September
2009
The Rejectionist Right and “The Speech”
Those of you who, like me, were saddened by the ludicrous conservative response to President Obama‘s anodyne “stay-in-school-and-study-hard” speech need to read this article from the St. Petersburg Times compiling some teenagers’ reactions to the speech: they’re quite heartening, and some are very funny. Those Elmbrook School District kids missed out.
Comparisons have been made to GOP Presidents who made speeches to schoolchildren, but what the wild reaction made me think of is my own reaction to the news that then-President Reagan had been shot. I was liberal even then, and it would have been hard to find an action or opinion of Reagan’s with which I agreed. But I was upset by the shooting and would have been horrified if he had died: he was, after all, the President of the United States.
But the immediate conspiracy theories — and the willingness of conservative parents to keep their kids out of school rather than risk their being exposed to ideas they (the parents) disagree with — are the final proof that conservatives will never accept Obama as a legitimate President. (That doesn’t mean they’re all “Birthers” — that’s just one concrete way of delegitimizing Obama.) I don’t think it’s just about race, though it would be hard to deny that’s a contributing factor. For whatever reason, they reject him: he’s not their President, and I dare say a fair number of them would celebrate if he were assassinated. I realize that’s a terrible thing to say, but scan the righty blogs and I think you’ll agree.
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Janice M. Eisen
Janice M. Eisen, Watchdogging Talk Radio, Watchdogging the Media, Watchdogging Wisconsin
As an alumnae of the Wauwatosa School System, now I guess “Elmbrook” I am ASHAMED that they did not allow his speech to be aired in the schools. I think your point about him being assassinated is valid, as I saw a wall post between my step-son and his friend stating that “it will be okay because Obama will be assassinated before he’s inaugurated and Biden will be president”…seriously…from a 16 yr old who’s father is afraid to put the converter box in his home because he thinks the gov will us it to spy on him. And, thanks to the link to the article as well…smart kids that make me feel better about the future.
I think you are on the mark with your comparison response to the Reagan shooting which I also remember. I was too young to have much of an opinion about politics, but seeing MY PRESIDENT attacked and possibly dead was most upsetting.
I have yet to make comment regarding this latest display of Obama hating. I’m honestly not sure what to say.
Do I write about how disgusted and disenchanted I feel about fellow human beings who could behave this way?
Do I defend Obama’s policies? (which didn’t have and were never intended to have anything to do with his first-day-of-school address)
Do I point out the more politically oriented (and unchallenged) speeches given to children by Reagans and Bushes?
Or do I spew back the hate and preach to the choir, never changing the opinion of even a single misguided soul?
I wish I could agree with you that race isn’t an issue – but as a white kid who grew up Republican, then graduated with a degree in African-American music, and years of experience working with and teaching members of the black community, I can tell you I’m pretty sure race has everything to do with the nature of this hatred and suspicion cast on Obama.
They hated Clinton too – they came after him and eventually brought him down – but we never saw *anything* like this…
Charley, you’re right on point, especially with the comparison to Clinton — except that so far as I know, no one even near the mainstream has called Obama or his wife a murderer. To clarify, I did not mean to say that race isn’t an issue — you’d have to be blind not to see that it is — but that it doesn’t account for all of the hatred and rejection.
Clarification noted. I’m inclined to argue that deep-seated racial fears are responsible for *most* of the resistance… and particularly the hateful and desperately vociferous nature of actions by those who oppose him…
“You LIE” ? To the PRESIDENT? In a nationally televised address?
My, My, My… Things have changed… Not the Change I was hoping for…