Archive for September, 2009
Critics of President Obama decry his miscalculation on trusting the media to keep a traditionally off-the-record chat time actually off-the-record. While preparing to tape an interview, Obama made conversation with the reporter and, accurately, it can be said, called Kanye West a “jackass” for his rude behavior at the MTV Music Awards.
The question is: If Obama miscalculates on a comment like this, and cannot control his mouth, what happens when he comments on something serious, like his opinion of friendly foreign leader or some other notable? Remember his comments about the Yale professor and the police officer? That caused at best a major distraction for him, at worst, it showed that he does not always think well on his feet. A criticism he faced in the presidential campaign was that he was an excellent speaker with a prepared speech, but not as good at off-the-cuff remarks.
Addison Graves “Joe” Wilson (b. July 31, 1947)
Joe Wilson serves as a Republican Congressman representing South Carolina’s 2nd congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. Wilson’s district extends from the state capital of Columbia, and goes down to the Carolina coast to the resort towns of Beaufort and Hilton Head Island. Representative Wilson is a member of the Republican Party’s conservative wing, and is best known nationally for his outburst against President Obama on September 9, 2009, in which Wilson called Obama a liar in regard to the President’s health-care reforms.
Rep. Wilson is a conservative Republican, who, until his shouted “You Lie” comment to President Obama, was perhaps best known as one of only seven Republican State Senators to vote to continue flying the Confederate battle flag over the state capitol, stating that, “The Southern heritage, the Confederate heritage is very honorable.” The South Carolina Senate voted 36-7 to remove the Confederate flag. Joe Wilson’s affiliations include membership in the organization Sons of Confederate Veterans.
Since his outburst on national television during the President’s speech, Congressman Wilson’s campaign has registered over a million dollars in donations from conservatives around the nation.
Given all the heat regarding President Obama’s upcoming speech to the Nation’s students, it is a good time to reflect on how past presidents have communicated to American Youth. Take the first President Bush for example; he spoke to students at Alice Deal Junior High School in Washington City back in October of 1991. Did Democrats raise a fuss? And this right before the ‘92 election season. For the video and full transcript of President George H. W. Bush’s talk to students, kindly go to: http://www.historyguy.com/biofiles/president_bush_speech_to_school_kids_1991.htm
Sources:
Bush Public Papers-1991-October–From the Bush
Presidential Library and Museum
On eve of 1992 campaign, Bush 41 pitches education plan in televised classroom speech–DailykosTV
Barack Obama is not the first president to address school children –PolitiFact.com
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/3/776393/-Another-wingnut-meme-goes-down-the-drain
Van Jones Resigns Due To Controversy
President Obama’s Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Van Jones, resigned September 5, 2009 due to the cascade of criticism about his public comments and about his apparant belief that the Bush Administration orchestrated the 9/11 attacks in order to create conditions conducive to invading Afghanistan and Iraq.
Van Jones’ public comment in February, 2009 that Republicans were fecal exit orifices (he used the more common and much more cruder term than used here), as well as the fact that in 2004, Van Jones was one of “100 notable Americans” who signed a petition called the ”911 Truth Statement” from 911Truth.org. Republicans and other conservatives called for his resignation over these two incidents.
