Governor Doyle wrote a letter to Annette Polly Williams defending the indefensible, claiming it wasn't he that was standing in the way of school choice and educational opportunity for young African Americans in Milwaukee. I guess I have to ask the question: is the governor stupid?
In the letter Doyle claimed that Republicans were so determined to use the school choice issue that they now refuse to meet with the governor until after the February 20th deadline.
Assembly Speaker John Gard called Charlie Sykes program today to defend himself against the charge he wasn't willing to negotiate with the governor. Now, I have no special love for Gard (as readers of this blog can tell), and I found myself yelling at the radio begging Gard to give Sykes a straight answer on whether he was willing to negotiate. Gard finally looked up from his script and told Sykes, yes, he was willing to negotiate any time or place with the governor, and the governor's people knew where to find him.
Okay, we have Gard's word, Governor Doyle is a liar. Even I, jaded political commentator that I am, go "eh."
But then Brother Bob Smith of Messmer High School came on and defended Gard. When asked if Doyle was telling the truth, Smith, too, said it was a lie that Gard was unwilling to negotiate. So let me ask the Doyle supporters: are you willing to look Brother Bob Smith in the face and call him a liar?
What would Smith gain? After all, according to the letter Doyle sent to Williams, he's willing to raise the cap to 20% of enrollment, enough to keep choice schools from having to turn away students next year. But what Doyle's letter doesn't tell Williams are the conditions he's attaching to raising the cap limits, and what it includes is the lie that Gard is unwilling to negotiate before the February 20th deadline.
You can read both letters for yourself at Lakeshore Laments and decide for yourself who is telling the truth.
Now we need to ask those supporters of Governor Doyle who also believe in school choice, how long are you going to stand with him in the schoolhouse door blocking educational opportunity in Milwaukee?
