COMMENTARY | Republicans and Democrats are at odds over President Barack Obama's announcement of lifting the deportation penalty for certain young illegal immigrants, according to Fox News. This year, the president has forced debate over birth control mandates in religious institutions, gay marriage and illegal immigration. As someone who studies politics, I can see his arguments as weapons of mass distraction.
When Republicans opposed mandating birth control at religious institutions, the liberal side of the media portrayed the GOP as being against women's rights. Republicans were accused of being narrow-minded when debate sprouted from President Obama's newly found support of gay marriage. With the debate heating up about young illegal immigrants, the GOP is sure to be labeled as demonic in some way and be given the appearance of being deportation-hungry and against immigrants as a whole.
Four years ago, the U.S. faced an economic crisis and we were charged with electing the person believed to have the best chance of turning around the economy. President Obama was elected to do the job and debates spring up every day in coffee shops about his true impact on the economy and what he should have done differently. President Obama wants the debate to stay in the coffee shops.
Instead of discussing the relativity of the president's impact on the economy during the upcoming debates with Mitt Romney, President Obama must want to take the focus off the economy by ensuring special interest groups take center stage. By arguing his support for particular groups, the president can create a perception that he fights for the rights of the American people. Romney will have to spend more time defending Republican positions than discussing what the president should have been done for the economy.
When considering this game plan, people should pay closer attention to the context of the president's arguments for special interests than the content. Birth control, gay marriage and young illegal immigrant rights are being set up as distractions from the president's record.
These political fights are being started in an attempt to gain votes and to separate Republicans and Democrats even more by the president who promised bipartisanship. Instead of being wholeheartedly in the fights, the president is using special interest groups as weapons to improve his chances in the election. Americans should not be used as weapons.
