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Alpha Stage
A Velcro President?
November 7, 2006





The last few issues of “Discussion-Starters” have presented issues
relating to either Iraq, the United States elections or both. DS typically
presents a wide assortment of current events issues for discussion.
But, I thought it appropriate that today’s issue consider the national
elections. (Would it have been inappropriate to discuss something
unrelated to the elections today? If not, what could DS have
addressed?)

For a different perspective, however, let’s consider a BBC
commentary entitled "Velcro President Faces Final Test." The
commentary argues that unsuccessful results of controversial actions
have stuck to the President like Velcro. It offers an extensive list of
what the author considers to be failures among both the President and
other Republicans including social security, Iraq, corrupt financial
behavior, and inappropriate sexual behavior. As a result, the
commentary states: "The Republicans' biggest problem is that the
Democrats may not need one - they have been taking the advice of the
late brass-knuckled Republican strategist Lee Atwater: 'If your
opponent is busy shooting himself, don't get in the way!'"

Read the Article!!


Discussion-Starters:

  • Ask your child(ren) what the following words mean: "opinion,"
    "Velcro," and "foreign." Explain the difference between fact and
    opinion. Invite them to state some of their own opinions. Share
    an opinion of your own.

  • The article explains that President Bush has not been welcome
    by many Republican candidates to campaign with them. His
    popularity ratings are low. Ask your child(ren) how it might
    feel for the President to know that he is not liked by many
    people while at the same time remaining in the national spot-
    light. Despite this knowledge, the President continues behaving
    in the ways that he considers right. Ask what we can learn
    from the President’s behavior, whether we agree with him or
    not. Ask your child(ren) if they've ever done anything
    unpopular because they thought that it was the right thing to
    do. What? Have you ever done anything not popular because
    you thought it was the right thing to do? What?

  • This editorial uses a metaphor to describe President Bush.
    Invite your child(ren) to create their own metaphor to describe
    what it might be like to be the President of the United States.
    Create one of your own metaphors.

  • Ask what the following quotation means in the context of an
    election, "If your opponent is busy shooting himself, don’t get
    in the way." The author of this commentary certainly believes
    that President Bush and the Republican Party are "shooting
    themselves." But not everybody agrees. Take a look at the
    official White House website, http://www.whitehouse.gov.
    What are some of the President’s accomplishments that are
    mentioned on this site? Ask your child(ren) how two people, or
    groups of people, can have such different opinions?
  • Ask your child(ren) if they think that President Bush's
    party, the Republican Party, deserves to win reelection.
    Encourage them to support their opinions. What do you
    think?
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