The lead up to President Obama's speech to the nation's schoolchildren this past Tuesday was riddled with outbursts from leaders and pundits of America's right-wing proclaiming that Obama was planning on indoctrinating the nation's youth. When the administration released the transcript of what was to be said and the speech finally aired, many conservative politicians and commentators backed off of their initial comments, in some cases praising the message of the speech, which was to motivate children to stay in school and take pride in and responsibility for their education. The initial reaction to news of Obama's planned speech was a knee-jerk by the right-wing in America, assuming that anything Obama would have to say to America's children would be a part of a liberal agenda. This reaction to Obama's speech is indicative of a larger problem in American politics - a purposeful campaign of miseducation by some members of America's right-wing and attempts to instill fear in large segments of American society in lieu of looking for solutions to the problems plaguing the nation. If America's right-wing wants to be taken seriously, they must not oppose Obama administration policy for the sake of opposing the administration, but rather present facts, arguments, and alternative solutions to proposed government policies.\nEver since the first mentions of a government bailout for auto companies, banks, and insurance companies, politicians and pundits of the right began throwing around the word "socialism". Strange comparisons of Obama to Hitler and Stalin by many political commentators showed an amazing lack of imagination and ignorance of historical events. Much of this was to be expected, as the past eight years were abound with ridiculous comparisons of Bush to twentieth century dictators by liberal political commentators. But the healthcare debate has pushed the rhetoric accusing Obama of "socialism" to new heights. This is, in part, why there was a quick conservative reaction to Obama's proposed speech to schoolchildren. Previous accusations of Obama being a political radical has framed the mindset of many Americans such that they assume that Obama is pursuing an extremist agenda at all times, even when he is merely addressing the youth of the nation.\nPerhaps some right-wing politicians forgot that their spiritual predecessor, Ronald Reagan, addressed schoolchildren in 1988. Perhaps they also forgot that during his speech, Reagan commented on taxes, claiming that they put "such a penalty on people that there's no incentive for them to prosper ... because they have to give so much to the government." Politically charged speech, indeed. Another member of America's right-wing, the first President Bush, addressed American schoolchildren in 1991, discouraging drug use - a much less polarizing message that could be agreed upon by people on both sides of the aisle. Obama's comments to schoolchildren were quite tame compared to Reagan's and seemingly on par with Bush's. With the precedent set by Reagan and Bush, it does not seem that Obama was out of line in his commentary to the youth of America.\nAside from the content of Obama's speech, it is strange that America's right-wing finds it objectionable that the president choose to address the nation's youth. By winning the election, it seems that Obama, or any president, past or future, has earned the right to address the nation's citizens. It is well within the rights of parents to not allow their children to watch the president speak, but it seems absurd that they question the right of the president to freely address the nation's schoolchildren.\nCriticism of government is a healthy political exercise and a citizen's duty, but must be backed by reasoned arguments and alternative solutions, rather than fearful rhetoric and omissions of truth. Opposing the government for the sake of opposing the government is a useless exercise. The rhetoric of America's right-wing has become tiresome, and drowns out any legitimate criticisms coming from that side of the aisle. If America is to move forward, liberals, conservatives, and moderates must engage each other in fruitful debate, putting aside name-calling and misinformation. There are certain ideals that all Americans hold dear, regardless of political opinions, and we must work off those in order to propel America forward and help the nation prosper.\nMichael Khavari's column usually appears Mondays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at m.khavari@cavalierdaily.com.
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