Saturday, September 05, 2009

Should Presidents talk to school children?

Libertarians, Democrats, some Republicans and Socialist/Progressives/Communists were horrified that George W. Bush was reading to school children on 9/11. I wasn't. He is a big reader of history and biography (despite his enemies' claim he's an illiterate boob) and his wife is a former school librarian (whom the hypocritical, liberal librarians tried to boycott at the NOLA ALA). I didn't really have an opinion--still don't. But where are those critics today with Obama planning to be piped into classrooms nationwide with lesson plans, no less, by-passing school boards and superintendents. I think it's a bad idea from his handlers-- 1) he's way over exposed, 2) besides a swiveling head with eyes glued to the teleprompter that's very annoying, he's lost that lovely "blackcent" that white liberals loved during the campaign, and 3) few audiences are more fickle than children who often want to do just the opposite of what an authority figure says.

Releasing children from the class routine to watch the inauguration was quite appropriate. It was an historic moment. They did that for us for Eisenhower back in the 50s. However, if he wants to see what goes on in the classroom, he needs to actually visit public schools and meet the children face to face. Afterall, his girls go to private school and it's probably not the same.

That said, I think conservative groups need to focus on major problems, like the scandal of his czars, his economic plan that is killing us with trillions of debt and take-overs of business, his hostility toward everything this country has stood for in the past, and his "no victory" war plans for the future. Let's skip the kid stuff.

10 comments:

Marfis said...

By the time you wrote this, the lesson plans had been removed from the program.

Just more uninformed disinformation.

MCO said...

I agree. I have absolutely no idea why conservatives have decided to make this an issue.

My stepson brought home a note for us to sign if we did not want him to be in the class when the President spoke. We threw it away.

Norma said...

Marfis: There WERE lesson plans, when he realized (or his handlers did) how silly that was and how he was dropping in the polls, they were cut ... and my point was, which you always miss, where was the outcry from the left who jumped all over Bush for visiting school children.

And BTW, if it's news you're looking for, timely and accurate and fair, tune into FOX, not my blog. This is a WEB LOG--get it? If you only want your opinion, try the broadcast media.

Marfis said...

I don't miss your points; I simply feel compelled to correct the inaccuracies upon which you base your points.

I don't recall anybody jumping all over Bush (didn't you just tell some leftist loony to get over Bush?) for visiting school children. There was the 9/11-reading-to-school-children event . . . and many people wondered why he didn't immediately get up and go do something else.
I don't see the similarity between that and an address to children urging them to stay in school and set goals.
Don't you think, honestly, that a black president who was raised in a single-parent household might inspire some underachieving, underinspired kids to do better? Where's your beef with that?

As for FOX, no thank you. Way too much emotion and hysteria there. I like BBC.

AnnDee said...

Obama wants to talk to the children because they were actually born yesterday!

Norma said...

You mean as in "I wasn't born yesterday."

Or is this a reference to the presidents in office when these children were born who believed they had a right to life?

Anonymous said...

Murray sez:
The mere fact that any citizen expresses concerned about what the President might say to young school children says much about the "people's trust" in him. He's a salesman not and educator.
It was a relief not to hear him flap while he was on vacation. But he can't stand to be silent for long. He already plans a speech blitz with talks to the unions, the nation and school children this week! Hmmm, let's see, will he be selling anything?

Anonymous said...

Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama
Back to School Event

Arlington, Virginia
http://www.whitehouse.gov/MediaResources/PreparedSchoolRemarks/

Norma said...

I have no problem with his remarks (except that they are self-centered), boring, and too long, but most presidents talk that way. OMG--remember Clinton? He went on and on and on. But he was more charming and had more personality. I think conservatives wasted too much energy on this; there are so many much bigger problems.

Anonymous said...

When Bush I did this, the Congress (controlled by Democrats) threatened him with an investigation they were so outraged.