Presidents Talk to Students Sometimes. Where's the Controversy?

Image from nj.com

Through Facebook, and later on the radio, it became clear to me that there is more trouble afoot between the Obama Administration, and the rabid right. Apparently, President Obama is scheduled to speak on C-SPAN, and has urged schools to show the speech to their students. In response, the usual suspects (*cough* GLENN BECK!!! *cough*) have actually been saying that people should keep their kids out of school that day.

Stranger than that, there are talks about fireworks and "patriotic activities" at home. Hmm. Apparently that patriotism does not extend to watching the President give a speech. One of the little Facebook quizzes posed the question, "Should President Obama be allowed to do a nationwide address to school children without parental consent?" Allowed responses were Yes, No, I don't care. Not surprisingly, the responses I saw from my Facebook "friends" were all "No." And it was equally predictable that the commentary that followed got contentious.

For the life of me, I can't figure out why a President addressing school children should be in any way controversial. I'm sure other recent Presidents--maybe all of them--spoke to kids during their terms. But not Obama, oh no. I'm waiting for someone to slip and finally say what it is that they find so objectionable about the man. It isn't fascism, socialism, Marxism, communism, or any of those other words that the tea baggers don't understand. So what is it? Oh, I think you know.

Anyway, isn't it interesting that the nearly sainted after death Ronald Reagan spoke to kids, oh yes he did. And it wasn't about school or studying, it was political. Horrors!

[Excerpt]

Conservative media take note: Reagan preached tax cut gospel to America’s students

Putting aside possible ulterior motives, the conservative freak-out over President Obama’s planned speech to students urging them to stay in school and work hard is due to fears that Obama will use his platform as an opportunity to push his agenda on unsuspecting students. Ironically, that’s exactly what President Reagan did two decades ago. . .

Read more at: Media Matters