Joe Watkins reveals the reality behind the Obama speech uproar.

[Barack_America]

Just now on the dr. Nancy show on MSNBC. (transcription mine, with the help of my DVR)

Watkins: "Considering their parents are going to come home, their kids are going to come home and question them. They don't want to have to compete with the President for their hearts and minds."

(Democratic spokesperson Taylor West responds saying the Republicans have really overreached with this controversy over what was ultimately a valuable civics lesson)

Watkins: "...But this is a slippery slope, Taylor. I mean, is this the beginning of many conversations with our kids? These weren't just high school kids, although he addressed high school kids, he talked to kids from grade kindergarten through twelfth grade. That's a big range of kids. That's everybody..."

Chuck Todd: "Joe, Joe, it sounds like you're worried the President is going to be too popular with kids. I mean...is that the concern? That if he were less charismatic you'd be okay with him speaking to children?"

Watkins: "No, not at all. That point is that so popular a man, who is so persuasive a man. And he is popular and persuasive. Parents don't want to have to compete with that...If you agree with the President, it's not a problem. But if you disagree with the President, it's a challenge."...

And he goes on reiterating his concern that Republican parents simply cannot compete with Obama.

This is going to be a pretty interesting clip once it becomes available.

Pretty shocking honesty there, no? Sure, at the bottom levels this controversy was about racism and irrational fears of socialism, yada yada yada. But for those pulling the puppet strings, this was always about a party on the verge of extinction. This is about a battle for the hearts and minds (read: votes and money) of the next generation.

This whole bullshit controversy? Not so much socialism after all, it's more likely about this:


From pewresearch.org
http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1031/young-voters-in-the-2008-election

So, remind me again, who made this political?
:eyes:

EDITED:
Video now available:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31388323/#32736020

[DainBramaged]

1. he did bring up the defense of marriage act and parents should not be forced to answer

question that a marriage isn't just between a man and a woman (home sick, day four, I saw the whole thing too).

[Barack_America]

12. Yeah, that didn't quite make sense.

Given that Obama himself believes the whole "marriage is between a man and a woman" BS.

Sorry you're sick, feel better. I'm just getting over a hellish cold myself.

[DainBramaged]

13. Started getting sick Friday, spent most of Saturday and Sunday in bed

spent yesterday fighting here, went out for 2 hours food shopping went back to bed, still felt like shit today so I thought it was best to wait one more day before I go infect everyone else at work.

[eShirl]

2. parents and children might have conversations

run for the hills!

[Barack_America]

4. Well, that alone is a serious issue for many of them.

The fact that their children would dare question them. After all, if most Republicans honestly questioned themselves about why they were Republican, in the "seriously, what's in this party for ME?" sense, there wouldn't be many Republicans.

It's a party built on encouraging its followers to NOT question.

[muntrv]

3. Republican parents can't compete with Obama? That's because

they're morans.

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. Well I had a "conversation" with an ass who kept his kid-o at home

and it did come down to a black man in a position of authority...

We cannot have that now can we?

:sarcasm:

[Barack_America]

8. Was that man a GOP insider?

The GOP has sold all of their "protests" to their minions as "the scary black socialist in the WH is going to do X".

But, just as health care was really about saving their private insurance overlords, the Obama speech controversy is really about at least maintaining their market share with young voters.

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. No, he is the base, the true base

[Cha]

6. My own realilty when I was watching the Education

Speech was..the scaredwing don't want these kids remembering this speech when they're old enough to vote.

A whole generation of Democratic voters!!

[zonkers]

7. They are going to have to justify their irrational fears and they can't.

[polichick]

9. Very telling - thanks for the post. k&r

[bumblebee1]

10. The parents would have to compete with the President?

Hey, right-wingers, parents have always had to compete with outside forces for their children: rock stars, rappers, athletes, just to name a few. Somehow, the parents have managed to raise good-great children.

[Barack_America]

14. Video now available.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31388323/#32736020

Edited OP to reflect this (and also to change "Watson" to "Watkin" :blush:)

[Jennicut]

15. Rethugs are scared to lose the younger generation as their base is getting older and older

Its kind of too late now though.

[me b zola]

16. I found that conversation to be very revealing

It made me wonder, among other things, how old Joe's children are and how they feel about their father earning a living by bashing President Obama in such a stupid and public way. I mean, if those kids are old enough then the kids friends must know too.

[Barack_America]

18. Yeah, it was something I had been thinking about for a couple of days...

But to hear a Republican strategist come right out and admit it was surprising.

[Barack_America]

17. delete.

wrong spot.

somethin's up with my wireless today.

[xultar]

19. Watkins smokes crack, laced with heroin, cocaine, and shit. Seriously, parents

don't want to compete with that...

Parents don't even raise their own kids. They let the teachers do that shit.

They don't want no uppity negro president talkin to their kids.

Because then it'll be a slippery slope and they'll get used to seeing intelligent black men in power and wonder what the big fucking deal is. Then they'll be friends with black folk, date black folk, eat with black folk, next thing you know they'll be swimmin with black folk.

I mean, don't you care about the little pink children?

[seabeyond]

20. firstly i advocate parenting kids and NOT teachers. lol, .... the rest

right there with you

last couple days i have seen it as they were afraid they were going to make their kids black. so along the same line of yours...

[xultar]

21. Shit if they were concerned about that, they should beware of Michael Steele

that fucking buffoon and his dumb ass is the one putting on the minstrel show.

[seabeyond]

24. he is so sad.

so very sad. the stupid of stupid, huge ass step back for fight against racism as palin was fight against sexism....

black and women, they couldnt do a better job picking someone the complete opposite of what it is about

[Barack_America]

22. I was referring more to why the GOP was pushing the uproar.

Though I totally agree that the concern among the minions is the President's race.

The GOP, on the other hand, is primarily concerned with votes and influence, as Watkins so bluntly laid out there.

[seabeyond]

26. ya... i agree totally with your post. just responding to poster above

just touched on something i have been thinking about for a couple days.

but i KNOW repugs afraid, kids hear reason adn what is there to argue. i understand why the repugs upset, and tough shit.

[xultar]

27. See I don't think the GOP is really pusing it. They let the idiots out of the attic

on the Health Care issue...issue and now they are trying to round them up but they've gotten out of control.
I mean they've added to the ranks of the birthers and then the deathers spawned from the HCR issue and now this.

Some GOPers are smart and see how the maniacs have gotten out of control but if they don't back their nonsense they know that they won't get their votes in Nov. Like remember that GOP guy who tried to shut the birther down in his town hall and he got booed, oh and remember the GOP guy who told his audience to stop listening to Glenn Beck and he got booed by his own people.

They let that mess out and now they are paying the price.

BUHWAWAWAWAWA!

[seabeyond]

29. did that thru the elections too. let them go and stand back and say whaaaa?

:shrug: we didnt say anything

[Barack_America]

30. Schools boycott Obama speech as critics abruptly change tone

Schools boycott Obama speech as critics abruptly change tone

President's speech initially faced accusations of attempting to indoctrinate children with socialist ideology

Schools across the US went ahead with a boycott of a broadcast by President Barack Obama today in spite of many rightwing critics rowing back at the last minute from a campaign accusing him of socialist indoctrination.

Some school heads reported that they had not allowed the broadcast to be shown because of protests from parents. Many others allowed the broadcast to be screened as planned.

Obama's speech, delivered from a school in Virginia, was free of any political message and was aimed mainly at encouraging children to stay on at school.

<snip>

Having seen the advance copy, some of the most vocal critics such as Jim Greer, the Republican party chairman in Florida, who had accused Obama of trying to spread "socialist ideology", backed off. Greer said: "It's a good speech. It encourages kids to stay in school and the importance of education."...

More:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/sep/08/obama-school-speech-boycott-protest


This is how they operate. They get some "official" (this time the FL GOP chairman) and the RW pundits to whip their minions into a tizzy, only to try to pull back from the muck in the end. But it's all too transparent and so obviously orchestrated.

[xultar]

31. But now it makes them look like asses when they back off because they look

transparent and the base gets angry cuz they aren't being backed.

The fuckers are in a pickle.

[Barack_America]

32. Basically yeah.

They have no solutions to our nation's problems that are acceptable to both the American people and their corporate overlords so the party is destined to die a slow and painful death.

The only thing they've got is feigned outrages that drum up the Southern Strategy and so-called "values voters". They are desperately trying to stay relevant to their base without supporting any legislation that would actually benefit them.

Mock outrage. That's all they've got and it's getting pretty obvious.

[Barack_America]

25. Well, when the white youth unite with blacks, bad things happen....

In the GOP's view anyway.

The civil rights movement springs to mind.

So to have a charismatic black man President kids to become Democrats simply by saying "stay in school and work hard", well that must just about signal the end times to the GOP.

Their tactics do seem rather last-ditch and Armageddon-ish, come to think of it.

[FSogol]

23. Hey, GOP kids: Our President is smarter than your President.

Apparently, he's also smarter than your parents.

[Rex]

28. Repukes swiftboated a speech to be given by Obama to students

in school. That is beyond pathetic and wrong. Pity the poor repukes and their moran ways.

[Barack_America]

33. Sad, isn't it.

I don't know if I can muster pity for them though.

[Rex]

35. I used to be full of anger and rage, but with George and Dick gone

all I can find is pity for them. I spent my energy on anger and it got me nowhere. :(

[Barack_America]

34. Kicking this discussion...

Because a Rawstory link about it was just posted.