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1. I mean is this really even noteworthy?
   It’s simply a better decision for a candidate in high public office to private-school his children, for the obvious reason that public schools do not have the resources to protect and meet the necessary accommodations for somebody as high-profile, as maybe, the president’s daughter?
   Unless you have Bush money, public school is not really an option when you’re the President’s children.
   But I understand the bandwagon “hate-on-the-private-schoolers” effect you were going for.

   Comment by Shawn danino — 11/8/2008 @ 9:06 pm

2. I see your point. Why is this even noteworthy? I mean it was already public (though not common) knowledge that the Obama children are private-schoolers. The Obamas are high-profile public figures, especially in the last two years. Private school seems like the best, most reasonable, safest option when it comes to educating their kids.

   I suppose Obama never really lauded public education as it exists today. He promised to improve it. He, the one, would improve it. Of course, every presidential candidate in recent memory has made the same promise, and every Democratic presidential candidate has won the support of teachers’ unions. Parents, however, are split, or may even side more with Republicans when it comes to “improving” their children’s education.

   School choice–the idea behind school vouchers–has expressly been the goal of those not in teachers’ unions while sending millions of dollars to Democrats so that teachers get paid more and education standards get lowered more have always been the goals of … teachers’ unions.

   My reason for posting this is not to hate on private schoolers. Far from it. I’m a far-right-winger who can’t stop talking about privatizing public education. Private school may be “really an option” someday, and not just for the President(-elect)’s children. That is, if we ever get a president whose expressed goal is not to have government “spread the wealth around.”

   Comment by Spencer Doyle — 11/8/2008 @ 9:43 pm

3. Pretty funny how he changed his stance on vouchers. I’m impressed that he had the right idea in the first place. Hopefully as president he’ll be less a puppet of his party. (Probably a bit optimistic, though.)

   Comment by Francesca — 11/9/2008 @ 12:00 pm

4. “I’ll work with all our nation’s governors to hold all our charter schools accountable,” Obama said in the excerpts. “Charter schools that are successful will get the support they need to grow. And charters that aren’t will get shut down.”

   That is the reward and punish program of NCLB Act of Bush’s presidency, in which UCB commentators denounced it as a failed policy. Now Obama has embraced the same ideology. “o” good grief, we have a Bush Clone on education. Way to go Barry.

   http://www.time.com/time/politics/
   article/0,8599,1839739,00.html

   UCB Commentators expressed that punishing schools financially for under achievement was an antithesis to funding schools in poor neighborhoods that needed supplies and other materials that ‘skewed’ the testing results –to which that gage of the financial reward process determined – thus the NCLBA was unfair. Looks like Barry has embraced the same ideology as his republican nemesis.

   Now that is change! lol!

   Comment by WTFDude — 11/9/2008 @ 3:09 pm

5. Okay, hold up. When President-elect Obama becomes President Obama, he’s going to be doing a lot of things conservatives are going to disagree with. Executive orders reinstating drilling bans, repealing the Mexico City policy, etc. Card check. Fairness Doctrine. Freedom of Choice Act. At that point, it’d be nice to have a credible conservative voice at Cal speaking out against those things.

   Wanna know how to lose all your credibility before that?

   1) Bring up silly stuff like this. Is it hypocritical? Maybe. Can you really blame him?
   2) Call him “B. Hussein.” Seriously. He’s the President-elect. Show some respect.

   Comment by Fullmer — 11/10/2008 @ 1:04 pm

6. “Over the weekend President-elect Barack Obama scrubbed Change.gov, his transition Web site, deleting most of what had been a massive agenda copied directly from his campaign Web site.

   “Gone are the promises on how an Obama administration would handle 25 different agenda items.”

   http://washingtontimes.com/
   news/2008/nov/11/exclusive-obama-deletes-agenda-from-transition-web/

   If it is his name, then? It is his name

   lol.

   Comment by change.BHussein. — 11/10/2008 @ 1:31 pm

7. I know talk radio found this out a long time ago, that it is no longer okay, ahem, “respectful,” to call B.O. by his real name. That is, that we can no longer use Barry’s middle name.

   At least we’re not making it up, like the Treason Times did with “Bushie.” I think my post is strides better–more “respectful”–than many NYT’s articles, even NYT’s articles’ headlines, and virtually all Maureen Dowd “op-eds.” But that’s just prejudiced old me.

   Meantime, I’ll try restraint for a change when the teachers’ unions’ presidential-elect, and yes, my future president, as well, decides to throw more of my money at a system that doesn’t work, praise that system, and talk down to those people like me advocating the alternative. And the Obamas, I guess, will stick with denying school choice to those who can’t afford University of Chicago tuition for their 9-year-olds, choosing, rather, that economic freedom applies only to elite Washington liberals. In other words, they’ll stick with the usual hypocrisy.

   Comment by Spencer Doyle — 11/10/2008 @ 10:19 pm

8. The problem is not that you’re using “Barry’s” middle name; the problem is that you’re showing disrespect to the office of the President of the United States by calling our president-elect “B. Hussein,” “B.O.,” “Barry,” etc.

   Look, I spent four years at Berkeley watching as the mere mention of the name “Bush” in class would elicit condescending titters and giggles. I saw a good man get vilified for doing what he thought was best for the country, without even so much as an acknowledgement that maybe by virtue of being president he deserved some respect. I saw Bush Derangement Syndrome and the Angry Left on full display; I was spit at and swore at and had sticks thrown at me, simply because of my political views. (btw, since I doubt you recognize my name, I was managing editor of the Patriot for two years.) And oh, how I wished that we could have a little more civility and respect in our politics.

   So no, I’m not claiming the NY Times is unbiased, nor am I claiming that Maureen Dowd makes any sense at all when she writes. And like you, I am deeply, deeply worried about what four years of the policies of President Obama, Majority Leader Reid, and Speaker Pelosi may result in.

   But I will not do to Barack Obama what the Left did to George W. Bush. Sure, it’s very easy for them to be gracious winners right now, but we can try to be gracious losers. I doubt I’ll agree with very much President Obama will do, and I will never ever give in on issues of principle, but at the end of the day he will be our president. And that in itself demands our respect.

   Lest we forget what Senator McCain had to say on the subject:

   I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together to find the necessary compromises to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited.

   Whatever our differences, we are fellow Americans.

   Comment by Fullmer — 11/11/2008 @ 12:31 pm

9. Thank you for your comments. I promise you I wish nothing but the best for our future president.

   I am with you on the need for more civil dialog and respect for national office. However, I still don’t see why you are criticizing me for calling Obama by his name, his initials, even the nickname “Barry.” If any of these sound disrespectful or uncivil to you, please accept my apologies.

   Comment by Spencer Doyle — 11/11/2008 @ 4:31 pm

10. Fullmer

    Obama Hussein Barack implied all GOP are terrorists. What office of President do you need to respect? How do you see a future for the USA when the worst hate campaign in history just marked one party as the most vile in US history and the other as angelic and perfect, and peaceful? On campus, I saw and heard a different thing. Bush and the GOP are terrorists. and Obama stated as implication in his rhetoric the same thing. After the election, he then had the NYtimes write that these types of attacks are traditional and now after the election the GOP should bow down before me, because I’m now their leader.

    John McCain is not a conservative, and I believe neither were you when you were here. BCR was dominated by libertarians, many who thought Bush was a terrorist. This is a name Hussein. If he doesn’t like it, he can change it. Do you know American history? Apparently not, because many of our Presidents had nicknames, some not so respectful.

    “Whatever our differences, we are fellow Americans.”

    really? How do you define American?

    Comment by change.BHussein — 11/12/2008 @ 3:08 pm

11. We have criticized almost every president on almost every issue. nixon, bush, clinton, carter (and many others) have heard it from both sides about how they are doing a terrible job. However, no president has ever had so much shit talked about him. I understand how the left are sore losing and are throwing into the right’s face how they have all the power, but the same can be said for the right.

    I am not that fond of President-Elect Obama. But I whole heatedly disagree with Doyle’s attempt to make fun of him and attempt to link his name with a terrorist that has brought so much suffering to our country. I care about this country way more than I care about someone’s middle name. When someone (whether its left or right) makes comments attempting to link our President-Elect to that poor excuse for a man, that is completely out of line.

    If you love this country and what it stands for, do not link the leaders of the country with evil people who live to see democracy and freedom end.

    Lets give President-Elect Obama more respect. Lets criticize his policies and actions once he is in office.

    Comment by DM — 11/13/2008 @ 7:52 am

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