Although he is unlikely to make much of a dent in the black vote, John McCain went to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People convention Wednesday to criticize Barack Obama’s opposition to school vouchers.
“In remarks to the American Federation of Teachers last weekend, Senator Obama dismissed public support for private school vouchers for low-income Americans as, ‘tired rhetoric about vouchers and school choice,’ ” McCain told the convention inCincinnati. “All of that went over well with the teachers union, but where does it leave families and their children who are stuck in failing schools?”
Obama spokesman Bill Burton defended his boss’ opposition to vouchers, saying: “The way to fix our schools isn’t by draining their limited resources.” Burton dismissed McCain’s education policy as “recycled bromides.”
As for McCain’s shot at teachers’ unions, the Ohio Federation of Teachers returned fire by calling vouchers one of several “failed programs” that McCain is recycling from the Bush administration.
“There is a stark difference between the proposals for change and new ideas coming from Obama, and the stale, failed Bush programs McCain extols,” said union President Sue Taylor.
McCain, who devoted much of his speech to education reforms, was warmly received by the audience, which interrupted his speech with applause several times.
Although African-Americans are expected to vote overwhelmingly for Obama, they appear to respect McCain, who noted in his speech that he learned of Martin Luther King’s assassination while being held as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam.
“Whether or not I win your support, I need your goodwill and counsel,” McCain said, prompting another round of applause.
McCain also went out of his way to praise the racially historic Obama candidacy.
“Don’t tell him I said this, but he is an impressive fellow in many ways,” McCain said. “His success should make Americans, all Americans, proud. Of course, I would prefer his success not continue quite as long as he hopes.”
