by Mark Silva
President Barack Obama, who addressed the nation's public schoolchildren by television and the Internet from a high school in Arlington, Va., today, also was asked by one student how someone might go about getting the job that the president has today.
"Let me give you some very practical tips,'' the president told the high schooler. "First of all, I want everybody here to be careful about what you post on Facebook.
"'Cause in the YouTube age, whatever you do, it will be pulled up again later somewhere in your life,'' said Obama, who admitted today to being "a bit of a goof off'' as a ninth-grader, and who also noted that he had written a book about trying to understand his father - (in which he acknowledged some of his own youthful missteps). Dreams from My Father is not available on YouTube, though Obama's taped readings from the book have made the rounds of the Internet.
"When you're young, you make some mistakes and do stupid stuff,'' the president noted about caution in the Facebook realm. "That's just some practical political advice for you right there.''
On a more serious note, the president told the ninth grader who asked for some career advice:
"Look, obviously, doing well in school is hugely important, especially if you don't come from some political family where they've got you all hooked up. If you're going to succeed it's because people are going to think that -- they have confidence that you can do the job. So really excelling in education is important.
"No. 3, find something that you're passionate about and do that well. There are a lot of people who decide to go into politics just because they want to be important or they like the idea of having their name up in lights or what have you.''
He also suggested that "the toughest thing about being president'' is being held captive to the protective "bubble'' that prevents him from going out and acting spontaneously.
"I think the biggest change is that I'm inside what's called the bubble,'' Obama said. "I can't just do things on the spur of the moment. And that's actually the toughest thing about being president.''
Seated with ninth graders at the school, the president also was asked how his life might have been different had his father not left his family.
"You never know exactly how your life would turn it if there were a change in circumstances as big as your dad being around,'' the president told the high schooler.
How has his life changed as president, one student asked.
"Well, you know, when you announce that you're running for president -- first of all, I was a U.S. senator before I was president, so people already sort of knew me but just in Illinois, in my home state, in Chicago. And when you announce that you're running for Ppesident, suddenly a lot more people know you. And then slowly you get Secret Service. And then when you win the nomination you get more Secret Service.
"And then when you become president, then everything just shuts down,'' the president said. "And so one of the biggest changes in my life is that I can't just do things normally like I used to be able to do them.
"And that's hard sometimes. I mean, I can't just get in my car, go to the store, pick up some -- whatever it is that I feel like picking up. I can't go take a walk without shutting down a whole bunch of roads and really inconveniencing a lot of people.
"And so in terms of my own personal life, I think the biggest change is that I'm inside what's called the bubble. I can't just do things on the spur of the moment.
"And that's actually the toughest thing about being President, because you want to just be able to interact with people normally, right? And these days either people are waving and really happy to see me, or they're booing me, saying -- (laughter) -- you know. But nobody just kind of interacts with you in a normal way.
"The good thing about being president is I've got this really nice home office called the Oval Office -- and it means that I don't have a commute. Basically I walk downstairs, I'm in my office, I'm working, and then I can leave to get home in time to have dinner with my family. So I'm spending a lot more time with my kids now, and my wife now, and having dinner with them every night. That's a lot better than it was before when I was traveling a lot and commuting back and forth between D.C. and Chicago. So that's really good.
"Now, obviously the other way my life has changed is just I have so much more responsibility. But that part of the job I really enjoy. I mean, I really like meeting smart people who are passionate about their work; trying to figure out how do we get the schools better, how do we provide health care for people who don't have it -- the policy work of thinking through how can we make changes in the country that will give people more opportunity, better jobs, better education. That stuff is what I spend most of my day doing and that's really interesting. I really enjoy it.''
Asked the inevitable dinner with anyone dead or alive question, the president said: "I think it might be Gandhi, who is a real hero of mine. Now, it would probably be a really small meal because -- he didn't eat a lot. But he's somebody who I find a lot of inspiration in.
"He inspired Dr. King, so if it hadn't been for the non-violent movement in India, you might not have seen the same non-violent movement for civil rights here in the United States. He inspired César Chávez, and he -- and what was interesting was that he ended up doing so much and changing the world just by the power of his ethics, by his ability to change how people saw each other and saw themselves -- and help people who thought they had no power realize that they had power, and then help people who had a lot of power realize that if all they're doing is oppressing people, then that's not a really good exercise of power.
"So I'm always interested in people who are able to bring about change, not through violence, not through money, but through the force of their personality and their ethical and moral stances.''
Asked about his own aspirations as a youth, Obama said, "When I was your age, I've got to say that I was a little bit of a goof-off, so my main goal was to get on the varsity basketball team, to have fun.
"And when I was younger, my aspirations were to be an architect, maybe to be a judge. And then I went through this phase where I was kind of rebelling -- this was part of not having a dad around. I think I sort of was trying to work through my issues. But by the time I got to college, I realized I was never going to be a pro basketball player.''
Comments
Facebook?!?!
That's a tool that only commie/fascist/socialist/nazi's use!
How dare Pres Obama try to indoctrinate our kids into his evil Facebook plot!
From now on, my kids are only going to communicate by tying a piece of string between two tin cans, that'll show Obama. We're smarter than he be, and we's gonna communicate without him a-knowin' bout it.
Posted by: I wanna be a Republican idiot | September 8, 2009 6:10 PM
Republican Rebuttal to The President's "Stay In School" Speech to Children. Stolen from the desk of Michael "hiphop makeover" Steele, and presented in no particular order, because keeping track of things is hard.
The President: Hello everyone – how’s everybody doing today?
-Republican response
That's a personal question, children, and you don't have to answer it.
-President Obama
When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years.
-Republican response
HE ADMITS IT! HE ADMITS IT! And Indonesia is RIGHT NEXT TO KENYA. (Teachers, please remove all maps and globes from the classroom at this point.)
-President Obama
Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.
-Republican response
Or not. Seriously, who the hell cares?
-President Obama
Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer.
-Republican response
That's not true. Many of you will be good at nothing. Trust us, kids, we've watched you grow. Most of you will drift through life as directionless failures. Then you'll become senators.
-President Obama
No one’s born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work.
-Republican response
Hard work is for suckers. There's two ways to be succeed in this world. One, get your dad to do it for you, then claim the success as your own. Two, win the lottery. In fact, borrow money from your dad to spend on lottery tickets. You're not made of money.
-President Obama
But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities.
-Republican response
Given that most of you won't, you can see why we think it's a waste of time and money to give you dedicated teachers and good schools. I mean, no sense pissing money away. Oh, and it's your fault.
-President Obama
Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper – but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class.
-Republican response
Don't knock yourself out on it, though, because intellectual endeavor is for liberals and communists. But the three most nonsensical essays will be published by Regnery Publishing. Any of you proving to have exceptional illiteracy will be made Fox News anchors.
-President Obama
You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or do a few drafts of a paper before it’s good enough to hand in.
-Republican response
Are we getting through to you yet? Knowing the "right" answer to something is hard. But if you just believe whatever the hell you want, you're done. Boom, pencils down, recess time. Isn't that just a hell of a lot easier for both you and us?
-President Obama
And no matter what you want to do with your life – I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers.
-Republican response
Except military, from now on. Hint-itty-hint-hint, kids.
-President Obama
The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough. It’s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.
-Republican response
That's why Sarah Palin is the Best American To Ever Walk The Planet. If you call it "moving on", it ain't quitting.
-President Obama
So today, I want to ask you, what’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country?
-Republican response
Our bet? "Thanks for not making torture an indictable offense!" Seriously, kids, we can't thank you enough for that.
-President Obama
Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.
-Republican response
OK, that's just shameless pandering now. That's like something HitlerStalin would say. (Teachers, please remove all history books from the classroom at this point...)
Posted by: Planet Wingnuttia | September 8, 2009 7:02 PM
It is interesting to find three separate articles about Obama's kiddie speech in Swamp...Among a potpourri of other articles over the weeks about his golf game, his bicycling, his food choices or Michelle's arm size. Yet, the Tribune, NY Times and Wash Post -- with scores of reporters in Washington -- left it to a single cable TV guy, Glenn Beck, to look into the background of Van Jones. It's one thing to be a lapdog to a president but readers should expect more.
Posted by: Wilson | September 8, 2009 8:02 PM
Planet: Are you available for our office party? You would absolutely kill.
Posted by: he'shereallweekfolks | September 8, 2009 10:33 PM
Well, tut tut, Wilson.
Where is John McCain's birth certificate?
And where are his high school and college transcripts?
Where, Wilson?
Where?
Posted by: ornery | September 8, 2009 10:48 PM
I don’ think I understand his point.
Van Jones did all of this stuff, videos, signing petitions, etc. and the Left has done nothing but try to mainstream it to make it appear that he wasn't such a wack-job.
I think what Obama is really telling the kids is you need to keep your crazy to yourself, that way you’ll have plausible deniability when the time comes.
Dude, what's with the environmentally insensitive water bottles in the background? Did he not realize this was being video taped and possibly uploaded to Youtube? The environmental goons are going to have a field day with that.
Posted by: Chris | September 9, 2009 12:21 AM
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left it to a single cable TV guy, Glenn Beck, to look into the background of Van Jones. It's one thing to be a lapdog to a president but readers should expect more.
Posted by: Wilson | September 8, 2009 8:02 PM
***************************************************
.
You really think Crazy Glenn has sway? Are you familiar with the saying: "give them enough rope and they'll hang themselves"? Well, Beck's strung up on his tiptoes, and the stool is teetering beneath him. He's nuttier than a fruitcake and should be put on suicide watch.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTjRtjVi0yI
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Posted by: InBloom | September 9, 2009 1:01 AM
The ridiculous Republicans and laughable Libertarians were at their " finest " hour, concerning President Obama 's speech to our students(.. and truth be told, the very ridiculous and laughable fringe. ) !!. Children, stay in school and learn. Now, was that so difficult, was that so subversive !! That this innocent speech would frighten the bejeezus out of any conspiratorialist, who is in a constant state of confusion, with anything that disagrees with their world view, is disheartening and disappointing !! My only hope is they, the conspiratorialist, will finally come to accept the outcome of the last presidential election, in which, President Obama and Vise-President Biden won the election. I do believe this to be the root cause of their delusional world view. An added bonus, we would have the return of a moderate to conservative Republican Party and not the kooky Republican/Libertarian clique !!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE AND WHOLE. NOW.
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, IL | September 9, 2009 8:12 AM
Very good advice about being careful with postings on Facebook. Anything put on the internet is there always.
Posted by: Pierre | September 9, 2009 1:35 PM
Hmmm, before Obimbo spoke to the students, he talked up government-run health care. Mark, why isn't that covered? I thought this was to be apolitical? But, yet, your Master made it political with students BEFORE the speech?
Also, while the media, led by Mark Silva, made such a big deal because some parents and Republicans were concerned about Obimbo's speech, where was the media in 1991 when George H.W. Bush spoke to the students? Oh yes, they aided a Democratic investigation into the speech and the media attacked him for using students like props.
Darn, once again, those nasty little facts get in the way of the propaganda BS dished out by Silva and the rest!
Posted by: John D | September 9, 2009 4:11 PM