, it is because their parents have either given them up or been judged unfit to retain custody, and that can be a toxic environment that creates significant challenges for those children.
(Whether the federal government has any constitutional authority to be implementing another national scholarship program for any group is another matter, and unfortunately nobody in the Republican Party seems interested in restraining the federal government and leaving things like this to the states. The Tea Party really is dead and buried.)
The non-substantive criticism is it helps President Trump or is "boot licking." Some are unhappy simply because it is President Trump doing it, but would have been happy with the program had it been announced by President Obama, President Biden or President Clinton. This kind of hyper-partisan hypocrisy represents everything that is wrong with our politics today.
The Bulwark's take, however, was openly repulsive. Tim Miller and George Conway mocked the First Lady's accent and language skills, something they would be "horrified" to see if a Republican mocked a Democratic immigrant's accent. (Remember when a Republican candidate referring to a Democratic operative as "Macaca" was a national scandal?) Both Miller and Conway are smart enough to offer substantive commentary without this playground-level cartoonishly childish mockery.
"Waah! But Orange Man is mean! Waah! Orange Man Bad! Waah!"
I do not care. I have very harshly criticized the President's demeanor and language many times over the last decade. As I have said many times, I refused to vote for him in 2024. That does not mean that everyone else has to act like a childish bully.
Look, people. This is a relatively easy topic, and never needed to become yet another occasion to be hateful, petty and vindictive. Helping people who have been through the foster system is a good idea, though I would prefer it be done at the state level. Sop letting your personal hatred for President Trump override your ability analyze policy. Stop with the hatred and personal mockery. Grow up.
When TDS condemns aid to needy children
Hyperpartisan hypocrisy and double standards are poor substitutes for rational argumentation.
