This country is great. We’ve just elected the first African-American president, who has brought tremendous pride to many communities, but especially to African-Americans. I’ve seen it myself across the color and political spectrums.

It reminds us that you can have anything you want in America – unless you’re poor, that is.

Nowhere is this more clear than when it comes to schooling your child. Much has been written about where the Obamas might send their babies to school. As they are looking at private schools, their new hometown paper, The Washington Post, is reminding them that there are other people who want such a choice, but the President-elect doesn’t support the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program that allows such a choice with taxpayer dollars.

There are others who want him to go to a charter school. One of his biggest fans, Democrats for Education Reform, a group which really believes he will carry their agenda, is pleading for him to choose a charter school in D.C., one of the 62 or so high quality schools currently serving almost 30 percent of the D.C. public school population.

More “Why A Charter School Should Not Be the Obamas’ Choice”

Eduwonk’s otherwise smart and honorable leader Andy Rotherham told a major charter group recently - in terms of a president Obama - “if education is your issue you have nothing to worry about.”

Really?

Just a few days ago, Democrats for Education Reform blogger Whitney Tilson, also a smart, honorable (albeit partisan ☺) guy, had this to say about the candidates on education:

“… but I give him credit in one area: what he said about education, in which he hit all the right buttons: education as the main civil rights issue today, the alarming number of failing schools, the need to shake up awful bureaucracies, empowering parents with choice, including charter schools, etc.”

Fearless Whitney continues:

“This led one of my friends to write: ‘This decision is going to be tough…. VERY tough for us single issue voters. As powerful as an Obama candidacy is, and as much as I disagree with our misguided involvement in Iraq, there just simply is no contest between McCain and Obama on education reform. Did you hear him tonight? McCain gets it. I am sad to say that I STILL don’t know if Obama does.’”

I won’t address any other aspect of this campaign, but on this issue, Whitney’s friend is on to something. Want to know why? Click here to read our analysis of the presidential candidates. Our single-issue focus necessitated this in depth look.

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?

More “Battleground”