So, too, was a 2006 address by then-President George W. Bush on immigration policy.
"In 2006, Bush gave a 17-minute speech that was televised by all three networks that was about deploying 6,000 national guard troops to the border," a senior Obama administration aide griped to Politico. "Obama is making a 10-minute speech that will have a vastly greater impact on the issue. And none of the networks are doing it."
The counter from the networks was reportedly that Obama's 2014 speech is more "overtly political" than Bush's 2006 speech.
That's debatable, as the Bush speech drew criticism from a number of corners. But, whether they are political or not, the executive actions that Obama is taking are real -- they will have consequences for millions of people, they will face political and legal challenges, and they could lead to more policy shifts. Americans ought to hear their president's explanation for why he is acting as he is at this time. And they ought to hear what the leader of the congressional opposition, House Speaker John Boehner, says he is going to do in response.
This very open, very public, prime-time give and take is vital. It invites Americans into the debate as informed citizens -- not the targets of negative ads and spin. And there is every good reason to believe that genuine engagement with policy, as opposed to the politics of personalities, has the potential to maintain and enhance voter turnout over the long term.
Former FCC Commissioner Copps is exactly right. If we do not "ensure that each and every citizen of this nation has available the news and information they need in order to be contributing participants in the affairs of the nation," then, "It means a crippled and stunted small 'd' democratic dialogue."
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