October 16, 2008
The Michelle Rhee Moment in the Presidential Debate
The most unexpected name-drop of last night’s presidential debate (besides, of course, Joe the Plumber) was D.C.’s own schools chancellor, Michelle Rhee, as the final moments of the broadcast slid into bickering between McCain and Obama over whether or not Rhee supports vouchers:
OBAMA: I’ll just make a quick comment about vouchers in D.C. Senator McCain’s absolutely right: The D.C. school system is in terrible shape, and it has been for a very long time. And we’ve got a wonderful new superintendent there who’s working very hard with the young mayor there to try…MCCAIN: Who supports vouchers.
OBAMA: … who initiated — actually, supports charters.
MCCAIN: She supports vouchers, also.
City Desk has the statement DCPS issued shortly after the debate ended – basically, both Rhee and Mayor Fenty have offered their support for the D.C. Opportunity Scholarships, a federally funded voucher program that is popular with parents but hasn't necessarily demonstrated significant improvement in student achievement. However, the statement clarifies that “while Chancellor Rhee hasn’t taken a formal position on vouchers, she disagrees with the notion that vouchers are the remedy for repairing the city’s school system.” Marc Fisher makes the argument that since Rhee has never opposed vouchers, McCain got that part right. Then again, Rhee obviously stands for school reform much more than she does for vouchers, which is what Obama was arguing for last night.
It’s also worth remembering that Rhee, a Democrat, has in the past offered support for McCain’s education platform. Regardless, it’s pretty cool that the final moments of the final presidential debate centered on reforming urban schools, and D.C.'s schools in particular. Even though neither candidate actually said "Michelle Rhee" last night, in the past, both men have tossed Rhee’s name out there in efforts to link themselves to the work she’s doing here. It's even prompting some rumors that she's being considered for Secretary of Education by Obama, even though she's repeatedly said that she has committed to staying at the head of D.C. Schools as long as Adrian Fenty is still mayor and still wants her in the job.
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The key here is her statement "she has committed to staying at the head of D.C. Schools as long as Adrian Fenty is still mayor and still wants her in the job."
Rumors are flying that Fenty has been jockeying for an appointment if Obama is elected meaning if he goes, Rhee may also.
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I'm sure she's thrilled to have been used as a political pawn.
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Isn't it possible they were actually talking about our superintendent, and not our chancellor?
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"Rumors are flying that Fenty has been jockeying for an appointment if Obama is elected meaning if he goes, Rhee may also."
Obama is far too smart to make the mistake of appointing someone like Fenty to his cabinet.
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HCE, Do you care to explain your issue with our Mayor?
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"HCE, Do you care to explain your issue with our Mayor? "
I fail to see what good it would do anybody to appoint Mayor Fenty to a presidential cabinet position, as he certainly hasn't accomplished anything yet as mayor or council member demonstrating that he is prepared to make the leap to such an important political position. Which cabinet position do you think Mayor Fenty is intellectually fit for, and politically experienced enough to hold?
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Which cabinet position do you think Mayor Fenty is intellectually fit for, and politically experienced enough to hold?
Judging by the number of Blackberries, FCC chair.
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can you call it a "name-drop" if you never say her name?
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You're probably right that Fenty is unlikely to be considered for a "cabinet position," HCE, even one of the relatively "minor" ones like HUD or Transportation. He doesn't quite have the background, and DC's electoral college votes are taken for granted so Obama won't need to grant any favors to DC favorite sons for political reasons.
However, there are literally thousands of appointed positions in the Exec branch, some of them very senior, and I could definitely imagine Fenty being nominated for some sort of "Deputy Secretary"-type post. Whether he'd be willing to leave the DC mayor's office to take on such a position is an open question, but it's not like there's really anywhere further for him to go in DC politics ... a Deputy slot would be a good precursor for jockeying for a position on the full cabinet, or for upping his eventual income on the lobbying circuit.
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I think it is ridiculous to pay students in DC to attend school. What message are we sending our children? DC schools need to get back to basics.
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I think it is ridiculous to pay students in DC to attend school. What message are we sending our children? DC schools need to get back to basics.
Kudos! I find your common sense uncommonly common! "Back to Basics," indeed!
I think we should also keep our eyes on the prize, and work tirelessly to achieve a common goal.
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Well, I do see a City car with a city driver dropping off Rhee's kids at the school her kids and my son attend. So I definitely like her idea of having taxpayer limo service take me and the kids to school. I will admit I am concerned my "voucher" for that limo service somehow got lost in the mail though.