**** (was) LIVE!!!: POTUS and Duncan Q&A with VA High School Students. ****

[Clio the Leo]

The endoctrination has already started!!!! Hurry!!! ;)

http://www.whitehouse.gov/live/video568/

(he's doing a little town hall style Q&A)

[jenmito]

1. K&R. Thanks!

:hi:

[Jennicut]

2. Thank you! He is talking about how he can spend more time with his kids now.

[jaxx]

3. Interesting questions so far.

Thanks for the heads up.

[jenmito]

5. VERY good question about if his father had been there for him, would he still be president

today. I bet he was never asked that before.

[Jennicut]

7. He said he had to grow up fast...my heart breaks for kids who have to go through that.

[jenmito]

13. Yeah. The kid asking the question said HE'S growing up without HIS father being around, too...

I really wonder if he WOULD'VE been the person he is now-including president-if his mother wasn't on her own.

[Jennicut]

14. My husband's Mother married 4 times. It shaped him so much, he is very independent.

I am more dependent on my parents who have been together for almost 40 years.
My husband's biological Dad was never around either. It really is a big influence on a kid.

[jenmito]

21. Wow. Well, your husband must've turned out ok

if you married him. I bet he learned so many valuable things from his up-bringing.

My parents have been together 50 years now and they brought me up to be the liberal I am now. But it's good that people growing up in an unstable situation can grow up to be great people, too.

[Jennicut]

22. He really had it rough but he is determined to be a good Dad.

He is determined to always be there for our two daughters...kind of like President Obama with his girls.

[jenmito]

27. Good...

I'm glad he learned lessons in how to be a good father.

[beachmom]

4. Not on TV. When is this thing supposed to broadcast?

[Clio the Leo]

9. I'm recording it......

.... for those who cant hear it ..... this is NOT the speech, it's a pre-speech Q&A,

[Clio the Leo]

6. Student:: "How would your life be different if your father had been around?"

(They're asking great questions. The student says he can relate because his father was not around either.)


He says that, over all, he feels it made him stronger because he had to grow up sooner ..... and thanks his mother for never speaking ill of his father.

[orpupilofnature57]

8. Wow!! what a cool conversation going on.

Ghandi now thats a person to talk about.

[Eric68601]

10. Ohh Noo!!!

He just said Gandhi is a hero of his. He's trying to turn them Hindu !!
.
.

[Clio the Leo]

11. "Who would you have dinner with ....."

You know that old question ..... he says Gandhi ..... but he conceeds it would be a very small meal probably. lol

has always admired people who can bring about change "through the force of their personality" ;)

[Bodhi BloodWave]

12. great question if you ask me

paraphrased: If you could have dinner with anybody dead or alive, who would it be

Must admit i liked his answer as well hehe

[quantass]

15. Sad day of affairs when Kids are Asking Very Good Questions compared to the MSM...nt

[Jennicut]

17. They are asking great questions...kids are way smarter then the media or

the conservatives give them credit for.

[orpupilofnature57]

25. Exactly ,no agenda.

[Clio the Leo]

16. "What were your goals before you graduated?"

"I was a goof off, I wanted to get on the varsity basketball team and have fun."

Wanted to be judge or an architect .... but rebelled a lot, had issues ........ but realized he would never play pro ball ...... he realized he was good at writing (smile) and analyzing how the world worked .... good at math but not great because he didn't study well enough in school and could never catch up.

Decided he wanted to help people .... never wanted to be rich ..... wanted to do something meaningful, became intersted in urban policy, community service work.

Encourages them to do the same becaucse it can help them learn about the world.

[Clio the Leo]

18. "Why did you come to our school and not another...."

He likes that it's a diverse school, it's America's strength, it's what America looks like (irony!) .... thought it would be a good representative sample of students and their questions are proving him rihgt.

[pinto]

19. Good stuff.

:thumbsup:

:thumbsup:

[Clio the Leo]

20. "How do you motivate yourself to do your job."

"I dont want to fail."

A lot of people are counting on him, he thinks about the struggles Americans are going through and it's an honor to have his job, he cannot afford to get tired, has to do his best for them. Talks about his nightly letters.

"Some of the letters are depressing, you hear about people who dont have health care, about to lose their house, cant afford their medicine." ;)

"I cant prevent someone from getting sick, but maybe I can make sure they have good insurance." (double wink, nudge, nudge)

[Clio the Leo]

23. "When I grow up, I want your job, can you give advice?"

Be careful what you post on Facebook ........ (Mr. Jones?) .... because in this age, you can post it when you're young and they'll bring it out later.

Do well in school .... people need to have confidence you can do the job, so you have to excell in education.

Find something you're passionate about, not because you want to feel important or be famous. The best elected officials have found something they're good at and THEN they went into politics to better use those skills. When you talk to Bill Gates, he's just really into computers ..... he wanted to help people ... and then the money followed."

[uponit7771]

24. The last question was on the mark!! Iraq and Afghanistan have universal health care that WE PAY FOR!

[Clio the Leo]

26. "Why cant the US have universal health coverage?"

(you cant make this up, that's what he said!)

"I've been asking Congress the same thing!"

Explains how in the 40s and 50s, other countries set up universal health care and the US did it through an employer based system. "And you can see the problems with that."

Thinks that, over time, the country can save money "if we can set that up."

[intheflow]

30. Freeps & teabaggers will say these kids are plants

to get the liberal agenda out. x(

[NYC_SKP]

28. Meanwhile, over on CSPAN, it's... wait for it... Chuck M'FUCKKIN' Grassley!

talking down any health care reform.

:banghead:

:banghead:

:banghead:

[jenmito]

29. I saw that while looking to see if they were carrying this event. Disgusting. n/t

[Cha]

34. The kids of the Future vs

chuckfuckn' grassley.

Way to go cspan.

[BR_Parkway]

40. If Grassley was on the floor of the Senate, I don't think CSPAN can legally

switch away.

[lyonn]

31. Thanks, love this positive stuff, she is good so far. nt

[Cha]

32. Thank you, Clio~

This is historically Unique!

[Clio the Leo]

33. Principle (?) .... "Enjoy this moment....."

"Because you will be talking about it not just today, and not just tomorrow, but for the rest of your lives. You will be telling your grandchildren, 'I was there, when he came to Wakefield!'"

And she assures the children that Elvis ..... I mean the President has NOT left the building!

(at which there's a huge round of applause)

I said it earlier, those parents who are worried that Obama is trying to capture the minds of the nation's youth ........ they're too late. He's already captured their hearts. ;)

[Cha]

35. The President is in the

House!

She summed up what I've been thinking about how lucky those school kids are!

[jefferson_dem]

36. CSPAN has picked up the feed.

Here - http://www.cspan.org/Watch/Media/2009/09/08/HP/R/22833/Pres+Obama+Discusses+The+Value+Of+Education+To+Students.aspx

[jenmito]

37. That's for the speech coming up, not the event that just took place. n/t

[yeswecanandwedid]

38. here we go!!!!!!! nt

[joeycola]

39. I am not happy that Duncan was with him..........

Forum Name General Discussion: Presidential
Topic subject Obama's Ed. Sec Arne Duncan wants your tax $$ to go to his already-wealthy pals
Topic URL http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x8631546#8631546
8631546, Obama's Ed. Sec Arne Duncan wants your tax $$ to go to his already-wealthy pals
Posted by brentspeak on Sun Sep-06-09 10:11 PM

The whole charter school movement can be summed up thusly: Somebody in a wealthy private investment group, while sitting in a smoke-filled room, had an epiphany: "Hey, I know where we can get a whole pile of cash: taxpayer money used for public education! If we can just get our foot in the public education system -- there's billions of dollars to be had. The opportunity is limitless! The money supply is bottomless! All we have to do is begin a PR campaign demonizing the public education system, blaming teachers, etc., wearing down public opinion. Get some of our people in high places in Washington. Then, gentlemen...we is even more filthy rich." Heads get nodded, and so it began.

http://schoolsmatter.blogspot.com/2009/03/arnes-army-of-moneyed-parasites-is-on.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leonie-haimson/arne-duncan-has-become-a_b_260642.html

[pinto]

41. Feed is down now, but may be available in replay at C-SPAN. Worth a listen.

Good, real world questions from the kids. Good, real world responses from Obama. Pre-speech Q&A's. It was surprisingly simple and touching, for me, given all the hoopla we heard in the run up to this event.