Obama Kids "Indoctrination" Claim Debunked By Politifact

Politifact went to the trouble of investigating a claim made by the Florida Republican Party that President Obama's upcoming address to schoolchildren will "indoctrinate" the kids with "socialist ideology." Their conclusion: a "pants on fire" lie.

We asked the Republican Party of Florida for evidence that Obama intended to discuss health care, banks, automobile companies or taxes with the nation's schoolchildren. They couldn't point us to anything.

A spokesman said the party was particularly concerned about the study questions the department had provided. "The goal of these materials is to tell students why they should support President Obama in his overall agenda," said Katie Gordon.

"If the former administration had done something like this, the media would be handling this a lot differently," she added.

We reviewed the study materials but didn't see any mention of controversial issues, let alone any attempt to indoctrinate students in socialism. The pre-K through 6th grade materials said the main ideas of the speech would be "citizenship, personal responsibility, civic duty." The materials for high schoolers mention "personal responsibility, goals, persistence."

As Politifact found, Obama's planned words are pretty innocuous, with a focus on doing well in school and behaving in class. That hasn't stopped some school districts from refusing to air the address.

Get HuffPost Politics On Facebook and Twitter!

Comments

[MikeLicht]

After the President of the United States speaks to school children about the value of education, Republicans will make opposing comments extolling ignorance.

See:

http://notionscapital.wordpress.com/2009/09/04/obamas-dangerous-message-to-our-children/

[DonVanderpool]

Torture is good, The POTUS telling children to stay in school, work hard and contribute to society is not only bad, it is EVIL.

These are the things that GOP believes?

No thanks!

NEXT

[naijaman]

This is why no one takes the GOP seriously anymore.

[Oonagh]

This proves that there are more nuts outside the nut house than inside and it appears the majority of them are Republicans.

[tantrictim]

the ulitimate hypocrisy in all of this is that the loudest complaints have come from florida gop chairman jim greer who criticized obama's speech even before reading a transcript, and what's even worse, he pushes his republican views at local florida schools according to this report in the orlando sentinel:

"There once was a political operative who loved to tell crowds he had a simple way of explaining to children the difference between Republicans and Democrats.

"Republicans get up and go to work," he would tell his son. "Democrats get up and go down to the mailbox to get their checks."

This man not only talked to his son about Republican values, he went into public-school classrooms and talked about them as well.

That man is Jim Greer — the same Jim Greer who, as chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, just threw a nationwide hissy fit, claiming that the classroom is no place for politics and Barack Obama's "indoctrination"

http://tiny.cc/p0IC8

[alfatu]

And there in lies the facts. One has to consider the source of information before givng it any credence. If the media had investigated this man like you did, they won't have had this foolishness blasting all over the world. For one thing, it makes Americans look stupid in the eyes of the world. We thought we lost respect from before, we're the laughing stock of the world because of what people see on TV from the town hall meetings and foolishness like this. It's sad but even more so embarassing.

[justsmile]

"Oh no, Obama, The President of The United States, is Hitler and trying to indoctrinate my children with his socialist ideologies! "

Apparently Obama can do more in a half hour speech than you can do in you can do in 18 years.

=/

[ProudMilVet]

There isn't even a Republican Party anymore ! The opposition party is being run by a TV Station ! What in God's name has happened to us ?

[ProudMilVet]

What will be next on the Conservative agenda? Encourage Children to turn in their Parents if they disagree?

[ProudMilVet]

So this is what is being taught to our schoolchildren about the meaning of being an American. You should show respect to the President of the United States ONLY if he or she is a member of one particular political party. If not, that President is to be mistrusted, hated, ignored, & deliberately disrespected. Have we completely Lost our dignity & our minds?

[ReddzVoice]

...It seems as though we have indeed lost our dignity and our minds. It's sad and unfortunate.

Peace and love...

[stopmakingsense]

In the minds of some white Americans, none of that stuff matter. It's the color of his skin period, If he could turn his skin white, then they could treat his like a Bill Clinton.

[WonderfulLife]

The right wing nuts are so worried about their children becoming indoctinated.
Well, with the behavior of most teens nowdays...­maybe that's not such a bad idea.
Obama managed to go to Harvard Law School despite being raised by a single parent with modest finances. After graduation, he decided to serve his community.
So indoctrinate the loitering teens in suburban malls by having volunteer to deliver food to the homeless and elderly. Instead of worrying about their IPODs/Blackberry's and watching the latest fool on CRIBS-they can get off the couch and pull the weeds and pick up the trash around City Hall, their library and plant some flowers outside their police station.
While I will agree that tons of wonderful teens out there-there is also millions of whiny, pampered brats that don't have a clue about the world beyond their clothes, music and Hollywood Idols. They are disrepectful to their elders, appear to pouting most of the time and carry a sense of self entitlement. They expect to be paid a starting wage of $15 to $20 an hour and be a manager in a month.
So if our president wants to speak to them about service to our nation, the need to study hard and set goals and think about more than their grooming and dating situations-then I say "Thank God."
Hope he tells them to pull up their stupid pants too.

[TC Mits]

When all you have is fear, the thing I need to fear is you.

[Altruth]

If telling kid to work hard and do their best is the NEW BAD, America is totally lost! Maybe I should say the GOP is totally lost!

[guywhocantype]

so some parents are going to be allowed to keep their kids out of school next Tuesday so they don't have to listen to the speech??!!!?!?

"I don't want my child to spoken to by a Democratic President, because I'm Republican". What next? If a parent believes that math is witchcraft, or science is evil, will they be allowed to have their child exempt from those classes? It's crazy.

Especially when you know that Reagan and Bush 41 have done the same thing! And Reagan's speech wasn't void of his political agenda, either!

Hypocrites.

[darnsannity]

Father of Slumdog Millionaire star dies
Mohammed Ismail, who had criticised the way film's actors were treated, dies after long illnes
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/sep/04/slumdog-star-father-dies,,

[BrotherOrchid]

correction: 7 more years. . . .