UNITED STATES—When it comes to the game of politics, accountability is everything. Scandals tend to happen left and right, first we have the ongoing situation involving New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and the debacle involving the closing of the bridge, now Americans are dissecting the intense interrogation between Bill O’Reilly and President Barack Obama that aired on Super Bowl Sunday.
The thing I’ve come to realize about many politicians in the midst of a scandal or heated debate is the use of ‘political deflect.’ Just what might that be you’d ask, it’s when a question is posed; an answer is given, but not a specific answer. Point, this issue is not directly targeted at the President Obama; this is an issue that is seen time and time again with all politicians. I sometimes feel like there is a study guide given to all politicians so they understand how to respond, react and appear in the midst of potential controversy. A question that many probably suspected was O’Reilly asking the Commander in Chief about the issue involving the Affordable Health Care Act and the glitches involving the computer system for registration.
He mentioned he was aware of some potential issues, but not the degree of the problems that was experienced by those who attempted to sign up for health care before the allotted deadline. O’Reilly was persistent in his questioning as to why Kathleen Sebelius was not fired for the fiasco involving the health care system. Further questions persisted about theBenghaziattack, was it a terrorist attack or a demonstration. Both parties took jabs at one another during the interrogation; I really wouldn’t call it an interview because it didn’t come across that way in my opinion.
The president didn’t specifically answer some of the questions, it was a bit of a deflection to some degree, and questions were answered, but not a solid definite for those who really want to know. Mr. O’Reilly then addressed issues involving the IRS and a scandal involving Doug Shulman and his continuous visits to The White House, as a scandal to target particular members of the Republican Party.
Was there an agenda in the midst for Fox News and Mr. O’Reilly, perhaps, but some questions weren’t answered as so many had hoped for, and it’s frustrating! This recently happened in an interview that I saw online with the Governor Rick Snyder of Michigan and an incident involving an escaped convict. Thankfully, the convict was captured before he could hurt someone, but when the reporter directly asked Governor Snyder about correctional reform and funding to ensure such incidents don’t happen no clear answer was giving. It was like he was dancing around the issue, not willing to give the reporter a clear and concise answer to the question, which was posed more than once.
I’m guessing in the political world its better to dance around an issue than to blunt provide the reporter, the interviewer or the public with the answer that they are looking for. Guess what, I figured out why, who wants to give their opponent unnecessary ammunition to use against them. Let’s face it in the world of politics, its all about he said, she said and who can prove something to be true. The issue of accuracy and accountability will always be at the forefront when the politics is in the spotlight.
Sometimes the truth is a harsh pill to swallow, but its much better to just put it out there, instead of deflecting the issue at hand, because in due time everything comes to the surface or reaches a boiling point.
By Trevor Roberts
