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Obama’s talk with the kids

Update: Click here for the prepared text of Obama's remarks.

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Typically the biggest threat a politician poses when he addresses a school full of children is mangling the slang of the time trying to convince youngsters he’s down with the stuff they’re dealing with and ready to get all up into the face of … you get the point.

Well, President Barack Obama’s plans to go all satellite and address classrooms across the nation on Tuesday (news release) has caused an outcry from parents and some school officials worried the president is out to play politics with their children. (Politico, Washington Post.)

Update: Students in the Guilford County schools system will watch the talk. Click here for that story. (Parents in Guilford County who don't want their children to watch can send a note to their teachers.)

North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Tom Fetzer chipped in his two cents Thursday, saying by way of a news release “This speech is clearly political in nature and has no place in the classroom” Fetzer said.

Concerns have surface in Greensboro, said Guilford County Republican Party Chairman Bill Wright.

“I’ve had several e-mails from folks who were concerned about it,” Wright said.

He said parents are worried the speech could “get political” and become a way for Obama to sell his health care policies or otherwise win-over students to his cause.

“I think it’s good any time the president can speak to kids directly. I’m trying to keep an open mind,” Wright said. As long as the speech really is a “pep talk” as the White House described it and focuses on urging kids to achieve, Wright said he’ll have no problems with the president’s address.

“At the same time, it can’t become political in any way,” Wright said. If the president does veer off into politics, he said, parents would have a legitimate grievance.

Although text of the speech isn’t out yet, parents can judge some of the material federal officials are sending out for teachers to use on the same day. Click here for the U.S. Department of Education website.

Materials for seventh through twelfth graders do contain several personality neutral questions such as:

"We heard President Obama mention the importance of personal responsibility. In your life, who exemplifies this kind of responsibility? How? Give examples."

Other questions might raise some eyebrows:

"Create a “concept web.” Teachers may ask students to think of the following:

*Why does President Obama want to speak with us today? How will he inspire us?
*How will he challenge us?
*What might he say?
*Do you remember any other historic moments when the president spoke to the nation?
*What was the impact?"

That sort of assumes that Obama's little talk will be inspiring and/or historic, doesn't it?

So are you cool with the president getting down with the kids, or do you have objections. The comments line is open.

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Tags: Republicans, barack obama, Bill Wright, schools, address

Posted by Mark Binker on Friday, September 4, 2009 at 2:12 pm

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Interested

September 4, 2009 - 3:33 pm EDT

Just when you think there is no lower depth for partisanship to sink to . . . I remember watching presidential addresses growing up. I don't believe my parents were the least bit swayed by my viewpoint or that of my siblings. But they enjoyed seeing us discuss current events and becoming interested in something meaningful, something other than dates, school sports, movies, music, etc. I'm sure the president is smart enough to figure out that children won't have much impact on passing legislation for some time; too bad some of our other political leaders aren't equally as bright.

Andrew Brod

September 5, 2009 - 2:14 pm EDT

Good point. Back in the late '90s, Republicans claimed that while they didn't respect Bill Clinton, they maintained a respect for the office of the presidency. Clearly, they've changed their mind on the latter point.

This is one of the most bizarre things I've ever heard of, even when compared to the "birther" claims. I simply cannot imagine objecting to my children listening to an address by a president from the other political party. Mind you, we might have a dinner-table conversation about it that night. That's what my parents did with me and my brother, and it's why we grew up able to talk to people on both sides of the political fence, and often agree with them. In contrast, the debate over this speech has been of an all-or-nothing nature: will children be allowed to stay home?; will they be allowed to watch the speech?; should the schools run the speech at all? I'd think the Republicans would want to promote critical and analytical thinking among their children instead of hiding them figuratively under rocks. Is Obama that much of a svengali that he can brainwash impressionable children just by speaking a few words? Ooooh, boogedy boogedy! I had no idea of his power.

tledford

September 4, 2009 - 3:52 pm EDT

George H. W. Bush gave a "pep talk" to students in 1991 and nobody got bent out of shape about it. Of course, he was (and still is) white.

I realize, of course, that the "concern" expressed by some has nothing to do with race. You have one white President speaking on topic ABC and that is okay, but a black President speaking on the same topic is not. But it doesn't have ANYTHING to do with race!

:-D These people are an ever-present source of hilarity. :-D

mominkville

September 4, 2009 - 5:57 pm EDT

Maybe, just maybe this is not about race at all. Maybe the problem is not the speech at all, since none of us has heard it. Maybe it is that our President is asking our children to think and write about how they can help him, and how he inspires them. If the materials sent to the schools told the teachers to discuss things like, what do you think the President and Congress can do to help all children finish school and reach their goals? Or maybe, if you were the President what could you do to help all the children in our country? Any parent that read the material sent to the schools would be a little concerned. My children should understand our President and the members of Congress are elected by the people to serve in our best interest. It should never be all about the President and what we can do to HELP him! My last point is. Just because some of us do not agree with our President does not mean we disagree with him just because of his race. He is the President of the United States of America not just black or white America. The decisions he will make will touch all of us. I love my country and want to make sure it stays the United States of America. The country the embraces us all, no matter what race.

tledford

September 4, 2009 - 7:27 pm EDT

It was reported today that he will be talking to the children about how they can help themselves through learning. Are all the television news reports wrong? What they're reporting is nothing resembling what you're describing as the planned content of the address.

Did you object (or would you have objected, depending upon your age) to President George H. W. Bush's address to schoolchildren in 1991?

Mark Binker

September 4, 2009 - 8:40 pm EDT

If you actually read the post, you would have seen that I didn't report what the content of the speech would be. In fact, I went out of my way to write: "Although text of the speech isn’t out yet, parents can judge some of the material federal officials are sending out for teachers to use on the same day. Click here for the U.S. Department of Education website."

From what I have seen, the president will be talking about why staying in school and working hard is important, etc...

tledford

September 4, 2009 - 8:52 pm EDT

I never claimed you reported that, Mark, my response was to the Kernersville "mom" who was extrapolating from scant evidence what an unpublished speech would actually contain.

Mark Binker

September 4, 2009 - 9:32 pm EDT

Ah, my apologies. I was confused. Carry on.

tledford

September 4, 2009 - 7:34 pm EDT

"The country embraces us all, no matter what race."

It took me a moment to even understand what you meant by this before I realized that you make a common mistake, thinking of America ("the country") as a thing in-and-of-itself, which is wrong. WE, Americans, are the country; the country doesn't embrace us, WE instantiate "the country," WE CONSTITUTE "the country." White, black and every other race and ethnicity, fair-minded and closed-minded, racist and non.

Fortunately the days of the racists are numbered as there are fewer and fewer of them among the young, in another 50 years they'll ALL be dead.

Gymnaseum

September 5, 2009 - 9:59 am EDT

tiedford, I hate to break it to you, but very young kids constantly make discriminations among their peers based on superficial differences. It is likely some of these will be just as onerous as the racial divide you predict will disappear. Asians and blacks have a rocky past in this country, for instance. As more Asian immigrants and their progeny gain political clout, I fear we will see a rise in this tension within certain blocs and parties.

Mark Binker

September 4, 2009 - 8:42 pm EDT

Actually, both Regan and the first president Bush gave direct-to-student speeches. And although I was still in Middle and High School at the time, I'm reliably informed people in the political arena did get "bent out shape." What's different here is that people in the general population have picked up the outcry.

Doug Johnson

September 4, 2009 - 8:41 pm EDT

It was to be a Obama's, I am great speech.
The original speech was on the internet yesterday.
I understand it has been changed.
Of course the principle that showed the video of how great Obama is, should be fired on the spot.
If he had done this about Bush ever liberal outlet, including this paper would be screaming for his head.
If Obama sticks with trying to motivate the kid I am all for it.
They will be brain washed soon enough by these far left professors.

Mark Binker

September 4, 2009 - 8:45 pm EDT

Doug: It is not correct that the text of the speech is or has been in the public domain at any point. That is due to happen next week.

scharrison

September 7, 2009 - 9:57 am EDT

"He said parents are worried the speech could “get political” and become a way for Obama to sell his health care policies or otherwise win-over students to his cause."

I wonder how many of those worried parents had their child toting a sign at the Tax Day Teaparty or followed AFP's recommendation to 'Bring the kids and help make “Hands off My Health Care” Signs.'? How many of them have Glenn Beck on the tv during dinner, or Conservative talk radio blaring in the car on the way to or from school?

For those of you "waiting to see" what the President says before deciding if you like it or not, don't bother. Whatever he says will be mined for nuggets that can be portrayed as evil. If he says, "Work hard and study", someone will pluck a few words from the Communist Manifesto; if he says, "We need you to be good citizens", it will be Chairman Mao; if he says, "Share what you learn in school with your family", it will be Goebbels telling kids to report their parents.

It would almost be funny if it wasn't so nauseating.

Eli Jones

September 8, 2009 - 9:06 am EDT

How unhappy are you with Dear Leader and his Marxist's czars? Many of us want to send Dear Leader back to the political sewers of the corrupt Chicago political mafia from whence he crawled out of.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/3/impeach-obama