While the media are paying attention to the now infamous presidential battleground state of Ohio, maybe they can spend a few minutes on the continued and outrageous opposition of that state’s Governor to charter schools, an issue that our POTUS candidates allegedly agree on (though we have some doubts).

Governor Ted Strickland fought hard two years ago to abolish all school choices from the state’s budget. He was overwhelmingly defeated by tens of thousands of people across the state rallying to retain the precious right to direct their own children’s education. Strickland hid behind what he considered gross failures among choice and charter schools - meanwhile, the legislature had already enacted legislation that guaranteed charter school closures when those schools failed to meet state targets three years in a row. Such a standard has never been in place for regular public schools, nor is NCLB working in that state to close chronically failing schools.

But how does Governor Strickland’s attack of charters again this week square with the Obama campaign?

“The thing, more than anything else, I want is a majority in the House so I will have support on education,” Mr. Strickland said while canvassing a Holland neighborhood with Ms. Dunn and her supporters.

“Certainly, the school funding issue is one I have talked about,” the governor said. “The charter school issue, as you know, I tried to place a moratorium on new charter schools. I could not do that because of the legislature.” (Toledo Blade, 10/21/08)

This is a guy that Senator Obama stood proudly in union with in September, and with whom he said he’d work to close down failing charters, even though their achievement numbers are showing great promise in Ohio for kids most in need.

Strickland’s concern over charter schools is entirely union-driven. The union challenged charter schools in court to no avail. The Governor tried to strike them from the budget to no avail. The Governor’s Attorney General, who left office recently having violated ethics codes, tried to sue charters under false pretenses to no avail. Now the Governor is saying he wants a legislature made up of his own party to do what he’s not been able to do so far.

And you want to work with him to do what, Senator Obama? Strong education reformers who are on your side are heating up the blogosphere telling us all that you support education reform. Many are skeptical. But this is a battleground state, and you could repudiate him. It’s just a thought.