Perhaps John McCain is finally ready to start talking about education—on his own terms.
In his big get-to-know-me speech as part of a nationwide biographical tour, the GOP nominee brought up education without being asked. And that’s remarkable for a candidate who seems to talk about education only when he has to.
In his speech in Meridian, Miss., McCain talks for a good while about government’s role in children’s lives, and says this about education:
Government can't just throw money at public education while reinforcing the failures of many of our schools, but should, through choice and competition, by rewarding good teachers and holding bad teachers accountable, help parents prepare their children for the challenges and opportunities of the global economy.
These certainly aren’t new ideas. But the bits and pieces we’ve been able to dig up about Sen. McCain’s education views have come from You Tube videos from town hall meetings, or from debate transcripts when he’s asked a question about the topic. Here, he’s highlighting children’s issues and education in a major speech—without being prompted.