Via the AP comes a Q&A with Education Secretary Arne Duncan, which included a question about Presdent Obama’s back to school speech:
Q: The president is making an address to the nation’s school kids on Tuesday. You’ve encouraged schools to watch the speech. What ideas, broadly speaking, do you expect him to talk about?A: What’s so fun about working for the president is this is so personal for him. He did not grow up with a silver spoon in his mouth. His father wasn’t around much. There were times when his family was on welfare.
And here he is, the president of our country, the leader of the free world, because he received a great education and worked so hard.
He’s challenging all of us, but he is absolutely going to challenge students and parents to take their education seriously, to really have personal responsibility.
He really is asking students think about how critically important it is that they do well, that they take advantage of those opportunities and they apply themselves and they work hard.
Ok: work hard to achieve personal success and take personal responsibility. For decades I seem to recall these two ideas being central to Republican ideology. And yet, we get a freak-out over this speech.
Again, to reiterate my basic point: I would just as soon the President not give speeches to school children simply because I think there is probably better uses of both the students’ and the President’s time. However, if a speech is to be given, it strikes me as absurd for conservative to be ranting about a “work hard, get an education, take responsibility for yourself” message.
I know that one of the things that is causing some of the freak-out is that Obama wants kids to write him a a letter (see some examples here).
Along those lines, I would note the following from Jim Lindgren at the Volokh Conspiracy, who looked into President George H. W. Bush’s speech to school children on October 1, 1991:
On WESTLAW, I looked up other news stories about the speech. It was reported as 10 minutes in some reports and 12 minutes in others. It was carried live on CNN, PBS, and [the NBC] and Mutual radio [networks]. The Secretary of Education sent a letter urging schools to have their students watch, but I didn’t find any evidence of how many schools followed that recommendation. And most striking: Bush laid out goals — to increase the graduation rate, improve student competency and better prepare stude nts for entering school — and said, “Let me know how you’re doing. Write me a letter. I’m serious about this one. Write me a letter about ways you can help us achieve our goals.”
Jim has numerous news excerpts reporting on the Bush speech for perusal (including the text of the speech in which Bush extolled hard work and the value of education, go and figure).
Really, even if one was inclined to find fault with Obama’s speech, I don’t see how such a person can reasonably look at the comparison to the Bush speech and not see how silly the whole freak-out response is. Honestly, one would like to think that most reasonable people would see the freak-out position as ridiculous to start with, but surely with a GOP President doing essentially the same thing they have to see what a non-issue this is. Right?
September 5th, 2024 at 8:45 pm
It’s rather simple. There was never the assumption in people’s mind that GWB would politicize the event. Everybody trusted Bush to conduct himself in such a way as to not bring politics into every facet of life. There was a graciousness and respect for political civility in Bush that people trusted.
Obama — not so much.
September 5th, 2024 at 10:08 pm
For the record, the Bush in question was 41, not 43.
Still, like I said the other day, I don’t buy your argument that there is some widespread belief that Obama is out to politicize this but rather it is all GOP over-reaction.
September 5th, 2024 at 11:19 pm
Buckland,
I don’t know how you can be so far off the mark! With GWB no one would take him seriously, so no one was worried about him unduly influencing the minds of youth. The only people who are making this an issue is the GOP. But not all the GOP. I am a Republican, but lately I have been wondering if I need to change affiliation. I do not like the government getting over involved in our daily lives. I think the healthcare issue has needed revamping for a LONG time! I have government run medical care and I love it! Military medicine is fantastic and a system created by melding the military healthcare program with the belief that healthcare is as much a right as education, would be perfect for this country.
But, I digress. American’s should feel honored that the person in charge of this country is willing to take the time to speak to our nation’s youth. Fifty years ago this would have seemed like the most natural thing for the President to do. Our nation’s youth is in desperate need of some direction and leadership. I work with troubled youth and I know that these kids have no motivation, no direction and nothing to believe in, not even this country. It seems no longer ok to say this is the best country in the world and then when the President tries to get involved the very people who should be hailing this as wonderful, are attacking him and truly undermining the strength of this nation! Shame on you, Buckland, shame on all who are supporting this attack!
September 5th, 2024 at 11:43 pm
Buckland summed it up. Rather than belief that the popularly elected President of the United States is trying to do what he believes is best for the country, the opposition party now believes that he wants to turn the country into a communist/fascist state with him as the dear leader.
Isn’t about time to admit that this is absolute lunacy!
I have a simple proposal: If you believe any of the following about the President of the United States: a) that he knew about an attack on this country and did nothing about it; b)was not born in this country; c) decided to bring this country to war to benefit his country club buddies; or d) wants to become a dictator, please states so clearly at the beginning of any opinion so that the sane people can disregard what you are saying.
Or in the alternative, the sane people ask these four questions before listening to any opinions.
September 5th, 2024 at 11:47 pm
And wait:
“There was never the assumption in people’s mind that GWB would politicize the event. Everybody trusted Bush to conduct himself in such a way as to not bring politics into every facet of life. There was a graciousness and respect for political civility in Bush that people trusted.”
The same President who politicized the creation of the DHS? The had “Mission Accomplished” written on a navy ship?
He would never politicize an event that should be non-partisan or non-political?
September 6th, 2024 at 4:10 am
It’s OK for a Republican president to addressed a national audience of students and toot his horn and push his political agenda but it’s not ok for Obama to tell students to stay in school?
That’s called DOUBLE STANDARD
On November 14, 1988, President Reagan addressed and took questions from students from four area middle schools in the Old Executive Office Building. The speech was broadcast live and rebroadcast by C-Span, and Instructional Television Network fed the program “to schools nationwide on three different days.”
In his speech to students and the question and answer session following Reagan
1. stressed the importance of low taxes and free trade.
2. stressed the importance of religion in our nation.
3 touted the economic achievements of his administration ,
4.put in a plug for the line item veto,
5. told the students that lowering taxes increases revenue
6. boasted of his administrations aid to Negro colleges
7. and told students that if guns were banned, burglars would be “celebrating forevermore”
http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1988/111488c.htm
Two years before that Reagan again spoke to the children of America on nationwide TV .
He spends the bulk of his address touting the wonderful accomplishments of his administration in fixing the economy, restoring America’s military, bolstering foreign policy. (Gee, isn’t it suppose to be about the kids??)
Then he goes on to exhort the students to help make America strong by
1. studying hard (good)
2. being good citizens (wonderful)
3. staying away from drugs. (excellent)
4. and lowering the tax rates (Huh???)
Why he just couldn’t help himself slip his political agenda in there again.
http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1986/51386d.htm
September 6th, 2024 at 5:34 am
The only thing that this controversy proves is the fact that this nations education of the previous generations wasn’t complete enough. To argue that the reasons of not wanting the president to talk or communicate to a child in school because of political bias, undermines the whole process of a aware, and educated American citizen. These children need to know, and learn that they have a voice, that their opinions do matter. This is what makes a strong democracy, the ability to see and participate in the government by any citizen. The next thing you know parents will want their students to stop taking history class or civics, because of the possibility of them learning about different political opinions.
September 6th, 2024 at 5:57 am
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. These conservatives want to keep their children as stupid as they are!!!!!!!!
September 6th, 2024 at 6:06 am
It looks like rampant, flaming, whirly-eyed paranoia to me. But Buckland put his/her thumb right on the heart of the matter; they don’t trust Obama.
This started (as I think back) during the campaign, when the National Journal report came out saying that Obama was The Most Liberal Senator. That gave cover to the partisans, who excel in exaggerated hyperbole, and that led to depictions of Obama as the next Karl Marx (with a dash of Huey Newton, maybe…) and it’s been downhill from there.
It’s BDS on steroids.
September 6th, 2024 at 7:11 am
It’s obvious that this country is drowning in a sea of political and racial hatred. I had thought that we had become more mature as a nation, but I no. Also, whatever happened to respect for the office of the presidency?
Amazing how a handful of right-wing shouting idiots on radio and TV have managed to scare so many otherwise decent, levelheaded people. I suppose individual critical thinking is out the window as well. This is the new McCarthyism, and we all found out what a pathetic excuse for a human being he was. What a bunch of scared sheep!
I’m certain that my definition of politics is still just as valid as it ever was:
Politics: organized childishness combined with institutionalized selfishness.
I fear for the future of our country, and I am so sorry to have to say that.
September 6th, 2024 at 8:00 am
Breaking News
Van Jones Resigns
Actually I feel sorry for the guy in one sense. The things he said were once considered a mark of sophistication in liberal circles. Free Mumia! George Bush knew! Republicans are a**h****! Indeed, no doubt the people vetting his background saw no issue with such words. Everybody they knew believes the same stuff.
Who knew the peasants would have a problem with such wisdom?
September 6th, 2024 at 1:30 pm
Honestly, how much of the “freak out”–not only this incident, but the whole visceral anti-Obama phenomenon–is racism?
I know it is impolite to ask, and in fact, I get the feeling the question is not being asked. Let’s ask. Let’s call them on it.
Or am I being too “easy” on the freaking-out tea-partiers? Maybe they just really are threatened by someone who has lived some core aspects of the “conservative” narrative about America and yet does not believe that a bigger dose of tax cuts and more subsidies to big business are the keys to more people rising from the nation’s margins to its elite, as he did.
You know, the whole message of “stay in school” and “work hard” is just SO much less threatening when it comes from someone who had opportunity handed to him by his family.
But I am serious about the racism question.
September 6th, 2024 at 1:56 pm
I think that some significant portion of all of these various freak-outs are based in racism, although I suppose it is difficult to know exactly how much.
September 6th, 2024 at 4:14 pm
“I think that some significant portion of all of these various freak-outs are based in racism, although I suppose it is difficult to know exactly how much.”
It is difficult to know, but I don’t actually think racism is the primary driver. It’s ideological, combined with fear of an unchecked liberal agenda.
We really did need to come out of that last election with a Republican Congress…
September 6th, 2024 at 10:59 pm
After the President of the United States speaks to school children about the value of education, Republicans will make opposing comments extolling ignorance.
See:
http://notionscapital.wordpress.com/2009/09/04/obamas-dangerous-message-to-our-children/
September 7th, 2024 at 7:37 pm
[...] White House has released Obama’s Prepared School Remarks for the dreaded back-to-school speech. It contains such ideologically divisive statements as the following: But at the end of the day, we [...]