I'm guessing that Republicans get these sort of messages too. And they probably address the recipient by his or her first name. "Sarah," they'll start out "It's been a tragic year for America" And likely end with something like "We need your help now more than ever, Sarah...If you're with me, then commit to making a recurring donation to Republicans before midnight..."
I regard it all as something of a wash. Everything is reduced to one or the other end of the political spectrum.
But this past week I got one that was about my favorite blogging subject: education. It was from Barack. (I figure we're on a first name basis now.) He started out by saying that "our high school students are currently graduating at an all-time high, and last year, our younger students posted the highest scores ever recorded in both math and reading." Sounds like we're doing something right, eh?
No. Somehow, he deemed this a failure and went on to say "I'm making the replacement of No Child Left Behind a priority." Does that mean it's not working, I wondered.
He then said that we "need a better education plan -- one that cuts standardized testing to a bare minimum, invests in our preschools, and gives every kid in every corner of our country a fair shot." This was followed by announcing that he's "calling on Congress to pass a law that makes this vision of a brighter tomorrow for our sons and daughters a reality."
"This plan" he said "is just common sense," one of the phrases that everyone loves, but has no idea what it means.
And that was followed by the usual request for a donation.
As you may know from reading my earlier comments regarding Jeb Bush and the Federal Government's role in education, I am not in favor of it.
But I figured I should give the President an opportunity to fill me in. So I sent the following reply:
I am extremely offended by the message below. There is no
way I am going to support a plan without knowing the details.
“a better education plan -- one that cuts standardized testing to a
bare minimum, invests in our preschools, and gives every kid in every
corner of our country a fair shot” is not enough.
way I am going to support a plan without knowing the details.
“a better education plan -- one that cuts standardized testing to a
bare minimum, invests in our preschools, and gives every kid in every
corner of our country a fair shot” is not enough.
I
have a Ph.D. in education and I maintain a blog on the subject.
And I am a registered Democrat. Kindly send me (and anyone else
whose support you want) a copy
of the plan so we can decide for
ourselves if we want to endorse it.
ourselves if we want to endorse it.