The President was elected and quite frankly he can speak to anyone he wants to

[Rosa Luxemburg]

I'm sick of these teabagger-diaper-clad-porn-loving Repuplicans!

Obama has every right as President to speak to our children.

After all our President was duly elected (unlike another imposter). Why should he have to endure all this nonsense from the right?

[Iris]

1. omg! He wants to speak to the CHILDREN! What is he thinking?

My God, this is almost worse than the Bushwhacked past 8 years!

[MadMaddie]

2. The racists feel entitled you see

They have been seething for 40 years......the old racist, the young racist they are all the same.

They allowed their own party to sell out this country for 30 years with deregulation, work visa's for foreign workers at the cost of american jobs, corporations sucking the life out of them and they want to vent their anger. They couldn't vent their anger against one of their own could they?

With the help of Faux (which I consider a terroristic and anti-american organization. The company should be broken up....but that's another rant....

Anyhoo, he shouldn't have to put up with it, it's disrespectful and it's racist.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

5. if he was white.....

[hfojvt]

3. actually no

You ought to be able to understand them. First of all, the US is not a dictatorship where the dictator decides he will speak to everybody or anybody. Somebody messed up from the start too, asking students to write a letter to themselves telling them what they can do to help 'the President'. Helping the country is one thing. Helping the President is something else. Consider that less than a year ago, WE wanted to 'help the President' take a one way trip to the Hague, or even Fort Leavenworth.

There are partisan messages and there are non-partisan messages. If the President says non-partisan things like - be a good citizen, learn things, help your fellow students, your school, your town, your state, your country, and your world, then probably nobody is gonna object. (although some might even object to the inclusion of the planet on that list).

The Presidency is a partisan office, and as such, it is understandable that people object to someone giving their kids a partisan message. Especially when they are supposed to be in school learning non-partisan facts.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

4. Rubbish!

where is the partisan message?

[hfojvt]

9. so you know exactly what the message is gonna be?

Would you trust Bush to not give a partisan message? I wouldn't.

[hughee99]

6. A year ago, if students were being asked to write a letter

to themselves about what they can do to help the president, DUers would have been up in arms, calling for the resignations of ALL involved and citing this as an example of *'s fascist state. All of the sudden, a new president comes along, and it's his "right" to do this. I've found myself asking more and more lately how much of what * did was absolutely, always wrong (and a good bit was), and how much was just wrong because HE was doing it and the same action or policy is okay if Obama does it.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

7. Actually no

the President is the President. I would have respected G Bush Sr, Clinton, Carter etc. but not GWB because he was a surrogate.

[hughee99]

11. So it's one of those situations where it was only wrong

if * was doing it. This is exactly what I'm talking about.

[hfojvt]

13. sure, and like our only complaint about JR

was that he stole the election or elections. So much for our supposedly high standards and principles. Some of us only care about power.

[targetpractice]

8. The president is the elected executive of the republic for now...

It's an executive and management office/role... not partisan.

Obama won the election, and he's the Chief Executive of the USA until at least 2012... He's the manager or boss man of all things federally funded.

If public schools get federal assistance in any way (I must admit I do not know if that true or not), then those schools fall within his oversight and management responsibility. I assume public schools do because of the fact we have a Department of Education within the Executive Branch. Therefore, Obama should be able to say whatever he wants... He should be able to speak about his agenda (since he was elected to execute his agenda) and anyone who benefits from the public school program should not be allowed to suppress his speech. His agenda is not partisan because he won the election. What was partisan before the election is now policy. If parents want to opt out, then let them do so... However, opting out should cause their child to receive an unexcused absence.

I wonder how these kids will feel when they grow up and dislike what the "president" of their future employer has to say... It will be a rude awakening when they are unable to opt out of such situations in real life.

Liberals have gotten a lot of grief about raising an entitled generation who think they are unique and special thanks to Mr. Rogers, but God help us when these home-schooled conservative brats enter the workforce.

[hfojvt]

12. sounds like you favor a unitary executive

Every President becomes a dictator for four years then, is that how it works? Somehow I missed that in civics class.

Yeah, a workplace is not a democracy, but the country is supposed to be. The President works for us, he is not the boss of us. Not unless we are in the military, where he is commander in chief, or otherwise work for the Federal Government. Even there, I would not expect him to micro-manage.

[targetpractice]

14. Tell me how it should work then?

The country is a democracy... You are right... the president works for us... In a democracy we set the direction for our president and express our opinions by voting national elections... not by individually opt'ing in or out of policy decisions on an al a carte basis... Maybe you think it should work that way... but if that's so... what's the point of an executive branch... Seems like you are advocating for anarchy.... You want to have your cake (participating in public schools) and eat it, too (ignore school policy without suffering the penalties of unexcused absences).

Right now... I hear a lot of bitching an moaning about Obama... Some crazy folks want him away from their children and out of their lives... They don't believe he's their president... They complain about "constitutional values" without a clue what the Constitution means.

[hfojvt]

15. public schools are run by local school boards with state guidelines

they are not part of the federal executive branch. That's how it should work. And most policy decisions are/should be made by Congress. The business of writing law by executive order is not really something I approve of. Seems rather undemocratic, and I would expect there to be limits on what can be done by executive order.

We also express our opinions by voting in congressional elections and for school boards too, and then by calling those people, visiting their offices, and writing them between elections.

[targetpractice]

21. Thanks for the clarification...

I appreciate your reply... My last post exhibited the frustration I'm feeling about this topic.

[lynne]

10. He can. But, because he's a president and not a dictator -

- we're not required to listen and cannot be forced to observe. While that may not be something we can appreciate with respect to this particular situation, it will surely come in handy at some point.

[Tx4obama]

16. This is not the first time

This is not the first time that a president has talked to school children.
Reagan talked to school kids and talked about Taxes, the Global Economy, etc.
And George H W Bush talked to school kids too.
George W Bush asked kids to get or earn a $1 to help the kids in Afghanistan.

So, were was the outrage when three white republican presidents talked to school children? There wasn't any.

The disrespect that is being shown to our President Obama is being learned by the kids of America and it makes me so mad I could scream!

[GivePeaceAchance]

17. This is just one of many claims they've made that isn't even worthy of our attention he just go...

ahead and lead I say. I know if there is one fundamental policy President Obama wants to move on it's education, because he believes the children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way. If they start making reality based arguments where we are wrong, I'm all for it but since Janurary, haven't really heard a one. In fact more intiatives for children is probably President Obama's wisest strategy right now, there is so much he can be a guiding force on, a better future contains the solution.

[phleshdef]

18. This kind of crap is another reality of why him being able to get anything done is gonna be hard.

No one can doubt that Obama would sign a great healthcare bill and great energy bill if Congress would just produce one and put it on his desk. But these crazies are doing everything they can to sabotage reasonable political discourse and they are starting to get away with it.

A day in America where the President of the United FREAKING States can't address school children is a crazy one indeed.

[The Backlash Cometh]

19. We all should be shocked at their reaction.

Racism is an ugly thing.

[Better Today]

20. Actually I don't agree. Since he is planning to discuss education and staying in school, ...

I would have no problem with him or any other President discussing that with the children of our nation. However, I would've had shitfits to no end had Bush decided to speak to our children about say the validity of going to war with Iraq. So I understand the concerns people who are misinformed about the topic having issues if they believe the President is planning on discussing health care reform or other such controversial topics.

At no point would I adopt the attitude that simply because someone is the President they should be allowed access to our children's classrooms for whatever they want to say.