I nominate NEWT to replace Arne as Sec of Ed.

[Smarmie Doofus]

Cabinet members used to ritually submit their resignations after term one. Do they still do that? If so, perfect mid-stream moment for the President to gracefully change horses w/o changing policy.

Here's a taste of Newt's Education page from thepoliticalguide.com:

>>>>Congressman Gingrich is a strong supporter of school choice, but also a strong supporter of national education programs. In the 1970's, a newly elected Congressman Gingrich voted in favor of creating the Department of Education.

Congressman Gingrich was not in office during the 2001 vote on No Child Left Behind. In a 2006 interview, Congressman Gingrich stated that the jury was still out on No Child Left Behind. He stated that the educational system was a failure and that new systems should be established instead of trying to alter a flawed system. In 2010, Congressman Gingrich toured the nation with Reverend Al Sharpton and the Secretary of Education in support of President Obama's Race to the Top Program.

In 2006, Congressman Gingrich wrote an article calling for eleven actions to be taken to address a number of problems in the US. Concerning education, Congressman Gingrich stated that federal funds should only go school districts that have implemented a national testing standard for teachers to ensure that teachers were competent in the subjects they are teaching. Congressman Gingrich was criticized by the right for supporting another layer of bureaucracy in the education system, and criticized by the left for blaming teachers.

The friction between Congressman Gingrich and the teacher's unions was not new. In another 2006 interview, Congressman Gingrich stated that unionized education is a form of intellectual child abuse, and that the problem of education should be tackled at that level.>>>>>

Here's the rest: http://www.thepoliticalguide.com/Profiles/House/Georgia/Newt_Gingrich/Views/Education/

I can find no daylight between the policies being pursued at present and those prescribed by Mr. Gingrich. And the one time RW pariah ( I guess he's not a RW pariah anymore since his and the president's ed policy are essentially identical.)

The president ... it seems pretty clear... wants the GOP represented in the cabinet. What better place than at ED ? Plus which: Gingrich has definitive advantages over Duncan: 1. He actually attended public school; 2. He actually has some teaching experience ( it was at the college level , yes; and it was brief, and I know classroom knowledge and experience is unimportant to this president; but Duncan has NONE, and switching to Newt would inure the POLICY from attacks from those pesky teachers' unions which insist that you have to have some REAL background in the field to know what it is you're trying to reform.

One never knows when that critique might start to gain traction w. the larger public.

Newt as Sec of Ed? Well ok, maybe it's crazy. But to keep on keeping on w. Duncan is craziER.

[ann---]

1. Utterly ridiculous

to reward such a critic of President Obama with a cabinet position. He belongs back in GA - tending to his wife.

[carolbrenner]

2. Reactionary Simpleton

Gingrich is a reactionary simpleton and his wife is hideous.

[Smarmie Doofus]

5. Isn't it a little disturbing that the reactionary simpleton is peddling Obamacation?

Or something so close to it that it's virtually indistinguishable?

[HiPointDem]

7. +1.

[MichiganVote]

3. Washington is hell bent on dismanteling public ed. regardless of

who is in charge

and

the needs of communities
the needs of students
the safety of personnel
the cost of educating kids
the changing nature of k-12 education
the needs of students with disabilities
the lack of progress charter schools have made
the lack of diversity in schools
the lack of progress DC has made to improve education
the lack of progress state legislatures have made to improve education
the poor materials that students are provided
the laws that Congress itself has enacted

and so on and so forth

[wandy]

4. At the least those poor kids would learn a traid.....

Over the past 18 months we have all herd so much Teapublican illogic that sometimes I fear we are beginning to think like them.

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Rod Paige to come back

I was a lot happier when they called us terrorists.

[savebigbird]

8. Secretary of Education is far too important

to be used as a means for reaching across "the aisle." It's time to choose someone who will put kids first rather than simply infiltrate the cabinet.

[Smarmie Doofus]

9. You're telling ME:

>>>>It's time to choose someone who will put kids first>>>>

When the heck is THAT gonna happen?

[savebigbird]

10. That's what I want to know!!!

It seems like common sense! I secretly wish the Secretary of Ed. appointment was an elected position. Could you imagine what would happen if that was the case?