In Amherst, New Hampshire, the other day Presidential hopeful Rick Santorum said these words: "The President of the United States [President Obama] came out and said, 'Under my administration, every child should go to college.' What elitist snobbery out of this man." Then a couple people clapped.
Santorum went on to say more words:
Who are you? Who are you to say that every child in America go … I mean the hubris of this president to think that he knows what’s best for you. I … you know there is … I have seven kids. Maybe they’ll all go to college. But, if one of my kids wants to go and be an auto mechanic, good for him. That’s a good-paying job – using your hands and using your mind. This is the kind of, the kind of snobbery that we see from those who think they know how to run our lives. Rise up America. Defend your own freedoms.
Rick Santorum has never told anyone how to run their lives, no. He would never dare to, say, tell a gay person that they couldn't run their life in a direction that led toward marriage. No, Rick Santorum would never do that. He would never try and tell a woman that she couldn't have an abortion if she deemed it necessary. That wouldn't be his place.
But these are shots that neglect the larger problem, mainly that President Obama has never made such a statement. He has always encouraged more education in a variety of forms, not just college.
Here's President Obama, speaking in 2009:
It will be the goal of this administration to ensure that every child has access to a complete and competitive education – from the day they are born to the day they begin a career... And so tonight, I ask every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training. This can be community college or a four-year school; vocational training or an apprenticeship.
