Obama may get ASU honor after all

[diddlysquat]

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0409/21120.html

Michael M. Crow, president of Arizona State University, tells POLITICO that the school is reconsidering its widely mocked plans not to give President Barack Obama an honorary degree when he speaks at commencement on May 13 and will “honor him in every way possible.”

“There was no intended slight,” Crow said by telephone from his office in Tempe. “We had not yet talked about what honors we might give him as our commencement speaker, and we still have a month to work all that out. We don’t want anyone to think we do not recognize what he has achieved and what he means in America.”


more at link above.

[Ian David]

1. Look Who's Coming To Commencement!

If I were PRESIDENT Obama, I'd tell ASU to stick it up their ASS.

I'd tell them I have a thing with a guy in a place that day.

Or I'm clearing brush.

[Tempest]

2. No shit

He needs them like an enema.

And have you seen the list of past honoraries? Most have less accomplishments than Obama.


ASU is ranked low in academic achievement, so it's no great loss to Obama.

[CoffeeCat]

3. All ASU is saying is that they hadn't firmed up...

...what honors they would give Obama.

They didn't say that they weren't giving him an honorary degree.

Some reporter probably asked some ASU PR person, or lower-level official--if they were giving Obama
an honorary degree. Because the plans weren't finalized, the answer wasn't solid--and the media
ran with a negative story about ASU not giving Obama an honorary degree.

Crazy reactions sell more papers and increase ratings...

Let's give ASU a break...this is a good school.

[diddlysquat]

5. How do you know this CoffeeCat?

I am a parent of a ASU student graduating with a MA this May. I plan to go and see Obama speak. My son and I actually are from WA State. I would like to think that ASU isn't as "small-minded" as they look right now.

[AZ Criminal JD]

25. Why didn't you keep your son in WA state?

Is it because of the low quality universities there?

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

6. Contrary to what their own website and their own spokesperson said

OP - "They didn't say that they weren't giving him an honorary degree." Except that they did.

http://www.asuwebdevil.com/node/5763

[diddlysquat]

15. OK, that settles it.

University spokeswoman Sharon Keeler said Tuesday that the University awards honorary degrees to recognize individuals for their work and accomplishments spanning their lifetime.

“Because President Obama’s body of work is yet to come, it’s inappropriate to recognize him at this time,” Keeler said.

[Ian David]

21. Are you implying that the mainstream media is sloppy, lazy & exploits sensationalism to sell papers?

I am SHOCKED!

SHOCKED, I tell you... SHOCKED!

[Cha]

17. You know that's not Obama's style

and he will shine that day. When I heard the news they weren't going to give him an honorary degree because he hasn't accomplished anything yet..I thought it was bizarre so we'll see if they do a 180.

[Ian David]

20. This is one reason why Obama is President and I am not.

He's a much better person than I am.

[Cha]

22. He is a good person.

Schmart, too.

[rufus dog]

4. What he meant to say is

My ass is in a grinder because we have been losing money while spending on campuses throughout the valley. Students are throwing rocks at my car, the football coach and basketball coach are calling every five minutes telling me how pissed off recruits and parents are, and the contributions from alumni have gone into the negative over the past two days. I have decided that it is not in my best interests to use a State University to make a political statement.

FUCK HIM!

[msanthrope]

7. Jerry Colangelo got an ASU honorary degree??? But not Obama?

Fuck you Crow.

[rvablue]

8. "Widely mocked" is right! Given their reason that he hadn't

yet "finished his body of work"?!?!?!?! :wtf:

He's President, for god's sake!!!!

There are many, many red faces over at ASU right now. How embarrassing! :blush:


ed:punc

[Ken Burch]

31. And they gave Barry Goldwater an honorary degree before he RAN for president!

Plus, I'm pretty sure Nixon, Reagan, Bush The First and even Dubbikins Emeritus got honoraries when they did commencement speeches THEIR first year.

[FrenchieCat]

9. Too f*cking late!

Damage to the University has been done.

[rvablue]

13. Once again, though, the President easily wins another round without doing a thing!

He gets to show up deliver a rousing and inspiring speech to new grads, shake many hands, take many pictures and make the committee look like total fools as the eagerly shove pen and paper at him for an autograph after making complete fools of themselves!!

[Cha]

18. +1 That's the way

I see it.

[City Lights]

39. Agreed. nt

[AtomicKitten]

10. No slight intended my ass!

[depakid]

11. "widely mocked"

:rofl:

One would like to think university officials were brighter than that. Like to think, that is.

[Karenina]

37. It's INCREDIBLE that they tossed this out there

without the slightest regard for how it might be interpreted!!! :freak:
Apparently their biases have overwhelmed their good sense.

http://www.asuwebdevil.com/print/node/5763

[madaboutharry]

12. What is really the point here is that

no one involved in the decision making process understood that there would be a backlash.

[rvablue]

14. Yep, completely tone-deaf. Time will tell, but something tells me this

"academic committee" that made this decision will be quickly replaced.

This is more than embarrassing!

[monmouth]

16. Obama is too much of a gentleman I know, but I would love for him

at the time of the "honoring" to smile and just say, "That's alright, I have a real degree from Harvard but thank you anyway" and then move on.

[ashling]

19. Priceless

:rofl:

[peaches2003]

23. It's waaay too late to matter anymore

The damage is done, ASU is a laughingstock across the country, most of the alumna are furious and will close their checkbooks for awhile, and this idiot ASU President better start looking around to see if some juco school will take him. No matter what they do now it is a lose-lose situation.

[AZ Criminal JD]

26. Are there any schools at all in Georgia?

[Dawgs]

33. Don't send that fucker here.

:(

[AZ Criminal JD]

38. Actually I was making a comment on the poster's lack of education

[mitchum]

40. UGA's corrupt president Adams would seem to be a soulmate of Crow...

but withoout the magic underwear

[Faygo Kid]

24. Some rich Reich winger, big time donor laid down the law. As usual.

Don't kid yourself. Some filthy rich dittohead threatened ASU.

[polichick]

27. Well...

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

28. Sadly, the term "ASU honor" has become bereft of meaning. nt

[Ken Burch]

29. If it was no intended slight, why did they let the "no honorary degree" thing leak out?

:eyes:

[Karenina]

41. Cuz dey be STOOPID!

:crazy:

[MadMaddie]

30. I guess the bad publicity didn't work out so well for ASU...

[DailyGrind51]

32. What does a former Ivy League law professor need with a third rate school like ASU anyway?

[NorthCarolina]

34. He should speak as planned but decline the honorary degree

by mentioning that we need to grow beyond simply "playing politics".

[LynnTheDem]

35. Gee, that's important, after his Harvard degree.

Pres. Obama must be over the moon with excitement.

No really.

[Life Long Dem]

36. It's too late. The damage has been done.

Now suffer the consequences! :hurts:

Very bad move. This is an educational facility.. do they teach business practices? :nopity: