Recently, I caught Larry Winget discussing the issue of graduation speeches after Obama’s Barnard speech. You know the one – where Obama bumped out a very accomplished woman, Jill Abramson, so he could pander show his support for women. Yep, nothing like shoving out a woman to speak at a woman’s college to show your love for the ladies.
But I digress. One point Winget made about Obama’s speech was how political it was, and indeed, he did go on about his record in it, according to the NY Times. That is a big no-no. A commencement speech should not be about politics.
So, what would Winget have said? He provided a short commencement speech to demonstrate what he thinks is important for graduates to hear. Following are some of Winget’s points:
[...]You have to take responsibility. Your life, your results, your success, happiness, health and prosperity are up to you. When it turns out well, you get the credit and when it doesn’t work out the way you wanted it to, you get the blame. It isn’t up to anyone else to make sure you are successful, it’s always up to you, so be responsible.
Others. Respect your employer enough to be on time and give them your personal best every day because that is what they are paying for. Respect your boss, even when you think he is an idiot because he is still your boss and deserves your respect. Respect your coworkers so they will respect you and your customers because they pay you.Clear priorities. Your time, your energy and your money will always go to what is important to you. If looking cute is important to you then you will spend all of your money at the mall. If being financially secure is important to you then you will make sure that you save, invest and live on less than you earn.[...] (Click here to read the rest of Winget’s speech.)
How do you think it compares to, say, part of Obama’s to the Barnard graduates:
[...] “Don’t just get involved. Fight for your seat at the table. Better yet, fight for a seat at the head of the table.”Obama encouraged the young women to be bold activists — leaders and organizers — for causes of social justice. “It’s up to you to stand up and to be heard, to write, and to lobby, to march, to organize, to vote,” he said.
“Never underestimate the power of your example.”
Urging grads to ignore a “pop culture obsession over beauty and fashion,” Obama said the Class of 2012 must become role models for future generations of women who are needed in key professions like science and technology.
“You can be stylish and powerful too,” Obama said. “That’s Michelle’s advice.”
”Persevere. Nothing worthwhile is easy.”
Obama invoked the names of his mother and the mother of Michelle Obama to covey the importance of keeping at it, even when faced with daunting setbacks. “No one of achievement has avoided failure, sometimes catastrophic failures, but they keep at it,” he said. “They learn from mistakes. They don’t quit.”
The advice — aimed clearly at mobilizing and energizing young women voters — comes at a time when fresh graduates face a gloomy job market, high unemployment and mounting student debt. Obama acknowledged those facts, which Republicans had underscored ahead of the address, as similar to what he faced as a young graduate in 1983.(Click here to read the rest.)
Yes, by all means, little ladies, you can be strong AND stylish! Ahem. Sorry. I could not keep that snark out no matter how hard I tried…
You know it is bad when even ABC News acknowledges that Obama was trying to woo young voters.
Oops. Sorry. Tell me what you think. Here is a link to the complete transcript of Obama’s campaign speech to the graduates of Barnard.
So, what do you think of these two speeches? Which one would you want to hear? Let’s hear it! (And WTH, let’s make this an Open Thread.)
Pass this on to any college friends.
College students are being played for suckers by the Democratic Party again. Barack Obama’s 2013 budget indicates that the interest rate on federally backed student loans student loan will jump from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent in the summer of 2013. This comes as Obama is preaching his love for college students on campuses by virtue of his agreeing with the Republicans to limit the rate to 3.4 percent. The doubling of the rate will only occur eight months after Obama’s reelection can be attained.
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/05/15/Obama-double-student-loan-rate
Isn’t that just incredible, 2harp? If these students vote for him, they have no one but themselves to blame for what they will reap down the road…
Thanks for this!
They certainly aren’t teaching cause and effect, common sense, or mathematics any longer.
Yes, please move stylishly and powerfully to the voting booth and vote for Obama! Thanks ladies! Love ya! In a composite sense anyway. Now take this 1955 Betty Crocker cookbook, this stylish ironing board, this powerful pack of Virginia Slims (You’ve come a long way baby! Actually not so much) and go make me a sandwich and iron this shirt. You girls sure can multitask in that kitchen. Can I get an Amen for that stylish and powerful mom in chief community organizing organic farming and voting Obama that you ladies do? Amen! Oh, wait I dont use my composite preacher “amen” voice up here in NY. My bad. I get the 57 states confused sometimes.
The president is a pandering scumbag but what really amazes me is that this stuff works!
LMAO. You do have a way with words, hc123.
That is just it, hc – how in the HELL does this crap work?!? I mean, I can appreciate being enthusiastic abt someone, and even a bit in awe, but still – these women were graduating from BARNARD, a pretty damn nice school. So, WTH?!?
And I concur with Ferd – you most DEFINITELY have a way with words!
Interview with State Sen. Barack Obama
3:30 p.m., Saturday March 27 2004
Café Baci, 330 S. Michigan Avenue
Falsani: Do you still attend Trinity?
OBAMA: Yep. Every week. Eleven o’clock service.
So if he was there every Sunday………….How can he now say he never heard the sermons of Wright when he said those things?
I have posted this many times over 4 years and sent it to every news outlet and nobody will run the story.
I would really like to see the media pick up on this.
http://sojo.net/blogs/2012/02/21/transcript-barack-obama-and-god-factor-interview
Actually looking into this would be hard work for anyone in the press, HARP. They much prefer to have “fact” sheets handed out to them at
press conferencescult gatherings.I love the obvious planted questions at these cult meetings. Like the one about Trayvon. The president had to stand there and wait for this “spontaneous” question to be asked “spontaneously” by a member of the press, sorry, fan club.
Sadly progressives they just do not care about Rev Wright. Its OK with them that Obama guts the constitution and listened to race baiting america bashing every Sunday. Progressives agree – they hate the constitution (written by old white racist guys more than 100 years ago!), and they hate America, and they are fine with bashing whites and especially white christians.
Keep preaching it, 2harp. At some point,t his has GOT to filter through to the media. It is incredible that we know what Mitt Romney did in HIGH SCHOOL, but the MSM still fails to look into Obama and his connections. Deplorable, really.
Stylish and powerful Palin endorsed stylish and powerful Deb Fisher, and stylish and powerful Ms. Fisher won in Nebraska.
Oh wait, I think that stylish and powerful thing was only supposed to be for D ladies. Oops.
ROTFL – isn’t that something? So much for the “irrelevant” Sarah Palin, huh?
Barry is such a bantam rooster–all show and no go. He is certainly juvenile in his approach to everything. What he really needs to do is grow the hell up.
Fight? I prefer to learn.
Organize? I would rather set a good example for others to follow.
Be stylish? I would rather have substance than whatever crap he and the First Lady are pushing
Be powerful? I prefer inner strength, which is there when it matters. She and her insignificant other have no inner strength for if they did, neither would need the constant attention provided by a spotlight always focused on them. Their affirmation does not come from within but from without. But if they cannot find it within them, they will never find it without them and that is the paradox that binds them to their ultimate master–their over-sized and under-examined egos.
Barry (and his wife, I might add) is shallow beyond measure, a man for no season and no reason. He talks a line that sounds reasonable until it is dissected into its parts, which never amount to whole. Well-rounded is not a phrase that could be used to describe him. In his heart he is a cynic, in the original sense of the word. His only motivation is selfishness.
I detest that man with every fiber of my being.
Excellent commentary, as usual, and I too detest that man with every fiber of my being.
Thanks, binky. I am so sick of the man who gives new meaning to the initialisms, NPD and ODD.
http://www.mediaite.com/online/dog-on-the-roof-new-book-offers-seamus-account-of-riding-on-romneys-roof/
I know my day was not complete without coverage of Seamus, the dog that Mitt Romney did not eat. As opposed to nameless, the dog that Obama did eat, away from the table no less. Tasty.
“It’s better to ride on a roof than fry in a wok.”—Pluto—
LOL .
ROTFLMAO….over and over and over! Best one I’ve seen! Must share.
You know, that is one of the funniest things said about this entire subject. You should post it at HuffyPoo. LMAO.
They don’t let me post over there……….for some reason.
LOL~ I wonder why?
You know the thing that really gets me abt this – people often have their dogs in crates in the backs of pickups around here. Hell, sometimes, they aren’t even in crates (SO dangerous for the dogs). Dogs LIKE having the wind in their faces. As long as the crate is securely fastened, I would think Seamus would enjoy the ride. Seriously do not see how that is any different from a dog in the back of a pickup truck.
Oh, wait – maybe none of those people going on abt this have ever seen something like that before, so they think this is earth shattering news.
And apparently, it isn’t worth mentioning that the Romneys wanted to take their dog WITH them on vacation.
Sheesh. These people really need to get a life…
LOL, OA – good one!
Even my totally pampered “city girl” bichon frise likes to stick her head out the car window, pretty much any time she is allowed and without reference to speed or location.
Just for perspective on my dog not being outdoorsy or particularly macho – people occasionally try to throw small sticks for her, and she just looks at them like “What? you think I am touching that dirty stick?”. And still she likes her head out the car window.
So yeah, whatever. Nobody ate Seamus. Just sayin. If this is what they have on Romney, start packing your stuff Obama.
LOL, hc – exactly. What dog DOESN’T like hanging its head out of the window if it is allowed to do so? Seriously, these people are really plumbing the depths if this is the best they can do.
If Seamus and a high school prank are all they can find on Romney, the democrats are in deep doodie. There is so much on Barry now that the GOP really doesn’t have to do much in the way of digging. Just let barry’s words speak for themselves.
Popcorn, anyone?
I’ll take some! Yeah, this should be good…
Yeah, really. Romney should just rope-a-dope along to victory. The highschool prank was pretty much a big fat lie that blew up, and Obama ate a dog. So far letting Obama run against Obama seems a good strategy.
I take mine with salt and butter. Yes, yes I know, butter.
I’d say so – Obama compared to Obama is pretty problematic!
LOL – oh, you rebel you, hc!
Tonight on Andrea Shea King @ 9 p.m.:
Bill Clinton is distancing himself from The One. Why? Does he sense impending disaster for the Messiah? What’s going on with the political divorce of the odd couple?
Our Capitol Hill insider, the Honorable Elizabeth Letchworth who served as elected secretary to the US Senate for eight years, gives us the inside scoop about Bill Clinton’s separation from Obama.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/askshow/2012/05/17/the-andrea-shea-king-show
I might need even more popcorn for this.
A little too late for Bill, I’m afraid. He promised to give us information after the ’08 election as I recall. Nothing ever came of that. Fleas and dogs come to mind.
And I’ll make some more popcorn for this one, hc123.
The senate voted on Obama’s budget. The result was…
Ta-dum…
99-0 against.
Barry can’t even keep his own sycophants in line.
Epic FAIL
Epic Fail sums it up perfectly.
Had I not told my daughter this throughout her high school and college career I would tell her: If something is handed to you that you did not earn, it is at the expense of others. In every aspect of life, there are winners and losers, and you will at times fall into each category. If you expect a participation trophy just for showing up to work, you have no aspirations. If you look at your boss and do not aspire to someday replace he/she when they move up or retire, you are a follower, not a leader. If you decide to marry, have children, and become a stay-at-home mom, I will applaud and support your decision. On the other hand, if you go to college, take out $120,000 in student loans to get a degree in Anthropological Dance Studies, can’t find a job and bitch about it, I will send out a search party to look for you at Occupy Wall Street camps.
An aside, funny how after making my college grad start paying her own bills after a 90 day post-graduation grace period, she found a job in less than 30 days. I taught her well, but this goes to show that if i.e., you give people 99 weeks of unemployment, they will always rest on their laurels until pressed otherwise to do so.
Excellent, Sybilll!
My Commencement speech, “Life ain’t fair……get used to that! Trying to make it fair is about like attempting to teach a pig to sing, you’ll just get frustrated, and you’ll irritate the poor pig.
Expect nothing, and you’ll be overjoyed when your expectations are achieved!
Don’t fall in love, it’s difficult to scrape off.
One man’s meat is another man’s poison……..so switch them.
Every day is a blessing…………to the vicious people who prey on you.
Home is where the heart is……….leave and you’re dead.
Good things happen to those who wait………….but not to those who wait on tables.
Attempting a simple life can get very complicated.
In this economy, carrying all your eggs in one basket is acceptable, since few of us can afford more than one egg.
Always marry up (but keep that advice away from the one you plan to marry)
And never, ever, EVER………butter your butt and call it a biscuit, there’s simply no way to anticipate how others will react to that, and it could be catastrophic.”
Your daughter is very fortunate indeed to have a mother like you who teaches her these important life lessons. Outstanding comment, sybill!!
And OA – that’s some good advice you’ve got there!