MSNBC's Brewer Still Agitated Over ASU Decision Not to Award Obama Honorary Degree

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Last Friday, MSNBC's Contessa Brewer expressed her shock and disbelief that Arizona State University would not award President Barack Obama an honorary degree since he was their commencement speaker.

However, over the weekend, the University announced it would instead name "their most important scholarship" after Obama - instead of awarding the president an honorary degree.

"Here's the statement from ASU President Michael Crow: ‘We never felt an honorary degree was the only or event the best means of honoring his tremendous service to our country,'" Brewer said. "‘Naming the scholarship program after President Obama that will affect the lives of thousands of students is an honor befitting, not only the president's exceptional achievements, but also his value as an individual.'"

That didn't impress Brewer, responding on MSNBC in a segment on April 13. "Whoop-dee-do! That's my reaction," Brewer said

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Also appearing in the MSNBC segment was A.B. Stoddard, associate editor of The Hill. She pointed out that they seemed to be fine with not offering the honorary degree to Obama, and the president seemed to be fine with it - but ASU changed course and went to "Plan B."

"They made it very clear when they invited him and made the decision not to give him an honorary degree - that they were fine with that decision that he had not been in his position long enough, had not achieved enough in his career and that they thought he was worthy of the commencement slot, but not of the degree and they were fine with that. They said we are an outstanding university. Every university has its own traditions and policies and they were fine. All of a sudden they decided it was a media creation and that there was much quote, unquote, ‘confusion' and they obviously came up with this Plan B."

But there's one significant detail Stoddard neglected to point out.  According to Dawn Teo of the Huffington Post, ASU faculty members were receiving threats and hate mail over the decision not to award the honorary degree to Obama, which might have changed the University's tact on the matter.

Still, Brewer continued to openly express her disapproval.

"I just, I can't imagine, I can't imagine the logic that goes into that when - for instance Arizona State University has awarded honorary degrees to Erma Bombeck. She's the sort of humorist, the author. Steve Allen, an actor, Jerry Colangelo, who's the CEO of the Phoenix Suns. And all of these people accomplished in their own right, but they certainly didn't reach the status of the Oval Office and I just can't imagine anyone putting up their hand in the meeting and saying, ‘You know what, let's not give the president and honorary degree.'"


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Whoop-De-Do??

I get it now - Contessa is trying to get herself a nighttime MSNBC spot where she can be really partial to Barack Obama instead of just your normal, run of the mill partial as goes on before 3:00 pm.  


nighttime MSNBC slot

She needs to go shopping for a strap-on then, b/c that's a major requirement for consideration.

What good is an honorary degree anyway?

Awarding the President of the United States an honorary degree is about as meaningful as the Wizard of Oz giving the Scarecrow a diploma.

I'm sure Brewer is far more upset than Obama is -- Chris Matthews may still be in a tizzy as well.

Frankly, I think ASU should

Frankly, I think ASU should have just left it at (paraphrasing) "We'll give him one when his term is done," which is what they said at first.

Instead, we now get:

‘We never felt an honorary degree was the only or event [sic] the best means
of honoring his tremendous service to our country,"

What a bunch of B as in B, S as in S!

They buckled.

They didn't want to admit it, so they had to make it look like this was better and they had planned it all along.

They might say "Wow, that sucks!"  But at least they'll say "Wow!"  -Duff Goldman, the Ace of Cakes

100 days in office = immortality

Yeah, another epic cave-in. Instead of just giving him the [worthless] honorary degree, now his [cursed] name will be forever linked to the scholarship.

This is just as mindless as those elementary & middle schools that renamed themselves in honor of Dear Leader before he was even sworn in, except this is a state university.

Way to go, dumbasses.

What tremendous service to

What tremendous service to our country???? WTF!!! Are they KIDDING me?  I have given more time in service of my country than he has so far, hell, I have over 10 years of service. What tremendous service to our country has he done that we are not aware of?  Does one need a real degree to work in the PR department at ASU, or was it intern day when that garbage was written?

Isnt it funny that when ASU

Isnt it funny that when ASU and AIG workers receive death threats from the Left, its no big deal. But when conservatives state truthfully that Obama wants to infringe upon gun owners rights, suddenly the nutjob whacko right is fomenting hate and violence?

Great point Kevroy

Bravo! 

I'm not sure why this is news, it's a non story. Who really cares if they give the dolt a degree or not?  Is it actually that important to Obama zombies that he is not rebuffed in any way? Dumb question, I guess it is given this level of news coverage. I don’t remember or care if Reagan, Bush, Clinton or W. received an honorary degree from a college or university.

 

"Republicans believe every day is the Fourth of July, but the democrats believe every day is April 15." Ronald Reagan

What has he done for our

What has he done for our country so far?  He had a good campaign team that manipulated their candidate into office.  So far, we are just a little more in debt than we were when he entered the White house, the stock market has gone down, and Europeans are excited at the possiblility of a United Socialist States of America (USSA).

NO SOUP FOR YOU! 

Achievement

 And all of these people accomplished in their own right, but they certainly didn't reach the status of the Oval Office  -- Well, I'm sure that Erma Bombeck, Stevel Allen, or Jorry Colangelo could have been elected President had they run, and had the media in the tank for them like the Teleprompter-in-Chief did!

 ab

This and Notre Dame would

This and Notre Dame would be the first two times that we'd have documentary evidence that the Emperor Jones actually has a degree of any kind.

One of the 34% who thinks George W. Bush was a great President. One of the 61% who wants to bring back the stock and pillory (yep...approval for Congress now at 39%...do you believe that!?).

Contessa? Wow. Who, but the

Contessa? Wow. Who, but the most pretentious amongst us, would ever name their kid that?! Anyway, she needs to keep her yapping gob out of Arizona's business. Even with the overwhelming presence of libs instructing there, ASU, like Arizona, has a history of thumbing their noses at what other people in other parts of the country suggest they should do. Just like when every lib in the country was trying to shove the MLK day down our throats we actually had the racist audacity to stop and think about it before voting it in.

We have four generations of grads from ASU in my family. So, on behalf of those who have been here the longest let me say..."Contessa, shut the hell up and get a friggin' clue". Urging ASU to give your man an honorary degree when he has done nothing more than getting elected and being black tells us that you are all about imagery and symbolism over substance and accomplishment. The names that you poo-poo'ed earlier are legendary here in Arizona and their accomplishments are well known and respected.

Giving Obama an honorary degree this soon into his administration is so uncessary and would in my mind be something akin to the kind of patronization that goes on in affirmative action scenarios.