AFT NCLBlog: Who Lost Vilsack?

NAGB Board Member...

Who Lost Vilsack?
February 6, 2007 01:12 PM
Former Governor of Iowa Tom Vilsack, often seen as a voice for the moderate sector of the Democratic Party, has come out against the No Child Left Behind Act.
This weekend, he addressed the winter meeting of the Democratic National Committee:
"I'm talking about bold and courageous change. Let me give you a few examples: adding a few dollars and tweaking a reauthorized No Child Behind is not real change. Ending No Child Left Behind as we know it is real change and replacing it with a real, true commitment to the children of this country. "
Vilsack is the former head of the Democratic Leadership Council, which seeks to represent the moderate wing of the Democratic Party, and is among those seeking the Democratic nomination for president.
With Vilsack and other moderates joining NCLB critics on the right and the left, it is clear that those who have tried to defend the law by glossing over its flaws are losing the battle. The tactic of portraying anyone who criticizes certain provisions of NCLB as knee-jerk, status-quo-loving, special-interest-representing obstructionists wasn't such a good idea. By conflating NCLB critics with NCLB opponents, hard-core supporters of the law in its current form have radicalized and isolated anyone who seeks real changes to the law, thus increasing the chances that reauthorization will be negotiated in an us-against-them environment.
Poor Starving College Student wants to ask Gov. Vilsack a follow-up question.