http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-TPk3OPEOc
Greetings all,
If like me things are not always so clear on how to act in the face of passionate desires, here are some universal truths from Gandhi that I think are very appropriate for everyone to re-read and apply to getting the energy of this campaign at the high spiritied high minded high impact that was present. Especially appropriate for Ft Flager to review
http://www.positivityblog.com/index.php/2008/05/09/gandhis-top-10-fundamentals-for-changing-the-world/
Greetings,
A lot of talk about VP going around.
I've supported Obama from the start. I hear the pundits talking about the ticket for VP. If push comes to shove the Obama HRC ticket, can and will only be viable with a lot of re-lensing and combined effort on the part of Obama and HRC. However, the scenario which this is feasible in my opinion is one where the Democratic party gets its TOTAL act together, generates a clear and visonary message, puts two highly qualified people who have put aside their differences for the sake of the country and are on their way to a great big change. This is somewhat of a fairytale, but a good story.
More realistically:
My preference would be that Edwards commits to VP spot.
My second preference is that Jim Webb of Virginia be the VP : http://webb.senate.gov/ He could go a long way in helping with the southern region Barrack is having trouble making headway yet he is truly an accomplished thinker and shares Obama's deep reflection on the nature of politics.
Others I've heard:
- Colin Powell: Trouble with the War issue. Would require some serious about facing by a very great candidate
- Governors: Rendell, Strickland, Sebelius, Schweitzer. Of the 4 I think Schweitzer is strongest VP total package. All are regional politicians that may help sway some votes in that region, but do not necessarily represent Obama change.
- Others to placate HRC fans. Just bad business/politics.
Dear Campaign,
With the presumed nomination in hand, I was stunned to see that there would not be a lot of events held in West Virginia. I think part of the UNIFYING message should be to gather support in areas not already in the coalition. Let them get to know you NOW and run the 50 state race as soon as possible. Tell them that a visit now brings great attention to their state and you're happy to bring your focus to people who "on paper" aren't expected to agree with you. Seems to me a great opportunity to do so.
Fired UP!
Just a personal thank you to all the hard working people on the phones, in the field, and elsewhere working for this campaign.
KEEP IT UP.
1. I feel bad that I was more involved early on.
2. I feel worse, about how HRC runs her campaign.
3. I feel helpless to stop it.
4. I feel Obama campaign can not only win, but truly direct this country with wisdome and compassion and not placation and homogenization.
5. Someone at HQ must wake up and apologize to the supporters but stop falling prey to her, stimulating the Obama base and stop playing into HRC tactics.
Brooks form NYTIMES, amazing comments about how this goes, I leave his words from Sunday talk shows about how things have changed.
OBAMA remind them 3 months ago, no one wanted what is happening. People wanted your message. Your message has been co-opted (she acuses of copying-it all becomes ridiculous).
Basically, I would prefer - you do not get nomination IF IF IF you have to win by defeating her tactics. Her tactic is that you win Nomination, but do not succeed with people. WE DESERVE BETTER THAN HRC TACTICS. The more you stay with TRUTH of YOUR VISION the better. No one EXPECTED you to win. EVERYONE EXPECTED YOU TO BE BETTER THAN HER!
NAMASTE
Just a note to thank Barack Obama for making not just a political positioned statement, but a true speech to a topic.
For those concerned that it was not politically expedient I cannot understand what they want of their government. We by seeing Barack's example that there is another way to lead the country. There is another way to lead ourselves.
"It is always one person within a group or a cluster who calls fort the HIGHEST VISION, who models THE GRANDEST TRUTH, who INSPIRES and CAJOLES, and AGITATES and AWAKENS, and ultimately produces a CONTEXTUAL FIELD within which COLLECTIVE ACTION is rendered POSSIBLE and BECOMES INEVITABLE"
The quote above always makes me think of Barack Obama and then makes me think of how I can be a better person who inspires those in the lives I touch.
My hope is that the campaign will take the remaining time and not CONCEEDE Pennsylvania, but go out to town hall meetings and repeat them. Work PA like Iowa and let the people who meet and discuss with Barack and I believe the message will be heard.
GOBAMA. Stay FIRED UP! READY TO GO!
A message to all to not let the current tone of the campaign get us off track.
HRC and this kitchen sink survival style is just looking for something to distract the Obama movement so they can quickly reframe. I felt this was the case in Ohio and Texas. They will now throw out multiple items and then drive in on whichever one rides best against the one Obama camp bites into.
Don't be dragged in, and better still, don't WAIT. Stay above it all yes, but stay engaged to your platform and message - as if you are the only candidate out there. It feels like the campaign is allowing Clinton to frame the discussion. That is what they do best. Barack, focus on Mississippi and take the time on the ground in PA to get back to caucus like town halls!!!! Big tent events won't get you to the people like we did in Iowa.
- Would like to know a position from the campaign on Florida and Michigan revotes. Seems doable. You will get $ from me to fund the revote and additional money to fund the campaign through that added expense.
Stay clear, drive the message of mandate, empowerment, highlight how you're already changing the party by running this campaign, it is working, and it will drive the future of the party by bringing the people out in an engaged way. You have given so much already and just want to tell you how much I appreciate it. Beyond inspiration.
Stay FIRED UP!
By Leslie Wayne
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/08/anti-obama-film-on-the-way/
A conservative group -– Citizens United -– that has produced a film now in distribution attacking Hillary Clinton called “Hillary, the Movie,” has its sights set on a new target: Barack Obama. The group has budgeted about $1 million to produce a documentary film about Mr. Obama that is set to be distributed this summer. At the moment, Citizens United has its researchers poring over Mr. Obama’s records as a community organizer, state legislator and United States senator in the same way that it scoured Mrs. Clinton’s record with a highly critical eye and a sharply conservative point of view.
“Obama is a completely clean slate,” said David Bossie, president of the group. “We will develop the image that we want the people to see. We’re doing the hard work of the research right now. The American people don’t know much about Obama, except that they like his speaking style.”If the Obama movie is anything like the one about Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Obama had better prepare himself. “Hillary, the Movie,” and promotional ads for it, present statements from Dick Morris, Ann Coulter, Robert Novak, Jeff Gerth (a former New York Times reporter), Newt Gingrich and others in which she is called everything from a liar, to a European socialist to being more devious than Richard Nixon.
“If you want to hear about the Clinton scandals of the past and present, you have it here,” said the movie’s promotional materials. “Hillary the Movie is the first and last word in what the Clintons want America to forget!”
The Obama movie would be the sixth long-form documentary film made by the group, which says it is dedicated to “restoring our government to citizen control.” While some of the movies have been in theatrical release, most are distributed as DVDs on-line and in bookstores.
http://www.dipdive.com/
If you haven't see this it may not have specific policy positions, but is very nice and inspiring...
Stay FIRED UP! Stay READ TO GO!
Feb 5... BIG DAY!
Some thoughts of late:
1. Barack kind of backed off in my opinion in NH. Not taking questions after rallies was mentioned by several NH people on CSPAN at other candidates meetings as a negative. I understand what may have been the thought of not taking chances with such poll leads. But this whole thing is a chance. Always press honestly on with the fact that you are the people listening to the people. Not to LEAD them but to STAND FOR THEM.
2. I hope the strategists at Obama stick to creating a MANDATE of change the system and the administration. The change message is getting used by everyone GOP included. Therefore, it is up to Barack to re-frame the change to where it orginated, not where James Carvelle is trying to frame it for HRC.
3. Don't get drawn into a battle by HRC Machine. Fight for a mandate, not to be another candidate.
4. Change message must be layered on. It may be difficult to sustain for 10 months. Therefore, let's start getting people's COMMITTMENTS TO CHANGE. IE After you leave Iowa, New Hampshire, etc. Treat the constiuents and the energy (after all, only 7,000 fewer votes there and still an important state in general election) with respect.
A. Get people who supported Barack in early states involved in getting out suport to other states
B. Start recording (and promoting) impact that Barack has had on people who've gotten involved. He has inspired me to reengage, get people telling their story out loud, so that they are empowered. A huge number of empowered people is a lot better than any "support" HRC can drum through the machine. AN IDEA FOR FACEBOOK CAMPAIGN: Have a I am BARACK campaign - Have people on facebook change their profile pictures to a picture of Barack (same one would be powerful), goes back to what I learned in Obama Boot Camp, "its not enough to support Barack or talk up Barack, you have to BE LIKE BARACK - taking action, being positive influence, and striving to make everyone's life better." This will help drive the mandate.
C. Start collecting people's commitment to work not just for the election but for when the country has taken itself back. "When the people replace business as usual I am COMMITED TO CHANGE...." As I've posted before, I am a small business owner and could be seen as having concerns about some policies that would come up in a Barack Administration. I say I trust Barack to make the hard choices and commit to doing the hard work ahead in full support of knowing that whatever hardship my business faces, I am alongside Barack who I trust and the other COMMITTED TO CHANGE constituents who are ready to do the hard work and excellent things we can, as soon as we trust, respect, and are inspired by our leader. Politics as usual will not inspire people during the administration of HRC and the counry will suffer as a result. Don't let this happen by forgetting the mandate and becoming another candidate.
I am FIRED UP! I am READY TO GO!
YES WE CAN.
Back to the HQ this week for me for sure.
Everyone, now is the time to get involved more and more.
Hello!
Just saw Hillary crying on CNN web clilp. Not that I am for making anyone cry. I like her showing emotion. But it irritated me as tactic, which made my gut go hard.
Barack, please stick to the message and don't let this play get campaign upset. Be compassionate and considerate but don't deny you will be baited by the other candidates.
You are NOT out to win the election (alone). You ARE developing this movement.
I would like to know when Barack will move from Stand Up for Change to COMMIT TO CHANGE. Thereby, yes asking people to vote, but then, going the next step, and opening the dialogue for change by getting people's committment to change and stories of how they have already changed by being part of the election. IE> Grassroots NOW! I for one have been inspired by the talks of Barack for sure and most recently by Michelle in NH on Sunday 6th as seen on CSPAN. However, it is even more dramatic the inspriration I have felt by being part of the campaign at the headquarters in Chicago, doing a canvas in Iowa, making calls to friends and strangers.
I think the campaign would do well to start opening up to new things. IE I am a small business owner in the US. I understand (in my head and heart) that not every single program to come in a Barack administration will be the "best" one for me alone. But I blame this not on DEM socialism, but the last 7 years of insane application of surplus and total fiscal irresponsibility of the REP party, as well as just the cold hard facts of globalization. I for one TRUST Barack to make the hard decisions known, work hard to be fair, and create the solution that does lift up the nation as a whole. If there is someway to get people involved in the political change deeper than pure electioning (not instead of but in addition to) I think it would be wise. It will still be a long battle but if people are ACTING on changing the by the community not just to organize for an election but to PREPARE for the upcoming environment we can see unprecedented momementum.
STAY FIRED UP! BE READY TO GO!
Adam
Get your facebook profile here, and share it with your friends. Our time is now!
By Luke Messac
Every four years, candidates try to convince voters that their concerns are our own. To students, this claim is usually a tough sell. But with Barack, our pain really is his pain! At a recent event in Iowa, Michelle Obama admitted that she and her husband finished repaying their student loans only three years ago!
"We would still be in debt if Barack hadn't written two bestselling books," she explained. "Most young adults like us don't have that miracle."
You had better believe that all-too-recent memory motivates Barack to ensure that tomorrow's college graduates don't have to spend decades working their way out of the red. With tuition costs skyrocketing and the average college senior graduating with more than $19,000 of debt, there has never been a better time for presidential empathy.
For more proof of Obama's commitment to access to higher education, just take a look at his record. The first bill he ever introduced as a United States Senator proposed increasing the maximum Pell Grant to make college more affordable for millions of students. As a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, he cosponsored legislation to increase need-based aid while decreasing fees and interest rates on student loans.
As President, Obama's vision for change goes even further. His plan calls for a fundamental reform of the student loan program which would free up funds for grants and low-interest loans by eliminating wasteful subsidies to private lenders. Obama's personal knowledge of college debt helps inform his dedication to making higher education a goal that all Americans can realize. Talk about experience that counts!
Hi ALL
What?
I would like to say the following:
What "preparation" does Hillary Clinton have as President? She "lived in" the whitehouse for 8 years. I am tired of hearing she is More Experienced. I think the Obama campaign should stress the direct experience to experience. Obama has been in the community, Hillary has been in the boardrooms, Obama has been in public office changing what he saw in the community (and he's been doing this LONGER than Hillary), Hillary has been a first lady (no offense, but fact). Finally, they have about equal experience in Senate, but Barack has been doing it for people who support him and know him because he's been involved with them for 20 years. Hillary came up and has made a name for herself in a community she chose for its political position.
Finally:
Hillary will ask you to look to Qualificatins, which I don't believe she has.
Hillary will ask you to look to Experience, which will bring us more of the same bad decisions.
Barack will bring a quality of character and committment that raises people up.
Barack will bring a higher level of expectations on the tough issues coming to this country.
Get Fired Up when you here these comments. Barack is READY TO GO!
Time for change...Time for Barack Obama.
In this context one person can make a huge difference, for it is always one person within a group or cluster who calls forth the highest vision, who models the grandest truth, who inspires and cajoles and agitates and awakens and ultimately produces a contextual field within which collective action is rendered possible and becomes inevitable.
Yesterday, the Chronicle of Higher Education posted an interview with Barack Obama. The transcript is below:
A Chronicle Q&A with Barack Obama Barack Obama responded via email to questions from The Chronicle. Here is a transcript of the exchange. Q. You have pressed many policies to increase student aid and expand college access, as have many of your Democratic challengers for the presidential nomination. Which of your ideas on these topics set you apart from the others and best define the direction in which you would take higher-education policy if elected president? A. Serving on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, I have worked to ease the debt burden on students and to improve public education across the country. But I also served as an advocate for students and teachers in years prior to that when I was a state legislator, where many decisions that affect public higher education are made. In Springfield, I sponsored legislation to establish tax credits for higher-education expenses and to grant in-state tuition to non-citizens, and I also supported prepaid tuition contracts. When I was elected to the U.S. Senate, the first bill I introduced was the HOPE Act, an expansion of the Pell Grants, paid for by decreases in SAP [Special Allowance Payments] payments. This year, I worked with my colleagues on the HELP Committee to increase Pell Grants, not by increasing the deficit, but through reductions in government subsidies to banks and other lenders. And while some of the other candidates have called for the elimination of subsidies in the federal student-loan program, I have been advocating that policy since my 2004 Senate race. Q. What role, if any, should the federal government play in trying to rein in rising college costs? A. The Senate proposed a compromise to hold colleges more accountable for their cost increases that I believe will work. The proposal creates a watch list of colleges whose costs are increasing faster than costs at other colleges, develops a higher-education price-comparison index, as well as a price calculator to clarify the cost of attendance for students of different income levels. Students can insist that their institutions focus more on the quality of instruction than the building of new football stadiums. Q. You have called yourself a firm believer in affirmative action. How big a role should race play in college-admissions decisions, and why? How much should socioeconomic status factor in to those decisions, and why? A. Diversity enriches education. As America grows more diverse, it is essential that students be exposed to diversity in all its forms and learn how to effectively communicate, collaborate, and compete with people of all backgrounds. Some measures traditionally used to determine college admissions—such as college entrance exam scores—might not necessarily be the best predictors of college success, placing some very talented students at a disadvantage. One of this year’s MacArthur awardees—the “genius” awards—is an innovator named Deborah Bial. She proposed a model to identify promising students from disadvantaged urban backgrounds, using an alternative set of qualities as predictors of success in college. Candidates for this program are selected using a process based on qualities such as leadership, motivation, teamwork, and ability to effectively communicate. The students that are selected form a “posse,” and are provided with extra supports, and end up graduating form selective colleges with a very high success rate. This shows the validity of using less-recognized skills as indicators of likely educational success. And this would probably be considered affirmative action, by specifically choosing students from less-advantaged backgrounds. But maybe it just shows that the playing ground, using traditional metrics for college admission, is unacceptably uneven. When properly structured, affirmative action programs can open up opportunities to qualified minorities—and can do so without diminishing opportunities for white students. Given the dearth of black and Latino Ph.D. candidates in mathematics and the sciences, for example, a scholarship program for minorities interested in getting advanced degrees in these fields won’t keep white students out of such programs but can broaden the pool of talent that we need to prosper in the new economy. We shouldn’t ignore that race continues to matter: To suggest that our racial attitudes play no part in the socioeconomic disparities that we often observe turns a blind eye to both our history and our experience—and relieves us of the responsibility to make things right. The very question suggests this is an either/or thing—either you want to increase opportunities for racial minorities or you want to increase opportunities for poor students of all races. I reject this. We can—and should—do both. We should work to build an America where the qualified white student from rural South Carolina who worked hard to beat the odds and the qualified black student from the South Side of Chicago who did the same can attend classes together, learn from each other, teach their classmates a thing or two and vice versa, and together go off into the world prepared for a diverse workforce. Q. On the same subject, you said in an ABC interview that your daughters should probably be treated by any admissions officer as people who are “pretty advantaged.” What did you mean by that? Should an applicant’s race play a role in whether he or she is admitted to a college if that person is from a middle- or upper-income background? Please explain. A. My daughters are the children of a very talented and accomplished woman, and of a U.S. Senator. They are growing up in a neighborhood which provides the benefits of one of our nation’s great universities. They attend an excellent school. That seems pretty advantaged to me. I think that my daughters should probably be treated by any admissions officer as folks who are pretty advantaged, and I think that there’s nothing wrong with us taking that into account as we consider admissions policies at universities. I think that we should take into account white kids who have been disadvantaged and have grown up in poverty and shown themselves to have what it takes to succeed. So I don’t think those concepts are mutually exclusive. I think what we can say is that in our society race and class still intersect, that there are a lot of African-American kids who are still struggling, that even those who are in the middle class may be first-generation as opposed to fifth- or sixth-generation college attendees, and that we all have an interest in bringing as many people together [as we can] to help build this country. Q. You have proposed eliminating the bank-based lending system and moving all college students to the direct-loan program. Some lenders and others have argued that the bank-based system creates important competitive pressures that help drive down costs to students. How do you respond to such arguments? A. That would assume banks are able to offer lower interest rates, or lower costs to students, than direct loans. It is true a small number of borrowers may benefit. What is clear is that this system costs the taxpayer billions of dollars each year, billions which could be used for direct grant aid to students. And the debt burden on college students and the interest rates they pay have gone up exponentially. The direct-loan program has been very effective at universities in Illinois. Q. You have said that you want to help working families adjust to the global economy. What role do you want colleges and universities to playin helping people make that transition, and how should the federal government support that role? A. The global economy is driven by information. The most important skill is knowledge, and the ability to apply it critically to new and complex problems. Universities, colleges and community colleges all have a place in putting Americans on a path to success in the global economy, and many have established their excellence in achieving that goal. This is not a system that needs to be overhauled, but one that needs to be nurtured, refined, and made accessible to more of our citizens. Higher education is the long-term solution to reversing the income disparities that have stretched the middle class to the breaking point. We must increase access to higher education, through increased grant aid, and improvements in student loan system, as well as by working to slow the rate of college tuition and cost increases. We must prepare students entering college with the skills they need to succeed. This starts with improving K-12 education, but colleges and universities can support marginal students who enter by working with schools to help them develop standards and instructional practices that make sure that high school graduates are college-ready. Institutions should work with schools and districts in partnerships so that all sources of expertise are encouraged to provide useful input, with better communication about how to align K-12 curriculum and instruction, high school graduation requirements, and college entrance expectations. We need better ways to help students determine whether they are on a path that leads to postsecondary success. An important part of the assisting working families [to] adjust will be played by community colleges. The federal government should provide incentives to help schools assess the types of skills and education they should offer, and how they might work with other institutions of higher education to contribute to a full postsecondary education. Our education system also has a critical role to play when our workers lose their jobs because of trade. I believe community colleges can make Trade Adjustment Assistance job training more relevant and responsive, so that these schools reach out to employers in the community, find out what job skills are needed, and work to give laid off workers the tools they need to bounce back from a plant closure. Q. What key accomplishments on higher-education policy would you like to highlight from your service in Congress, in the Illinois Senate, or in any other of your previous roles? A. I would first highlight Higher Education Reauthorization, where we significantly expanded Pell Grants, which has been a high priority of mine since I entered the Senate. We also expanded loan forgiveness for those who enter public service and brought more transparency to the student loan process. There are also some provisions that were included, based on legislative proposals I introduced. Title II overhauled the teacher preparation process, with much more emphasis on effective mentoring and induction systems, including my proposal for Teaching Residency Programs. Good preparation programs can make novice teachers effective more rapidly, and Teaching Residency Programs do this through school-based partnerships in which prospective teachers teach alongside a mentor teacher for one year, while undertaking coursework to attain teacher certification. Graduates of the program are placed in high-needs schools and continue to receive strong mentoring and support for their first years of teaching. This is a model of effective teacher preparation that I advocated since before I was elected to the Senate. The higher-education package also contains a provision to support Predominantly Black Institutions, an issue on which I worked with my House colleague, Danny Davis. Predominantly Black Institutions serve a growing number of African American students, most of whom are the first in their families to go to college and most of whom receive student financial aid. Congress has long supported the essential role of similar institutions through provisions supporting Historically Black Colleges and Universities, but newer institutions serving a needier, but deserving student populations can now also be recognized and supported. My record in the Illinois Senate also demonstrates my work in expanding access to higher education. I co-sponsored a bill to aid low-income students with children. I co-sponsored legislation to provide need-based grants to retrain workers in IT. I co-sponsored a bill for in-state tuition for non-citizens.
Barack Obama responded via email to questions from The Chronicle. Here is a transcript of the exchange.
Q. You have pressed many policies to increase student aid and expand college access, as have many of your Democratic challengers for the presidential nomination. Which of your ideas on these topics set you apart from the others and best define the direction in which you would take higher-education policy if elected president?
A. Serving on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, I have worked to ease the debt burden on students and to improve public education across the country.
But I also served as an advocate for students and teachers in years prior to that when I was a state legislator, where many decisions that affect public higher education are made. In Springfield, I sponsored legislation to establish tax credits for higher-education expenses and to grant in-state tuition to non-citizens, and I also supported prepaid tuition contracts.
When I was elected to the U.S. Senate, the first bill I introduced was the HOPE Act, an expansion of the Pell Grants, paid for by decreases in SAP [Special Allowance Payments] payments. This year, I worked with my colleagues on the HELP Committee to increase Pell Grants, not by increasing the deficit, but through reductions in government subsidies to banks and other lenders.
And while some of the other candidates have called for the elimination of subsidies in the federal student-loan program, I have been advocating that policy since my 2004 Senate race.
Q. What role, if any, should the federal government play in trying to rein in rising college costs?
A. The Senate proposed a compromise to hold colleges more accountable for their cost increases that I believe will work. The proposal creates a watch list of colleges whose costs are increasing faster than costs at other colleges, develops a higher-education price-comparison index, as well as a price calculator to clarify the cost of attendance for students of different income levels. Students can insist that their institutions focus more on the quality of instruction than the building of new football stadiums.
Q. You have called yourself a firm believer in affirmative action. How big a role should race play in college-admissions decisions, and why? How much should socioeconomic status factor in to those decisions, and why?
A. Diversity enriches education. As America grows more diverse, it is essential that students be exposed to diversity in all its forms and learn how to effectively communicate, collaborate, and compete with people of all backgrounds.
Some measures traditionally used to determine college admissions—such as college entrance exam scores—might not necessarily be the best predictors of college success, placing some very talented students at a disadvantage.
One of this year’s MacArthur awardees—the “genius” awards—is an innovator named Deborah Bial. She proposed a model to identify promising students from disadvantaged urban backgrounds, using an alternative set of qualities as predictors of success in college.
Candidates for this program are selected using a process based on qualities such as leadership, motivation, teamwork, and ability to effectively communicate. The students that are selected form a “posse,” and are provided with extra supports, and end up graduating form selective colleges with a very high success rate.
This shows the validity of using less-recognized skills as indicators of likely educational success. And this would probably be considered affirmative action, by specifically choosing students from less-advantaged backgrounds. But maybe it just shows that the playing ground, using traditional metrics for college admission, is unacceptably uneven.
When properly structured, affirmative action programs can open up opportunities to qualified minorities—and can do so without diminishing opportunities for white students. Given the dearth of black and Latino Ph.D. candidates in mathematics and the sciences, for example, a scholarship program for minorities interested in getting advanced degrees in these fields won’t keep white students out of such programs but can broaden the pool of talent that we need to prosper in the new economy.
We shouldn’t ignore that race continues to matter: To suggest that our racial attitudes play no part in the socioeconomic disparities that we often observe turns a blind eye to both our history and our experience—and relieves us of the responsibility to make things right.
The very question suggests this is an either/or thing—either you want to increase opportunities for racial minorities or you want to increase opportunities for poor students of all races. I reject this. We can—and should—do both.
We should work to build an America where the qualified white student from rural South Carolina who worked hard to beat the odds and the qualified black student from the South Side of Chicago who did the same can attend classes together, learn from each other, teach their classmates a thing or two and vice versa, and together go off into the world prepared for a diverse workforce.
Q. On the same subject, you said in an ABC interview that your daughters should probably be treated by any admissions officer as people who are “pretty advantaged.” What did you mean by that? Should an applicant’s race play a role in whether he or she is admitted to a college if that person is from a middle- or upper-income background? Please explain.
A. My daughters are the children of a very talented and accomplished woman, and of a U.S. Senator. They are growing up in a neighborhood which provides the benefits of one of our nation’s great universities. They attend an excellent school. That seems pretty advantaged to me.
I think that my daughters should probably be treated by any admissions officer as folks who are pretty advantaged, and I think that there’s nothing wrong with us taking that into account as we consider admissions policies at universities.
I think that we should take into account white kids who have been disadvantaged and have grown up in poverty and shown themselves to have what it takes to succeed. So I don’t think those concepts are mutually exclusive.
I think what we can say is that in our society race and class still intersect, that there are a lot of African-American kids who are still struggling, that even those who are in the middle class may be first-generation as opposed to fifth- or sixth-generation college attendees, and that we all have an interest in bringing as many people together [as we can] to help build this country.
Q. You have proposed eliminating the bank-based lending system and moving all college students to the direct-loan program. Some lenders and others have argued that the bank-based system creates important competitive pressures that help drive down costs to students. How do you respond to such arguments?
A. That would assume banks are able to offer lower interest rates, or lower costs to students, than direct loans. It is true a small number of borrowers may benefit. What is clear is that this system costs the taxpayer billions of dollars each year, billions which could be used for direct grant aid to students. And the debt burden on college students and the interest rates they pay have gone up exponentially. The direct-loan program has been very effective at universities in Illinois.
Q. You have said that you want to help working families adjust to the global economy. What role do you want colleges and universities to playin helping people make that transition, and how should the federal government support that role?
A. The global economy is driven by information. The most important skill is knowledge, and the ability to apply it critically to new and complex problems. Universities, colleges and community colleges all have a place in putting Americans on a path to success in the global economy, and many have established their excellence in achieving that goal.
This is not a system that needs to be overhauled, but one that needs to be nurtured, refined, and made accessible to more of our citizens. Higher education is the long-term solution to reversing the income disparities that have stretched the middle class to the breaking point.
We must increase access to higher education, through increased grant aid, and improvements in student loan system, as well as by working to slow the rate of college tuition and cost increases.
We must prepare students entering college with the skills they need to succeed. This starts with improving K-12 education, but colleges and universities can support marginal students who enter by working with schools to help them develop standards and instructional practices that make sure that high school graduates are college-ready.
Institutions should work with schools and districts in partnerships so that all sources of expertise are encouraged to provide useful input, with better communication about how to align K-12 curriculum and instruction, high school graduation requirements, and college entrance expectations.
We need better ways to help students determine whether they are on a path that leads to postsecondary success. An important part of the assisting working families [to] adjust will be played by community colleges. The federal government should provide incentives to help schools assess the types of skills and education they should offer, and how they might work with other institutions of higher education to contribute to a full postsecondary education.
Our education system also has a critical role to play when our workers lose their jobs because of trade. I believe community colleges can make Trade Adjustment Assistance job training more relevant and responsive, so that these schools reach out to employers in the community, find out what job skills are needed, and work to give laid off workers the tools they need to bounce back from a plant closure.
Q. What key accomplishments on higher-education policy would you like to highlight from your service in Congress, in the Illinois Senate, or in any other of your previous roles?
A. I would first highlight Higher Education Reauthorization, where we significantly expanded Pell Grants, which has been a high priority of mine since I entered the Senate. We also expanded loan forgiveness for those who enter public service and brought more transparency to the student loan process.
There are also some provisions that were included, based on legislative proposals I introduced. Title II overhauled the teacher preparation process, with much more emphasis on effective mentoring and induction systems, including my proposal for Teaching Residency Programs.
Good preparation programs can make novice teachers effective more rapidly, and Teaching Residency Programs do this through school-based partnerships in which prospective teachers teach alongside a mentor teacher for one year, while undertaking coursework to attain teacher certification. Graduates of the program are placed in high-needs schools and continue to receive strong mentoring and support for their first years of teaching. This is a model of effective teacher preparation that I advocated since before I was elected to the Senate.
The higher-education package also contains a provision to support Predominantly Black Institutions, an issue on which I worked with my House colleague, Danny Davis. Predominantly Black Institutions serve a growing number of African American students, most of whom are the first in their families to go to college and most of whom receive student financial aid.
Congress has long supported the essential role of similar institutions through provisions supporting Historically Black Colleges and Universities, but newer institutions serving a needier, but deserving student populations can now also be recognized and supported.
My record in the Illinois Senate also demonstrates my work in expanding access to higher education. I co-sponsored a bill to aid low-income students with children. I co-sponsored legislation to provide need-based grants to retrain workers in IT. I co-sponsored a bill for in-state tuition for non-citizens.
“We need to put a college education within reach of every American. That's the best investment we can make in our future.” Barack Obama, Reclaiming the American Dream, 11/7
