Boy Scouts and Whoopi
Virginia is hosting the quadrennial Boy Scout Jamboree this week and it's been fun to see troops flood D.C. to visit monuments, museums and government buildings here. The President turned down an invitation to address the Jamboree yesterday as he has some fundraisers to attend. No big deal. He's a busy man. But some critics were upset that he accepted an invite to be on The View the same day.
Addressing the Boy Scouts seems like a public relations dream, but blowing them off to appear on The View does boggle the mind. Admittedly, I have never been able to watch more than about 30 seconds of a show. It's bad enough that the inmates run the daytime talk show asylum. Why is President Obama joining them?
I'm not sure if this says something about Obama or about America. Either way, it's not good.
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May '10
Re: Boy Scouts and Whoopi
From now until November it's going to be all about the base. Live at the Boy Scouts would surface criticism from the left about the group's history with gay rights. Criticism from Fox News? Well that was coming no matter what. In any case, whatever juice he gives the ladies of the view (maybe he'll show off some dance moves! or share some story of Michelle putting him in his place!) will be the lead story on all the news channels, networks, and late night shows. The Boy Scouts would get him none of that.
Jun '10
Re: Boy Scouts and Whoopi
President Obama doesn't like the Scout motto. It's opposite his own methodology.
May '10
Re: Boy Scouts and Whoopi
I have never watched the View to completion. Dear sweet Jesus on roller-skates, are people so bored it gets ratings? I mean, yikes. Joy and Whoopi are inaptly named.
Yeah, yeah, the Scouts get a bad rap for not letting gays be the supervisors of young boys (I say that as one who has no objection to Gay Marriage). But y'know, the Scouts and parents have the right of it here.
This is something the Prez wouldn't grasp. He being a none-too-bright ninny.
May '10
Re: Boy Scouts and Whoopi
We're a three Eagle Scout family (myself, two of my sons). I helped start a Boy Scout troop 10 years ago (6 years as troop committee chairman) through which 30 young men have since become Eagle Scouts. So I know a little about Boy Scouting.
I think Trace gets it about right, going to the Jamboree wouldn't give President Obama any boost with the base (who booed a Boy Scout color guard at the DNC convention in, I think it was, 2000).
May '10
Re: Boy Scouts and Whoopi
Now that's funny.
Re: Boy Scouts and Whoopi
Let us not forget that Obama owes his election to the queen of daytime televison...Oprah.
Jun '10
Re: Boy Scouts and Whoopi
My oldest recently bridged over from Cub Scouts into Boy Scouts, and is preparing to go on an end-of-summer three-night campout with his Troop - his first campout without mom and dad in attendance. (My youngest started Cub Scouts last year). I found myself unable to muster outrage with the President's scheduling decision yesterday. In part, I suppose, because I find his priorities here unsurprising.
I don't mind the video approach, because it reduces the potential for politicizing the Jamboree. Of course, at my son's age, what the President does couldn't be further from his mind. The values, character, skills and relationships he's developing are far more important to me, though. That he grows up to understand, hold and respect time-honored American values - including respect for the office of the President - is of far more import than the level of respect that office holder may or may not show to those values.
Things may change in due time, but for right now, as a parent, I don't mind a little separation between today's politics and the Boy Scouts. But that's just me.
Re: Boy Scouts and Whoopi
Wait. Let's see if I remember it. A Scout is:
Trustworthy. Loyal. Helpful. Friendly. Courteous. Kind. Obedient. Cheerful. Thrifty. Brave. Clean. Reverent.
(Now that I see it all written down, he probably made the right choice to go on the View.)
May '10
Re: Boy Scouts and Whoopi
It says EVERYTHING about his Base. They HATE the Boy Scouts. Because they are Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful. Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, Reverent and won't allow Atheists or Homosexual troop leaders. That's why his base has been warring on the Boy Scouts for almost 2 decades. Trying to get them defunded, banished and disbanded.
May '10
Re: Boy Scouts and Whoopi
I believe membership in the Boy Scouts is up 30%, or a least that's what my husband said he read in Eagle Scout Magazine. Besides, who needs Obama when Jon Heder's coming to the Jamboree! Gosh!
Aug '10
Re: Boy Scouts and Whoopi
It may be the Boy Scouts to the rescue to save us all! It would be interesting, though, to click on the "profile page" of all of our leaders, not just the very public ones, and see who was a Scout--and who wasn't. Who knows, I might be surprised.