Does Obama deserve a street name honor in St. Louis
There is a lively debate going on right now in my home town of St. Louis about whether or not Alderman Kacie Starr-Triplett’s bill to name Delmar Street, Barack Obama Boulevard should happen. KSDK.com is covering the story here, and you can get a gist of some of the comments being made. I will let you judge for your self the state of race relations in Missouri. (As a side note, Missouri has historically been a bellwether state in Presidential elections, meaning that whoever Missouri votes for president, usually wins the presidency. Until this year.) The debate is rather silly, if you consider we had no problem naming a major interstate after a man who hit a whole lot of home runs for our beloved Cardinals. Here are my comments in the discussion:
I don’t understand how anyone can say that Obama hasn’t done anything yet. Even if you don’t like his politics, any clear thinking person should be able to acknowledge his accomplishments as extraordinary. The American measure of success is gauged by what you overcome, not just what you accomplish. From food stamps, to Magna Cum Laude graduate of Harvard to Professor of Constitutional law, to United States Senator, to overwhelming victor, and first African-American President of the United States. If that doesn’t qualify you for a street name in America, I don’t know what does. What do you have to do in this town, shoot up on steroids and hit home runs? DaddyHogwash.com
Some of the other include statements like:
“We should name a street after Chuck Berry. At least he’s DONE something.”
“seriously people have gone mad. They are just over excited because we will have a “black” president but think about it he is biracial so he is both black and white. This is ridiculous. I think a lot of people simply voted for him because of the color of his skin and nothing to do with his views on things.”
“This Alderman with the bad hair should be terminated immediately. Not for suggesting that a street be honorarily named after a future president, but for the shear fact of wanting to place 6 signs to commemorate the event”
“This has got to be the stupidest idea yet. Barak Obama is considered by too many to be the second coming of God. When will it end? We will have to have another national holiday in honor of him right before we rename the United States of American … The United States of Barak Obama.”
That pretty much says it all. Feel free to join us in the conversation. But if you are not white, Catholic, and Republican, BEWARE!
No related posts.
[quote=]If that doesn’t qualify you for a street name in America, I don’t know what does. What do you have to do in this town, shoot up on steroids and hit home runs? DaddyHogwash.com[/quote]
I have no problem with Obama having a street after him for becoming the 1st African American president, but can we wait til he has finished serving and not in St. Louis. What are his ties here? Maybe in whatever town in IL that he is from or in DC, but not in St. Louis. And feel free to take down Mark McGwire away. Maybe if it is on the same street as the ball park, but not the highway. Aye Aye Matie!
Pirate (Geno):
Here are some other streets in St. Louis named after Presidents, many of whom had little to nothing to do with St. Louis as I wrote on the KSDK web site at the time. There is more, but this makes my point sufficiently…
Might as well finish the list, GROVER STREET, JACKSON PLACE, JACKSON STREET, JEFFERSON AVE, JEFFERSON DRIVE, LINCOLN AVE, LINCOLN WAY, MADISON STREET, ROOSEVELT PLACE, TAFT AVE, VAN BUREN STREET, WILLIAM PLACE, WASHINGTON DRIVE, (NOT SURE ABOUT WASHINGTON AVE.
12/6/2008 12:26 PM CST on ksdk.com
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DaddyHogwash wrote:
And: (I think I have made my point)
GARFIELD AVENUE (E-W). Originally named as Boston Avenue in Thornton D. Murphy’s Addition of 1857, this street received its present name in 1882 in honor of President James A. Garfield who was assassinated the previous year. (Grand Prairie)
GRANT COURT (N-S). A short street running northward from Finney Avenue, named for Civil War Union Army General and later President Ulysses S. Grant. (Grand Prairie)
GRANT PLACE (N-S). Laid out in the Grant Place Subdivision of 1923. The street was called Grant Court until 1925. It is also named in honor of General Ulysses S. Grant. (Oak Hill)
GRANT STREET (N-S). In Green and Berry’s subdivision of 1891, it commemorates Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885), a Union Army commander in the Civil War and eighteenth president of the United States. It was Anna Street from Warne to Harris until 1881. (Hyde Park & Bissell-College Hill)
12/6/2008 12:12 PM CST on ksdk.com
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DaddyHogwash wrote:
And:
FILLMORE STREET (E W). Honors Milliard Fillmore, thirteenth president of the United States (1850 1853), who offered St. Louisan Edward Bates a cabinet appointment which the Missourian declined. Fillmore Street originally was F Street in the town of Carondelet. (Carondelet) (Morganford)
12/6/2008 12:10 PM CST on ksdk.com
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DaddyHogwash wrote:
And:
CLEVELAND AVENUE (E-W). Named to honor Grover Cleveland who was nominated for president in the Democratic National Convention held in St. Louis in 1888, at the time the Tyler Place subdivision was opened. Cleveland was president of the United States from 1884 to 1888 and from 1892 to 1896. In 1888 he was defeated by the Republican candidate, Benjamin Harrison. Developers of Tyler Place tried to use the 1888 convention to build excitement in their subdivision. (Shaw)
CLEVELAND PLACE (N-S). Also named for President Grover Cleveland, it is a block-long residential place extending northward from Cleveland Avenue. (Shaw)
12/6/2008 12:08 PM CST on ksdk.com
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DaddyHogwash wrote:
And:
CHESTER STREET (N-S). Honored former President Chester Alan Arther when it appeared in the 1885 Chouteau Estate subdivision. (Arlington)
can you please provide the dates that the presidents held office and when the street was named after them? i think you get the point.
Well, Geno, I guess we just disagree that actually being President is qualification enough.
Did you notice that we have a Van Buren Street….the eighth President of the United States and arguably one of the most inconsequential and average Presidents we ever had?
so with your logic, we should have a george w bush street, arguably one of the worse presidents in modern time. when are you going to start this campaign? while you are at it, lets get a street named after each man who has served. actually i’m getting ready to submit my first order of “don’t blame me, i voted for Bob Barr” bumper stickers. i bet you could make a mint on them selling from this web site.
Kind of. Using my logic, if an Alderman or woman of some town or city wants to put forth that a street be named anything at all, that is his or her right as an elected official. If it is approved by her colleagues, then voila! A new street name.
If the residents of that town like it, then good. If not? Well, election day is not that far around the corner.