A gigantic scandal is rocking Washington, D.C. Pundits from all the major news sources have weighed in. Women’s groups and liberal bloggers are aghast. It’s a revelation so shocking, so disturbing, and so monumental as to undermine the president’s entire political agenda:
Barack Obama played a game of basketball with a group of male friends and advisers.
Once I finish yawning, I will march on the capital to demand a redress of so grievous an injustice.
A number of commentators, women’s groups, and female presidential aides are genuinely incensed over this issue. I understand their frustration. A basketball game with the president isn’t just any old pick-up game; it’s a chance to form personal ties with the Commander-in-Chief. When it comes time for the big decisions to be made, might Obama reward David Axelrod for his game-winning free throw and take his advice over the women who weren’t at the game?
On the other hand, Obama has an impeccable record of appointing women to important positions. Seven of his cabinet-level officials are women, and Hillary Clinton is arguably the most visible member of the administration not named Obama. His first appointment to the Supreme Court went to Sonia Sotomayor. According to the administration’s numbers, there are as many women as men working in the White House.
More fundamentally, Obama should be allowed to relax every once in a while without having to worry what political message his leisure is sending. It’s not like he’s watching “Baywatch” or making inappropriate comments to his female advisers. He’s taking a few hours to unwind by engaging in an activity that millions of people enjoy. It’s understandable that he does it with other guys; if Nancy Pelosi wanted to invite a couple congresswomen to join a book club, I’d say good for her. Sometimes men want to hang out with other men and women with other women.
It’s important to be sensitive to the strong feelings surrounding issues of gender. But there comes a point when political correctness obscures the real issues at hand.
In the last week, both the House and Senate advanced health care reform bills. National conservatives managed to push a moderate Republican out of a New York congressional race in favor of a Sarah Palin-approved third party candidate. Oppositionist candidate Abdullah Abdullah withdrew from the Afghan runoff election, casting doubts on the stability and legitimacy of that country’s democracy. The huge lender CIT Group filed for bankruptcy. And some people still thought the most important topic of debate was how Barack Obama spends his free time.
The brouhaha over the president’s basketball game is just one more example of Americans’ obsession with marginal distractions in the face of major events. The gossip mill digs into public figures’ personal lives until nothing is private and issues of serious national importance are forgotten.
Bill Clinton presided over a booming peacetime economy, the implementation of NAFTA, and the Kosovo crisis; he will be remembered chiefly for his sexual indiscretions. Larry Craig, the former senator from Idaho, became a household name after trying to pick up an undercover cop in a bathroom at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport; far fewer people could name the many accomplishments of Craig’s Senate colleagues such as Susan Collins of Maine or Richard Durbin of Illinois. And as much time has been spent debating Florida Governor Charlie Crist’s sexuality as his policies on crime and the environment.
It’s time we start paying attention to what’s important. As I write this, Iraq and Afghanistan are in turmoil, millions of Americans lack health insurance, and the economy, despite showing signs of life, continues to leave too many people unemployed.
With all that on his plate, Obama deserves an hour or so to work on his jump shot with whomever he darn well pleases.
Nathaniel French is a junior theater studies major. He can be reached for comment at [email protected].
