Barack Obama discusses public education in Ohio
The Democratic presidential candidate swings at John McCain's change rhetoric while advocating school reforms usually associated with Republicans.
WASHINGTON -- Democrat Barack Obama outlined his plans for public education today, embracing ideas normally associated with Republicans and charging rival John McCain with a 30-year record of opposing major reforms.
"In the past few weeks, my opponent has taken to talking about the need for change and reform in Washington, where he has been part of the scene for about three decades," Obama told a crowd at a suburban high school outside Dayton, Ohio. "And in those three decades, he has not done one thing to truly improve the quality of public education in our country. Not one real proposal or law or initiative. Nothing."
Noting that McCain has instead "marched with the ideologues in his party in opposing efforts to hire more teachers and expand Head Start and make college more affordable," Obama concluded, "You don't reform our schools by opposing efforts to fully fund No Child Left Behind. And you certainly don't reform our education system by calling to close the Department of Education."
Obama, campaigning for independent and moderate votes in the swing state of Ohio, also pledged to double funding for charter schools and replace teachers who are not performing, two ideas usually associated with Republicans.
"If we're going to make a real and lasting difference for our future, we have to be willing to move beyond the old arguments of left and right and take meaningful, practical steps to build an education system worthy of our children and our future," he said. "It's time to ask ourselves why other countries are outperforming us in education. Because it's not that their kids are smarter than ours -- it's that they're being smarter about how to educate their kids."
The speech came as the Obama campaign released a new ad saying that McCain voted to cut education funding and against accountability standards and that his economic plan gives $200 billion to special interests while taking money away from public schools. The McCain campaign responded by calling the ad "a desperate attack."
Bouyed by the selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate, McCain also stumped in Ohio today, calling the state critical to his election. Introduced in Lebanon by Palin as "the only man in this election who has ever really fought for you," McCain again portrayed the Republican ticket as "a pair of mavericks" who will "shake things up" in Washington.
