THE SHAME OF A NATION :

Best Chances for Vouchers Lie in the Cities (ANEMONA HARTOCOLLIS, June 29, 2002, NY Times)

Although vouchers have been a bedrock conservative issue, suburban voters support their public schools, and Republican candidates may find support for vouchers politically risky. [...]

Roman Catholic lobbying groups immediately began to focus their attention yesterday on the Black, Puerto Rican and Hispanic Legislative Caucus in Albany. "A lot of our advocacy really must be geared toward minority communities, to begin to apply pressure on the Black and Hispanic Caucus, who in turn can apply pressure on both houses to get something going," said Dennis Poust, a spokesman for the New York State Catholic Conference.

The biggest obstacle to minority legislative support, Mr. Poust added, is probably the state teachers union, whose large membership and get-out-the-vote money are critical. "So that puts legislators in a very uncomfortable position," Mr. Poust said.

It may unfortunately be the case that at the end of the day Republicans are too racist to support vouchers and Democrats are both too racist and too corrupted by Unions. If that's so, we will have betrayed the children who are stuck in inadequate schools and will have disgraced ourselves as a people. President Bush should make this the centerpiece of his domestic agenda and shame suburban white voters into supporting it. Posted by Orrin Judd at June 29, 2002 11:00 AM