MISSING the BEAR

Last Monday I had twe-bate with Farhad Manjoo. Manjoo called Obama’s address to students “pointless” and “not worth” the political fight. Both of these notions, I tried to explain (very hard in 140 characters or less per rebut) are absolutely wrong-- by speaking directly to kids, Obama is involving them in making their own education decisions.

Enfranchising children in their own education is important, even if “token” because it reminds them that they are active participants in their own lives. The right responded in a way that could only be observed to be hysterical (in multiple form) and encouraged parents to keep their children at home on the day of the speech. Rush Limbaugh lamented that Obama’s speech was “robbing the kids of their right to be losers.” “Pointless” Mr. Manjoo? Making the right look like fools couldn’t have been scripted better (see Olbermann below).

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I can’t remember ever wanting to go to school. I recall wondering why I had to. I wasn’t bored at school, but I wasn’t particularly engaged either. I didn’t hate it and I definitely didn’t like it.

Obama’s opening remarks are important, “At the end of the day we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, the best schools in the world-- but none of it will make a difference unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities.”

My parents weren’t involved in my education. They both worked full time retail hours and assumed as a relatively intelligent kid, I was fine. They laid out my responsibilities to me: do your homework, do the best you can. After school I went to a care program. I was lazy with my school work and I did well but not the best I could have. I grew up in a relatively well-off suburb of Chicago, so I went to good schools and if it hadn’t been for the teachers I wouldn’t have done as well as I did. My parents could have been more interested but so could I.

But what about parents who can’t be more interested because they work multiple jobs and can’t afford after school care as a substitute? Or parents who are unable to get involved with their kids’ school because they face a language barrier? Both of these scenarios are equally likely in the US today with increasing numbers of first generation Latin American immigrants and a decreasing middle class.

I could have used some reminding along the lines of Obama’s comments on student responsibility, “I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself every single one of you has something that you’re at, every single one of you has something to offer and you have a responsibility to yourself to figure out what that is.... but you might not know it until you write that English paper... complete that science project.”

I’m no education expert but simply googling the terms “children active own learning” yields serious search results that all support the idea that kids (human beings in general) learn best when they are actively involved in their own learning process. This means not only relating topics to themselves, but learning by doing. These approaches are called active learning and constructivist learning.

How often are kids reminded that they are active participants in their own lives, their own education? It’s pretty cool that the President bothered to address kids at all-- let alone go so far as to enfranchise them. Enfranchise? It’s the choice thing: the President recognized kids as active participants in their own lives as opposed to responsibility-less minors to be governed by school, local, state, and federal regulations.

It may be a token acknowledgment but it’s an acknowledgment nonetheless that confers upon kids a responsibility and places an outcome in their hands. It means a lot more coming from the President than some hired-cheesy-greased-back-hair motivational speaker no one has ever heard of (let alone paying attention to in a school assembly). Thus, kids are actively engaged in the learning process slightly more than they were before.

Pointless? No, I don’t think so. Sorry @fmanjoo, you’ve missed the bear.

This time it's not the media at large that are missing the bear-- it's Meghan McCain. Where is the responsible voice who stands up against a racist leading the young republicans or the girl who poses for an ad against Prop 8?

While the media are either still laughing uproariously or stumped by Palin's resignation (comparing her to Princess Di though, is inexcusable), the same republican faction that elected Audra Shay is gaining ground. Palin is attempting to become a political pundit and seems to be positioning herself for something. My best guess is that she's making a bid to replace Michael Steele. Steele clearly hasn't done much for Republican party unity since his leadership of the GOP began. Palin clearly has support amongst the Republican everywomen, but has had too many mishaps to survive another electoral run for public service.

So come on Meghan, time for a counter move! Make some noise! Don't let Shay Republicans and Palin decide the future of the Republican party!

[I know, I can't believe I've just written this either-- left of the American left as I am. What can I say for myself? I just like smart, ballsey (ballsy?) women. Read my earlier post about Ms. McCain.]

Meghan McCain's progressive-conservative politics may just revive the republican party. Clearly she isn’t just the flavour of the month—the girl has staying power. It makes sense that The View and Bill Maher would book her as she is controversial, stirring up the Republican Party. I’ve been watching her for a few months now with both amusement and admiration. Amusement because after eight years of W. melted mess that is the Republican Party is satisfying in the way dark chocolate syrupy covered icecream is on a hot mid-western afternoon in August. Admiration and chagrin because—hell, I like her (for the uninitiated, I’m left of the American left).

So maybe she didn’t do so well on Bill Maher the other night—she did get a rightly deserved slap down but not for being republican, for being unprepared. But instead of being satisfied, I want her to learn from this experience and step up. Perish the thought the republicans make a come back but there is something undeniably sympathetic about Meghan McCain.

Meghan McCain is the quintessential lipstick feminist generation Y-er. The girl has balls! She’s been embraced by feminists on both the right and the left—she’s progressive enough for a republican to appear warm and fuzzy to centrists and liberals but simple spoken and morality driven enough to appeal to the right as well. How so? When asked about her feelings on abortion instead rattling off talking points about how many low-income, unwed mothers have abortions she paused and looked thoughtful and answered with her own experience with the issue: empathy for a friend in that situation.

After the legacy of international and domestic manipulation left by the Bush administration people are looking for political messages that resonate on a personal level—witness Barack Obama’s message of hope. The level of her mass appeal is best evident in her recurring appearances on The View where she regularly wins kudos from both Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, and the conservative Elizabeth Hasselbeck. Hell, Rachel Maddow loves her!

And her mass appeal is where the media is MISSING the BEAR.

Meghan McCain doesn’t have the experience to run for a major political office just yet. And she may not have that experience in even four or eight years time. But it doesn’t matter—she doesn’t have to run for political office. She just has to continue to challenge the Republicans to wander out of their stupefying eight year hangover and win followers as she does it. Those Republicans with the national longevity to lead the party only have to take up the line she's cast.

Centrists and some democrats are already becoming frustrated with Obama and that has the potential to escalate if the economy doesn’t recover soon (disclaimer: Obama can’t be blamed for the economy failing to recover quickly because by nature economies take uncertain amounts of time to recover as a lot of economics is perceptions and lagged stimulus effects). Watch Meghan McCain rally and rebuild the Republican Party. I will be; and four years from now don't say I didn't warn you.