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

[toochie50]

Just because Mcbottomofhisclass is PROUD of that fact, he does not want anyone else to have a chance to be educated.
I just cannot for the life of my understand HOW THIS MAN HAS GOTTEN SO FAR! (oh yes yes - wowas me - he's a POW for god's sake!

good news folks - the electoral vote is still the most important:
fivethirtyeight.com
9/9/98:
OBAMA: 292.8
Mcsame: 245.2

Electoral-vote.com
Obama: 281
Mcsame - 230

Realclearpolitics.com
Obama: 273
Mcsame: 265

[deanfv]

Throw the bums out. I think this is a great idea. Liberals have run the public school system in most communities for years and what do we have: poor performing schools overloaded with management, underpaid teachers, and unions that protect underperforming teachers. How many of you LA/SF/NYC liberals send your kids to public school?


Provide vouchers and make schools compete.

[VeroucaSalt]

And what will that do? Let me tell you:

It will allow only people with money to send their kids to quality schools.

Who will hold all the public school teachers accountable? How will we properly educate our kids for the future?

Liberals have had little say in public education for the past 8 years; No Child Left Behind is Bush's project. If you're going to point out failures, be sure you are pointing in the right direction.

[FiLoLi]

It will encourage more charter schools to be built. Funding will not cease for public schools. The funding follows the student. If the school wants the parents to choose their school, them they need to do a better job.

Charter schools are great, the parents have input and the teachers actually get to teach. There are still standards to be met, but there is more money for the kids. The main difference is NO UNIONS.

[Mattyhorn]

That sounds about right.

After all, George W. Bush abolished the "Department of Common Sense".

[SoCalNick]

Republicans ALWAYS gut Education.......The rich can afford PRIVATE SCOOLS that way THEIR Kids do not have to compete with YOUR Kids. What a better way to keep control right?

California had the top schools in the nation until the GOVRNATOR got in Now we are the bottom of the pile.

How do you think they build their voter base. KEEP THEM STOOOPID!

[deanfv]

Obama's kids go to private school.

[OB08]

My son goes to a private school too - so what? We need to donate and elect President Obama to office. This is ridiculous how this non veteran participant and pitbull lips are getting away with this crap.

To all the mothers out there. Do not vote for McPainful if you do not want the DRAFT. You vote for them and your child will end up at a war somewhere and get KILLED because McPainful will reinstate the DRAFT.

Not now, not never. Vote for President Obama/Biden.
Navy mom.

[VeroucaSalt]

So? Is your statement FOR or AGAINST McCain gutting the Dept of Education?

[SoCalNick]

You JUST don't get it. Product of the public school system I guess. I myself went through the public school system. BUT I went on to persue a REAL education where I learned about all of the things that SHOULD be taught in our schools. Righties must be so happy being ignorant you stopped thinking as a freshman I gather. Stupid should hurt! Intentional Ignorance should be fatal.

[FiLoLi]

CA schools are not at the top because we have not lowered our standanrds, as many other states have done. As a matter of fact, Arnold just signed into law making Algebra I a requirement for graduating from high school.

Even though the state superintendent lobbied hard for this requirement to be added, he got all bent out of shape because Arnold did not "consult" with him first. I know this because the state superintendent wrote an article in my kids school news letter. It sounds like the state super wanted credit and was being pissy. I sent him a quick note telling him to keep his political grievences out of my kids school news letter.

[canobserv]

It is in the best interests of the Repubs to NOT fund education. They like the populace as ignorant as possible which is obvious to anyone following this election. Stupid people don't read, they get there news from soundbites from the corporate media(owned by the Repubs).If Barack manages to get elected I will be shocked(happily) but shocked nonetheless.

[Soothsayer08]

Yes that's true and when they can't get a job because of their lack of education, they have no choice but to join the miitary. This is the Republican dumping ground. Keep people poor and without jobs, no draft needed.

[hippynanainblingland]

Soothsayer: Sooo true!

[canobserv]

Yup Yup

[BobinKS]

Until we get the MSM to begin reporting the daily disconnect between facts and McCain's claims the average Joe is going to keep getting mooseburgers and selling jets on Ebay ( Which is about the stupidist way to sell a jet ever).

[deanfv]

Becuase NO ONE CARES about all the slime you keep fabricating. The popularity of your ticket is rapidly decelerating in lock step with the lack of substance that your candidates bring. All we are talking about is the timing of the exposure of your candidates for the empty suit, career-politicans that they are. You will not win with this ticket in November.

[lungfish]

truth hurts, doesn't it Troll.....

[VeroucaSalt]

Wow, someone sold you a bridge to nowhere!

[feo]

Didn't we buy Alaska on eBay?

[Smirk]

No, but it was listed.

[BlackJAC]

Considering McCain went to what technically amounts to a state college on the taxpayers' dime, should he even be talking about this?

[deanfv]

USNA is not a state college. Graduating last from USNA is equal to graduating in the top 10% of the country. You wouldn't make it through plebe summer at USNA.

Where did you go to school? Oh yeah... all you libs went to Harvard. Righht.

[OB08]

The USNA is not ranked in the top best schools in the country. However they are ranked 20 in the Liberal Arts Schools. As for McSame - if his dad and grand-dad were not Admirals, he would not have been accepted in the Naval Academy with the grades he had let alone flying an airplane.

http://www.collegiatechoice.com/myrankings.htm

[BlackJAC]

Last I checked, Annapolis hadn't been privatized. Therefore it's as much of a state college as the University of South Carolina. And since he didn't have to pay out-of-pocket for it like you have to with Harvard (and they get zero federal funding, too!), he's a welfare recipient to boot.

[TrooAmerican]

I think we should abolish McCain and his party.

[hoopesaz]

Getting rid of the department of education is NOT the same as getting rid of education. Anyone who knows anything about education administration would understand that.

[DallasMike]

Exactly,
throwing money away on the Dept of education is a joke.

[feo]

And spending even more money on the Department of Making Up Pointless Wars is even a bigger joke, though less funny to those who get accidentally bombed.

[campgranata]

thank you very much for your insight.

[debrouillard]

Ok.When you get ride of the department of Education,who foresee the overall structure of the Education system. Who then carries the job of making sure,the education system is being restructured when ever the need arises to keep pace whit the ever changing skill market.

The education department is like the no child left behind,the idea is not a bad one,its just being mismanaged. Getting ride of it will mean,those poor kids who make it to college via state support will be losing out big time.

But then we can understand JMC's position,he doesnt want a system in which some poor intelligent kid will have the chance to beat him based on their intelligence.

[VeroucaSalt]

Do share your expertise.

[BlackWidowPilot]

So we would all just return to the lasse faire system of each county or municipality running its schools without any uniform standards? Guess No Child Left Behind has done its job convincing some that there's no need for *honest* standards in public education across the country.

If we fail as a country, it will be thanks to the deliberate dumbing down of our people through such malignant canards as No Child Left Behind and the "privatization" (read: *corporatization*) of our educational system.

Leland R. Erickson

Citizen

[FORLOMC]

Yes, he wants to abolish education for those who cannot afford to pay for a private school. If the middle class and poor cannot be educated that will produce more servant and slaves for the rich. We need to wake up before we are all nothing more the Richy Riches servants.

[jrterrier]

how about abolishing the US dept of education and using the money to provide financial support to students to attend college? what exactly does the US Dept of Education do when education is controlled and funded by the states?

[HHarvey]

In the future maybe they can hand out school vouchers for private schools. I'm not fooled, I understand that republicans want to privatize everything from education to social security. Education is not where it's at for republicans.

[thing12]

Handing out financial support is one of the main things that the Department of Education does. So your plan would be to recreate what you're abolishing. Why didn't I think of that?

[BlackJAC]

So basically, by your own admission, you favor welfare handouts.

[christabor]

No we want to give the poor people of this country the same option to get their kids out of failing public schools and into private schools (like the rich kids). Giving them a vouchers comparable to the amount it cost to have them in the bureaucrat controlled failing public schools. Its the democrat party and the Professional Bureaucrats that want to keep them poor and needy so they can have a voting block. Now you want to give your health care over to the same people who run the DMV, Post Office and the failed public schools. It is the very definition of INSANITY.

[VeroucaSalt]

And who will be in charge of those vouchers? And how do we make sure they go to the proper kids? And how do we effectively fund each school fairly & without bias?

Public school is not the enemy; it's the corrupt people that take advantage of the system that we need to get rid of. I seiously doubt it's the "Department of Education" that's corrupt - rather it's City, County, & state held positions of Superintendents & Principles that are failing the kids these days.

[nightsdoor]

I don't want my tax dollars syphoned to support religious propaganda in the guise of education.

Our publich school system was excellent until the Right Wing got dipped into it. We now have our text books being controlled or influenced by politica (and even religious) agenda and not scientific or accurate historical agenda. The funding has been gutted so that we can spend billions of dollars per month on wars, give outrageous tax breaks to corporations and individuals, etc. The DOE has its good and bad points, most of the bad coming from conservative influence. Theirs is an ideologue that is inherently at odds with the concept of anything "public." Usually they decry it as smacing of communism. Even though public financed and public oversight is the crux of a democracy. The idea of vouchers is as I mentioned above, a trick, a ruse. A way to get tax payers to support ideas best left private like religion. There are a few private schools that are secular but not enough to validate the idea that the public should pay for them. If the Republicans and conservatives were truthfully concerned about education quality and accessiblity they would support funding education at all levels.

[wm1066]

C-Span had the Kennedy- Nixon debate on about a year ago and I was amazed that Nixon was all for abolishing the Department of Education back then. I knew that was a plank of the Republican party to get rid of state run education but I didn't realize it went back that far. I think thier battle plan has been to put incompetent people in charge on the state level to muck it up so they can say "See it doesn't work" We must stop them before they wreck our Educational System.

[jae1227]

http://www.wallstats.com/deathandtaxes/

The DOE does a lot more than just "No Child Left Behind". There is more money given to Higher Education in forms of Pell Grants, Students loans, and Work study programs.

[lthuedk 1]

Neo Con fascism needs to dumb down America into a more malleable state. Fox and ABC are working overtime to stupefy us with fluff, so eventually, there's no need to satisfy curiosity and independent thought. It's a slow process, hardly noticed by those who can't detect or even desire change.

One uniform lower class is the goal. Reducing and eliminating the threat from an educated people is of paramount importance to the totalitarians running the Republican Party.

For fascists, security is number one. Palin would function splendidly as a theobot like Bush, except far more religiously violent and intolerant. Her personality profile indicates a short fuse and irrationality ruled by emotion. Perfect.

So, what god would Palin listen to? Any qualified Neo Con surrogate. She's a tool, a very dangerous one.

http://www.light-to-dark.com/palin_speaks_to_god.html

[Charmed]

Finally, something about the issues....Great Job Obama redirecting this election.

[robXdion]

Americans don't care. They just want to see Palin on The View and Oprah so they can fantasize about her as their BFF or imaginary wife. McCain and Palin can say and do anything at this point. The media won't "vet" either Republican until 2011 when they're trying to find someone to blame.

[DallasMike]

robXdion,
have you been paying any attention to the news?
My god the media has vetted palin more in the last 2 weeks than they have Obama in the last 19 months

[whiteboyblues]

R U Kidding Me?

[Chillinout]

Have YOU been paying attention to the news? We know virtually everything about Obama's life, his friends , his church, his pastor, his associations, etc. etc.

What so we know about Palin? Very little.

[VeroucaSalt]

Mike, put down the Ganja!

[feo]

What we know so far is that she pays more attention to moose than her teenage daughter, that she loves earmarks until they prove embarrassing, that she speaks in tongues better than Bush speaks English, that she bought all her clothes on eBay and she thinks John Wayne was once president of Fannie Mae (just before he was elected president of Hollywood) and her eye glasses designer is a gay Frenchman soon to be cured of his gayness.

[robXdion]

LOL!!! You name sounds like the standard drug dealer nickname. Put the crackpipe DOWN!!