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Obama Chides Washingtonians for Taking a Snow Day
President Obama has ticked off a lot of kids in the Washington, D.C. area who wore their clothes inside out and backwards to usher in a snow day. Snow and ice hit the region this week, causing schools in the District and surrounding areas in Maryland and Virginia to close.
Sidwell Friends, the private Washington school Obama's daughters Sash and Malia attend, was one of several that closed Wednesday.
Obama grew up in Hawaii but he's been living in Chicago, a city where snow doesn't mean a snow day, for many years. Speaking before a meeting in the White House, he seemed shocked that "some ice" had closed down his daughters' schools.
"We're going to have to apply some flinty Chicago toughness to this town," Obama said, according to an article in The Washington Post.
According to Politico, a reporter asked the president if he was saying Washingtonians were wimps.Obama answered tactfully: "I'm saying that went it comes to the weather, folks in Washington don't seem to be able to handle things." You can watch the video here.
I'm a native of Montgomery County, Maryland, which borders the District of Columbia, so I am very familiar with the area's knee-jerk school closures for snow.
Children who grew up in the D.C. metro region with the belief that wearing pajamas inside out and backwards would yield a snow day very often had their wishes come true.
I can remember, very distinctly, a winter day when I was in grade school, and class was cancelled at midday due to the chance of snow.
The region does get very heavy snow and ice at times, however. Even in those cases, school closures were extreme. There were times when I was in high school when we we would get a foot of snow, then have school off for an entire week.
Poking fun at the region's love of snow days was a risky move for Obama, the new guy in town. Many Washingtonians are very defensive of their need to stay home when it snows.
When I checked the Washington Post's Web site around midnight Wednesday, the article about Obama's comments on snowy Washington was one of the most viewed articles, only falling behind a story about the House passing the stimulus bill.
In the course of my 13 years of education in Maryland, I had a lot of snow days, so take it from me, Sasha and Malia: Over the next four years, while students in heartier parts of the country trudge to school, you are going to be making a lot of snowmen on the White House lawn.
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joan
9:56AM 9:56AM Jan 29th 2009
Is there anything or anyone that the 'messiah' is not critical of? He knows absolutely nothing yet pretends to be a 'know-it-all'. This alone will do him in.
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Kent
10:43AM 10:43AM Jan 29th 2009
A friend of mine, who grew up in the Chicago suburbs and attended college in Washington feels that the Beltway is full of "snow wimps." The city often gets several snowfalls of 3 to 6 inches, yet Washington and the Maryland and Virginia suburbs act more like Atlanta and Charlotte and refuse to buy sufficient snow removal equimpent. So, the kids get a lot of snow days, and federal employees get days off or sent home early several times each winter.
I grew up in a Chicago suburb where 40% of the students rode a bus to school. Yet, the joke was that if the superindentent could make it to school, we had school. He lived 2 blocks from the school that had the district offices, so we only got snow days during the brutal winter of '78-'79. That was the winter that caused Chicago mayor Michael Bilandic to lose his job, because the voters were so mad with snow removal efforts.
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Nikki
1:16PM 1:16PM Jan 29th 2009
I live in Indy and we just received 12-1/2 inches of snow and a snow day was in order. but a couple of inches of snow is no reason to go into a state of emergency. lol. Its all in good humor to me since I can somewhat relate to heavy snow and ice.
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Tonya
10:58AM 10:58AM Jan 29th 2009
Snow days have become ridiculous. In bad weather, we simply had indoor lineup instead of ourside. And then we had snowball fights all the way home. For some reason, though, the streets were cleaner back then, ergo, cleaner snow. I saw a snowball someone had rolled together about two weeks ago. The thing was gray. Dark and light gray with a bit of white showing through.
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0260n3pt5
11:58AM 11:58AM Jan 29th 2009
Warm Greetings -
As a former resident and employee of the district, I find Obama's remarks even more refreshing than a blustery cold winter's day. I was born north but resided in DC (within the beltway ... Shirlington, Great Falls, Potomac commuting to NW - 14 &K RI & M) for 6 years. I bought a 4WD vehicle as a young 20 something career girl and braved the bridges, 395 and downtown through everything from snow to snipers. A bunch of us non Washingtonian's loved the many days the government and schools shut down - no rush hour and easier for us! The mediocrity which has been the norm doesn't mean it's right. Kudos to Obama for exercising his freedoms and commenting on something where he might be able to support a resolution. Ex: My aunt, the mother of a daughter with disabilities, has spent thousands in extra care for the numerous days school was 'called off' and yet there wasn't a flake on the ground nor anything falling and freezing. Err on the side of caution /safety, perhaps just not quite to this extreme. A suggestion...business as usual and those whom can't make it need to make up their time, lessons, etc.
P.S. To the 'Messiah' comment above, please help me to better understand 'know it all'...isn't that a cocky, arrogant type? We may not agree on politics but surely we can agree that humble, confident and empathetic is more appropriate in describing our president - ironically I wasn't even initially a fan!
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dollymama
9:53PM 9:53PM Feb 3rd 2009
You and others who have commented on Obama's remarks have mentioned the days that the Federal Government has been closed because of snow. My husband has been a federal employee for over 20 years and it has been years since he's had a day off because of weather. The last time I remember him having a snow day is the winter of 1995-96 when the Washington area was hit with an 18" snow fall. I remember this very clearly, because I, very pregnant at the time, had to waddle to the bus stop to go to work. Somehow the words "confident, humble,and empathetic" don't resonate for me in describing our new president.
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J
4:12PM 4:12PM Jan 29th 2009
yes. we do love our snow days!
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Sienne
12:47PM 12:47PM Jan 29th 2009
As a lifetime resident of the D.C. metropolitan area, I can honestly say Obama's criticism was right on. With the first few flakes of snow People freak out and drive like morons, schools rush to see who closes first (I used to hate Loudoun County; they were always closed first and longest), and, like the author of the article said, schools would shut down for days on end because of six inches. And don't get me started on the milk-and-toilet-paper lines at the grocery store when even an inch of snow is called for...
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SCarol
1:04PM 1:04PM Jan 29th 2009
I drive a school bus in PA. We had school this morning with 3 solid inches of ice packed on the mountain roads. At risk were over 1000 kids and 158 drivers because getting a day of State money for the school system is more important than anybody's life. And again, the superintendant lives less than a mile from the school, has a garaged car and no clue what is out on the roads from his view point. We drive diesel buses that are outside in the weather, they stall out, they are ice cold and they slide on ice with about ten times the force of a car, so parents, heed the warning and beware. Use your own judgement because buses out on the roads do not guarantee a safe arrival.
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Carol
1:03PM 1:03PM Jan 29th 2009
If Obama's girls were injured or worse because of a sliding car or bus, I'm sure he would take a completely different view point. God Bless the ignorant.
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Magic 8
6:31PM 6:31PM Jan 29th 2009
Funny to hear Barry's tough-guy talk. As he sits in his footie pajamas by the fireplace, penning his "we surrender" letter to Ahmedinejad...
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D.Mcvay
8:57PM 8:57PM Jan 29th 2009
oboma did not have any second thoughts on spending $50.000.000 on his ball he is no one to bitch
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Del
10:01AM 10:01AM Jan 30th 2009
Why do people think one day of school is more important than experiencing nature and learning the natural way? Most kids these days can't even tell you what kind of tree grows in their own yard.
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Colorado Native
10:37AM 10:37AM Jan 30th 2009
Please........ Washington DC gets no sympathy from me -they need to do what the rest of us do when it snows - SUCK IT UP and GET YOUR *** OUT OF BED. At least this "messiah" has a mind and knows how to use it. Its about time we had a President that had the BALLS AND GUTS to tell it like it really is and if anyone is offended - GET OVER IT and GET YOUR LAZY BUTTS TO WORK AND TO SCHOOL!!!!
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nick
12:37PM 12:37PM Jan 30th 2009
He should have called Kaitlynn Riely and Al Gore in to run their mouth for a hour and all the snow would melt away.
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nick
12:39PM 12:39PM Jan 30th 2009
For the second time, he should have called Kaitlynn Riely and Al Gore in to run their mouth and all the snow would melt away.
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Hope
1:33PM 1:33PM Jan 30th 2009
I remember back in school in Massachusetts, we had plenty of snow and rarely ever had any snow days, The kids are out of school more than they are in. Maybe we should give them their snow days and make school year round.
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Hope
1:36PM 1:36PM Jan 30th 2009
When I was in school in Massachusetts we had alot of snow and rarely had any snow days. The kids are out of school more than they are in. Maybe we could have snow days and make school year round.
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GreatR
4:14PM 4:14PM Jan 30th 2009
Is there anything that the Messiah likes other than Arabs, Terrorists and Acorn. If he doesn't like the people of the United States why doesn't he just move to Iran or where ever he thinks is acceptable. He won't be missed.
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Nandi
7:36PM 7:36PM Jan 30th 2009
Yeah and the first time the school districts dont close and some children are killed and injured I do not want to hear no ones mouth! And personally after seeing how the Illinois State Senate just took out a Governor the way it did I beg the Pres. not to even compare Washington to Chicago! His remarks did not impress me at all do what you do in Chicago and let Washington do what they do! I would much rather be safe than sorry when dealing with peoples lives!
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