Conservative politicians and pundits have sworn for years that President Obama would commit treason against America, but such an event has not happened. Conservatives have used this line of rhetoric as a way to scare voters into voting for them. And they are trying to use it once again.
Last week, CREDO SuperPAC caught Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Michael Fitzpatrick on video telling those in attendance at a campaign fundraiser that President Obama would turn traitor to the United States if allowed a second term in office. Specifically, Fitzpatrick claims President Obama will sell secrets to the Russians if he wins re-election in November. After listing two reasons why President Obama shouldn’t be given a second term, Fitzpatrick gave his third reason.
“Finally the third reason is … the things that the president may do in a second term. When he left the microphone on in Russia, we all heard what he said … left unrestrained, without the inhibitions of the next election — he’d have flexibility, he said, flexibility to do what he wants to do. Whether it’s trade away … the secrets of our national intelligence, to, what he could do to the United States Supreme Court in the next four years.”
Here’s the video. The comment begins at the 4 minute mark:
This is in reference to a conversation President Obama had with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, in which a private remark made by Obama was caught by a live microphone. The problem is that nowhere in the remark did President Obama say anything remotely traitorous. The President was merely saying that he would have more flexibility to negotiate missile defense after 2012. He said nothing about selling anything.
For years, Republicans have claimed that President Obama is a traitor to this country, but they’ve been wrong the entire time. Treason is defined thusly: ‘the offense of acting to overthrow one’s government or to harm or kill its sovereign.’ President Obama did not overthrow the United States government and he certainly hasn’t killed its sovereign since he is the President. But a whole lot of Republicans have walked a fine line between patriotism and treason over the last four years. Since President Obama won the 2008 Election, Republicans such as Texas Governor Rick Perry have threatened to secede, which itself is treason.
In 2010, many conservatives threatened violent rebellion if they didn’t win the House in the midterm election. Right-wing militia groups are on the rise and are planning for the day when they overthrow the duly elected government of the United States. This is because they hate Democrats and liberal policies. Last fall, Republicans held America hostage to get their own way on the debt deal because they refused to compromise. Because of this, America lost it’s AAA credit rating. The GOP then said they would do it again. And just this year, two Romney supporters have used violent rhetoric against President Obama. Foster Friess said he hoped President Obama’s teleprompter is bulletproof and Ted Nugent called for beheading the Democratic leadership including the President, Vice-President, four Supreme Court Justices and several others. He also said they should have been shot. Clearly, it’s not President Obama who has been flirting with committing treason against America. It’s the Republicans.
