McCain's Education Policies-- More And More And More George W. Bush

Remember before Bush managed to get into the White House when he was saying he would be pro-choice and pro-education and work with both parties to end bitter rancor in Washington? When he said he would have a modest foreign policy? He was lying the whole time and was already planning on wiretapping the whole country and invading Iraq and exploiting the partisan divide in the most violent way anyone has done since before the American Civil War. This was Rove's strategy and Rove has persuaded the Double Talk Express to drive down the same highway. McCain and his surrogates lie their asses off everyday trying to paint a picture of moderation. Will Americans let Rove fool them again?

This week McCain has donned this guise of the Education President. While everyone was focussing on Phil Gamm's slip of the tongue, exposing the true nature of the McCain economic vision, people may have missed what McCain's other hopelessly reactionary economic advisor, Carly Fiorina, was up to over at Meet the Press.

I absolutely agree that one size does not fit all in the subject of education, and that is why John McCain supports choice and competition, giving parents the choice as to how to best educate their children. He believes that No Child Left Behind was an imperfect piece of legislation. Nevertheless, there are things about it that have worked. We need to learn the lessons, fix the problems, fully fund it...

Oh? McCain wants to fully fund No Child Left Behind now? How does that fit in with his "straight talk" about balancing the budget? And, it should be noted, he never has been interested in funding NCLB when he was voting in the Senate. According to the National Education Association, "Since 2003, McCain voted repeatedly against fully funding No Child Left Behind, resulting in an unfunded mandate that has continued to further tap local communities and states during an economic downturn." Educators, community leaders, state and local officials and parents who hate NCLB because of Republicans like McCain who have crippled it by turning it into a tragic unfunded mandate. McCain has exercised his leadership on this issue for 5 years. The result has been devastating and catastrophic.

Reg Weaver, president of the National Educational Association has gone beyond media talking points and looked carefully at McCain's actual proposals:

"McCain's plans have erased any doubts that he would continue the misguided policies of the Bush administration. The spending scheme recently outlined would reportedly save $100 billion, but it doesn't mention the critical casualties of those cuts: America's children. The move would take away even more resources from public schools that are already underfunded. Under McCain's scheme, 4.2 million disadvantaged children would be shortchanged in needed reading and math help due to the shortfall of $10.7 billion between the McCain plan for Title I and what was promised in the No Child Left Behind law.

"McCain's scheme would also shortchange states and schools by $12.5 billion by reducing services to 3.6 million children with disabilities. Like President Bush, who proposed $14.2 billion less than what Congress provided for education during his presidency, McCain's scheme has shown he is quite willing to mortgage our children's future.

"And No Child Left Behind has imposed heavy-handed requirements based on standardized testing, but the law has been underfunded by $70.9 billion since its enactment. If there is one section of the federal budget, one segment of the economy, that deserves continued and full support, it's public education. Public education is the backbone of a healthy economy and a healthy democracy, and McCain's scheme ignores that at our shared peril. All children deserve the right to great public schools to ensure that they become productive citizens who can compete in a global economy and succeed in the new industries of tomorrow. McCain cannot restore confidence in the future of our country by refusing to invest in our country's future leaders."