Internal WH memo: Only 14 entrants in Obama "race to the top" commencement speech contest

[Bluebear]

Do you know what it’s like not to have a date to the prom? The president does, sort of.

This year, the White House held a competition similar to one they staged last year in which high schools from around the country could compete to have the president deliver their commencement address. The only problem is that few schools this time seemed interested.

According to an internal memo obtained by CBS News, as of February 25, the deadline for submission, the White House had received just 14 applications! To put that number in perspective, last year 1,000 schools entered the competition—and even that number represented a small fraction of the 27,000 high schools nationwide.

The White House Communications Office, which produced the memo, advised staffers that "something isn't working" and instructed them to ask "friendly congressional, gubernatorial and mayoral offices" to encourage schools to apply. The memo also urged recipients to "please keep the application number close hold." This point is reiterated later in the memo:

We do not want the actual application number out there (we didn't release the number of applications we received last year until after the submission period) so folks should not use it in their pitches.


Continue reading on Examiner.com: Internal WH memo: Few entrants in Obama commencement speech contest - National Libertarian | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/libertarian-in-national/internal-wh-memo-few-entrants-obama-commencement-speech-contest#ixzz1G2AXw756

[WatsonT]

1. Ouch.

[ljm2002]

3. Jinx! n/t

[ljm2002]

2. Ouch!

That's gotta sting.

[Occulus]

4. Well, GEE. I wonder WHY.

Maybe it has just a little to do with the open and unabashed hostility toward educators this administration has shown?

I wonder.

[Reader Rabbit]

5. That's some nice in-your-face for them.

Should make picking a winner a bit easier, though.

[Lucky 13]

6. Clearly it's not just the far left that are dismayed.

But I'd love to hear anyone try to spin this thing...

[BobbyBoring]

12. You asked for it

and as always someone delivers!

[ProSense]

7. Howard Portnoy

"Howard Portnoy has been an avid follower of the political scene for several decades. He also writes for the conservative blog Hot Air and Zombie Contentions."

Yum, Wingnut drivel.

According to an internal memo obtained by CBS News, as of February 25, the deadline for submission, the White House had received just 14 applications! To put that number in perspective, last year 1,000 schools entered the competition—and even that number represented a small fraction of the 27,000 high schools nationwide.

Apparently the process has been slow, but the wingnut author leave out the details. CBS

<...>

An internal White House memo indicates that the White House is facing a shortage of applications less than a week before the deadline.

The competition was extended from the February 25 deadline until Friday, March 11 after few schools met the original application deadline. CBS News has learned a White House Communications Office internal memo dated February 22 noted "a major issue with the Commencement Challenge."

"As of yesterday we had received 14 applications and the deadline is Friday," the memo said. The memo also urged recipients to, "please keep the application number close hold."

A follow-up memo on February 28 reported receipt of 68 applications. Noting the competition among more than 1,000 schools last year, the memo said, "Something isn't working." It called on staffers to ask "friendly congressional, gubernatorial and mayoral offices" to encourage schools to apply.

<...>

[walldude]

9. Wow so it's up to.... 68!

My that is impressive.

[Bluebear]

16. lol

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[meegbear]

8. Well now that Charlie Sheen is available ....

[Bluebear]

14. !

:spray:

[Johonny]

10. speech contests probably conflict with profits

no money in it why would a charter school do it?

[woodsprite]

13. Our high school was trying to get him, but didn't know of the

commencement speech contest. If they had known, I would have thought at least a few would have submitted an entry.

[JI7]

15. these things usually happen because people don't know

[Bluebear]

18. They know.

[lutefisk]

17. He's not exactly the "Education President", is he...

Obama and Duncan are the biggest threats to universal public education this country has ever seen. No mystery why he isn't welcome in our schools...

[Tx4obama]

19. Someone probably dropped the ball and forgot to tell the schools about the contest! n/t

[Bluebear]

22. Oh certainly.

[The Backlash Cometh]

20. People have been tuning out for several years in the private sector.

It's now only happening in the public sector jobs. When he loses the students, it's over.

[itsrobert]

21. Probably because they know the competition is fixed

The winner will be in a critical 2012 battleground state for President. No chance he chooses a school in places like California, New York, etc.

Last year was Michigan. This year I bet it will be in Ohio.