Calling Rick Perlstein
by digby
Ok, I consider myself a pretty decent observer and interpreter of the right wing. I grew up in a right wing family and have followed the right closely over they years. I usually get why certain issues and events grab their imagination.
But I confess that this one caught me by surprise:
"As the father of four children, I am absolutely appalled that taxpayer dollars are being used to spread President Obama's socialist ideology. The idea that school children across our nation will be forced to watch the President justify his plans for government-run health care, banks, and automobile companies, increasing taxes on those who create jobs, and racking up more debt than any other President, is not only infuriating, but goes against beliefs of the majority of Americans, while bypassing American parents through an invasive abuse of power.
"While I support educating our children to respect both the office of the American President and the value of community service, I do not support using our children as tools to spread liberal propaganda. The address scheduled for September 8, 2009, does not allow for healthy debate on the President's agenda, but rather obligates the youngest children in our public school system to agree with our President's initiatives or be ostracized by their teachers and classmates.
"Public schools can't teach children to speak out in support of the sanctity of human life or traditional marriage. President Obama and the Democrats wouldn't dream of allowing prayer in school. Christmas Parties are now Holiday Parties. But, the Democrats have no problem going against the majority of American people and usurping the rights of parents by sending Pied Piper Obama into the American classroom.
The Democrats have clearly lost the battle to maintain control of the message this summer, so now that school is back in session, President Obama has turned to American's children to spread his liberal lies, indoctrinating American's youngest children before they have a chance to decide for themselves."
This is all over talk radio and the dittoheads are getting all feverish. But I don't really get it. Is this just another crude attempt to delegitimize the president? A furtherance of their goal to destroy the public school system by having people remove their kids and homeschool them?
It's hard to believe really think that Americans in general find it inappropriate or unusual for a president to speak to kids. It's so common for them to do it during campaigns and presidential visits, it's almost like they are more school board president than U.S. president. Remember this?
What is it about Obama speaking to schoolchildren that has them all excited? They're so stimulated you'd think he was a child molester. (Maybe that's where they're going with this ...)
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