McCain Backed Abolishing The Department Of Education

Barack Obama's campaign is reminding voters today that John McCain, during the heady days of the "Republican Revolution," once declared that he favored abolishing the Department of Education.

"I would certainly favor doing away with the Department of Energy and I think that given the origins of the Department of Education," the Senator said on CNN's Late Edition in December 1994. "I would favor doing away with it as well."

Linking McCain to "ideologues," Obama declared in his speech Tuesday, "you certainly don't reform our education system by calling to close the Department of Education. That would just make it harder for us to give out financial aid, harder for us to keep track of how our schools are doing, and lead to widening inequality in who gets a college degree."

Republican officials and McCain staffers, meanwhile, are in full-out counter-attack mode, criticizing Obama for his education policies and claiming that the Senator is misrepresenting McCain's proposals on the matter.

"Senator Barack Obama's new campaign attack ad on education," wrote spokesman Tucker Bounds this morning, "claims that John McCain's economic plan will divert money from public education without any factual citation or basis." The campaign provided a list of resolutions increasing funding for federal education efforts that McCain supported.

But Bounds' statement made no mention of McCain's previous support for doing away with the Department of Education. Neither did two counter-attack emails blasted out by the Republican National Committee.

The matter clearly complicates McCain's criticism of Obama's plan and raises questions as to what, exactly, the Republican nominee's education policy would be if he ascends to the White House. Bounds, in his statement, said that "nothing that John McCain has proposed would reduce funding for public schools." But McCain also has not been the steadfast champion of funding No Child Left Behind, as his campaign purports.

While the idea of eliminating the Department of Education certainly is not the Senator's policy as it stands in this campaign -- despite support for the idea among many conservatives -- it remains far-fetched for the McCain campaign to argue that there is no "factual basis" to the Obama camp's attacks over education policy.

Comments

[Lemeritus]

It would be bad enough if the Republicans could be satisfied with simply teaching creationism and corporate environmental science in our schools. Unfortunately, their entire theocratic oligarchy depends on the utter dumbing down of America (hence, instead of saluting the best of the best, we hear the constant disparaging of 'elites' as though anything but mediocrity is inherently anti-American).

One of the hallmarks of the Republican education "policy" is the school voucher – a true Trojan horse intended to gut public education and essentially privatize the ability to learn and dissent. Vouchers:
- Divert money and attention not only from underfunded school districts but from much-needed reforms such as smaller classes, improved teacher training, and a more innovative curriculum.
- Fail to protect students from discrimination.
- Threaten the separation of church and state by funding parochial schools.
- Favor those with money and privilege in a market-place system.

There was a time when the first thing a community did when it became more than a wide spot in the road was build a school. The Republicans won't be satisfied until the last one is closed. (Okay, okay -- a little hyperbole, but you get my drift.)

[Georgianna]

Isn't it tru that Senator McCain graduated 895 out of a class of 895? That explains it.

[benne]

Obama, once again, puts too little distance between himself and the Republicans. He came out and supported vouchers, he supports No Child Left Behind (with some modifications), he supports testing, and he supports so-called performance pay. I'd rather have no Department of Education and no federal interference into the educational system than have this kind. And, please do remember that Palin has children in the public schools, while the Obamas do not.

[WVUCavalier]

Yeah, but the governor can afford to switch her kids to another school if doesn't pass muster. Plus, I''m sure she can get all the earmakrs she wants for the school.

[Daly]

Palin kid is a drop out about to marry another drop out

[Lemeritus]

Which -- in Republican-speak -- is a "good" thing. They don't want no damned 'elites'.

[sociocanuck]

No federfal interference could, and it's not far fetched to suggest would, lead if unchecked to a nationwide system of only private schools. Only those who were well-off to begin with could afford to get any education, let alone post-secondary. This would have direct trickle-down effects on the workforce, the economy in general, and the burden on the health care system (it's not at all coincidental that the more educated a person is the better their pay at work and the higher their level of extended health insurance - even if basic insurance is universally garuanteed).

I suppose if ya person is old and wealthy now they would have no inherent reason to care (who cares about future generations apart from these damned "liberals" anyway?), but any such system would inevitably cause the poor to get poorer and the middle class to drop into the 'poor' range. Look to any nation with low educational standards as evidence: yes, many have other confounding factors to be explored as well, but there remain two basic necessities to a healthy economy, regardless of how they are delivered: education and health care.

[sociocanuck]

"federal" even.

I think my keyboard is shrinking.

[JustDanish]

McCain Opposed Measures to Reduce Class Size. Even though research shows that reducing the number of students in a class is one of the best ways to improve achievement, McCain voted against a measure that would have helped reduce class sizes across the country by authorizing funds to help local school districts recruit, hire and train 100,000 new teachers. (S. 280, Vote 41, 3/3/99)


McCain Voted Against Funding for Teacher Quality Programs. McCain voted against additional funding for teacher quality programs, Mathematics and Science Partnerships and school leadership programs under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and the Higher Education Act of 1965. (S.Amdt. 1613 to S.Amdt. 1542 to H.R. 2660, Vote 343, 9/10/03)

[JustDanish]

McCain Opposed Efforts to Increase Aid and Improve Access to Higher Education. McCain consistently has voted against improving access to college through student aid and better loan conditions. He opposed increasing Pell Grants and restoring cuts to student aid while supporting restricted eligibility for student aid. (S.Amdt. 1602 to H.R. 2660, Vote 339, 9/10/03; H.C.R. 95, Vote 114, 4/28/2005; S.Amdt. 1602 to H.R. 2660, Vote 339, 9/10/03)

McCain Voted Against the College Cost Reduction and Access Act. McCain voted against the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, which increased access to Pell Grants, lowered interest rates for Stafford loans, provided funding for Upward Bound programs and provided grants for people entering the teaching profession. The bill helped increase access to higher education for middle class and low-income families by defraying some of the costs that prevent them from continuing their education. (H.R. 2669, Vote 272, 7/20/07)

[JustDanish]

McCain Opposed Efforts to Increase Funding for Special Education and Education and Health Programs. McCain voted against allowing an amendment to increase funding for special education and against $7.1 billion for education and health programs. (S.Amdt. 2292 to H.R. 3010, Vote 273, 10/26/05; S.Amdt. 3048 to S.C.R. 83, Vote 58, 3/16/06)

[JustDanish]

McCain Voted Against Funding for After-School Programs. McCain voted against additional funding for after-school programs under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. (S.Amdt. 1609 to S.Amdt. 1542 to H.R. 2660, Vote 340, 9/10/03)
McCain Voted Against Funding for Head Start. McCain has voted repeatedly against funding for Head Start programs, as recently as 2005. In 2003, McCain voted against increasing spending on Head Start programs by $24 billion and on after-school programs by $18 billion over 10 years. That year, he also voted against a Democratic effort to add $350 million to Head Start, the federal program for poor preschool children. In 2001, McCain voted against fully funding Head Start to ensure that all eligible children have access. (S.Amdt. 2254 to H.R. 3010, Vote 272, 10/26/05; S.C.R. 23, Vote 86, 3/25/03; H.R. 2660, Vote 333, 9/9/03; H.R. 1836, Vote 154, 5/22/01)

McCain Voted Against School Repairs and Construction. McCain voted against $1.6 billion in school construction funding to repair the most dilapidated school buildings. (S. 1, Vote 108, 5/16/01)

[JustDanish]

Copy and past to your friends and family:
McCain made private school vouchers the centerpiece of his education platform. Private school vouchers divert public education funds to private schools instead of building a system that benefits all students. In a recent speech, McCain stated, "School choice for all who want it...will be part of a serious agenda of education reform." (NAACP Convention 7/16/08)
McCain Has Voted Repeatedly for Voucher Programs for Almost 20 Years
McCain voted for an amendment that would have created a program to allow three states and 10 school districts to use federal funds to pay for private school expenses. (S. 1, Vote 179, 6/12/01)
McCain called for a three-year, $5.5 billion test of school vouchers for 1 million students. ( New York Times, 2/11/00)
McCain supported private school vouchers by voting to end a filibuster blocking a risky school vouchers scheme in Washington, D.C. (S.Amdt. 1249, Vote 260, 9/30/97)

[FiLoLi]

The funding follows the student. If I enroll my child in a charter school that supports homeschoolers. The funding goes to the charter school. If I enroll my child in a private school, the funding (now) does not follow the student. Under McCains proposals, the funding would follow the student to the private school.

Any person with a child in public school has to be insane to oppose this. We need better choices for our children.

[WVUCavalier]

What about the children of parents who can't afford to enroll their kids in private school even with the voucher. I guess thos kids on their own stuck in a school that's been defunded.

[BethStuart]

McCain will have to abolish a lot more than the Department of Education if he wants to bring government spending anywhere near in line with revenues. He claims as president he will veto those expenditures he doesn't like. Either he's forgotten or he never knew the president does not have line item veto power nor is he likely to get it. McCain will not be able to veto specific expenditures including those favored by his own party.

[Shannon2008]

What do you expect from a candidate that finished 5th from the bottom of his class at the Naval Academy?

[FiLoLi]

Do you know what it means to graduate from the Naval Academy? Clearly you don't or you would not post such an ignorant statement.

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NTM3ZmE0YTE1MTVmZjQwZjQ3ZmY0NzQ1MDk0YzRjYWU=&w=MA==

A blogger responding to this article added this:

Annapolis Grading System
As a graduate of the class of 1960 let me say something about the grading system. At that time everyone was graded on a 4.0 system. That is different than the college system. For instance, if you took an exam and received a number grade of 95 you actually received a grade of somewhere around 3.8. The only way to receive a 4.0 would be to get 100, an impossible feat over a period of time. The number one graduate in those days had a score of about 3.5. You had to have a 2.5 to graduate.

I finished 7th from the bottom. Later when I went to graduate school my grades were re-evaluated to college standards and I was given a B-. I graduated 7th from the bottom of the 'graduating' class. I was well ahead of the 700 who flunked out.

What other college do you know that if you only get a C average you don't graduate.

[Daly]

Your say these days It was not like that when McCain went there also how do you explain that he got to fly planes while many ahead of him did not ?

You cannot compare your time unless it was in the 50's to what Mc did.

As we are speaking Military education - can you please speak to why Mc is against nearly every benefit that can be afforded the soldiers - how can he say that if the exit package is too good then we would not keep the soldiers - what about if the exit package is good perhaps we could get better soldiers rather than lowering qualifications.

[foreplay]

The US Department of Education has no role in improving the quality of education in this country. It exists only to give the impression that the federal government is doing something about public education. The statistical data tells the real story. The agency should have been abolished long ago. Its functions could easily be moved to other agencies, such as the US Department of Health and Human Services.

[poco767c]

Rather than abolish it as a knee jerk reaction why not fix it?

[dryhole]

Ohhh... This is not foreplay on this form!!!!

[JamesInDenver]

Let's also not forget that McMoose wanted to merge the Peace Corp into the military. Imagine how other nations would respond to Peace Corp volunteers, if they reported to Don Rumsfeld. More of McCain's brilliant Judgment.

[linzy]

And, Palin cut education and social benefits to children with special needs in her 2007 budget. (ooops, little did she know what lay ahead). She is now claiming to be a champion for special need kids. Hindsight? Check out the cuts at http://www.gov.state.ak.us/omb/08_OMB/budget/EED/comp2735.pdf
Can we get the media to let the voters know about this little "inconsistency" in their attitude towards education? HELP!!!

Between the two of them, it is frightening to think the minds of young people, the attitude toward excellence in education for all and our future in the world (which depends so much on quality education for both children and adults) is at stake and may end up under the guidance of these two. Bold and Beautiful education or Beavis and Butthead? Your choice idiots.

[JustDanish]

Check out factcheck.org

Power of information is powerfull only when the information is correct

[KISHAGREEN]

This is how the Obama campaign needs to deal with Sarah Palin.

1. Focus on the inconsistencies in her record and her alleged Maverick image.

2. Constantly drive home MCCAIN'S stance on issues that women care about, specifically mothers (Palin's largest draw among white women).

Have an ad on McCain about his voting against equal pay, raising the minimum wage and his
non-existent health care plan and education plan which really does pale in comparison to
Obama's which is actually quite comprehensive.

Obama-Biden can stop the bleeding and actually I think reverse the tide of swing women voters

with young children by appealing to women about what is best for their kids. The historic appeal

of Palin is stopped dead in its tracks by moms worried about their kids' school and health care. I

should know I'm one of them.

Actually I think the Obama campaign should sort-of frame its economic points pointedly around women/family issues.

[northcan]

Most 72 yr old seniors do not suffer the same confusion Senator McCain seems to suffer from. Most seniors are quite cerebral and competent in their decision making. Most 72 year old seniors are cautious and wise enough not to confuse leg-sation with Legislation, and although usually more polite and amicable, McCain is, and always has had a horrid temper.

This man is not a man of conviction, compassion, committment or change..? He is not a MAVERICK fighting the system to get heroic bills passed....

He is a man desparately wanting a legacy, partly to outdo his male lineage. His philosophy is to 'make them look small so he can look big'. That's why he buck's all people. Republican, Democrat or Independan­t.....its his way, or the highway.

No Department of Education is not looking out for the blue collar worker. He's got his dismal schooling bought and paid for by daddy, it's about somebody having something equal or better than he........­.......HE HATE'S THAT.

I'm a woman....a­nd I'm afraid they might get into power. He acts more like Kim jong il than an American. His mind is detached from America's. His actions are detached from America's.­...this shouldn't frighten me, but it does.

John McCain, Alaska's youth reject you and your sidekick. They want hope as all Americans do. Palin is as dangerous as he is.

[freebird67]

It sounds like your describing McCain as suffering from a Napoleanic complex.

[WFV]

Under McSturgis/­BeautyQuee­n, all children will be home-schooled, right?

[FiLoLi]

What do you libs have against home schooling? Last year, in CA, they proposed teaching homosexuality and transgender lifestyles beginning in 2nd grade. They said it would be in an age appropriate manner. How do you teach a child such a thing and not answer the obvious question as to their sexual behavior. Because that is what defines them as homosexual and transgender. Thank goodness that never got off the ground. I would be homeschooling 4 children if it had.