Democratic Chosen One
It has been prophesied. After a decade of suffering the Democratic party will rise from chaos behind a new leader. This leader will appeal to religious folk. He'll appeal to thinking folk (not that religious folk and thinking folk are mutually exclusive, the scrolls are quick to point out). He'll appeal to people who are starving for a politician who can turn a damn phrase already. He'll be young and energetic and blah blah blah.
And he's arrived. Political heart-throb du jour from Illinois, Barack Obama, was in Seattle over the weekend to hold hands with Maria Cantwell and talk about education at Garfield High. 1500 tickets were disseminated to Democratic leaders, newspaper guys and a bunch of bloggers (NW Progressive Institute, Horsesass, Evergreen Politics, Pike Place Politics).
"[We say we believe that...] every child is special. Everybody gets an opportunity. But our budgets have not reflected that," Obama said."A promise of a good education is what made this country work. Today, that idea is in danger," Obama added.
And in a slap at groups like the Evergreen Freedom Foundation (a conservative think tank) Obama emphatically stated, "It is not enough for us to propose an 'either or' proposition for education. We need reform and we need more money."
(The Evergreen Freedom Foundation opposes additional funding for education and insists that the system must be "reformed" first. Their goal appears to be to destroy the public education system).
