Rove commencement address canceled.
Under heavy pressure from students, New England prep school Choate Rosemary Hall has decided to cancel Karl Rove’s address at its commencement ceremony this year. Instead, Rove will speak to the campus on Feb. 11. Headmaster Edward J. Shanahan said that about “80 percent of the communications he received from students, parents and alumni supported having Rove speak with students in a setting outside a graduation.”
Sort Comments By: Top Rated | Date
70 Responses to “Rove commencement address canceled.”
Register
RSSLogin
View Most Popular
Visit Our Affiliated Site
What We're About
What We're Fighting For
What We're Fighting Against
Featured
Subscribe to the Progress Report
Got a hot tip?
Have a hot news tip? We'd love to hear from you. Use the form below to send us the latest.
Reports
In depth studies on select topics
Topic CloudView topics sorted by popularity
Afghanistan
Beck
Big Oil
Bolton
Bush
Cheney
Civil Rights
Dobbs
Drudge
Economy
Energy
Environment
Ethics
Feith
Fox News
GI Bill
Global Warming
Gore
Guantanamo
Hagee
Health Care
Immigration
Impeachment
Iran
Iraq
Justice
Kristol
LGBT
Lieberman
McCain
McClellan
Media
Military
O'Hanlon
O'Reilly
Obama
Politics
Race
Radical Right
Rove
Terrorism
Torture
Veterans
Wiretapping
Women's Rights
ArchivesBlog RollAbout Think ProgressContact Us
Donate
I’d like to have a word with him. Maybe the headmaster can arrange that.
January 28th, 2008 at 2:47 pmapproved… go for it…
the more b.s. we get on the record from this pos, the better…
January 28th, 2008 at 2:48 pm“80 percent of the communications he received from students, parents and alumni supported having Rove speak with students in a setting outside a graduation.â€
That is to say, 80% opposed the porcine one from speaking at graduation.
January 28th, 2008 at 2:49 pmThe headmaster is obviously having a difficult time trying to put lipstick on this pig.
January 28th, 2008 at 2:50 pmI have the feeling if the headmaster did succeed in putting lipstick on this pig it wouldn’t be the first time this pig had lipstick on.
January 28th, 2008 at 2:52 pmWay to go students…
January 28th, 2008 at 2:53 pmRove, get the hint, you are not wanted.
January 28th, 2008 at 2:54 pm“80 percent of the communications he received from students, parents and alumni supported having Rove speak with students in a setting outside a graduation.â€
The 80 percent said, “Yeah, have Karl meet us outside in the parking lot afterward. We want to explain a few things to him, if you know what we mean.”
January 28th, 2008 at 2:57 pmhas there been any difinitive information about which campaign
he is working with these days? any one in particular? or all over?
it’s easy to pick up wiffs of him occasionally…
January 28th, 2008 at 2:57 pmi thought i’d heard a rumor but can’t remember the details…
Since we can’t get any other satisfaction with these scumbags at least they’re learning how the American people feel about them. What’s sad is our children have to say it for us.
January 28th, 2008 at 2:59 pmV-I-C-T-O-R-Y!! Hooray for the students, parents and alumni for taking a stand for decency.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:02 pm“having Rove speak with students in a setting outside a graduation”
He should be speaking from Prison in a nice orange suit.
I do not believe for a second that 80% of the students and parents are that stupid.
Buck Fush
January 28th, 2008 at 3:03 pman appropriate compromise.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:03 pm#12 - As tom noted at #4, the headmaster is applying Max Factor to that snout at a furious rate. My guess is that 80% of the call and letters were in the vein of “If you MUST have this man speak to the students, at least make it a voluntary attendance event instead of required attendance like graduation”.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:08 pmWhat could a clown like Rove have to say to ANYONE let alone high school kids? People like Rove and Limbaugh and Hannity are living proof that what’s wrong with America is not the Democratic Party.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:09 pm“has there been any difinitive information about which campaign
he is working with these days?”
My guess is Hillary’s… look how it was run for South Carolina. Just sayin’.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:13 pmSilence dissent? What are you prattling on about. The students dissented. Don’t you think they should have a say in who speaks at their commencement? Especially when it comes to a dirty, cheating dog like Rove.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:15 pmComment by Liberals Are Filled With Hate — January 28, 2008 @ 3:11 pm
I thought we we’re “bleeding heart liberals” or is that moniker passe?
January 28th, 2008 at 3:16 pm“J - HA! Hillary is running a blatently racist campaign. The MSM claims that Rove ran a negative campaign in SC in 2000. Only problem is that they never produced any evidence of that. AND with McCain blatently lying about Romney’s record on Iraq, it’s pretty obvious he would lie about those “robo-calls†made in 2000. He is a liar. So is Hillary.
Comment by Liberals Are Filled With Hate — January 28, 2008 @ 3:15 pm”
Wow, delusional and hateful. Pleasure to read you.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:16 pmThe narrow minded hatred the left displays for conservatives is frightening. Yet, you people cry that Republicans are haters - YOU ARE! AND this move to silence dissent is just another example.
Comment by Liberals Are Filled With Hate — January 28, 2008 @ 3:11 pm
I don’t hate Republicans… I just hate what they have done to our country. Now why don’t you move along to another site that supports your right wing ideology.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:16 pm“Yet, you people cry that Republicans are haters - YOU ARE! AND this move to silence dissent is just another example.”
Comment by Liberals Are Filled With Hate — January 28, 2008 @ 3:11 pm
Actually it was the students who did this, not the “Left”. The type of politics that Rove represents is poison to the future of our democracy and these High School students are obviously smarter than you for seeing it.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:17 pmComment by Sabyen91 — January 28, 2008 @ 3:15 pm
The troll at 16 thinks only conservatives should have freedom of speech. The student who didn’t want to listen to Rove and voiced their opinions don’t have that same right in reichspeak.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:18 pmGoodness, George Orwell would be proud of the left-wing thought police. How dare someone have something to say in favor of America or conservative principles.
The narrow minded hatred the left displays for conservatives is frightening. Yet, you people cry that Republicans are haters - YOU ARE! AND this move to silence dissent is just another example.
Comment by Liberals Are Filled With Hate — January 28, 2008 @ 3:11 pm
NO!
YOU ARE!
SO THERE!
THHHPPPHTT!
moron.
we’ve heard enough of the shit that spews from his exhaust port.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:18 pmyours too.
“#19 - then I don’t want Billary at my commencement because they lied about a vast right wing conspiracy and called Obama a Muslim??
Using your logic, if you don’t agree with someone’s politics, you demand a different speaker. That is fascism you shit for brains.
Comment by Liberals Are Filled With Hate — January 28, 2008 @ 3:17 pm”
Then write your headmaster, jackass. You would hate Billary speaking and you would definitely protest it. Don’t be a hypocrite. And that is democracy, not fascism. Buy a dictionary.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:19 pm“How dare someone have something to say in favor of America or conservative principles.”
Because conservatism is an intellectual scam?
January 28th, 2008 at 3:19 pmthen I don’t want Billary at my commencement because they lied about a vast right wing conspiracy and called Obama a Muslim??
Using your logic, if you don’t agree with someone’s politics, you demand a different speaker. That is fascism you shit for brains.
Comment by Liberals Are Filled With Hate — January 28, 2008 @ 3:17 pm
We believe that if a graduating class did infact not want Bill or Hillary as their speaker then they should express their dissatisfaction. But since you obviously couldn’t graduate from kindergarten what you feel is reason to keep them from speaking doesn’t mean sh*t.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:20 pm“#22 - I hate what liberals have done to this country. Cheering for a recession, death and mutiliation of our soldiers in Iraq, constantly sympathizing with our enemies to hinder the War on Terror and the daily race-baiting and fear mongering over the environment is disgusting.
Comment by Liberals Are Filled With Hate — January 28, 2008 @ 3:18 pm”
Is that you, little Mikey Savage-Weiner?
January 28th, 2008 at 3:20 pmCAPTION CONTEST:
“What do you mean, the “King Tut” isn’t done this way?”
January 28th, 2008 at 3:20 pmI have reported the latest troll and urge others to do likewise. Don’t feed them.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:21 pmUsing your logic, if you don’t agree with someone’s politics, you demand a different speaker. That is fascism you shit for brains.
Comment by Liberals Are Filled With Hate — January 28, 2008 @ 3:17 pm
Yes, yes. Requesting a new speaker is clearly in violation of that little known Constitutional guaratee to have the original speaker at your high school commencement.
Clearly fascism. Thanks for pointing that out to us shit brains
January 28th, 2008 at 3:22 pmI think David Gregory in the background says it all about so-called “liberal media.”
January 28th, 2008 at 3:22 pmDear ThinkProgess friends-
Nice blog over at CalculatedRisk reminding us NOT TO FEED THE TROLLS. I highly recommend it.
http://calculatedrisk.blogspot.com/2008/01/commenting.html
Good work by the kids at Choate. I wouldn’t want Rove at my commencement either. Yuck.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:25 pmI hate what liberals have done to this country. Cheering for a recession, death and mutiliation of our soldiers in Iraq, constantly sympathizing with our enemies to hinder the War on Terror and the daily race-baiting and fear mongering over the environment is disgusting.
Comment by Liberals Are Filled With Hate — January 28, 2008 @ 3:18 pm
hey! you forgot murdering unborn babies!
LAFWH - Zero credibility!
January 28th, 2008 at 3:25 pm“Using your logic, if you don’t agree with someone’s politics, you demand a different speaker. That is fascism you shit for brains.”
Comment by Liberals Are Filled With Hate — January 28, 2008 @ 3:17 pm
Actually, I think the word you are looking for when the majority of people make a decision for change is “Democratic”.
Way to fly off the handle and make your moniker as ironic as possible, though.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:26 pmLAFWH:
Uh, actually, I _don’t_ want Hillary at my commencement. Not because she called Obama a Muslim (that meme was started by you guys) but because I don’t support her politics.
If you have a pol at your commencement that you don’t agree with, then do what the students did — send in a petition asking that the Uni not use that pol. If it works, then you’re in the same boat as these students. if it doesn’t, then you have to go to the next step and sit your graduation ceremony out and just get your diploma mailed to you.
No big deal either way…and to borrow your crowed message of 2000 and 2004: “You lost. Get over it.”
January 28th, 2008 at 3:28 pmComment by Liberals Are Filled With Hate — January 28, 2008 @ 3:18 pm
Did you see Cloverfield yet? If you did, did you like it? If not, you should see it.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:30 pmLiberals ARE filled with h.a.t.e.
H = humanity
January 28th, 2008 at 3:31 pmA = altruism
T = tolerance
E = equality
Actually, I think the word you are looking for when the majority of people make a decision for change is “Democraticâ€.
Comment by J
Bushbots think 20% is a majority. They look at Bush’s approval ratings and think he is wildly popular.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:31 pmComment by PatrioticLiberalChristian — January 28, 2008 @ 3:31 pm
Gee, project much?
January 28th, 2008 at 3:31 pmOops, sorry, didn’t read what you actually spelled out there, PLC…
January 28th, 2008 at 3:32 pmComment by Liberals Are Filled With Hate — January 28, 2008 @ 3:18 pm
“I hate what liberals have done to this country.”
– Fascists generally hate anyone with a dissenting viewpoint.
“Cheering for a recession…”
– Nobody is cheering for a recession. Many of us are working class people living from paycheck to paycheck and struggling to stay afloat, let alone get ahead. Just because we point out that the Emperor isn’t wearing any clothes doesn’t mean we favor nudity.
“…death and mutiliation of our soldiers in Iraq…”
– Since when has anyone “cheered” for the death and mutilation of our soldiers anywhere? If you’d been paying attention, you’d have noticed that it’s the liberals who have been fighting for down time for our troops, fighting for proper equipment and armor, fighting for decent pay and benefits, fighting for proper care for injured personnel, and fighting to get them out of Iraq altogether. We see them as people, not expendable political fodder.
“…constantly sympathizing with our enemies to hinder the War on Terror”
– Um…what enemies have we been sympathizing with? Can you give some examples?
“…and the daily race-baiting…”
– While you’re at it, give some examples here, too.
“…and fear mongering over the environment…”
– OK, I admit that we ARE trying to get people to care about the planet. It’s the only one we have, after all. Why do you hate the earth?
“…is disgusting.”
January 28th, 2008 at 3:37 pm– Judging from your post, I suspect that the primary reason you are “disgusted” with liberals is that we have logical arguments for our positions and all you have are soundbites from conservative talk shows.
“in a setting outside a graduation”
Like a sentencing?
January 28th, 2008 at 3:39 pmWhen I was in college, I was a conservative, which I believed meant: rule of law, and balanced budget.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:43 pmNothing the Repubs. have done in the past, at least 7+ years of chimp et. al.’s rule remotely resembles that creedo.
able as
Bushbots think 20% is a majority. They look at Bush’s approval ratings and think he is wildly popular.
Comment by shoeless — January 28, 2008 @ 3:31 pm
Haha! 20% a majority? That’s a borderline “mandate”.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:43 pmComment by Liberals Are Filled With Hate — January 28, 2008 @ 3:18 pm
Wow… what an irrational, hate filled screed.
Get help… you need it.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:44 pmPoor KKKarl can’t get no Love?
Well maybe he needs to understand the vast majority of this country dislike HIM and what he stands for.
Maybe he needs to learn the people of this country want something which he FOUGHT tooth and nail against.
Maybe he needs to STFU and just slink away to rot under a stone somewhere, instead of rotting in public.
And if he wants love, I hear James Dale Guckert is not currently working ……
January 28th, 2008 at 3:52 pmmissmolly:
Bravo!
January 28th, 2008 at 3:53 pmRove has no academic credentials to be giving this address in the first place!! A high school graduate like him is more fitting to speak at some dumb f–k Texas junior college where he belongs!!!
January 28th, 2008 at 3:53 pmMy question is: is Rove still going to speaking paid for speaking and if he is, how much and by whom?
January 28th, 2008 at 3:54 pmMaybe the school should try and get Gore to speak, and pay him way more than Rove!
I thought commencement speakers were supposed to be people who can serve as role models for graduating students. Does that school really want do present Karl Rove as a role model?
Good for the students and faculty for insisting on having their needs respected. And on the school for listening to them and respecting their wishes.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:59 pmIt’s fine to have Rove speak at some other event where the students, faculty and parents can choose not to go see him. By having Rove as the commencement speaker, they forced the students, faculty and parents to protest, since their only choice to avoid Rove would have been to not attend their own graduation ceremony.
January 28th, 2008 at 4:03 pmHaving a political hack who never received a college degree and who has likely committed treason is not a great choice for a commencement speaker.
He’d be better on an episode of Dateline NBC on-line predators.
-GSD
January 28th, 2008 at 4:04 pmWow, Liberals Are Filled With Hate thinks that if students are allowed to have a say in who their commencement speaker is, that is fascism. Don’t you love all the new definitions the Republiscums have come up with for fascism (islamofascists, etc). If they bothered to look up the definition of the word they would see that not allowing the students to have a say in who their commencement speaker was would be fascism.
These trolls are very tiresome. I no longer talk to them, I talk about them. It’s rather empowering. Try it, you might like it. And when they stop getting the direct attention they think they deserve, maybe they will go somewhere else to play.
January 28th, 2008 at 4:14 pmBeautiful — simply beautiful! This mostly student-run protest is a most appropriate response to a man who cannot speak to morals and values … except how to ignore them.
January 28th, 2008 at 4:20 pmComment by Liberals Are Filled With Hate — January 28, 2008 @ 3:18 pm
I hate what conservatives have done to this country. Cheering for excessive oil profits, doing nothing about the abuses wrought upon our soldiers by contractors, cheering on while torture happens in our name, and the daily race-baiting (Harold Ford and the Playboy Mansion ad) and fear mongering over terrorism is disgusting.
Your wingnut talking points are obsolete and have zero credibility. There is no liberal cheering for a recession or a terrorist attack. You must be confusing the Republican wingnut who said our country needed another terrorist attack in order to fully appreciate W or the columnist saying that another one would help America.
January 28th, 2008 at 4:31 pmYet when students demand another speaker for their graduation ceremony (notice how the troll leaves out that the faculty agreed to have him speak on Feb. 11 and 80% of the emails from parents and students agreed) that is fascism. But when Bush throws out peaceful protesters at his rallies, that is not fascism.
January 28th, 2008 at 4:33 pmComment by missmolly — January 28, 2008 @ 3:37 pm
He has to call Limbaugh to ask for some examples, because he’s intellectually bankrupt and cannot get them for himself.
January 28th, 2008 at 4:35 pmRove is a (o(ksucker, traitor and anybody who wants to spend somebody else’s money to give him an amplified voice is a (hi(ken$hit. He should be babbling his drivel from solitary.
January 28th, 2008 at 4:46 pm#16 LAFWH
How dare someone have something to say in favor of America…
You misspelled “spin for the Dubya regime with lies and revisionist ‘history’….”
No charge. I do this kind of work for free (lots more there for your perusal as well).
Cheers,
January 28th, 2008 at 4:47 pmKarl’s “free speech zone” should be a prison cell. Liar, criminal, traitor.
January 28th, 2008 at 4:48 pmDoesn’t it say somewhere in the Bible, “follow the children and they shall lead”?
January 28th, 2008 at 4:52 pm#16 LAFWH
How dare someone have something to say in favor of America…
Rove is as anti-American as they come. This pig lies, cheats, steals, commits treason for his extreme ideology. He was willing to destroy Brewster Jennings for political gain. Power hungry to the point of breaking any civilized moral code.
January 28th, 2008 at 4:55 pm#18 LAFWH:
AND with McCain blatently [sic] lying about Romney’s record on Iraq, it’s pretty obvious he would lie about those “robo-calls†made in 2000. He is a liar.
Speaking of Robo-Calls, I just got one an hour ago from Mitt Romney’s campaign (or so it claims). It opens (with Mitt’s voice, I assume, and it later claims to be him):
“Arnold, Happy Channukah!….”
Good job, Mitt. First, my name is “Arne”, not “Arnold”, and second, I’m not one that celebrates Channukah.
I’m just a tad surprised that Mitt would be wishing me a “Happy Channukah” … and on January 28th, no less.
Maybe someone’s doing a “Roger Stone” on Romney here too, eh? Or is Romney truly that clueless?!?!? FWIW, caller ID gave a Minnesota (”612″) area code … but those can be fudged.
Cheers,
January 28th, 2008 at 4:59 pmDoesn’t it say somewhere in the Bible, “follow the children and they shall lead�
Comment by BloggerRadio.com — January 28, 2008 @ 4:52 pm
Not sure, maybe you might ask Daryll. What I do know is that Sham 69, said “If the kids are united, they can never be divided”
January 28th, 2008 at 5:00 pm#23 LAFWH
#19 - then I don’t want Billary at my commencement….
She may not still be alive in 2027. So don’t fret too much.
Cheers,
January 28th, 2008 at 5:03 pmMaybe the rest of ‘em can get Kennedy for the Commencment. I hear he’ll work for scotch.
Comment by O. Bigfoot — January 28, 2008 @ 5:28 pm
Rove works for the blood of American troops. I’ll take Kennedy any day; his kill rate is much lower than Rove’s.
January 28th, 2008 at 6:05 pmO. Bigfoot: What do you do for a living?
January 28th, 2008 at 6:56 pm“Living” being a relative term.
January 28th, 2008 at 6:57 pmbullsh*t.
January 28th, 2008 at 8:40 pmJ - HA! Hillary is running a blatently(SIC) racist campaign. The MSM claims that Rove ran a negative campaign in SC in 2000. Only problem is that they never produced any evidence of that. AND with McCain blatently(SIC) lying about Romney’s record on Iraq, it’s pretty obvious he would lie about those “robo-calls†made in 2000. He is a liar.
Comment by Liberals Are Filled With Hate — January 28, 2008 @ 3:15 pm
A lot of liberals were disappointed with the way the Clintons campaigned in South Carolina, LAFWH-aka-NeoConsFartTerrorists. I just love the way trolls like you (falsely) claim that liberals/progressives are trying to cut off your freedom of speech, when you can freely post your hate-filled blather here. Liberals who have tried to post even a mild comment on rightwing blogs like redstate get banned immediately. As for KKKRove’s right to speak, no one on the left is stopping him; maybe they just don’t want to pay for it.
January 29th, 2008 at 2:53 am