Obama School Speech Conspiracies Endorsed By Republicans

WASHINGTON — The White House on Friday dismissed as pointless the furor over President Barack Obama's plan to deliver a televised back-to-school speech to the nation's students.

"I think we've reached a little bit of the silly season when the president of the United States can't tell kids in school to study hard and stay in school," presidential spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters. "I think both political parties agree that the dropout rate is something that threatens our long-term economic success."

Obama's planned address to students has prompted a surprising push-back from some quarters over what the White House sees as an important but innocuous topic.

Some conservative critics say Obama is trying to promote a political agenda and overstepping his bounds, taking the federal government too far into public school business.

Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, a potential presidential contender in 2012, said Obama's speech is "uninvited" and that the president's move raises questions of content and motive.

Many school districts have decided not to show Obama's speech, to be delivered at 12 noon EDT Tuesday, partly in response to concerns from parents.

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, on Friday defended Obama's plan to address students.

"The bottom line is we need the president of the United States of America to use his bully pulpit to talk to kids about the importance of education and to help inspire kids," she said on "The John Gambling Show" on radio station WOR NewsTalk Radio 710 in New York.

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."

The White House spokesman said he couldn't speak to the motivations of some school districts.

"Look, there are some school districts that won't let you read 'Huckleberry Finn,' " Gibbs said.

He said the administration understands that some districts have logistical concerns with the timing of Obama's speech.

The White House plans to release the speech online Monday so parents can read it. Obama will deliver the speech at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Va.

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Associated Press writer Marcus Franklin in New York contributed to this report.

Comments

[GrandmaBEE]

05:47 PM on 09/08/2009

Lesson Plan : What can you do to help the President?

Conservatives answer: Block the lessen plan. Muzzle the children. I think they were scared what the kids might answer.

[indi1216]

02:44 PM on 09/08/2009

Just another day whereby the republicans looks S.T.U....PID again.

[PlanoBlue]

03:23 PM on 09/07/2009

They are nothing more than effing freeks. It's okay to indoctrinate their kids in creashu-nism to believe that the world is flat, but it is not acceptable for POTUS to give the kids a pep talk.

effing freeks.

[TabbyJ]

12:24 PM on 09/07/2009

http://www.politico.com/largevideobox.html?bcpid=15202024001&bclid=1201016315&bctid=37739624001

Damon Weaver's point of view on Obama's speech....Rightwing adults don't know more then a 5th grader.

[lilalove]

12:17 PM on 09/07/2009

The republican's are stoned tripping.


"If you don't eat yer meat, you can't have any pudding. How can you
have any pudding if you don't eat yer meat?"

[pantherburns]

10:50 AM on 09/07/2009

Gov. Tim Pawlenty's comment is "uninvited", and it raises questions about his politicizing the issue, his ignoring the state of education in this country, and his general level of intelligence. Does anyone believe that if George Bush, in his own inimitable style, were to address the nation's school children in this manner that the Republicans would have objected. I think we all know the answer to that. This is politics, pure and simple, with the children being used as cannon fodder. So much for family values!

[DSOTM]

09:16 AM on 09/07/2009

I for 1 do not want my children 2 b told da importance of a staying in skul, studeeing hard, don't du drugz and the need for a good edjemication by the pwesident of unitud states.

[dadw5boys]

08:46 AM on 09/07/2009

Republicans keep your kids home to watch FOX CARTOON ---- all those sexaully charged cartoons Fox deliverys into your home. Then go pray .

[airco]

05:30 AM on 09/07/2009

This is one of the many reasons the Republican party cannot find anybody intelligent to join the partyl . No reasonable person wants to be associated with these grey haired, so called "Christians". It is a shame that Republican kids cannot become a positive contributor to society by becoming a person who stays in school and goes to college and graduate. God help us.

[whyus]

03:07 AM on 09/07/2009

If you look back on history for the past 80 years, you'll see that Republicans have been our worst enemy (except for WWll of course). They've blocked health care reform in the 30's and 40's, shoved McCarthyism down our throats in the 50's, created the Watergate scenario in the 70's, Reagan and Bush in the 80's, and Bush again the last 8 years. We're heading back to the 18th century, folks. When I was a kid in the 50's I thought the world would have solved a lot of hunger and health problems, we'd be flying around in space cars, and there would be scientific marvels to behold.

[amber15]

02:12 AM on 09/07/2009

wait till tuesday..............this speech will be soooooooooo boring that the rethugs will have come up with another doozy to cover for their hysteria!

[SolarArray]

12:13 AM on 09/07/2009

The Republicans are disgusting.

[talkingdog]

09:47 PM on 09/06/2009

Oh,.....another one of the right's little tricks is to repeat over and over how Barack Obama's poll numbers are dropping like a rock!!

I thought Repub's didn't look at polling data?

[dadw5boys]

08:43 AM on 09/07/2009

Republican polls what do you expect ?

[Chris Cain]

11:39 AM on 09/07/2009

of course, when those repubs are reminded of THEIR poll numbers in those same polls, they claim liberal bias.

[Egghead]

08:46 PM on 09/06/2009

This is so, so disrespectful, coming from the "my country right or wrong, support the President" folks. Evidently you only need to support Republican Presidents.

I'd say something like "fine, if you want to mock the President and be unpatriotic the way you said we were for eight years, be our guests. Or you could eat your words and admit that you treated us like trash for disagreeing during that time. You want free speech? It cuts both ways." And I NEVER heard of anyone keeping a kid home when a Republican President talked.

[FGDinVA]

09:13 PM on 09/06/2009

Support the President? That's crazy talk.

Spending trillions for a war of choice = Pro-American

Affordable health care = Socia.lism

[Deschris]

05:05 PM on 09/06/2009

The kid comes home on Tuesday after the speech and says " ma and pa President Obama said I should study hard,share with my friends and not drop out of school". Dad says come er junior,I thought your school was supposed to block that s**t out,come on junior..grab my gun and your ma's holy bible,I'm a gonig down to this here school now and I'm a gona teach em a lesson,you hear me boy! I'm a gonna teach em ain't no teaching my junior them politics and internets stuff" ...you shoulda stayed at home and watched Limbaugh and Beck like I told ya to...they have got that Obamer fella down pat!!