INDIANAPOLIS – When former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney took questions from reporters Friday at the Midwest Republican Leadership Conference, the Indiana Daily Student had several. As president, are you concerned about the cost of higher education? What role would college students play in your plan for America? Despite sharp differences in name recognition and publicity, the candidates voiced similar messages on the issues of education and Iraq. But as candidates reach a crucial campaign point of differentiation, the distinctions in Romney and Huckabee’s identities may be in the details.
Michael Huckabee
Throughout his campaign, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has said he’s an every man’s man.\nHuckabee believes education should be state-run, not a federal enterprise, and defended the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act as part of his argument. \n“Education is a game historically played without a scoreboard,” Huckabee said at his 10 a.m. press conference Friday.\nIn response to a question about plummeting graduation and attendance rates, Huckabee mentioned high school students graduate sometimes “functionally illiterate” because they were simply “floating” through school, “with no way to quantify their failures.” \n“There has to be a consequence for failure,” he said. \nHuckabee said there is misunderstanding surrounding No Child Left Behind Act. \n“We treat people as individuals, not as members of a group,” Huckabee said, reiterating his belief that education should be “personalized” and “student-centered.” \nHe admitted “some states set benchmarks too low,” and it is necessary to raise them. \n“The key thing … is a rigorous curriculum at the high school level,” he said. “Students are taking the most expensive nap in America … not because they’re dumb – just flat bored.” \nCrucial to this curriculum is instruction of “both the left and right sides of the brain” through arts and music programs. He said we need to stimulate imagination, creativity and the thought processes so that education is “not just a data download.”\nOn Iraq, Huckabee called Virginia Sen. Republican John Warner’s recent comments about the troop surge’s effectiveness, “premature” and took aim at most of the war’s critics by saying “the worst nightmare for the Democrats would be if we actually saw success (in Iraq).” He expressed confidence in Gen. David Petraeus’ planned assessment of the surge next month and said that at the time of those criticisms, “(we’d) barely gotten started.”
Mitt Romney
One of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s most identifying traits is his admittance to being a member of the private sector.\nWhen speaking in Indianapolis on Friday, he stressed the role of states in education reform. He stated that he’d like education to be run “in the locality, county and state,” providing a prioritized list of the most critical improvements to be made. Stronger, more concentrated schooling in math and English topped the list, followed by immersion in English for foreign students and “better pay for better teachers.” He added “parental involvement is critical.”\nRomney said he approves of standardized testing, drawing a parallel to Huckabee’s position on raising standards for K-12 students. \n“I think the (No Child Left Behind’s) requirement of testing is a good thing,” he said, pointing to changes enacted in his state before and during his term in office. \nFor a high school diploma in Massachusetts, for instance, students are required to pass three tests administered statewide in math, English and science. As a result, he said, “our kids perform among the top in the country.”\nLike Huckabee, he concedes that an “accelerated” rate of progress in Iraq is a priority.\n“I would like to see more progress on the political front,” Romney said. \nHe defended the troop surge as the “best prospect” at this time, awaiting reports from Gen. David Petraeus and others “on (its) military as well as political effects.” \nAlthough he believes the strategy is “by no means a sure thing,” there is “a reasonable probability that it will be successful.” He spoke highly of American troops and the Iraqis, saying “a lot of people are making huge sacrifices,” and that “(Iraqis) need to understand we’re not there forever.”
