Eww - Jenna's and Laura's letter is as inelegant, hamfisted, and clumsy as their dad

[Rabrrrrrr]

I just listened to them reading their letter on the Today show. I hadn't read or seen it before, so it was new to me.

For two supposed college graduates, they sure put together a fairly pedantic bit of prose that reads like something a junior higher would write. But that's not surprising - I don't think they went to college so much because of a love of learning and an insatiable curiosity about the world. I think they went to college more because that's what one does; and probably looked at it more as a time to party and get laid, and that classes are really just about learning some job skills. The president's daughters looking at higher education as tech school for moneyed drunks.

And I don't think it's a case of them writing to two young children, either. I have a distinct feeling that that is the extent of their literacy.

[BeachBaby]

1. Don't you mean Jenna and Barbara?

But yeah - it sucked. :)

[Midlodemocrat]

2. Maybe they were trying to make the letter appeal to the audience for which it was intended?

Not excusing them; they're buffoons. Just a thought.

[arcadian]

3. Was the letter to Malia and Sasha?

Like a welcome to the Whithouse letter?

[Rabrrrrrr]

5. Yes, that's what it was.

[arcadian]

9. They probably trying to be intentionally stupid and silly.

I don't know.

[PeaceNikki]

4. I can't bring myself to hate them.

Their father's bullshit isn't their fault.

Jenna even invited Ellen to marry Portia at the Crawford Ranch.

[Rabrrrrrr]

6. Oh, I don't hate them. I just think they're dumb.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

12. Ohhhhh Nose!

Can you imagine that scene? Ellen and her SO getting married at that Hell hole? Ouch.

[NJmaverick]

7. They are certainly on a major PR campaign

sickening. The Bush's will stoop to any low, to try and improve their image.

[SoxFan]

8. A lot of people of their generation can't write

The college professors I have talked to all say the same thing. Over the past ten to fifteen years, there has been a marked decline in the writing skills of their students. Maybe it's a by-product of the digital era, where there is a greater tendency to fire off quick missives rather than compose longer pieces.

[Chan790]

11. Having TAed a college-level creative writing class...

I can vouch for that. The dept. chair made us revise grading metrics half-way though a semester as A=publishable and B=needs minor revision was going to yield a lot of Ds and Fs for a class full of English and Journalism majors. Mind you, these are kids who think they're able to write and want to write the "great American novel" or work for the WaPo or NYTimes.

Not surprisingly, the ability to write well is dependent on reading frequently. I don't think any of these kids had pleasure-read in half a decade.

[Beer Snob-50]

10. you think they got laid in college?

just curious.

[RFKHumphreyObama]

13. I thought it was a beautiful and sweet thing to do

But I did wonder this -who made the letter public? A note like that, if written in genuine sincerity, should have its contents kept confidential unless the recipients of the note agreed to make the note public or were at least consulted about making the note public knowledge IMO.

But now I'm reading that they are shamelessly hawking the contents of their letter on national TV so that the whole public can see what they've written. That to me seems at best cheap and tacky and makes me wonder about the motives of the letter beyond it being a public relations exercise designed to make the Bushies look better. I wonder now if they even wrote the thing or whether Karen Hughes or someone else wrote it

[Rabrrrrrr]

14. They wrote it as an open letter, for all the world to see. And yes, that's tacky.

It IS a great idea, and I think rather thoughtful of them to have written it.

But it isn't very good, and it does seem rather self-serving, especially the way they slip in lauds for their father and grandfather.

I wouldn't be surprised if Karen Hughes (or equivalent) had something to do with it.

[ScreamingMeemie]

24. They were asked by the Today show to read it.

Remember, Obama also published an open letter to his daughters.

http://www.parade.com/export/sites/default/news/2009/01/barack-obama-letter-to-my-daughters.html

[Marrah_G]

15. I hate the bashing of the children for fun

Just really rubs be the wrong way.

[Kali]

16. seems to me they (the "children") are out there publically asking for it

so I have no problem "bashing" them

[Marrah_G]

17. I don't mean children as in age, but rather in relationship

I dislike seeing it done to Chelsea, to the twins, to Amy, etc.

Soon enouhg the Obama girls will be teen and college students.

One might even act out or behave a bit wild.

We don't know the future.

You are of course always free do do as you see fit, but I'm just stating I find it in really poor taste.

[Kali]

19. I was refering to the active seeking of celeberty status.

I find their behavior (and that of the people behind them) to be not only in poor taste but dishonest and irresponsible.

[Rabrrrrrr]

20. Okay - the Bush twins now have carte blanche because they are free from critique in perpetuity.

Thanks for spelling that out for us.

No matter what public act they might perform, I am glad to know that the world must now must approve wholeheartedly, or, if they don't, to shut up about it.

Man, I wish I could live in such a protective bubble as you like to create for people.

:eyes:

[Marrah_G]

23. Careful you don't choke on all that snark.

[Rabrrrrrr]

25. Try not to choke on all that ludicrousness.

[rurallib]

18. Who can ever forget the difference between the Kerry daughters

and Jenna & Barbara in 2004? Class and intelligence on one side; overgrown little girls on the other.

[peekaloo]

21. Mutt and Merrydeath were almost in tears "it was so touching".

comparing their daddy's "integrity" made me larf.

"When your dad throws out the first pitch at the Yankees game, go." Rather weird since Doofus the "Uniter" did that AFTER 9/11 to show how tough he was on terra.

[Rabrrrrrr]

22. Yep - Shrubbie showed in NYC for a few days to speak high words, then went back to hating it

and calling NYC a bunch of elitist liberal unpatriotic fucks, while he blatantly refused to give ANY of the $40 billion in aid he promised while he stood so triumphantly on the rubble of the WTC, turning tragedy into a photo op for his own make glorious Bush photo of warriorness!

Asshole.