General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Bruins goalie Tim Thomas (refused invitation to the White House) greeted by Obama masks - Hilarious! [View all]Perception is affected by those depending on which side of the aisle they stand on. Sure, plenty now here are saying that you should accept an invite no matter who is handing it but there are plenty of threads applauding athletes/coaches who didn't accept during the Bush years even if they weren't actually taking a stand(like Ozzie's vacation). I doubt many conservatives criticized Thomas' decision.
I have no reason to believe you feel differently but I feel the majority of praises and criticism stems from politics, rather than team, or honor of the WH. The reason I don't criticize TT for this, his opinions I do, because I would do the same thing if Bush was in the WH and wouldn't care what conservatives thought about it(I image most Dems would praise me).