Charlie Sykes: Attack Ad Extraordinaire

Rather than just sit back and publicize erroneous and misleading attack ads against Jim Doyle, Charlie Sykes has gotten in the business of making those very ads. After all, no one can sling mud quite like Sykes.

Here's the text of the ad Sykes helped to produce:

AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDENT: Fifty years ago the Supreme Court opened the school house doors. But the fight hasn’t been easy. And the fight isn’t over.

AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDENT: In 1957 a governor named Orval Faubus stood in the school house door in Little Rock Arkansas to keep nine African American students from getting an education.

AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDENT: In 1963 a governor named George Wallace stood in the door of the University of Alabama to keep two African American students from going to school.

AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDENT: Now, in 2006, don’t let a governor named Jim Doyle stand in the schoolhouse door again. This time, blocking hundreds of African American students right here in Milwaukee.

AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDENT: Students who just want a chance.

AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDENT: A chance to go to the school of their choice.

AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDENT: If Governor Doyle doesn’t lift the cap on school choice, he’ll be standing in schoolhouse door, just as surely as Governor Faubus and Governor Wallace.

Governor Doyle. Let Our People Go.

Governor Doyle: Let Our Children IN.

Governor Doyle. Let Our Children Learn.

Governor Doyle: GET OUT OF THE SCHOOLHOUSE DOOR.

The misleading use of history aside (those previous schoolhouse doors were all public), Doyle and the Democrats are not trying to end school vouchers in Milwaukee. They're not even trying to keep school vouchers from growing. All Doyle and the Democrats are doing is trying to find a way to expand the school voucher program while ensuring other important educational initiatives in Milwaukee are protected. Sykes can argue about the importance of those other educational initiatives and how much we should do, if anything, to ensure their viability. There would be no problem with that. In fact, I would encourage him to do so. Why? Because that's the real debate!

While the real debate moves on over how to go about expanding school choice in Milwaukee, Charlie Sykes is keeping himself behind where he can be free to sling mud for anyone who will listen. This is unfortunate because Sykes could be providing a strong conservative voice in the real debate that is about truly furthering the educational prosperity of all MPS students--not just those who receive school vouchers, but everyone. Instead, he is choosing to use his valuable air and blog time to put on theatrical ploys that miss the point at best and distract others from the point at worst.