by Joe Williams

Williams

I spend a lot of my time navigating the tumultuous internal conflicts and ideological inconsistencies within my party, the Democratic Party, when it comes to public education. In fact, that’s more or less my job description. So I have to admit that it is somewhat pleasurable to watch the emergence of similar tensions on the other side of the aisle amongst my Republican allies, especially when it comes to ed reform and school choice. Maybe pleasurable is not the right word. Perhaps it’s perplexing. Even a little depressing.

Nearly a year ago, we watched with great interest as a fascinating left-right alliance formed in Washington between the teachers unions (who didn’t like the concept of federal accountability in schools) and the Tea Party (which didn’t like the idea of any kind of federal involvement in schools.). Together, this alliance wound up shaping proposed changes to existing federal law that would let states and districts off the hook for improving the academic performance of millions of disadvantaged children. Historically reasonable folks like poor John Boehner started looking like the helpless, powerless substitute teachers we used to torment back in middle school.

I don’t intend this to kick a speaker while he is down, but to point out the obvious as Republicans consider their path on education issues: they have to figure out whether they are Boehner Republicans (willing to cut a deal involving a federal role in school choice and accountability issues) or Tea Party Republicans (who would seem happiest if there were no schools, let alone taxpayer-supported public schools). They need to figure out who among them is willing to let the federal government act as a catalyst for some key needed policy changes, and who among them oppose any federal education policy whatsoever just as a misguided point of principle.

I don’t mention this glibly. The tremendous pull that the Tea Party has had on domestic policy issues, including education, has folks on our side of the aisle looking back longingly at the groundbreaking work that President George W. Bush and Boehner were able to accomplish with liberal icons like Senator Teddy Kennedy and Rep. George Miller. You know, back in the good old days where at least both parties agreed that government could be an enabler of good, rather than just an overpriced agent of evil.

So, understanding that tips from a Democrat will be taken with a grain of salt at the RNC, I nonetheless offer these nuggets for consideration:

1. Throw the Tea-Baggers under the bus: If you don’t do it for issues of substance, do it for the politics alone. (more…)

The last-minute spending deal among Congressional leaders adds money to the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal are reporting. The revival of the scholarship is a top priority of House Speaker John Boehner, who has sponsored a measure that passed the House last month. That was just about the time the White House issued a statement asserting that the scholarship has proven ineffective.

Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid said of the eleventh-hour negotiations: “We didn’t do it at this late hour for drama, we did it because it’s been very hard to arrive at this point. Both sides have had to make tough choices.”

UPDATE: The Washington Post on the committee's vote.

The U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform voted 21-14 today to approve John Boehner's proposed renewal of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship program.

When John Boehner and Joe Lieberman introduce legislation on Wednesday that would reauthorize the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, as anticipated, they would be wise to look to Florida if they’re looking for bipartisan results, as Boehner has indicated. Lieberman, who became an independent only in 2006, championed voucher proposals for years as a Democrat, but that has never buoyed hopes among the program’s advocates for a bipartisan embrace. Only three other Democratic senators stood by Lieberman in his effort last March to reauthorize the scholarship.

By contrast, nearly half the Democrats in the Florida Legislature now support the Tax Credit Scholarship for low-income students, along with two-third of the Black Caucus and all but two members of the Hispanic Caucus. But that ratio of Democrats to Republicans wasn’t always the case. When the Legislature approved the program nearly 10 years ago, only one Democrat backed the plan.

What changed, and why is Florida so different? As Mike Petrilli of the Fordham Institute told a St. Petersburg Times reporter last year, the chief proponents of the Tax Credit Scholarship have cooled the political rhetoric from years past. That’s unlike Boehner’s provocation at President Obama. The House speaker’s statement to reporters begins, “If the president is sincere about working together on education reform …”

When it came time to consider a bill that would expand and strengthen the scholarship program, the Florida Legislature collectively approved the measure by a 122-34 margin. The following is a selection of quotes from lawmakers who voiced their support on the House or Senate floors. Try to spot who’s a Democrat and who’s a Republican. The answer(s) will follow: (more…)