Friday, September 4, 2009
Tell your kids to drop out
In 1988, Ronald Reagan, a white Republican president, addressed the students of America in a televised speech. He spoke about how tax cuts increase revenue, gun control, and a few other partisan subjects. I, for one, do not remember anyone having an aneurysm over that speech. Now, 21 years later, Barack Obama, a black Democrat president, wants to give a speech on the importance of staying in school, getting good grades, and taking responsibility for one’s own education. People are apoplectic, claiming a fear that he will deliver a speech laden with partisan politics. Folks are promising to keep their kids out of school that day. Excuse me? Are these people stupid? The White House and the US Department of Education have both averred that this speech will be over nothing but the importance of getting a good education. There will be no political agenda attached, unless you can consider keeping kids in school an agenda. The president of the United States of America wants to tell your child how important it is for him or her to be a good student and you don’t want your child to participate? There is no way anyone is going to convince me that this isn’t, at best, partisan in the extreme, or, at worst, racist. I do not claim to know the motives of parents on this issue, but I do claim to know that they are idiots. Keeping your child out of school for this occasion not only sends them a message that it is perfectly all right to disrespect the office of the President, but also that it is all right to skip school because you do not agree with the content of the day’s activities. I wish this had been an option when I was in school; I can’t think of many days I would have attended. Reagan preached the necessity of cutting taxes for the richest amongst us, apparently believing that rich folks will voluntarily pass on those riches that we, the peons, pay extra for them to keep. This didn’t raise an eyebrow. Apparently the right has no problem with a president delivering a speech, even if it is partisan, to schoolchildren, as long as he is a Republican.
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Oh really? In October 1991, George Bush (H.W., not W) gave a speech. basically saying the same things that Obama said in his. Basically try hard and stay in school. However, unlike President Obama, the elder George Bush didn't have a friendly congress. So, what happened?
ReplyDeleteDemocratic critics went much further and investigated the event, and even ordered the General Accounting Office to probe the production of the speech and later summoned top Bush administration officials to Capitol Hill for a hearing.
Eventually, the GAO report found no wrongdoing on the part of the Bush administration.
But after Bush spoke, The Washington Post implied in a front-page story that the speech was staged for the president's political benefit, and Democratic allies continued to pounce on Bush for the cost of the event.
So...lets reread the last sentence of your post:
Apparently the right has no problem with a president delivering a speech, even if it is partisan, to schoolchildren, as long as he is a Republican.
Well, I would rewrite it to read:
Apparently the left has no problem with a president delivering a speech, even if it is partisan, to schoolchildren, as long as he is a Democrat.
nuff said.
I somehow missed where I criticized Bush 41, but hey, sometimes even I don't pay attention to myself. I did, however, miss where either Bush 41 or Obama leaned partisan in their respective speeches to schoolchildren. I noticed that you did not address the Reagan address where he extolled the virtues of tax cuts for the rich and the evils of gun control. Very positive "stay in school" message there.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I also distinctively do NOT remember hearing any kind of public outcry on the Bush 41 speech. Apparently there was no problem with it until afterwards. Somewhat different from the Obama speech, wouldn't you say?
ReplyDeleteNo, not "nuff said". As a matter of fact, you said almost nothing. I saw nothing partisan about President Obama's speech, so I would like for you to elucidate and let me know what you saw. Second of all, I never once mentioned EITHER Bush, so why have you gone to the right wing tactic of diversion? If you have a valid argument, I welcome it. If you are going to play smoke and mirrors games, you may go play with Rush Limbaugh.
ReplyDeleteHe seems to like to muddy the conversation too.