(Guest Post by Matthew Ladner)
Whitney Tilson of Democrats for Education Reform weighed in this morning in his email blast:
I think Duncan is doing a great job overall — but am still glad that the WSJ editorial page is holding his feet to the fire on renewing the DC voucher program:
“Education Secretary Arne Duncan did a public service last week when he visited New York City and spoke up for charter schools and mayoral control of education. That was the reformer talking. The status quo Mr. Duncan was on display last month when he let Congress kill a District of Columbia voucher program even as he was sitting on evidence of its success.”
Here are John Kirtley’s comments:
“Democrat reformers really need to think about the last sentence of this article. I know they think ‘we can let vouchers go undefended, and we’ll just defend and advance charters’.
If those who wish to kill reform are successful in killing off private school choice, trust me–they will redouble their considerable efforts to kill charters.
You had better hope you are invincible by then.”
To paraphrase the poem by Martin Niemoller:
“First they came for the vouchers. I remained silent because I was not for vouchers….”
Let the record show that Whitney Tilson was the first prominent Democrat in what we have to hope will be a growing number of Democrats who stood up for what is right on this issue.
(edited for clarity)
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