The Hanover Collaboration

President Obama wants to give a speech to the nations school students next Tuesday at noon. The country is so polarized that, apearantly, this is a big controversy. Georgetown, (MA), for instance will not be showing it.

Suppose that the President were Republican and the angry parents were Democrats, how do you think this would play out?

1) It wouldn’t. Democrats would suck it up as “civic duty.”
2) It wouldn’t. Democrats don’t have a good enough network (mainly radio shows) to rally enough angry phone calls to schools.
3) They’d do the same, but then get hung out to dry for a “lack of respect.”
4) It would play out just the same.

I’m thinking (1), because I really, truly, hated Bush, but if he were going to give the kids a pep-talk on the first day of school, I’d think that was fine, good in fact. The president is important; they might listen.

Everybody who is hand-wringing about how “political” the speech might be is not thinking about it very hard. When Obama speaks, he is nothing if not cautious. If he said anything even remotely political, even remotely assailable, he would (deservedly?) suffer for it. Those kids are guaranteed some of the A-grade flowery bullshit. But maybe it will inspire a kid or two to work harder, stay in school or become better citizens. Whether or not it’s worth the time is another argument, but I think it probably is.

Regarding the other complaint regarding “indoctrination”, let’s be honest, it’s there and it’s pervasive, but it’s not coming from Obama.