Obama's no-show at Gettysburg event: Snub, or smart?
(CNN) – As Pennsylvania gears up to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address on Tuesday, one prominent Abraham Lincoln fan won't be in attendance: President Barack Obama.
The National Park Service announced a few weeks ago the President won't be part of the activities commemorating the historic speech, and critics have since assailed Obama for skipping the event.
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"It would be an occasion for him to honor a crucial time in our past, to create a historical bridge to today," Salena Zito, a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review staff writer, wrote in a column.
"His dismissal of the request shows a man so detached from the duty of history, from the men who served in the White House before him, that it is unspeakable in its audacity," Zito added. "Ask almost any person in this historic town; even his most ardent supporters here are stunned."
Lesson from Lincoln: Mr. President, you're talking too much
Twenty-four presidents have visited Gettysburg since the summer of 1863 and the sesquicentennial has been a year-long series of events, culminating on Tuesday.
In his place, the White House is sending little known Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, who started her Cabinet position just this year.
The York Daily Record noted in an editorial it would only seem natural for the first black President to honor a moment in history known for its "new birth of freedom."
"President Obama could have used this occasion to offer words of healing and reconciliation - as his Illinois forefather once did," the editorial stated, adding that his decision not to come is "unacceptable."
Critics further point to the President's own fondness for Lincoln. Obama, for example, announced his first campaign for President in Springfield, Illinois, where Lincoln's home is located.
The President also took the oath of office on Lincoln's Bible during both of his inaugurations. And for the first inauguration, he replicated Lincoln's 1861 trip from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Washington, D.C., to assume the presidency.
But Heather Cox Richardson, professor of history at Boston College, said Obama is making the right-though ironic-decision not to go.
The Gettysburg Address, she said, is a re-dedication of the idea of equality that was seized upon in the Declaration of Independence a century earlier. And now, with the country mired in sharp political divisiveness, Richardson said the message of Lincoln's famous speech needs to resonate.
"By not going, President Obama lets that speech stand on its own. If he went, it would all be about him," she said, stressing that his detractors would unfairly have a "field day" trying to hammer Obama for drawing attention to himself on such a symbolic day.
"The themes of the Gettysburg Address are what we really need to focus on," she added. "And in an ironic twist, our first black President can't be present for them."
So what does the White House say?
When asked why he wasn't going, White House spokesman Jay Carney on October 31 gave no reason, other than to say he had no updates on the President's schedule for November 19.
"I think that is an enormously significant event in our history, and I think Americans will take the appropriate time to consider it, consider the speech that was delivered there," he said. "But beyond that, I don't have any updates on the President's schedule."
It has since become known that Obama is scheduled to speak at the annual meeting of the Wall Street Journal CEO Council in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday.
Ken Burns: Learn Lincoln's words by heart
The President, however, hasn't been totally silent on this year's big anniversary. He appears in a video with the four other living Presidents–as well as a number of high profile figures in politics, the media and entertainment–to recite the Gettysburg Address. The effort was put together by documentarian Ken Burns as part of his push to get Americans to record themselves remembering the speech.
The video opens–and ends–with Obama stating the famous words.
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Good – stay away from it Mr. President....you are no Lincoln.....
It is obviously not very important to him. Despite his previous words honoring Lincoln.
"I think that is an enormously significant event in our history, and I think Americans will take the appropriate time to consider it, consider the speech that was delivered there," he said. "But beyond that, I don't have any updates on the President's schedule."
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why such concealment from the self proclaimed most transparent president in history? another obama farce exposed.
i'm sure he is not interested in going as 1. there are celebrities there, 2. no campaign fund raising will be allowed, 3. there is no golf course where he can slip in a few rounds, and 4. the real reason, he could no tengage in his usual partisan attacks on republicans but instead would be expected to praise the greatest president, a republican.
I guess he couldn't find it in himself to honor a Republican.
"President Obama could have used this occasion to offer words of healing and reconciliation – as his Illinois forefather once did,"
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Give me a break! Reconciliation? When you've got bigots standing in front of the White House waving the Confederate Flag. Really!?!? When these Tea Party racists call THIS President every foul thing besides for a child of God. Lincoln is rolling over in his grave seeing what has become of his party.
Either way Republicans would attack him.
Mr. Obama probably doesn't want his presence to become an excuse for the Right to evicerate the National Park Service.
He's the President of the most influential nation in the world. He obviously has much more important work to do than show up at celebrations and stroke patriotic egos. The Gettysburg event is lovely sentiment, but ultimately a waste of time and money if there are more serious matters to attend, and I'm sure there are many.
Progressive liberals like Obama and the rest of the Democrat Party want Americans to forget their history, forget their past, forget their traditions. Why would Obama want to go there and reinforce all that? It would hurt their agenda.
Besides, Lincoln was a uniter. Obama is a divider. They are two very different people.
A True Conservative
you are no Lincoln.....
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name one GOP president in the last century who has been one....and DO NOT say St (change my diapers) Ronnie
All considerations of tradition, honor, or simply what's the right thing to do are insignificant in the shadow of what's the most politically beneficial decision. Nothing this Administration does is decided-upon with any other consideration in mind.
Just think of the pain this inflicts upon poor FauxNews. They had their "Obama spends tens of millions of dollars to grandstand at Gettysburg" propaganda all written, and now they have to rewrite it to "Obama snubs Gettysburg."
Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't. If he did attend, people would be complaining that he's not FOCUSED on the important business of the ACA/Benghazi/IRS/Iran/Israel/the economy/WHATEVER!
Why would anyone be surprised that he isn't interested in attending an event that celebrates the successes of a Republican President ?
No matter what the president does someone will fault him for it. Best to do nothing and concentrate on more substantive matters that need his attention.
No campaigning needed here. He has tried to rewrite enough history, leave gettysburg alone please .
"Critics will assail" Obama for drawing breath. No president has received such constant harassment and obstruction for purely partisan reasons- the GOP has no shame.
The rich white men that have taken this country to the brink made it possible for a man of color to actually become president. Obama's election TWICE is a tribute to what Lincoln accomplished, and NO the Republicans of today bear no resemblance to those of Lincoln's day.
Smart move. He didn't want to be upstaged by Lincoln who is not even alive.
What a joke this guy is.
It's called fear, no one that has any principle wants to go see a liar. And how sad is it that many people will go pour 20,000 or more for a plate to go see a liar, I guess those people have no morality.
@jeckhard–
Like his golf swing.
That argument that not going prevents him from stealing the spotlight is silly. The media spotlight he would have brought with him would have far outshone any media spotlight that Address will have without the president's attendance, so that even if he stole some of that spotlight it still would have cast a much larger light on the event than it would have otherwise.
I think he's just shying away from the spotlight himself given his low poll numbers due to his recent failures.
My guess is that he has a round of golf scheduled on that day...
"Yeah, yeah, Lincoln, whatever. Now watch this drive."
Fair is Fair
Ahhhh... nothing like an Ann Romney story to get the trolls foaming at the mouth to start the week. What next? Sarah Palin? Ted Cruz?
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Right, because if this were a story about the spouse of a two time loser DEM your ilk would post nothing but kindness. Hypocritical much?