Much Ado About a Really Good Speech
Could someone please tell me what all the fuss was about?
President Obama delivered an eighteen minute speech to school children on the morning of September 8th, the day many of the nation's students began the new school year.
And some folks went crazy.
Conservative Republicans, along with ordinary parents, sounded all sorts of alarms, accusing the President of bringing his political platform to school age children, recruiting them as " 'foot soldiers' for his 'socialist agenda.' "
What? Who thinks of this stuff?
In order to quell the furor, the White House released the speech's text in advance, in order to allow concerned parents for review it for themselves before allowing their children to attend school--if the school was even planning to show the speech. Some, unbelievably, were not. (This is the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES for heaven's sake! Shouldn't our children know what he has to say?!)
I read the speech. Despite the hysteria engendered by fear-mongering, over-zealous conservatives (and no, I'm not damning the entire right wing, just those who manufacture their own realities and try to jam it down everyone else's throats), the President's speech was about...get this--taking responsibility for one's actions. Horrors!
What was Obama thinking? Telling children that in order to achieve in this world they'd have to study and work hard. Advising them that education was the key to accomplishment in life. Calling them to avoid making excuses and own up to the fact that their futures rest in their hands.
In other words, Obama said exactly what a good parent should say to his child on the first day of school.
Believe it or not, he didn't try and convert kindergarteners to his health care plan. He didn't run down his list of Democratic ideology and tell the kids they'd be tested on it later in the week. He didn't go all Karl Marx on the little darlings and try to turn them into socialists.
What he did was use the word "responsiblity", over and over again. He continued to reinforce a concept that's been a cornerstone of his political life thusfar--own up and do the right thing. Tell the truth; work hard; stop making excuses when things don't go your way.
Maybe it's time the far right does the same.
This is an original post to Philly Moms Blog. Mary Fran Bontempo also writes at www.maryfranbontempo.com and EspressoLatteMocha.
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