Today Is The Big Day: Obama's School Address / Re-election Campaign

It's an excellent day, I'd say for the Left to examine its intellectual consistency.

I realize it's uncomfortable for many of us, but Anna Belle clears up the spin this way:

Liberal pushback on this issue has revolved around the concept that several presidents have done this. This is the first lie that people accepted. While presidents do routinely visit individual schools, which I still have some minor qualms with, only one president has ever nationally broadcast a speech on Channel One, the closed circuit television channel on which all televised content is distributed to schools.

That president was George H. W. Bush in 1991. Though it’s been deleted from the collective liberal memory these days, know that liberals had a lot, rightfully, to say about that. They rightfully complained about the $27,000 price tag on what was essentially a campaign commercial at tax payers’ expense. Why was it considered a campaign commercial? Because people can do basic math. Nearly half of the high school kids that Bush spoke to would vote in the next election. About 3/4 of the high school kids who will see Obama’s speech will be voting in 2012. And how much will Obama’s speech cost? Will we ever know?

What Obama is attempting to do, just as Bush was attempting to do, was to get a bite at that pie before it comes of age. Regardless of content, the speeches such presidents give, and which are beamed into all of our nations public schools, are speeches advocating for political parties. The fact that the president is the head of his party is all you need to know to realize this little fact.

Thank you Anna Belle. We need historians like you, to help us know when the media isn't doing it's job, but is rather spouting political propaganda.

On the bright side.... the kids didn't buy it with GHWB. Did they?

SYD

Reactions to the Ms.Ogyny Are Varied

Around the Pumasphere I have found them to range from humorous, to angry, to scholarly. A few examples would be:
THE NEW AGENDA wonders if NOW will appoint John Edwards to replace Kim Gandy.

PUMA PAC is calling for a letter writing campaign to Ms. Magazine.

Now that the bar has been set so low, THE CONFLUENCE is seeing Feminists everywhere.

RIVERDAUGHTER would like us to remember what a REAL feminist looks like.

Yet again, at The Confluence, TAGGLES is reminded of an Andy Kaufman routine.

Some of the responses to my own musings on the subject have been enlightening as well. For instance, Lawmom (a Kentucky lawyer who works with victims of abuse) responded to my post at Team Sarah. She thought Ms. Magazine was spoofing itself. Seriously. She thought it was a joke. As if Ms. was saying "look what some nuts are calling Feminist."

Here on my blogspot, I was reminded by Kat In Your Hat, that Donna Brazile is on the editorial board at Ms. That does explain alot, now, doesn't it?

I'm sure there are places where the discussion leans more toward "Well, he is a feminist." But I don't frequent O-bot boards. So I'm not seeing those. My response, however, would be along the lines that HEIDI LI's is. "if a feminist looks like President-elect Obama then a feminist looks exactly like somebody who has done nothing, and I do mean nothing, to suggest that he will fight for increased social justice for women."

Or, maybe ... if I was a well spoken historian... I'd say something in the vein of what Anna Belle tells us at PEACOCKS AND LILLIES. "The idea of Barack Obama as Superfeminist is absurd and offensive, but it is also a trick. We’ve seen this kind of rehabilitation before. We saw it with Summers and Favreau, when articles that showed them a favorable light, especially articles by women began to emerge from various media outlets. This is also the same technique we’ve seen the Bush Administration use for eight long years now. Whenever a problem comes up, run it through your personal propaganda mill, the press, and change the narrative."

For me, yet again, it comes down to the sad realization that ... not only have women suffered tremendous abuses of power in the 2008 campaign season, but our own "mothers" have turned on us.

Ms. is corroborating with our abusers. And, that, my friends... is the worst kind of betrayal there is.

S.Y.D.

ADDENDUMS:

1) Some of the bloggers I am referencing are up for Weblog awards. Go HERE to vote for them!

2)Today's image from DancesWithPumas via PUMA PAC.

3) I suspect there will be more and more reaction to the Ms.Ogyny today. I'll try to add links as they come my way!