By Steve Gunn
EAGnews.org

CHICAGO – Voters who are concerned about the future of public education would probably like to know where President Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney stand on the Chicago teachers strike.

Unfortunately only one candidate is talking.

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Obama is clearly in an uncomfortable political position. He needs the enthusiastic support (and financial assistance) of the teachers unions in his re-election effort, but he has also pushed for limited education reform that the unions generally oppose, and he maintains close ties with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, his former White House chief of staff. Emanuel is currently public enemy #1 for the Chicago Teachers Union.

Therefore the president has chosen to be silent about the strike.

“The president has … not expressed any opinion or made any assessment about this particular incident,” White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said.

Romney, on the other hand, is standing firmly against the union and its decision to abandon students just days into the new school year. He interpreted Obama’s silence on the issue as a sign of support for the CTU.

“Teachers unions have too often made plain that their interests conflict with those of our children, and today we are seeing one of the clearest examples yet,” Romney was quoted as saying by TheDay.com. “President Obama has chosen his side in this fight.”

“I think the president ought to stand up and say that we ought to put the kids first in this country and the teachers union goes behind,” Romney said in another interview on the Hugh Hewitt radio show. “I think we ought to help the kids, help their parents, help the teachers, but the teachers union is opposed to many of the reforms in education that we knew are critical to the success of our kids.”