# The text of President Obama's speech to schoolchildren **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 7, 2009, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-text-of-president-obamas-speech-to-schoolchildren/509212 "2009-09-07T22:50:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2009, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-text-of-president-obamas-speech-to-schoolchildren/509212/1 "2009-09-07T22:50:28Z")
It was [released in advance by the White House](http://www.whitehouse.gov/MediaResources/PreparedSchoolRemarks/), so people could see what kind of commie pinko fascist socialist HITLER! message he’s going to send to our nation’s children. > [@](#): > > I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working where students aren’t getting the opportunities they deserve. > But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed. > And that’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself. Well, huh. Besides the religious indoctrination at the end, I’m not seeing a whole lot of commie pinko fascist socialist HITLER! indoctrination in there. I’m sure it’s subliminal though. Cool for the kids whose parents who would prefer their kids to skip school than to listen to a “work hard, stay in school” speech. They get to stay home from school! Like that’s going to make them hate President Obama. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2009, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-text-of-president-obamas-speech-to-schoolchildren/509212/2 "2009-09-07T23:03:25Z")
I think it’s cool that he’s calling on kids to take responsibility for their own education. I hope they listen. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2009, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-text-of-president-obamas-speech-to-schoolchildren/509212/3 "2009-09-07T23:08:29Z")
Quite fine a back-to-school message. It’s no "_The Dream Lives On"_, but I don’t think anyone expects that. What I’d like to know is if indeed there was one specific staff fool who entertained the possibility of including a _discussion plan_ for after the speech with some dreck about “Has the President inspired you” and “How can we help the President”, and if there wasn’t anyone around who promptly said “that’s stupid” BEFORE anyone raised a ruckus. Or of it was a group effort. If indeed this was so, those involved need to be removed from the team last week. (_) Had THAT not been floated, this would have faced hardly any trouble. (_)Because that’s the kind of thing that is done by a cheap flattering toady who thinks the Big Cheese likes cheap toadying flattery, and as the Big Cheese I’d be insulted. ---
**Author:** ![C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecd19e/32.png) [@C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C.Montgomery_Burns)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2009, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-text-of-president-obamas-speech-to-schoolchildren/509212/4 "2009-09-07T23:11:27Z")
I always wondered why they release the text of speeches before they’re made. I remember it happening with Bush, too, so it’s not just an Obama thing. Why even give the speech in the first place? ---
**Author:** ![Discipline](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/82dd89/32.png) [@Discipline](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Discipline)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2009, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-text-of-president-obamas-speech-to-schoolchildren/509212/5 "2009-09-07T23:16:02Z")
> [@C.Montgomery\_Burns](#): > > I always wondered why they release the text of speeches before they’re made. I remember it happening with Bush, too, so it’s not just an Obama thing. Why even give the speech in the first place? With Bush it was so you could follow along despite his constant smirking and miserable delivery. With Obama it’s so you can read the socialist brainwashing for yourself before you submit your kids to it. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2009, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-text-of-president-obamas-speech-to-schoolchildren/509212/6 "2009-09-07T23:20:50Z")
**Equipoise** originally quoted the entire speech in the OP; since she already provided a link, I’ve shortened to quote to one key statement. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2009, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-text-of-president-obamas-speech-to-schoolchildren/509212/7 "2009-09-07T23:23:51Z")
Argh. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-text-of-president-obamas-speech-to-schoolchildren/509212/8 "2009-09-08T00:46:15Z")
Ah, but that’s just of the text of the speech that he’s _supposed_ to give (supposedly). As a Concerned Parent, there’s simply no way to tell he won’t throw something in there in the middle of his _actual_ remarks like: “And if your Mommy or Daddy have ever said anything bad about your President, then you must wait until late at night when they are sleeping; then you must go to the kitchen and get the biggest, sharpest knife you can find, and creep into your Mommy and Daddy’s bedroom–you must be very, very quiet, so as not to wake them–and then you must stab them as hard as you can until they stop moving around and making any noise. I know you’ve been told not to play with knives, but it’s OK to do this because I’m telling you to do this and I’m the _President of the United States_.” 'Cause he could totally just go and do that, and then, for your own survival, you’d have no choice but to gun down your own children like they were little zombies or something. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-text-of-president-obamas-speech-to-schoolchildren/509212/9 "2009-09-08T05:12:33Z")
> [@MEBuckner](#): > > 'Cause he could totally just go and do that, and then, for your own survival, you’d have no choice but to gun down your own children like they were little zombies or something. Laugh all you want, but I’ll bet you all the money in my pockets (the not inconsiderable sum of one thin dime, as I don’t keep money in my pockets, but you get the point, in any event, and wow has this parenthetical run long) that that argument WILL be made by some elected officials and parents as justification for boycotting the speech. “Sure, he told us what he plans to say, but how do we know he’ll REALLY say it and not something else that’s more commie pinko fascist socialist HITLER!” ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-text-of-president-obamas-speech-to-schoolchildren/509212/10 "2009-09-08T06:15:55Z")
> [@Kolga](#): > > Laugh all you want, but I’ll bet you all the money in my pockets (the not inconsiderable sum of one thin dime, as I don’t keep money in my pockets, but you get the point, in any event, and wow has this parenthetical run long) that that argument WILL be made by some elected officials and parents as justification for boycotting the speech. “Sure, he told us what he plans to say, but how do we know he’ll REALLY say it and not something else that’s more commie pinko fascist socialist HITLER!” [Florida GOP Chairbeing Jim Greer is already on it.](http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/08/us/politics/08speech.html?partner=rss&emc=rss) “‘In its current form, it’s fine,’ Mr. Greer said in an interview. ‘But it remains to be seen if it’s the speech he’s going to give.’” ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-text-of-president-obamas-speech-to-schoolchildren/509212/11 "2009-09-08T07:09:17Z")
> [@flodnak](#): > > [Florida GOP Chairbeing Jim Greer is already on it.](http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/08/us/politics/08speech.html?partner=rss&emc=rss) “‘In its current form, it’s fine,’ Mr. Greer said in an interview. ‘But it remains to be seen if it’s the speech he’s going to give.’” See? _See?_ Mark my words, before midnight tonight this nation will run red with the blood of innocent [del]tinfoil-hat-wearing winguts[/del] God-fearing patriotic Americans, foully slain by their own precious (but Presidentially brainwashed) children. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-text-of-president-obamas-speech-to-schoolchildren/509212/12 "2009-09-08T09:55:24Z")
> [@MEBuckner](#): > > See? _See?_ Mark my words, before midnight tonight this nation will run red with the blood of innocent [del]tinfoil-hat-wearing winguts[/del] God-fearing patriotic Americans, foully slain by their own precious (but Presidentially brainwashed) children. Who’s planning the ticker tape parade? ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-text-of-president-obamas-speech-to-schoolchildren/509212/13 "2009-09-08T15:16:23Z")
Hell, I’m going to read that to my kids when they get home tonight! Can we Canadians borrow President Obama when the US is done with him? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-text-of-president-obamas-speech-to-schoolchildren/509212/14 "2009-09-08T15:25:17Z")
> [@C.Montgomery\_Burns](#): > > I always wondered why they release the text of speeches before they’re made. I remember it happening with Bush, too, so it’s not just an Obama thing. Why even give the speech in the first place? They release them in advance so they can get more press coverage. I suppose in the past it was necessary in order to get some quotes in the newspaper, but these days it generates advance TV and Internet coverage and analysis for people who don’t watch the thing itself and helps get the message out there. As for why give the actual speech- he’s not an academic putting out position papers, he’s the president. People like to see and hear him making his points; it puts a human face on it if nothing else. ---
**Author:** ![Gus\_Gusterson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@Gus\_Gusterson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Gusterson)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-text-of-president-obamas-speech-to-schoolchildren/509212/15 "2009-09-08T16:33:39Z")
> [@Kolga](#): > > Laugh all you want, but I’ll bet you all the money in my pockets (the not inconsiderable sum of one thin dime, as I don’t keep money in my pockets, but you get the point, in any event, and wow has this parenthetical run long) that that argument WILL be made by some elected officials and parents as justification for boycotting the speech. “Sure, he told us what he plans to say, but how do we know he’ll REALLY say it and not something else that’s more commie pinko fascist socialist HITLER!” And even if he says it word for word, they will say that it’s not the original speech that he intended to give - he rewrote the speech after the righteous saved America’s youth from the horrors of the original version, which they will demand be released right away. It’s in the vault next to his real birth certificate. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-text-of-president-obamas-speech-to-schoolchildren/509212/16 "2009-09-08T16:47:30Z")
I just finished watching this appeal to all Americans to make sure their children succeed, and I can see how this was spun into something about socialism. :rolleyes: I’m 62 and felt myself wishing that someone had spoken to me like that when I was in grade school/middle school/highschool. So now I’m wondering just how stupid those principals and teachers are feeling about not allowing their students to hear this speech in the classroom. Do they give a damn, or are they just completely locked into their own miserable perspectives on life? Even Fox News and Bill Kristol are grudgingly calling the speech a good one, and without bias. In the next breath, of course, they’re decrying the amount of time the White House had to spend dealing with the non-controversy (that Fox and others created) instead of gearing up for the health care speech. Double :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-text-of-president-obamas-speech-to-schoolchildren/509212/17 "2009-09-08T16:52:07Z")
> [@MEBuckner](#): > > you must be very, very quiet, I totally want to watch the speech just to hear Obama doing his Elmer Fudd impersonation. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-text-of-president-obamas-speech-to-schoolchildren/509212/18 "2009-09-08T16:52:36Z")
That was a really great speech! Why are the conservatives getting so upset – is it because he mentioned Harry Potter? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-text-of-president-obamas-speech-to-schoolchildren/509212/19 "2009-09-08T16:57:49Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > So now I’m wondering just how stupid those principals and teachers are feeling about not allowing their students to hear this speech in the classroom. Why would they feel stupid? Obama is a “Socialist” and/or a Muslim liberal terrorist. Therefore, what he says is evil. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-text-of-president-obamas-speech-to-schoolchildren/509212/20 "2009-09-08T16:59:00Z")
I’ve merged **ChefGuy** ’s post (which was posted a few minutes ago in IMHO) into this thread. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-text-of-president-obamas-speech-to-schoolchildren/509212.md?page=2)