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I have acquired a copy of the president's speech to the nation's schoolchildren. Those of you who were worried about what he would say: You were right all along. It is nothing but politics.
“We've been working to take an economy that was in bad shape and get it moving and growing again; take our national defense and make it first-rate again after a long period of decline; and to restore reason, respect and reality to our foreign policy,” the president says. “And I think it's fair to say that we've made a good deal of progress.”
You were also right about him trying to indoctrinate the children of America into his cult of personality. Listen to this: “We want to make your future better, because tomorrow belongs to you. And since you're the leaders of tomorrow, I wanted to talk to all of you as a friend about the things you'll have to do to ensure a prosperous nation and a peaceful world.”
So in conclusion, it's clear that President Obama – wait a second. This isn't President Obama.
It was President Ronald Reagan, back in 1986.
President Reagan's speech was intended as a commencement address of sorts for graduating seniors across the country. It was broadcast in schools nationwide on TV and radio.
You might have noticed that in the 23 years since that speech, the planet has not cracked in two, there are no bands of storm troopers marching across the land and we have not as yet been struck by a plague of locusts.
I bring this up because apparently some people think these things will happen if the current president of the United States speaks to our children Tuesday.
I keep hoping that the clear-headed, fair-minded opposition to Obama's policies will separate itself from the wide-eyed fury at everything he does, says, thinks, wears and eats. But right now there's an awful lot of overlap. Here's Jim Greer, chairman of the Florida Republican Party: “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 might be a good time to mention that Obama has not released a copy of his speech.
Reagan's talk had a N.C. connection. The senior class at John A. Holmes High in Edenton was invited to the White House to hear it. Rob Boyce was the principal. He's now an assistant superintendent with the Edenton-Chowan school system, due to retire at the end of the month. He spent a lot of time last week thinking about his students' visit with Reagan back then, and the anger over Obama's speech now.
In '86, Reagan talked for 20 minutes then took questions from students for 20 more. Boyce says even the kids who disagreed with the president's policies were honored to hear him speak. He says no one in the community raised objections to the trip. (The Observer's archives don't show any complaints, either.)
I wonder how many of the people who are so angry about Obama talking to their children are the same people who rail about other kids having bad parents. It would seem to me that good parents would have the confidence to let their kids hear the speech, help them put it in context, and urge them to think for themselves – just like they should with everything else they hear in school.
“I think our kids are a lot more mature than we give them credit for,” Boyce says. “We don't need to shield them from ideas.”
Edenton, far as I know, is still part of the United States, despite an entire senior class having gone to hear a president speak. Boyce says that in his school district, as in most others, students can opt out of hearing Obama's speech Tuesday. But the schools will broadcast it for anyone who wants to listen.
“I guess our position is,” he says, “that it's not that big a deal.”
Tommy: ttomlinson@charlotteobserver.com; 704-358-5227; facebook.com/tommytomlinson; Twitter @tommytomlinson; blogging at http://ttomlinson.blogspot.com
