Rhetorical Grave-RobberyFor more than half a century, American liberals, resistant to swelling defense budgets, have regularly quoted Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower's warning delivered on Jan. 17, 1961 — just three days before he was to leave the White House — in his farewell address to the nation: "In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex." For nearly that long, anti-government conservatives for whom the cure for all problems, from declining Sunday school attendance to chronic halitosis, lies in just one more round of tax cuts — especially capital-gains cuts — have invoked the words of Democratic President John F. Kennedy (who did in fact endorse cutting the top marginal tax rate on individuals from 91 percent to 65 percent): "A rising tide lifts all boats." In politics, this practice — of using the words of a leading figure on the Other Side politically to advance Your Side's own case or cause — is known as rhetorical grave-robbery. Speechwriters and politicians in both parties do it. And, as of this writing, while it frequently infuriates partisans in the party of the president or politician whose words have been lifted, it is not a punishable offense. When it comes to the practice rhetorical grave-robbery, President Barack Obama is a repentant recidivist. On Nov. 2 in a speech, the president quoted approvingly a predecessor who had argued that "the bridges and highways we fail to repair today will have to be rebuilt tomorrow at many times the cost," defining it as "an investment in tomorrow we must make today." Obama told his audience the president who made that argument was "Ronald Reagan." Just a couple of weeks earlier in Orlando, Obama endorsed the chief executive who had strongly criticized the "tax codes that made it possible for a millionaire to pay nothing while a bus-driver was paying 10 percent of his salary, that's just crazy.
Seeking approval from a Dallas gathering, President Obama reminded his listeners that "taxes are much lower now (in 2011) than they ever were when Ronald Reagan was president." At another Texas event, a roundtable discussion, Obama enlisted a supporter of his own position on the highly charged immigration controversy: "Ronald Reagan understood that immigration was an important part of the American experience." Remember last summer's confidence-sapping standoff between the White House and congressional Republicans over raising the nation's debt ceiling? Again, the incumbent Democrat left it to the Gipper to make the argument: "Would you rather reduce deficits and interest rates by raising revenue from those who are not now paying their fair share or would you rather accept larger budget deficits, higher interest rates and higher unemployment? I think I know your answer." Who was the authoritative voice, President Obama, cited, to indict the GOP-endorsed plan to privatize Medicare for being neither "serious or courageous"? "Ronald Reagan's own budget director," that's who! During the past year, President Obama quoted John Kennedy once and Lyndon Johnson not at all. By its regular rhetorical grave-robbery, the Obama White House has made clear: Ronald Reagan, alone, is both the most compelling authority it can summon in any public policy debate as well as the standard by which this Democratic administration seeks to be measured. To find out more about Mark Shields and read his past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com. DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM COPYRIGHT 2011 MARK SHIELDS 
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