July 15, 2004

Paige blasts NAACP over comments

Rod Paige, the present Secretary of Education, and a black son of Mississippi, condemned comments by the NAACP leadership about conservatives in general, and black conservatives in particular this week.

"You do not own, and you are not the arbiters of, African-American authenticity," said Paige, who rose from segregated Mississippi to become President Bush's education chief.

Paige took aim at two NAACP leaders, chairman Julian Bond and president Kweisi Mfume, for what he called "hateful and untruthful rhetoric about Republicans and President Bush." At the convention, NAACP officials have described some black organizations as mouthpieces of white conservatives and have said Bush's education law disproportionately hurts minorities.

And to show just how much or how little the NAACP is the be-all, end-all for black thought, President Bush will be speaking before the Urban League at their conference next week.

Of course, the alphabet networks will conveniently ignore that, won't they?

Posted by mhking at July 15, 2004 12:58 PM
Comments

He's right about his attack on the rulers of NAACP, but Paige is hardly what I'd call a competent A-A voice within the administration. Aside from the fact that he's just a mouthpiece of Bush's education policies that failed back in Texas, Houston ISD is still trying to pick up the pieces from the shambles the Doctor of Gymteacherology left it in.

With his own Doctorate in Education and successful business/leadership experience, Bill Cosby is more qualified than Paige.

Posted by: Laurence Simon at July 15, 2004 02:11 PM

Did y'all see Kerry's performance before the NAACP Convention today? At least now we know how a story like the expiring Voting Rights Act of 1965 manages to stay alive.

Pssst. Kerry's a rumormonger. Pass it on.

Posted by: Toby Petzold at July 15, 2004 06:48 PM

Michael,

I don't think the alphabet networks will ignore Bush's speech to the Urban League next week. Why? PRECISELY BECAUSE his spat with the NAACP gives it mucho newsworthiness.

Posted by: molotov at July 15, 2004 10:01 PM

Laurence, I lived in Tejas for 12 years ('til 2000), and I was married then with two step-kids. Doing the research on education, I can tell you that if the state has any shortcomings, it is due solely to the illegal influx of Mexicans streaming over the border to paise their children here. I can't provide the empirical data, but it shouldn't be difficult to find. Of course, due to his pro-illegal-immigrant views, I didn't vote for G.W. for governor at the time, instead opting for the libertarian candidate.

Not to take issue with your stance on Mr. Paige, but the entire Dept of Edu-mo-kay-shun should be abolished in the interest of furthering educational opportunities for all Americans. It is not necessary to add myriad layers of government to what is essentially a local concern. While it is "touching" (several liberal abstract concepts would appropriately fit here) that government cares about the education of our children, it is arguable if they should have any authority to dictate the curriculum from their offices in D.C.

Posted by: skh at July 16, 2004 01:57 AM