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

[loax]

What the matter, McCain? Does the truth hurt? You are so anti American it makes me ill!

[Kristin262]

Beyond funding the military and wars, what does McCain support funding?

[obamasOHangel]

Republican's wallets and pocketbooks.

[Judy109]

He just doesn't fund the vets when they come home

[USALover]

And that is just shameful! His military career is his claim to fame...well next to marrying up....

These men and women serving the country deserve the same respect he is demanding. Yet he is asking that all military benefits be cut almost in half for the veterans that return from this war. I guess that is why he wants them over there for 100 years so that he won't have to pay any of their benefits once they hit American soil.

Just shameful!

[christabor]

Vouchers for all American Family's so they can decide where to send their kids to school, not bureaucats in Washington. Keep the tax breaks for ALL AMERICANS who pay taxes by renewing the Bush tax break. Giving incentives (tax breaks) (letting them keep more of what they EARN) to small business so they can do what the government can't do cost effectively and that's create new jobs. Keep the democrats from destroying the health care system in america like they have the school system. Not turning over health care to the same fool headed bureaucrats that run the Post office, DMV and every other WASTEFUL government bureacracy. Call people to national service and return a sense of pride in America. Reminding us that we are still the "City set upon a hill" that Ronald Reagan spoke about. Get the Democrats for watering down our homeland security by their unending efforts to demonize the American Military and give Constitutional Right to the Terorist and others who would like to destroy this country. Cut some of the wasteful ear mark spending in Washington. Say no to spending bills sent up to the White House by Democrat Congressmen who love to spend the tax payers money.

[Aaror]

It makes sense, he wants to cut taxes on the rich by 300 billion a year or so, he has to pay for it somehow. If you look at discretionary spending in the gov't, there is about 900 billion, with roughly half being the four armed services, and the other half being what we think of when we think of the government, like the department of energy and the department of education. The only way to pay for his tax cuts is to cut out most of the current government. Of course, when you realize that, and look at the federal government, you realize that education is only the tip of the iceberg.
If he pushes his tax plan through, he will successfully drown the government in a bathtub.

[Grunty1]

What makes you think they will PAY for it? They will do like Republicans have done for 30 years: borrow the money and crush the dollar under trillions in debt.

[christabor]

When a American family sits down and looks at their budget over the last 8 years and they discover that their incomes have gone up 20% (just as federal revenues have) over that time. Then they discover they are not saved any money, instead they have been borrowing and accumulating debt (as the federal government has). What changes might they make going forward? Well if they are Democrats they would decide to increase spending and tax their already stressed limited earning power with the burden of additional debt. If they were republicans they would say the problem is not what we've earned (tax revenues) that has gone up 20%, the problem is with our spending, we just need to get that under control. Then we can keep a little more of what we are earning (SAVINGS). TAX BREAKS! Do they not teach math at Harvard?

[christabor]

"He has to pay for it some how" Can you read? Can you google? Can you think? Anytime taxes are cut the revenues to the federal government has increased! Bush cut taxes, revenues to the federal budget went up 20% above what they were when Bill Cinton was in office and had raised taxes. Your worn out, class warefare, democrat talking point arguement has been a lie. Raising taxes does not provide the Federal Government more money to pay for anything, PERIOD. It hasn't, it doesn't and it won't. Your party has been knowing that at least as far back as JFK because he said as much when he gave his speech on why he wanted the Congress to pass tax cuts. So please make an honest argument not ones based on a FALSE premise.

[TheJibreelaMonsters]

So do I
And Ron Paul
Less Government Clowns
The Dept of ED should be taking over by the Dept of Labor

[HHarvey]

YES! So our children can work in american sweatshops run by greedy republicans.

[HattieB]

TOO BAD JMAC... COUNTRY FIRST.. YEAH RIGHT !!!

P.S..... WHERE ARE PALINS MEDICAL RECORDS ????

[RobertaInCT]

And income tax returns...........

[hstanfill4112]

This is how he lovingly looks at Sarah after one of her splended stump speeches.

[watchmen57]

November 5th, 2009

Barack Obama is President Elect.
John McCain concedes.
Sarah Palin returns home to multiple scandals.
Joe Biden kicks some ass.
Country starts to heal.

[AERO]

Well, Dubya attacked the concept of education. I suppose McCain will finish the job. That's what you get from two people who are known to have been terrible students. Neither of them ever showed any interest in education. Just look at their college grades. If their fathers weren't a President and 4-Star Admiral, respectively, they would both probably be mowing lawns and serving up Slurpies for a living.

[blueskybigstar]

Well done.

[ibsteve2u]

I think the Republicans view university degrees - particularly those from elite schools like Harvard, Yale, and the other Ivy League schools - more as proof of social status and their qualification for elite groups than as proof of their ability to learn.

Hence, the common theme of prominent Republicans being lousy students.

Hence, the repeated attempts by the Republicans to make higher education so expensive that fewer and fewer Americans will be able to attain sufficient education to make those with "the right pedigree" uncomfortable with their ignorance and inability to learn.

Republicans are not really about "democracy" and "America, the land of opportunity!" - they really want an aristocracy, where good things go to people from "good families" and power and wealth are transferred by inheritance rather than attained through ability and hard work.

In fact, I daresay that everybody that you personally know who values pedigree higher than ability is a Republican.

[Bluejay00234]

Bravo.

[hoopesaz]

"Hence, the repeated attempts by the Republicans to make higher education so expensive "

The "price" of higher education is dictated by the "cost" of higher education. University professors demand high salaries...yes, even the liberal professors who "despise money" want big paychecks.

Cynicism has overtaken reason. It is that fact, not republicans, that ails this country. No party can effectively lead a congress and a populace who are forever divided by cynicism.

[mikie63]

This is out of bounds. Everyone knows that McSame and Bushy are two of the most intelligent and caring people that have ever been in DC. Hey, I didn't get straight A's either but I am very qualified to be president of, ah.... What's that country's name again? Oh yae COUNTRY FIRST, Now I remember.

[Opt1musPr1me]

Who needs an education!

[obamasOHangel]

Obviously not Bottom of the Class Mac and Five Colleges in Six Years Sarah.

[lwaxanatroi]

This is one of those fights we have to be sorry we won. We kept the Department of Education, and they unleashed "no child left behind." Had we let them abolish it in the first place, schools might be better off today. Take note, PBS. You take the government dollar, and you'll find yourself dancing to its tune.

[blueskybigstar]

The Republicans dismantled the educational system in America so they could control the public like sheep.

[SpoxLogic]

That wasn't the Dept of Education, that was George W. Bush. He got it passed and then decided not to properly fund it. Hell of a way to run a program, eh?

[DoctorDonut]

Well, who needs education, right John...John.....JOHN, are you listening?

http://www.theweeklydonut.com/index.php/2008/09/09/john-mccain-hes-just-plain-scary-part-two/