Paul
Ryan: We stand with Rahm Emmanuel in opposing strike
by Joseph
Earnest September 11, 2012
Newscast
Media CHICAGO—Chicago
Mayor Rahm Emanuel has found an unlikely ally as he seeks to resolve the
Chicago Teachers Union strike. Paul Ryan, the GOP vice-presidential candidate,
spoke out against the strike, and threw his support behind Rahm Emanuel.
"We
know that Rahm is not going to support our campaign, but on this issue and
this day we stand with Mayor Rahm Emanuel," Ryan said.
Below
are Ryan's full remarks:
If you turned on the TV this morning or sometime today, you probably
saw something about the Chicago teacher's union strike. I'd like to
make a couple of comments about that because it does matter. I've
known Rahm Emanuel for years. He's a former colleague of mine. Rahm
and I have not agreed on every issue or on a lot of issues, but Mayor
Emanuel is right today in saying that this teacher's union strike is
unnecessary and wrong. We know that Rahm is not going to support our
campaign, but on this issue and this day we stand with Mayor Rahm
Emanuel.
We stand with the children and we stand with the families and the
parents of Chicago because education reform, that's a bipartisan
issue. This does not have to divide the two parties. And so, we were
going to ask, where does President Obama stand? Does he stand with his
former Chief of Staff Mayor Rahm Emanuel, with the children and the
parents, or does he stand with the union? On issues like this, we need
to speak out and be really clear. In a Romney-Ryan administration we
will not be ambiguous, we will stand with education reform, we will
champion bipartisan education reforms. This is a critical linchpin to
the future of our country, to our economy, to make sure that our
children go to the best possible school, and that education reforms
revolve around the parents and the child, not the special interest
group. This is something that's critical for all of us.