Liberal in the Land of Conservative

I pondered for some time what to do in my classroom for Inauguration Day. It didn't seem appropriate for me to simply turn the television on, sit back, and let a day slip through my fingers without some greater lesson being taught. So, as a class we began by examining the oath of office as laid out in the Constitution:

Actually, after today my students probably knew the wording of the oath better than Chief Justice John Roberts (*wink*). As a class we took the words and rewrote the oath using synonyms. Full Disclosure: That idea was borrowed from other sources...

Rather than simply focusing on the speech of Barack Obama, we took a look at the Inaugural Addresses of five of our most famous President's. However, 8th graders are not well suited to reading and understanding the full context of these speeches so I plugged each of them into wordle. This allowed students to examine the broad themes and main ideas of the speeches rather than get bogged down in detailed language.

Students were asked to examine the word clouds without knowing what President or even what time period from which they originated. As they looked over each one their task was to discover and write about the commonalities running through each, discover and write about the differences running through each, and finally write about anything unique they found within each speech.

While I wish I had more time to really dig into this activity, the kids did a great job finding the basic themes that ran through the speeches of these five important President's. They were even able to figure out which speech belonged to which President for three out of the five. You can try out this activity in the comment section...

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get to looking at some of the modern addresses which have been captured for posterity. Check them out for yourself:

• Franklin D. Roosevelt
• Harry Truman
• Dwight Eisenhower
• John F. Kennedy
• Lyndon Johnson
• Richard Nixon
• Ronald Reagan
• George H.W. Bush
• Bill Clinton
• George W. Bush

And today, Barack Obama...

Being the contrarian that I am, I often avoid the obvious choices provided to me by the masses. When the question is posed, who is your favorite president, my thoughts do not immediately turn to George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, and certainly not to Ronald Reagan. So, for this President's Day I offer you the lessons we can learn from a couple of our more obscure leaders.

Harrison, the hero of The Battle of Tippecanoe, is the perfect example of why you should always be brief and bundle up. Mothers have always harped on us the need to wear warm clothing or we will catch our death of cold. Perhaps they could begin using Mr. Harrison as an example. After winning the election of 1840, Harrison chose to be a tough guy and give his inaugural address (the longest in history at 2+ hours long) on a cold and rainy day. One month later, he was DEAD! So, if you ever become President, be sure to bundle up and keep it brief.

While the exact details of Taylor's demise are not entirely clear, there are lessons to learn. First among those is to learn from the mistakes of your predecessors. Taylor, attending a 4th of July celebration, chose not to dress for the weather and ended up with a fatal case of heat stroke. Second, is the lesson of gluttony. Other theories for the demise of Taylor are that he consumed a large amount of iced milk and cherries which contributed to his stomach ailment. Taylor died five days after attending this celebration. So, if you ever become President, dress for the weather and don't be a glutton.

While most Democrats fawn over the likes of Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John Edwards I find myself gravitating to a man who really has no hope in the world of gaining the nomination.

So, Why Joe Biden?

Don't get me wrong, whomever the Democratic nominee for President is, there is a pretty solid chance I will be voting for him or her (although, I had considered a Rudy Giuliani vote until he started sucking up to the religious zealots of the Republican Party).

I am a huge supporter of Bill Clinton (perhaps it is because it was for him that I cast my first vote). However, Hillary Clinton has yet to impress me with either her speaking skills or her ideals. Is it her vote for the War in Iraq? Not really, since even Joe Biden voted for the Iraq War Resolution. Perhaps it is the feeling that twenty years is long enough for two families to dominate the Presidency. Perhaps it is an even more politically calculated feeling that tells me there are large segments of the population that have already developed an opinion of her and there isn't much she will be able to do that will sway their vote (I really don't want to live four more years under a Republican President!).

Barack Obama seems to be a fresh face with a lot of potential. His speech at the Democratic Convention in 2004 (Part 2) was one of the most awe inspiring speeches I have had the pleasure of witnessing. Yet, his utter lack of experience scares the hell out of me (remember, this President didn't have much experience either when he took the office and he has screwed things up almost beyond recognition). As the campaign becomes more and more about policy and less about pure personality I fear he will get hammered for this lack of experience. The Republicans will be more than happy to label him as another weak Democrat but this time will get to top it off with the lack of experience tag.

As for John Edwards, I simply cannot bring myself to support a guy who was part of the weak kneed colossal failure that was the John-John ticket of 2004. His views are wonderfully progressive and one would hope a Democratic nominee will take up his cause against poverty but it simply cannot be him.

But WHY Joe Biden?

First, Senator Biden is as strong a Union (A 91% rating from the NEA and a 100% rating from the AFL-CIO) supporter as any one could possibly be. As an educator I am always concerned about the tactics used by many Republicans that work tirelessly to chip away and eventually abolish the teachers unions that provide the relatively meager wage I currently enjoy.

Second, and far less calculated, is the sense of the man. When I see and listen to Joe Biden I see a man I would be proud to call my President. While others may disagree, I see a father figure or amusing uncle that always seems to have a bit of advice (probably good) to impart to you. I see a man of strength that Republicans would have a hard time portraying as a weak liberal as they are prone to do. This strength is evident in his passion, his eloquence, and yes, even in his loquaciousness!

Third, and very much related to the second, is his solution for the debacle that it is this Administrations handling of the war in Iraq. He cannot be pinned with the label of offering no plan for success because his plan is apparent and has even been parroted by at least one of the Republican hopefuls. The creation of a Federal System in Iraq may be the only way to quell sectarian violence at the same time keeping the country from breaking apart or falling into utter anarchy. As of right now it is the main thrust of my support for Joe Biden as I have yet to hear anything more than "stay the course" from this Administration (which, by the way, is not a solution!) and what appears to many as a pullout without a contingency for cleaning up the mess we created from the Democrats.

So, what to do about supporting a guy with little chance for success in becoming President in 2008? Well, Joe Biden for Secretary of State!