Obama Is a Constitutional Law Professor

[Stephanie]

Editiing to explain that the talking heads on MSNBC are arguing about Obama not praying in public today on "National Prayer Day." Pat Buchanan is incensed.


Obama ends Bush-era National Prayer Day service at White House

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. --US Constitution

Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his god, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their "legislature" should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between church and State. Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience, I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore to man all his natural rights, convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties. --Thomas Jefferson

[mmonk]

1. So was Robert Bork.

[DireStrike]

2. edit: never mind, my post was wrong

[merh]

15. We know you aren't

You have a horrible habit of refusing to understand the issues when explained. You just accept the slanted interpretations that suit your needs.

[mmonk]

22. Thank you.

I'm so grateful you are my judge. While I agree with separation of church and state and thus have no problem with Obama on the prayer issue, I was reminding people that being a scholar doesn't mean all who are make the right decisions. Again, Thanks for you understanding of my horrible refusing to understand anything except slanted interpretations that serve my needs.

[Political Heretic]

24. You are right of course, despite the personal attack you received.

[mmonk]

25. Thank you very much.

I see people use the "constitutional scholar" moniker from all sides of the political spectrum, even when their views are divergent. It is used as a way of trying to bolster an argument (sometimes correctly and sometimes incorrectly) to get people to acquiesce to opinions or decisions. I would tend to agree with the argument of the op.

[The_Commonist]

3. Actually, he WAS a Constitutional Law Professor...

Now he's the President of the United States.

[Seeking Serenity]

4. To be fair to all the professors out there,

President Obama was never a "law professor," but rather an "instructor."

I know people use the term "professor" as a generic title to almost anyone who teaches at the collegiate or post-graduate level (much like the use of "Kleenex" to refer to any facial tissue, or "Coke" to refer to any carbonated soda), but to reach the level of professor requires years of classroom teaching and research and publishing, etc.

I know (or knew, back in the day) several professors who took great exception to the term "professor" being so liberally and inappropriately applied.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

6. Barack Obama was a professor.

It was in his title, the University of Chicago has said as much.

I know several professors who took great exception to the RW smear campaign claiming that Barack Obama was not a professor.

[hayu_lol]

8. Grad students generally help run large classes...

they are called lecturers. Obama was never a professor...certainly not of Constitutional Law.

Are we so reduced that we must encourage the rewriting of history?

[Occam Bandage]

11. University of Chicago: "Barack Obama served as a professor in the Law School"

The Law School has received many media requests about Barack Obama, especially about his status as "Senior Lecturer." From 1992 until his election to the U.S. Senate in 2004, Barack Obama served as a professor in the Law School. He was a Lecturer from 1992 to 1996. He was a Senior Lecturer from 1996 to 2004, during which time he taught three courses per year. Senior Lecturers are considered to be members of the Law School faculty and are regarded as professors, although not full-time or tenure-track. The title of Senior Lecturer is distinct from the title of Lecturer, which signifies adjunct status. Like Obama, each of the Law School's Senior Lecturers have high-demand careers in politics or public service, which prevent full-time teaching. Several times during his 12 years as a professor in the Law School, Obama was invited to join the faculty in a full-time tenure-track position, but he declined.

http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html

[Lex]

16. Are we so reduced that we repeat right-wing nonsense here now?

nt

[Occam Bandage]

9. Barack Obama was a professor. UChicago has explicitly said as much. nt

[Political Tiger]

10. University Of Chicago: Obama Was A Professor

Today, the University of Chicago released the following statement:

The Law School has received many media requests about Barack Obama, especially about his status as "Senior Lecturer." From 1992 until his election to the U.S. Senate in 2004, Barack Obama served as a professor in the Law School. He was a Lecturer from 1992 to 1996. He was a Senior Lecturer from 1996 to 2004, during which time he taught three courses per year. Senior Lecturers are considered to be members of the Law School faculty and are regarded as professors, although not full-time or tenure-track. The title of Senior Lecturer is distinct from the title of Lecturer, which signifies adjunct status. Like Obama, each of the Law School's Senior Lecturers have high-demand careers in politics or public service, which prevent full-time teaching. Several times during his 12 years as a professor in the Law School, Obama was invited to join the faculty in a full-time tenure-track position, but he declined.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/28/university-of-chicago-ob_n_93896.html

[Ocracoker16]

12. Ok, President Obama was a constitution law instructor

Now that I have used the correct term, I would be interested in how making this distinction is relevant to this thread.

[Occam Bandage]

13. The correct term is "professor," per the University of Chicago.

http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html

[Seeking Serenity]

14. I stand corrected. (n/t)

[KansDem]

5. "Obama Is a Constitutional Law Professor"

Hey, why doesn't he fill the vacant seat on the SCOTUS? Really!

Is there anything in the Constitution that states the POTUS can't also be a SCOTUS justice?

[DireStrike]

18. LOL. Well it's already taking him extremely long to get anything done

He doesn't need more on his plate.

[Occam Bandage]

19. "taking him extremely long"

Name a non-FDR President who did more in less time.

[Occam Bandage]

7. Obama is a White Sox fan.

Yeah. Huh? Huh? Huh? (I'm) faster than you, you fuckin' son of a...I saw you comin', you fuck, shit-heel. I'm standin' here. You make the move. You make the move. It's your move. Don't try it, you fucker. You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? Well, who the hell else are you talkin' to? You talkin' to me? Well, I'm the only one here. Who the fuck do you think you're talkin' to? Oh yeah? Huh? OK. Huh? -- Travis Bickle, Taxi Driver.

Love is like the wild rose-briar;
Friendship like the holly-tree.
The holly is dark when the rose-briar blooms,
But which will bloom most constantly? - Emily Bronte

[Journeyman]

17. "Obama will sign a proclamation to recognize the day." . . .

He's not getting rid of National Prayer Day, he just isn't going to host a party celebrating it.

Quite different from building an inviolate wall . . .



http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/05/obama-cancels-national-prayer-day-service.html

[Stephanie]

21. It's a step in the right direction

[Journeyman]

23. A step in what direction -- reducing the White House entertainment budget? . . .

It's certainly not a move toward compliance with Mr Jefferson's oft-cited view, nor is it a repudiation of the idea of a "National Day of Prayer." It seems all he's done is clear his morning calendar and cut the cost for donuts and coffee.

[RoccoR5955]

20. AFAIC, prayer is only good for the dead anyway.

To have a day to "talk" to someone who lives in the clouds, with no real proof of it's existence has always sounded silly to me.

Then again, lots of people believe in a talking snake.