Was there this much controversy when Reagan & Bush Sr. gave school speeches?

[Dulcinea]

From Yahoo:

Gibbs said former Republican presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush delivered similar speeches to students. He said Obama's speech will not be partisan but rather a chance for children to get "a little encouragement as they start the school year."

So why are people freaking out over Obama's "stay in school" speech?

A black president encouraging kids to get a good education? Oh, the horror!

[FreakinDJ]

1. They were White - what do you think

Just like Rush LickBalls said - "Its ALL about Race"

The GOP has really sickened me as of late with the "Full Court Press" against Obama as of late. I am a white person my self and I just hope people don't forget what is going on here come election time

[spanone]

2. pssss...he's half black

[HughMoran]

3. They weren't "n_____s"

We have a LOT of bigots showing their true self. If I find out any parents I know did this, there will be hell to pay.

[slackmaster]

4. Congressman Dick Gephardt (D-MO) made quite a fuss about Bush I's speech in 1991

It's Googlable if you are interested.

He said Obama's speech will not be partisan but rather a chance for children to get "a little encouragement as they start the school year."

That's a nice sentiment, and I don't question President Obama's sincerity, but any speech made by an elected official is going to appear partisan to some people no matter what content it delivers. When a President uses the bully pulpit to deliver a message, ANY message, his opponents are duty bound to at least make the appearance of demanding equal time.

[tabasco]

5. Got a link? n/t

[slackmaster]

6. Here's one to an archived New York Times article

http://www.nytimes.com/1991/10/04/us/financing-for-a-bush-speech-is-attacked.html

Financing for a Bush Speech Is Attacked
Published: Friday, October 4, 1991
Sign in to Recommend

Democrats assailed the Bush Administration today for spending $26,750 in taxpayer money to hire a production company that oversaw President Bush's telecast from an eighth-grade classroom here to schoolchildren around the country on Tuesday.

The money came from the Education Department's salary and expense budget. As a result, Representative William D. Ford, the Michigan Democrat who heads the House Education and Labor Committee, demanded that Education Secretary Lamar Alexander appear before the committee to defend his "spending scarce education dollars to produce a media event."

Mr. Ford threatened to hold up action on the multibillion-dollar Higher Education Act until he received an explanation.

And the House majority leader, Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri, said, "The Department of Education should not be producing paid political advertising for the President."...

Funny, it's usually Republicans who are on the war path for what they see as inappropriate use of public money.

[PA Democrat]

8. It doesn't sound as though the Democrats objected to the message, only the expenditure.

I don't recall people screaming that Bush was trying to indoctrinate their children.

[slackmaster]

14. I have no doubt that some people were saying just that

But they didn't get much coverage.

Remember, 1991 was before the explosion of the World Wide Web. In '91 there were traditional newspapers, broadcast TV, CNN, and a couple of other cable outlets. Widespread Internet use has changed many things in politics.

[tabasco]

21. Got a link? n/t

"some people"

[slackmaster]

22. Here you go

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_World_Wide_Web

[JonQ]

18. Good that they would be concerned about the expense then

but not now.

Afterall in 1991 we were in the worst recession since the great depression and had a trillion dollar deficit.

Unlike today, when we are rolling in money.

And he didn't just mention the expense, but "paid political advertising".

[kentuck]

13. Yes, someone may have objected but...

there was no comparison to this firestorm. It is false for the media to report that the "Democrats did it too when Bush and Reagan gave speeches". There is no comparison.

[HopeHoops]

7. Of course not - they weren't black Democrat "moslins" born in Kenya

Besides, they weren't trying to indoctrinate the children with Nazi socialist ideas like paying attention in school and learning things. They were talking about good Christian values like low taxes for the rich and the need for strip searches to keep us safe from terrorists.

[tsuki]

9. I know what it is here. It is racism. More than one person has said

that that n****** has no business talking to the children.

[rucky]

12. whoever cited that song from South Pacific is right on the money:

You've got to be taught
To hate and fear,
You've got to be taught
From year to year,
It's got to be drummed
In your dear little ear
You've got to be carefully taught.

You've got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a diff'rent shade,
You've got to be carefully taught.

You've got to be taught before it's too late,
Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate,
You've got to be carefully taught!

[Dulcinea]

16. That's really sick. eom

[JonQ]

19. Got any evidence to back that up?

Besides your own stereotypes for instance.

Like, were these same people cheering when Clinton did similiar things?

I think it's a democrat thing, more than a black thing.

[tsuki]

20. Yep, my ears. Unfortunately, for me, I fit the stereotype, small

business owner. They started that shiat the day after he was elected, and they make no bones about it, among their "own."

And it is not the native population here. It is the "blue staters" who retire here that I come into contact with. Everything is racial. It is not 30 years of Reaganomics, shipping our jobs overseas, NAFTA, or any other thing.

I don't argue with them, because I know that once they finish with me, they will retreat behind their gates and bitch among themselves, but it is depressing.

[rucky]

10. The parents who are pulling their kids on Tuesday...

what kind of message is that sending to kids?

I think a move like that will come back and bite a parent on the ass really quickly. It's healthy to question authority, but to tune it out completely is just ignorant.

[OHdem10]

11. No, There is something much deeper going on here which our

Party chooses to ignore.

Yes, there are some racial undertones.BUT,it is more about
POWER. The GOP has spent the last 40 years demonizing the
word Liberal. There is a method to their madness. There
is a goal, believe it or not. Never forget PNAC. Just
because it is no longer discussed, does not mean all
their objectives were simply thrown away and they
disappeared into the night. The GOP does believe
they are"Right". Their system is the only system,
and if you believe they have given up that dream of
50 year GOP rule: I have a couple of bridges for sale.

Having said that:
They pretty much destroyed the word Liberal. We rolled
over defending nothing, and called ourselves Progressives.
This is a big joke to them. They just point out Progressives
were so afraid of being called Liberal they changed their
name. This casts the Party as weak and no core values.

The goal here is to demonize any Leader or any personality
who might have a chance. Never Permit the Democrats
to get a strong foothold.

Obama was a threat, not because he was black but because
he was popular. Being Popular was a threat to their party;
because, yes, he might influence a large number of Americans.
The Republicans cannot have that. The Democratic Party
has to be seen as weak and ineffective for GOP to regain
Power and live out their 50 year dream. While race is
thrown in as Red Meat, this is much deeper than Race.
Obama's Popularity had to be ended.

[rucky]

15. That's definitely what's coming from the top-down.

But to elaborate - the means of achieving that objective is through manipulation of their own followers. I don't think the parents pulling their kids from class are thinking about thousand-year one-party rule, they're simply reacting - without thought. The leaders have so effectively tapped into the hate, they can say anything - anything at all - and get the intended reaction. How do you stop that?

[krabigirl]

24. There's no way to stop it, I'm afraid. Unless something extreme happens, it's too late.

I think this place will start getting pretty ugly in the next few years.

[doc03]

17. Like a women said on our local news last night

Obama is trying to brainwash the kids with Socialism just like Hitler, of course she will take her kids out of school that day.

[treestar]

23. Well those two looked like real presidents

:sarcasm: