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GOP Unhappy with Obama Education Speech
Republicans react with outrage, dismay

Posted: 12:38am 9/8/09
Jack Florey

WASHINGTON(CNS) - In the wake of President Obama's speech to students on Tuesday, Republicans registered their dissatisfaction with his message, and with what was omitted from his controversial speech on education.

Widely promoted by Republicans as a "socialist indoctrination speech," the President's speech instead stuck to simple principles such as staying in school, working hard and choosing your own destiny.

"There is no excuse for not trying," he told students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia.

"This isn't just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you're learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future."

Even before the speech had been concluded, Republicans were criticizing his deviation from their expectations.

"This is an unmitigated disaster," said Micheal Steele, chairman of the Republican National Committee. "We had high hopes that we would be able to portray the President as a socialist who preys on children. But he refused to deviate from his message of hard work and responsibility, and that's bad for Republicans and bad for Americans who want change," he said in a prepared statement.

Other Republicans registered their disappointment via interviews and on-line blogs.

"My son was in class when Obama read his speech," said one Republican interviewed by CNN. "I had high hopes that he would come back psychically scarred, so I could show the world just how bad a president Obama is. But he fell asleep."

A Baptist minister in Tennessee expressed similar sentiments on the online blog Politico. "I prayed that children across the US would suffer from hearing Obama's indoctrination speech, so that we could publicly ease their suffering and vow revenge on the man who did this to them," the Rev. Jimmy Spears said in a post made a few minutes after the speech ended. "His refusal to go after our children is yet another reason he is not fit to be President of the United States."

Other Republicans were more sanguine, and expressed their hopes for the future. "I guess we can go back to hoping that healthcare reform is a disaster," said one poster. "Or hoping for another terrorist attack."

Schoolchildren who listened to the speech had more muted reactions. "My dad told me that Obama was going to try to make me a communist, and I thought that was kind of cool," said one seventh-grader who asked not to be identified. "But instead he sounded like my dad. It was a real letdown."

When asked what he thought of the president's message, the student replied "one word - boring."
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My 7-year old was not too impressed by Obama because the President "wants him to watch less TV."

I mean, if a President can't even please a seven-year old, how will he ever please the GOP and its followers?



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>So... did you copy and paste that from the Onion?

You could just do a quick search to see if I did that, no?

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>So... did you copy and paste that from the Onion?

You could just do a quick search to see if I did that, no?



Can't find where it is from - But I did find a Jack Florey . . .

Where is the article located?
I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama
BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun

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Regardless of political association this thread nor others of similar content would not even exist if we had a president that could be trusted.



Dude - regardless of party, they're POLITICIANS.
Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

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>if we had a president that could be trusted.

He is no more or less trustworthy than previous presidents.

What is funny is that there is a large contingent of people here who were willing to blindly trust the previous president when he lied about weapons of mass destruction, and were willing to support the killing of tens of thousands of people (and the deaths of thousands of american troops) based on that lie. Indeed, people who did not believe the lie - who did not trust the president - were called traitors.

Now we have a president who gives a speech about working hard and taking responsibility for yourself. And those very people who blindly trusted the previous president - and continued to do so after he was proven wrong - are now screaming "DON'T LET YOUR CHILDREN LISTEN TO HIM!"

Pot, meet kettle.

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What is funny is that there is a large contingent of people here who were willing to blindly trust the previous president when he lied about weapons of mass destruction, and were willing to support the killing of tens of thousands of people (and the deaths of thousands of american troops) based on that lie. Indeed, people who did not believe the lie - who did not trust the president - were called traitors.

Now we have a president who gives a speech about working hard and taking responsibility for yourself. And those very people who blindly trusted the previous president - and continued to do so after he was proven wrong - are now screaming "DON'T LET YOUR CHILDREN LISTEN TO HIM!"

Pot, meet kettle.



Or that's the story that likes to be spread because it allows you to discredit the beliefs of those that might not agree with yours. (and by "you" and "yours," I'm not just meaning you specifically... rather any that blindly support and will hold on to any reason not to listen to any negative discourse about "their" side)

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>Or that's the story that likes to be spread because it allows you to discredit the
>beliefs of those that might not agree with yours.

You don't need to take my word for it; a simple forum search will give you all the information you need to make your own decision.

Or you can just snipe. Up to you.

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[replyOr you can just snipe. Up to you.




ohhhh. Touched a nerve?

I even specifically mentioned that that comment was not just meant as a direct "snipe" at you, rather a comment on either side that just tries to post for the sake of discrediting and not to discuss or debate.

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>This thread was just added on to further distract from the real topic.

What is "the real topic" that you refuse to discuss here?



My opinion on "the real topic" is whether government officials should be giving speeches to children.

Not about how the United States is falling apart or how the democrats react or how the GOP reacts, because this isn't something that will tear the US apart, nor is this really a problem with one party or the other. I believe that it wasn't right in 1991 and it's not right now.

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>My opinion on "the real topic" is whether government officials should
>be giving speeches to children.

OK, cool. Since this thread wasn't about that, I was a bit confused.

To get to your topic - do you think children should recite government pledges? How about have a government flag displayed prominently in the classroom or on school grounds? Should they follow a government-approved curriculum? Do you see a difference between government officials who address students (like, say, the President compared to the local chief of police?)

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>My opinion on "the real topic" is whether government officials should
>be giving speeches to children.

OK, cool. Since this thread wasn't about that, I was a bit confused.

To get to your topic - do you think children should recite government pledges?



My opinion - no. Especially considering there are children of multiple countries/nationalities, such as exchange students or even "illegal" children (NOTE: I don't consider children to be "illegal" at all. They are not responsible for their parents decisions and I feel that regardless of nationality, they still should be able to get an education... but I do hope that their parents, in time, would become American citizens and contribute to the tax base.)

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How about have a government flag displayed prominently in the classroom or on school grounds?



This is ok. It is a "government" facility, like the post office or the court house. If the government wants a flag, that's fine.

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Should they follow a government-approved curriculum?



They do. But, the parents should be involved in that educations and I think that if the parent doesn't agree with a topic, that they should talk with lil susie or lil johnie and be allowed to pull them from "controversial" topics and that they should be allowed to home school as well.

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Do you see a difference between government officials who address students (like, say, the President compared to the local chief of police?)



I don't think that elected government officials should be making addresses to children. Is there a difference between the President v. the Chief of Police? Of course there is a difference. But neither should be in front of the children.

I honestly even have a hard time accepting Police Departments that send K-9 units to visit schools - whether to talk with classes or to have the dogs sniff out lockers. Even though I know it's a "good thing." I still don't think that is the proper use of that position.




-lots of thoughts and opinions for someone without a lil one.... [:/]

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>This is ok. It is a "government" facility, like the post office or the
>court house. If the government wants a flag, that's fine.

Agreed there. It is a governmentally funded facility, like a courthouse.

>They do. But, the parents should be involved in that educations and I
>think that if the parent doesn't agree with a topic, that they should talk
>with lil susie or lil johnie and be allowed to pull them from "controversial"
>topics and that they should be allowed to home school as well.

Agreed, as long as those objections are real and not used to avoid any education whatsoever (i.e. "I am offended by books" or something.) Home schooling/private schooling should be an option as well.

>I don't think that elected government officials should be
>making addresses to children.

I disagree there, no matter what their method of entry into government.

I think it would be great if John Glenn gave a talk on space exploration at a local school, or if Jimmy Carter talked to kids about the Middle East peace process. I think it's important to have kids talk to real people on occasion who live this stuff. Students nowadays read about the space race and the moon landings as boring, dry history in dusty textbooks, something they have no real connection to. Talking to someone who has lived through that - and who tells them they can do it too, if they want - can be invaluable. It makes it real to them (which, of course it was.)

IMO, of course.

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>This is ok. It is a "government" facility, like the post office or the
>court house. If the government wants a flag, that's fine.

Agreed there. It is a governmentally funded facility, like a courthouse.

>They do. But, the parents should be involved in that educations and I
>think that if the parent doesn't agree with a topic, that they should talk
>with lil susie or lil johnie and be allowed to pull them from "controversial"
>topics and that they should be allowed to home school as well.

Agreed, as long as those objections are real and not used to avoid any education whatsoever (i.e. "I am offended by books" or something.) Home schooling/private schooling should be an option as well.

>I don't think that elected government officials should be
>making addresses to children.

I disagree there, no matter what their method of entry into government.

I think it would be great if John Glenn gave a talk on space exploration at a local school, or if Jimmy Carter talked to kids about the Middle East peace process. I think it's important to have kids talk to real people on occasion who live this stuff. Students nowadays read about the space race and the moon landings as boring, dry history in dusty textbooks, something they have no real connection to. Talking to someone who has lived through that - and who tells them they can do it too, if they want - can be invaluable. It makes it real to them (which, of course it was.)

IMO, of course.




You forgot about GWB teaching kids how to speak:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwLres-ZDcg

Where were the Republicans then? Where was the unrest? Hide your kids, everyone.

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