Invite Obama to Atlanta, we already did

[artdutra04]

Originally Posted by Molten

I don't know. Personally, I don't think he belongs there. He should be writing laws and negotiating with other countries. FIRST is very important to me and to many others, but it really is not the most important thing for this country. Let Obama fix the economy, then he can worry about robotics. Afterall, with engineering outlook, that would be doing us all a huge favor.

Just a heads up, the President doesn't write laws, elected officials in Congress do.

[Viper37]

Originally Posted by Molten

Let Obama try to fix the economy, then he can worry about robotics.

Fixed.

[Tetraman]

Here is a better idea: Tell Dean Kamen to get Obama. It would be a much easier for one of our greatest inventors of our time to invite a president to an event then it would for a group of students. Yes I agree that if we were a complete legion and everyone in FIRST asked Mr. Obama to join us for atlanta there would be just a good a chance for him to attend, but lets get real for a second. A Webcast would probably be easiest, and a pre-recoreded video would be even easier.

Also, reminder - keep the political stuff at a min.

[Koko Ed]

Originally Posted by CraigHickman

To be brutally honest, I doubt any current president will be able to attend Champs. Here's my reasoning:

A. It's open to the general public. This makes security an even larger nightmare.
B. Teams enter and exit with toolcrates constantly. This creates a security environment that is inoperable for a president. It would be disturbingly easy to smuggle a firearm into a FRC competition, hence the lack of likely hood of his attending.
C. We're not big enough. This is the president we're talking about here, folks. This is the most powerful man in the world. We aren't big enough yet. We're close, but this is the man who single-handedly packs millions for speeches.

I believe when he was president Bush Senior attended the initial FIRST championship in '92.

[merybar]

It may be a slight inconvience getting into the Dome however i think its something that can be done. It wouldnt take to long to be searched headed into the arena the normal way, as well as, the tunnel could easily be searched and controlled. It would make a pretty big statement to the first community if the President of the United States made it to the Championship.

[Kyle Fenton]

Originally Posted by CraigHickman

To be brutally honest, I doubt any current president will be able to attend Champs. Here's my reasoning:

A. It's open to the general public. This makes security an even larger nightmare.
B. Teams enter and exit with toolcrates constantly. This creates a security environment that is inoperable for a president. It would be disturbingly easy to smuggle a firearm into a FRC competition, hence the lack of likely hood of his attending.
C. We're not big enough. This is the president we're talking about here, folks. This is the most powerful man in the world. We aren't big enough yet. We're close, but this is the man who single-handedly packs millions for speeches.

Exactly, there is no way that the secret service would ever allow the president to go in an arena like the Georgia Dome. There are too many positions and scenarios where someone could inflict harm to him. Also it puts all of the attendees at even greater risk, if there was even a hint of him coming to it.

The best option for him would be to give a pre recorded video speech for all to see. George Bush did this in 06.

[RyanB]

I would just like to say that i think FIRST IS big enough for the president to speak at, for we are the fix to the future. I get that he he has a lot on his plate but i would hate for the FIRST community to see themselves as some how not worthy of having the president at their championship. With the help of Mr. Obama we can really make a difference.

[JesseK]

My team wrote three letters to Obama's organisation after he got elected. We wanted him to attend the DC regional, or at least make a 10 minute appearance. He's only a 5 minute car ride away after all, right? All three responses were that it's too close to the start of his term and there are so many issues to deal with that it would be very difficult to find time for security to set up for an appearance.

We'll try again next year, and the year after that, and every year we go to the DC regional. As for Atlanta ... that's the Secret Service's nightmare ... so he'd have to really want to go. The only way to do that is to get a HUGE amount of teams, including those who aren't attending, to write letters. Hop to it!

The best option for him would be to give a pre recorded video speech for all to see. George Bush did this in 06.

This is a good idea...

[Daniel_LaFleur]

Wow, so much Negativity here on ChiefDelphi.

1> President Obama thinks so highly of Science and Technology that he put it into his inaugural speech.
2> I believe FIRST fits into his vision of the future of Science and Technology.
3> His people are quite capable of deciding if the security risk is worth coming to Atlanta.

So lets just invite him, and let him make the decision.

[EricVanWyk]

Lets keep the political talk to a minimum, I wouldn't want to see this thread closed because it devolved into a "I Love/Hate Obama" mess.

My hope is that he rejects all the invites and then shows up anyway. This will get around some of the security concerns and still have him there.

I also hope that we are inviting other nation's equivalent to our President. Can we get some Canadian political love in Atlanta?

[Bongle]

I could see Obama attending. A stadium half-full of high school students would not be so hard to lock down compared to a stadium full of political nuts (nomination) or a few million members of the public (inauguration). I completely agree that it seems right up his alley. It's a fairly innovative, merit-based approach to education that provably gets results.

I agree that a pre-recorded video (or live video) is far more likely though. Which is unfortunate, because I think the greatest benefit of Obama being at champs would be him getting to see FIRST in action (and thus perhaps supporting it as part of an education initiative), rather than the kids getting to see a speech by Obama.

[Molten]

Originally Posted by Tetraman

Also, reminder - keep the political stuff at a min.

Note to all: I was not trying to be political. Trust me. If I felt like talking politics, everyone would be well aware. I would be giving details on what I think he should do. Instead, I simply put a few generalized problems that are of bigger concern then FIRST. I'm just trying to make the point that maybe Obama going to Atlanta may not be the best thing. Afterall, if I were to somehow make it to Atlanta and had to go through a ton of safety precautions just so 1 guy could make a speech in person, I'd be mighty annoyed. I wouldn't mind the live camera feed though. That might actually be somewhat cool.(especially if it was a two-way so he can actually see the crowd, field, and perhaps a match or two.)

[JaneYoung]

Originally Posted by Tetraman

Here is a better idea: Tell Dean Kamen to get Obama.

I'm going to be picky for a moment and change this sentence a bit:

Ask Dean Kamen to invite President Obama ...

(Not sure I would recommend that anyone tell Dean Kamen to do something.)

I get the point of the post but I also get the fact that many people read ChiefDelphi, not just members of FRC teams.

[ATannahill]

Originally Posted by Molten

Note to all: I was not trying to be political. Trust me. If I felt like talking politics, everyone would be well aware. I would be giving details on what I think he should do. Instead, I simply put a few generalized problems that are of bigger concern then FIRST.

I don't think you were the problem, I think most people, including me, were upset* by the person who added "try to" to your sentence and said "Fixed."

* upset is the best word I can think of.

[Kyle Love]

While it's a nice idea, Obama has a lot bigger things to get done. He should be doing his job in Washington DC. It would be much more realistic to get a past president (kind of like the first George Bush) to come to the Championship instead.

Originally Posted by artdutra04

Just a heads up, the President doesn't write laws, elected officials in Congress do.

While true, he is still involved in the process.

I think it would be awesome if Neil Armstrong would show up at the Boilermaker Regional in a couple of weeks. I'm sure the Purdue grad would like to come back. He hasn't been back to campus since last fall when they dedicated the new Neil Armstrong building.