It seems that Republicans just can’t get enough of bashing President Obama.  Twenty sixteen may still be a ways off but Republicans who are considering running for president, and some who are definitely not running, are focused like a laser beam on this president.

There’s the Fox News affiliate in San Diego that while reporting news on a rape suspect, showed a picture of President Obama over the shoulder of the reporter instead of that of the person they were reporting on.  The affiliate, San Diego’s Fox 5 News, said that this was a mistake and later apologized.  Was it a mistake?  Or were they simply trying to fire up the base?  Good questions but no definitive answers.  Each person is left to draw their own conclusions.

Then there is a tweet referencing the president that was sent out by Dinesh D’Souza – a political commentator and author – that said, “You can take the boy out of the ghetto…”  Mr. D’Souza is a conservative who is affiliated with conservative organizations like the American Enterprise institute and the Heritage Foundation.  It is no secret that the Heritage Foundation has spent significant time and resources fighting against a number of President Obama’s policies.

There is also former mayor Giuliani who – while at a dinner held in support of Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin, questioned whether the president loves America.  According to an article in Politico by Darren Samuelsohn the former mayor said; “I do not believe, and I know this is a horrible thing to say, but I do not believe that the president loves America.  He doesn’t love you.  And he doesn’t love me.  He wasn’t brought up the way you were brought up and I was brought up through love of this country.”

I will not venture to say that I know exactly what is being implied in former mayor Giuliani’s statement but I do know that it smacks of things that were brought up in the past when some elected officials were saying that President Obama was not born in this country and therefore is not a legitimate president.  This is not the first controversial statement the former mayor has made; instead, it is only among the more recent ones.  Some of his most recent statements have been very divisive.

Governor Walker was present when ex-mayor Giuliani said that he does not believe that President Obama loves America but he remained silent.  Even when he was asked about it later while on Fox News, he chose not to distance himself from it.  As has happened in the past, too many Republicans are slow to condemn this kind of talk.  At this point, there is none that I am aware of who have come forward and said that this is unacceptable.

It is reasonable to assume that these candidates and potential candidates who say that they want to lead America want to be the president of all Americans and lead all Americans.  They don’t want to be the president of just the extreme right wing, right wing, or Republicans and lead them.  They do not want to be the president of just the big money constituents and White people and lead them.  They want to be the president of Democrats, Republicans and Independents: they want to be the president of rich people and poor people; White people, Black people, Latinos, Asians and Native Americans and lead all of us.

It is past time for the political pandering to stop!  For ex-mayor Giuliani to publicly say that he does not believe that President Obama loves America was the wrong thing to do and he should apologize.  For Governor Walker to remain silent after the ex-mayor said this was the wrong thing to do and he must decide whether he will continue to play politics or exemplify the qualities of a true leader by distancing himself from this kind of rhetoric.

There are too many problems that America is faced with for us to continue down this same old worn-out road.  The situation in the Middle East is a snarled mess and our elected officials are spending their time clashing with one another about whether or not America should refer to ISIS as simply terrorist or Islamic terrorist?

Most Americans who follow politics closely would probably much rather see congress and the administration working together to come up with a strategy as to how we can defeat ISIS than witness what they are doing now.  The White House and some in congress agree that we can’t kill our way to victory in this battle.  There are too many factions with different interests that are all but impossibly congruent to be successfully brought together to form a whole that will last.  Yet we must do exactly that if world interest – including our own, is to be served.

But in order to make the virtually impossible possible and implement a workable plan, our leaders will have to spend their time more productively.  They must, at least, suspend the political pandering and arguing among themselves long enough to come up with a solution to this ISIS problem that is plaguing America and the world.

Eulus Dennis