CNN just can't stop themselves from giving this guy some more air time, can they? Apparently hypocrite Jim Greer thinks that with no proof what so ever that the White House rewrote the speech the President was going to give to school children this week after they "got their hand in the cookie jar caught".
"Clearly last week there was a plan with the Department of Education," said Greer. "When you ask students to write a letter to the President on, how we can help you with your new ideas, Mr. President, that is leading the students in an effort to push the President's agenda. Now that the White House got their hand in the cookie jar caught, they changed everything, they redid the lesson plans, they released the text, and tomorrow he's gonna give a speech that every president should have an opportunity to give."
Suzanne Malveaux asked Greer if he had any inside information that the White House changed the speech.
"No, I don't," said Greer. "But I would anticipate, based on this President being so vocal and so aggressive about his vision of America, where government is in every aspect of our lives, I believe that the speech that he was gonna give, based on the lesson plans, is different."
As Steve Benen noted, apparently Greer is only worried about children being "indoctrinated" when the partisan message is coming from a Democrat.
Perhaps no one did more this week to push the mind-numbing "controversy" about President Obama encouraging young people to do well in school more than Jim Greer, the chairman of the Republican Party of Florida.
It was Greer who, in a striking tantrum, issued a statement condemning the president for, among other things, trying to "indoctrinate America's children to his socialist agenda." He added that Obama "has turned to American's children to spread his liberal lies." Greer's hysterical press release said the very idea of a political figure taking a political message to school children is "infuriating" and "an invasive abuse of power."
Obviously, for sane people, the claim itself is ridiculous. What we didn't know at the time was that it was also remarkably hypocritical. The Orlando Sentinel's Scott Maxwell had an important column today.
[.....]
Greer argued on Thursday, "Before anybody talks to my children from a political perspective, I want to know what they have to say." Of course, the administration is letting school districts know exactly what the president will say the day before his remarks. And how about Greer? Did he run his pro-Republican message by parents and school officials before he talked to school kids?
"That was different," Greer said.
Actually, it's not. The president of the United States wants to encourage children to work hard and do well in school. This caused Greer to have some kind of breakdown and accuse Obama of "indoctrination." But it's Greer who's taken partisan messages directly to school classrooms.
For more on Greer's rank hypocrisy check out Scott Maxwell's column at the Orlando Sentinal State GOP chief Jim Greer rips Obama -- but pushes Republican views at schools:
There once was a political operative who loved to tell crowds he had a simple way of explaining to children the difference between Republicans and Democrats."Republicans get up and go to work," he would tell his son.
"Democrats get up and go down to the mailbox to get their checks."
This man not only talked to his son about Republican values, he went into public-school classrooms and talked about them as well.
That man is Jim Greer — the same Jim Greer who, as chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, just threw a nationwide hissy fit, claiming that the classroom is no place for politics and Barack Obama's "indoctrination."
MALVEAUX: Florida Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer was one of the harshest critics of President Obama's decision to make a back to school speech to the nation's school children tomorrow. He said: "As the father of four children, I am absolutely appalled that taxpayer dollars are being used to spread President Obama's socialist ideology."
Well, now that the White House has released the text, what does he think now?
Well, he's live from Talli -- Tallahassee to tell us.
Chairman Greer, thank you for joining us here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
You've had a chance to see the president's text here.
Have you changed your mind?
JIM GREER, CHAIRMAN, REPUBLICAN PARTY OF FLORIDA: Well, I haven't changed my mind that -- I was very concerned as a parent last week when the White House was writing lesson plans and telling teachers what they should say to students before the president's speech and what they should say afterwards. And then when the White House said they weren't going to release the text, that concerned me. But now today, that they released the text -- and I've read -- it's an -- it's an upbeat speech, but is it the one the president was always going to give?
You know, the White House should not have...
MALVEAUX: You suspect...
GREER: ...been involved in writing lesson plans.
MALVEAUX: So you suspect that this isn't really the speech that he was going to give?
GREER: No, because clearly last week, there was a plan with the Department of Education. When you ask students to write a letter to the president on how we can help you with your new ideas, Mr. President, that is leading the students in an effort to push the president's agenda.
Now that the White House got their hand in the cookie jar caught, they changed everything. They redid the lesson plans. They released the text. And tomorrow, he's going to give a speech that every president should have an opportunity to give. This was never about the president speaking to children about the importance of education. It was about the White House writing lesson plans.
MALVEAUX: They did change the lesson plan. But -- but you have no information that the White House actually changed the text of the speech.
You don't have any inside knowledge of that?
GREER: No, I don't. But I would anticipate, based on this president being so vocal and so aggressive about his vision of America, where government is in every aspect of our lives, I believe that the speech that he was going to give, based on the lesson plans is different.
And, you know, Suzanne, we have Barack Obama, the auto king; we have Barack Obama, the banker; soon to be Barack Obama, the doctor. We don't need Barack Obama, the schoolteacher.
MALVEAUX: Why are you so...
GREER: And the White House should have stayed out of the classrooms.
MALVEAUX: Why are you so suspicious of the president's intentions?
GREER: Well, the president is very aggressive and very vocal on what he believes government's role is -- government should be involved in solving all of our challenges; government should be involved in our lives in every aspect. And there's no doubt that this -- this president is a great communicator.
What he communicates I don't agree with and it's not the Republican Party's philosophy of governing. But I believe that the White House was developing, clearly, in conjunction with the Department of Education, lesson plans that would have teachers lead students in a direction that, ultimately, at the end of the day, would have involved his public policy issues.
MALVEAUX: I -- I want to read you just, very quickly, part of the speech. He says: "I'm working hard to fix up your classrooms, get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn, but you've got to do your part, too. So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don't let us down. Don't let your family or your country down or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it."
Is there anything in his speech that is socia -- socialist ideology that you had complained about before?
Have you seen anything like that in his speech?
GREER: No. And I think we need to stay focused. The text that was released today, Suzanne, is a speech that every president, whether it's Democrat or Republican, should give to students about the importance of education. There's nothing wrong with it. It's never been about the president talking to them.
It's been about the president and the White House trying to circumvent parents in this country and go directly to students without even making parents aware that there were lesson plans out there encouraging teachers to have students write letters at how we can help the president.
MALVEAUX: Here's how a member...
GREER: That is just wrong.
MALVEAUX: OK. Here's -- here's how a member of your own party put it, speaker of the -- former speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, said yesterday.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEWT GINGRICH (R), FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER: It's good to have the president of the United States say to young people across America, stay in school, study. And do your homework. It's good for you and it's good for America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Do you agree with Newt Gingrich?
GREER: Excuse me.
MALVEAUX: Do you agree with what he said, Newt Gingrich?
GREER: Abs -- absolutely. There is nothing wrong, as I've said since day one, with the president of the United States talking to students on the first day of school, encouraging them to stay in school. I agree with Speaker Gingrich. There's nothing wrong with the president doing that.
It's -- the problem started last week when the White House got involved, instead of focusing on the economy and finding jobs for Americans...
MALVEAUX: OK.
GREER: ...the White House was writing lesson plans for our teachers across this country.
MALVEAUX: OK...
GREER: And that was wrong and that's what brought us here today.
MALVEAUX: I've got to leave it there. But -- but real quick here, are you going to send your children to see the speech tomorrow to school?
GREER: I am. My children have been taught to have the highest respect for the presidency and this president and all presidents. So after reading the text, seeing the Department of Education have told teachers they are not to lead students in the direction that they would have a week ago, my kids will be watching the president's speech, as all -- I hope all kids will. I don't advocate children not watching this president's speech with this text.
Now, who knows what last week's speech might have looked like?
But tomorrow, my kids will be listening to the president.
MALVEAUX: OK. Jim Greer, chairman of the Republican Party of Florida.
Thank you so much for joining us here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
GREER: Thank you.
