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Post by StPetersburgHoya (Inactive) on Sept 4, 2009 8:19:55 GMT -5
This is insane. Presidents have spoken at schools and spoken to school kids before. The first Bush spoke to school kids. I remember it vaguely. I was in first or second grade, I think. It got us out of music. I was happy. I can't sing.
That's all I remember about it. I think that's all most kids will remember about it.
It'd be political suicide to look like the President was trying to convince kids to believe anything other than each of them are special and can achieve anything they want if they do their homework and do well on tests. If conservatives think Obama is so organized to have created a cult of personality with special messaging, etc., can we also think that the White House is also smart enough to not do something so dumb as telling every kid in America to go and tell their parents that the public option is ok?
I agree with Boz that the Dems have had a rough month. However, its when they do things like this that go too far that they loose moderates (to say nothing of comparing whether its more appropriate to compare Obama to Hitler, Mao, Stalin, Pol Pot, Sadam Hussein, or any other genocidal maniac). If Republicans stopped playing to the base with things like death panels, taking guns to Obama speeches, Hitler comparisons, socialist comparisons, and taking their kids out of school to avoid a pep talk about school work and focused their message on things people can understand like jobs and debt then they'd be in a much better position. I think that the closed messaging loop that frustrates many conservatives about the Obama administration is just as prevalent on the right.
Also, if any parent out there is concerned, the text of the speech is going to be made available in advance by the White House, they can read it and make their own decisions.
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hoyatables
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Post by hoyatables on Sept 4, 2009 10:27:27 GMT -5
Thanks, St. Pete. Haven't read too much about this kerfuffle, but the simple fact that there is a reaction and outcry is just unbelievable to me. I remember in elementary school that we used to compete for the Presidential Medal of Fitness or something like that (I usually failed thanks to my inability to climb a rope or something). Perhaps that should be banned, too, for fear that the President is trying to create an army of super-soldiers?
This country has officially flipped its lid. Time to trade in the clunker for a new model.
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Elvado
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Post by Elvado on Sept 4, 2009 10:37:59 GMT -5
Were the Democrats who carped about GHWB's school address in 1991 also flipping their lids? The problem is not the simple fact that a President is addressing school chilfdren. It is that the announced follow-up plan was for children to write letters on how they can "help the president".
If he wants to give a pro-education pep talk to America's school children good for him. I doubt that the perpetual candidate can refrain from mixing in politics. I guess we'll see.
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Post by StPetersburgHoya (Inactive) on Sept 4, 2009 10:52:09 GMT -5
I think you're taking that sentence and assuming the worst. It's not like they are going to make every child in America write an essay about getting their parents to vote for healthcare. My first grade essays were not likely to insightful on the subject of politics. I assume that most kids will probably write about eating their vegetables, finishing their homework every night, getting better at math, etc.
I think that parents in this nation are over-protective and project their own views on their children too much. (Alternatively, I guess one of the joys of parenthood is raising your kids to hate the same things you hate - i.e. Cuse). I think those people that freaked out in 1991 also flipped their lids - that's what I was getting at with the fact that I don't remember a thing about the speech itself other than it happened.
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Elvado
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Post by Elvado on Sept 4, 2009 10:55:00 GMT -5
Hopefully Supreme Leader's address will be equally forgettable and nondescript.
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nodak89
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Post by nodak89 on Sept 4, 2009 11:13:28 GMT -5
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Post by StPetersburgHoya (Inactive) on Sept 5, 2009 7:02:32 GMT -5
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mchoya
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Post by mchoya on Sept 5, 2009 10:17:42 GMT -5
When I clicked this I thought we were going to be talking about those white unis we wore that one time against Fairfield. I guess I was mistaken.
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kchoya
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Post by kchoya on Sept 7, 2009 11:35:29 GMT -5
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Sept 7, 2009 12:24:19 GMT -5
"Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper –"
(PSSST -- Mr. President.....you don't need to be a good writer to write for a newspaper.) ;D
Good speech, good message.
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Post by StPetersburgHoya (Inactive) on Sept 7, 2009 12:30:14 GMT -5
I'd be interested in hearing Elvado's reaction to this clearly monstrous speech about working hard and staying in school.
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kchoya
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Post by kchoya on Sept 7, 2009 13:00:30 GMT -5
I'd be interested in hearing Elvado's reaction to this clearly monstrous speech about working hard and staying in school. I'm still waiting for the reason why we need the president to pull all the students out of class to deliver this novel and ground-breaking message. Clearly, no one has every said stay in school and work hard to a bunch of students before The Great Obama came along. And if you really wanted your kid to listen to the president speak, I really don't think there's a shortage of opportunities out there.
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EasyEd
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Post by EasyEd on Sept 7, 2009 13:31:08 GMT -5
Content was good and appropriate except for a few oblique political references like "develop new energy technologies", "protect our environment", and "make our nation more fair and more free". But, overall I'll give the content an A. On non-content, too preachy.
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Post by StPetersburgHoya (Inactive) on Sept 7, 2009 14:24:18 GMT -5
I'd be interested in hearing Elvado's reaction to this clearly monstrous speech about working hard and staying in school. I'm still waiting for the reason why we need the president to pull all the students out of class to deliver this novel and ground-breaking message. Clearly, no one has every said stay in school and work hard to a bunch of students before The Great Obama came along. And if you really wanted your kid to listen to the president speak, I really don't think there's a shortage of opportunities out there. Probably the same reason that Bush and Reagan did it - they want to see kids in school succeed and become productive citizens and members of the workforce. You're right - showing an interest in the success of kids in school is almost criminal.
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Post by AustinHoya03 on Sept 7, 2009 14:25:59 GMT -5
"develop new energy technologies", "protect our environment", and "make our nation more fair and more free" Although many of us disagree on the way these goals should be achieved, I think we can all agree these are good goals, right? By making these statements, Obama is not suggesting children should support overly large subsidies for alternative energy, huge curbs on carbon emissions, or single payer health care. He's identifying goals 99% of Americans agree on and allowing teachers and schoolchildren to engage in a debate on how best to achieve them. Doubtlessly some will agree with the President, but many others will not.
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TC
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Post by TC on Sept 7, 2009 14:27:16 GMT -5
OMIGOD he demonized the X-Box! Clearly he hates American Businesses and is promoting his radical Sony PS3 agenda!
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Post by strummer8526 on Sept 7, 2009 17:13:54 GMT -5
OMIGOD he demonized the X-Box! Clearly he hates American Businesses and is promoting his radical Sony PS3 agenda! Hitler played Nintendo.
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kchoya
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Post by kchoya on Sept 7, 2009 18:06:10 GMT -5
I'm still waiting for the reason why we need the president to pull all the students out of class to deliver this novel and ground-breaking message. Clearly, no one has every said stay in school and work hard to a bunch of students before The Great Obama came along. And if you really wanted your kid to listen to the president speak, I really don't think there's a shortage of opportunities out there. Probably the same reason that Bush and Reagan did it - they want to see kids in school succeed and become productive citizens and members of the workforce. You're right - showing an interest in the success of kids in school is almost criminal. You're right. I missed this gem: "hope you’ll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don’t feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter." I reverse my position.
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EasyEd
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Post by EasyEd on Sept 7, 2009 18:22:36 GMT -5
"develop new energy technologies", "protect our environment", and "make our nation more fair and more free" Although many of us disagree on the way these goals should be achieved, I think we can all agree these are good goals, right? By making these statements, Obama is not suggesting children should support overly large subsidies for alternative energy, huge curbs on carbon emissions, or single payer health care. He's identifying goals 99% of Americans agree on and allowing teachers and schoolchildren to engage in a debate on how best to achieve them. Doubtlessly some will agree with the President, but many others will not. I said these were oblique political statements. His agenda is to develop new sources of renewable energy to the exclusion of allowing us to use those sources that we now have (coal, nuclear, oil, gas). His agenda is also to push a cap and trade measure that is in the congress now and by referring to protecting the environment he is obliquely fostering cap and trade because this is the environmental issue to be in the news. The reference to making America more fair and more free is an oblique reference to the point he often made overseas that the U.S. has made many mistakes in the past; and it's an oblique statement that he considers America to be not fair and not free. Keep in mind I gave him an A for content despite what I think were oblique political statements. Did I use the word oblique enough?
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The Stig
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Post by The Stig on Sept 7, 2009 18:39:00 GMT -5
Although many of us disagree on the way these goals should be achieved, I think we can all agree these are good goals, right? By making these statements, Obama is not suggesting children should support overly large subsidies for alternative energy, huge curbs on carbon emissions, or single payer health care. He's identifying goals 99% of Americans agree on and allowing teachers and schoolchildren to engage in a debate on how best to achieve them. Doubtlessly some will agree with the President, but many others will not. I said these were oblique political statements. His agenda is to develop new sources of renewable energy to the exclusion of allowing us to use those sources that we now have (coal, nuclear, oil, gas). His agenda is also to push a cap and trade measure that is in the congress now and by referring to protecting the environment he is obliquely fostering cap and trade because this is the environmental issue to be in the news. The reference to making America more fair and more free is an oblique reference to the point he often made overseas that the U.S. has made many mistakes in the past; and it's an oblique statement that he considers America to be not fair and not free. Keep in mind I gave him an A for content despite what I think were oblique political statements. Did I use the word oblique enough? I get where you're coming from, but remember the audience here. I doubt too many schoolkids listening to this speech understand subtle oblique political statements.
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