Right wing’s schoolyard taunt: Obama’s a socialist and so's your mama

[The Straight Story]

Right wing’s schoolyard taunt: Obama’s a socialist and so's your mama

Just when you thought the culture wars were ancient history comes this news bulletin: Conservatives are up in arms over President Obama’s planned speech to schoolchildren Tuesday, the day millions of Americans return to work and school after the Labor Day holiday, touting the value of education.

After a summer of stoking controversy over nonexistent death panels in healthcare plans, critics on the right are now charging that the White House -- which plans to broadcast the speech live on the White House website and over C-SPAN -- is trying to indoctrinate their innocents on issues like healthcare reform and federal spending. Thanks to conservative talk radio and the right-wing blogosphere, Obama’s speech to children has been turned into a lighting rod for socialism.

“As far as I am concerned, this is not civics education -- it gives the appearance of creating a cult of personality,” said Oklahoma state Sen. Steve Russell. “This is something you’d expect to see in North Korea or Saddam Hussein’s Iraq.”

Even the chairman of a state Republican Party, Jim Greer in Florida, has joined the fray, warning that Obama is trying to "indoctrinate America's children to his socialist agenda."

With rumors spreading faster than a California wildfire, school districts in six states -- Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin -- have opted out and will not show the speech. Others are mulling it over.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/09/right-wings-schoolyard-taunt-obamas-a-socialist-and-sos-your-mama.html

[wryter2000]

1. You call that a taunt?

Back in my day, we had taunts. And we were grateful for them.

[The Straight Story]

2. We need a lounge thread of school yard taunts we remember

Or ones we would like to have used back then :)

[AspenRose]

3. Illinois?!

ILLINOIS?! :wtf:

Shame on you, Minnesota and Wisconsin. You should know better.

The rest - I'm not surprised.

[Javaman]

4. Pfft! that's the best they got?

I was called much worse by my teachers!