Can the US heal its wounds?
On Monday we asked if the shootings in Arizona reflected the state of political debate in the US, many acknowledged a problem with the type of language used but there was much discussion about whether it was new or dangerous.
Speaking at a memorial service yesterday, President Obama entered the debate. Mr Obama urged people to talk to each other in a way that healed, not in a way that wounded. The President said blaming opponents for “all that ails the world” was unhelpful.
As the debate rages over the impact and nature of political debate in the US the question is will people listen to the President? We’ve heard many liberal commentators label this shooting a wake up for America – but will anything change?
Gail Collins has written a piece in the New York Times today:
For me, Obama’s best moment came when he warned that “what we can’t do is use this tragedy as one more occasion to turn on one another.” In his honor, I am not saying a word about Sarah Palin’s video.
So that’s one commentator holding back but do you expect the same from others? Jill Lawrence from politics daily called the speech Lincolnesque but it unsure whether this will change anything:
Is this a turning point? As we now know, even 9/11 -- the ultimate unifying national trauma -- did not set us on a path to harmony, or even civil debate. Obama is offering another chance at a new start. It's partly up to him to make it happen. The rest is up to us.
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