[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGow8ut5_34]
One of the reasons I supported John Kerry in 2004 was that he was willing to break from traditional Democratic policies and oppose traditional Democratic special interests. He fought for a balanced budget before this became the established Democratic position. When proposing his health care policy, Kerry took on the trial lawyers and argued for malpractice reform. In contrast, the support for malpractice reform in the Kerry-Edwards platform is suddenly missing from John Edwards’ current proposals as trial lawyers are major contributors to his campaign. Barack Obama, while unfortunately lacking the experience which Kerry brought to the campaign in 2004, does at times remind me of Kerry as he has been willing to disagree with the positions of Democratic interest groups.
The latest example of this occurred when Obama was speaking to the National Education Association. Obama called for merit pay before this hostile audience, but did softened the blow by saying he would not use “arbitrary tests” to link pay to performance:
“I think there should be ways for us to work with the NEA, with teachers’ unions, to figure out a way to measure success,” Obama told a crowd of about 9,000 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. “I want to work with teachers. I’m not going to do it too you, I’m going to do it with you.”
It was a measure of Democrat Obama’s rock-star appeal that he did not draw any hisses with the pronouncement, and even got scattered applause. Obama’s endorsement of merit pay for teachers was the first note deviating from the promise-anything tenor of visits by several presidential candidates to the union this week.
Obama said that improving public education was vital to the U.S. ability to compete in a global economy, pointing out that students here score well below their counterparts in other industrialized nations, particularly in science and mathematics.
“In the 21st century, countries that out-educate us now will out-compete us tomorrow,” Obama said. “The work you do and the difference you make has never been more important to the future of this country.”
He promised more pay “across the board” for teachers and extra incentives for those willing to work in lower-performing schools in urban and rural areas, though he noted that he would release the details of those goals and other education policies at a later date.
Obama was firm in his denunciation of the No Child Left Behind law, saying he would not support its reauthorization, an issue now pending before Congress, unless the reliance on standardized test scores was softened and more federal funding was poured into compliance.
“Don’t pass a law called No Child Left Behind and leave the money behind,” Obama said.
I’m sure that long time Democrats will see it differently, but for an independent such as myself, at present Barack Obama and Bill Richardson remain the only candidates for the Democratic nomination who appears to have the possibility of gaining my support. With the move by the Republicans to the extreme right, and their embracement of authoritarianism in opposition to the ideals upon which this nation was founded, all the Democratic candidates are preferable to the current Republican ones. Still, there’s a big difference between backing a candidate worthy of support and voting for the lesser of two evils.