SOTU and Webb - student views

In case you don't know (in which case you are not a regular reader) I teach government to high school students in the Maryland suburbs of our nation's Capital.  As we happen to be studying the executive branch, I required all my students to watch the State of the Union on Tuesday night, including if possible both Webb's response and some commentary.  They had some questions to guide them through the process, and to help them take some notes.  We did not discuss until today because yesterday we had registration assemblies. 

The short version of the story - in 6 classes, less than a dozen students were impressed with Bush, and/or thought he was even as effective as was Webb.  Almost all of these students self-identified as Republicans. 

For more, keep on reading.  I will tell you what I can.
My students range from the politically oblivious to those incredibly actively involved.  One student has a sister who is ranking figure in the Maryland State Democratic Party, another has a father who is now a Senate Committee Staff Director, and has herself served as a page.  Another student just came back from serving as a page at the State Legislature and was personally close to Mrs. Ehrlich.  Other students cannot tell you the name of any political figure other than the President, and frankly don't care.  But almost all of the students did the assignment:  after all, it was a chance to watch TV for more than a hour. 

Bush received a few compliments in general:  students recognized that he had to acknowledge the historic nature of the presence of Nancy Pelosi on the podium, b ut many recognized that his words went beyond the bare minimum, and gave him credit for that.

Most students had nvere watched a speech before.  They were fascinated with the stand up / sit down nature.  The shots of people in the audience caught their attention.  Many were turned off or worse when the cameras focused on Condeleeza Rice with her face scrunched up.  Some wondered if many people were sleeping, not realizing that many were followng the speech by reading it. 

Some asked about the people who did not applaud (and usually this meant the Justices from the Supreme Court).  They noticed the differential between Democrats and Republicans.  This was most pronounced on immigration.  Several commented about how Bush phrased the bit about supporting the troops already there and those on the way to basically force the Democrats to give a standing ovation at the point.

Many students commented - negatively - about the lack of any reference ot Katrina or New Orleans.  A couple noticed the total lack of mention of social issues.  One pro-life student directly complained that given the anniversary of Roe v Wade, she would have thought there would be some mention of protecting life.  Another student commented that most of the agenda Bush presented seemed to be stuff he had not previously talked about, althought others recognized that he was revisiting things like medical savings accounts and school vouchers.  Many were confused at the detailed explanation of how he was going to handle the tax implications of his plan.

In general, most students felt Bush came across as somber, not particularly energetic or enthusiastic about what he was saying.  By contrast, the vast majority were impressed with the forcefulness of Webb's presentation.  One student has a father well-known in local radio circles and she commented that her Dad said that Webb began with what her dad called a radio voice, but that it became deeper and thicker as he went on.  Most liked the personal touch of the picture, a few thought it was hokey.  Many commented about the confrontational nature of the end of Webb's remarks, although there was a little bit of confusion about his intent when he talked about what would happen if the president did not address issues the way TR and Eisenhower had.  A couple wondered if that meant th Democrats intended to force him out - I read the passage aloud for them and it still did not clarify things.  Perhaps that was Webb's intent, to deliver a message in a somewhat ambiguous fashion subject to multiple interpretations.

One student commented that Bush did not get around to saying "the state of our union is strong" until the end of the speech, and asked if presidents didn't normally say that up front, since you were supposedly reporting.  She wanted to know why most of the speech was about proposals and not about reporting.  I can ensure you that a lively, student-centered, discussion ensued, with one student arguing that if you had nothing positive to report how could you say the state of the nation was strong, that Bush needed the examples of the "heroes" to have something positive to report before he could assert such a claim.  A number of headers nodded in agreement at this statement, but it was not universal.

A majority of my students are African American.  The school, and these students, tilt more Democratic and liberal.  As the war has gone on the number of students willing to support Bush has decreased significantly.  Thus there were few students who viewed the speech all that favorably. 

Many found the entire process more than a little silly.  We did have a discussion of the purpose of the speech, and of the nature of some people's reactions, whether it was Chuck Grassley when ethanol was pushed, or Michelle Bachmann grabbing some personal time and space as the president came in.  Students noticed, and remarked about, both of these without prompting from me. 

The vast majority of my students are only 10th graders.  For some my clasxs has been a challenge, requiring them to pay attention to things in the news and around them that they used to ignore.  I am pleased at their perceptiveness. 

One final note:  most were shocked to discover that Webb is actually older (by about 6 months) than Bush (Jim will be 61 next month, Bush in August, right?).  There was some perceptive remarks about how the office of the presidency ages one, especially with things like a war going badly.  And on bright young wag posted that perhaps Webb looked so youthful because he has a much younger and very attractive wife! 

Okay, enough of the report from the classes of teacherken.  This is not a profound diary.  But it should offer some hope:  if our young people are put to the task of paying attention to our political processes, they are quite capable of showing a fair amount of insight and understanding, and are learning to ask questions on those things which they do not understand.

Peace.

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