There was an interesting exchange yesterday between a reporter and White House press secretary Robert Gibbs (pictured above with Barack Obama).
The reporter asked Gibbs why Obama included a provision in his $410 billion omnibus bill that would kill the private school voucher program that pays the tuition for inner city kids to attend the same private school as his daughters Malia and Sasha.
Here’s the exchange:
QUESTION: On education, there’s a provision in the omnibus spending bill that would sunset the D.C. voucher plan. And I’m wondering — there’s been a lot of publicity about this brother and sister pair at Sidwell who use their voucher money to — to pay for tuition at the same school the president chose to send his children. I’m wondering if you could restate the president’s opposition to the D.C. voucher plan and why he’s…
GIBBS: Yes, I — I would — let me go — I’ve not read the article today, if there was one. I think the…
QUESTION: Well, it’s just about two kids who use their voucher money to go to Sidwell. I mean…
GIBBS: Right. I mean, I think — right.
QUESTION: I mean — I mean, and they would — in other words, if they cut the voucher program, they couldn’t go there.
GIBBS: Why are you even providing me the opportunity to be the middleman? I mean, again…
QUESTION: Well, could you just restate the president’s position?
GIBBS: Well, I think the president has concerns about — concerns about taking large amounts of funding out of the system to — to address this, that the president obviously believes — and I think you’ll hear him talk about and has talked about — the need for reform in our educational system, but — but has not agreed with the program in the past. I’ll see if there’s anything to update on that.
LINK via MM
What Gibbs means is inner city kids should attend schools right there in the inner city, and Obama will use that private school voucher money to eventually get around to fixing those horrid inner city schools.
This sounds almost as bad as Michelle Obama diverting poor blacks away from her well-heeled hospital and back to the hood clinics where they belong.
The bottom line is: Obama will help you as long as you stay in your place and accept his handouts on his terms.
I guess this is the Change Obama supporters were hoping for.
