Whoever is chosen to give the commencement address is expected to speak about something that resonates with the graduates. The ceremony is the official culmination of their U-M experience and should be memorable in some way or another, whether it comes from a famous alumnus who is living proof of the success of U-M grads, or simply a public figure who has some kind of wisdom to offer. For the class of 2010 University of Michigan graduates, President Obama seemed to be a prime candidate for such an address. But having the “face” of American politics give the speech was also successful in stirring up precisely the kind of divisive partisan rhetoric that the president warned the graduates against.
In his weekly Wall Street Journal Op-Ed column, Former Senior Advisor to President George W. Bush, Karl Rove, derided Obama’s remarks, criticizing him of being a hypocrite and arguing that he was speaking to “the nation's political class.”
He began his piece by saying that on the day of U-M’s commencement ceremony, “Americans were again instructed on their political manners by their Moralizer in Chief.”
Rove quoted parts of the president’s speech, saying, “It is ‘not the hurt feelings or the bruised egos’ such rhetoric causes that's problematic, the president assured us. No, this ‘kind of vilification and over-the-top rhetoric’ discourages ‘compromise…undermines democratic deliberation…robs us of a rational and serious debate.’…There is a need in politics, as the president said, to ‘treat others as you would like to be treated, with courtesy and respect.’”
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