WH: Not "snobbery" to hope for educational opportunities
The White House on Monday struck back at Rick Santorum for calling President Obama a snob for wanting young Americans to attend university.
"I don't think any parent in American who has a child would think it snobbery to hope for that child the best possible education in the future, and that includes college," White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters in a Monday press briefing.
Santorum on Saturday called Mr. Obama a "snob" for saying "he wants everybody in America to go to college."
Carney noted that while Mr. Obama has encouraged young people to seek education beyond high school, he has not meant that to mean that everyone should necessarily enroll in a four-year university.
"As you know, the president has always made clear that he believes higher education is important for everyone, and that includes, if not a four-year degree, a bachelor's of arts degree, then a -- a two-year degree from a community college or vocational training through a community college," Carney said.
Carney pointed to White House's recent efforts to boost attendance at community colleges as a means to employment in high-demand industries.
"His administration has and he in particular has promoted agreements between community colleges and local businesses to have programs in those colleges that allow folks to be trained specifically for the jobs that those employers have available," Carney said of Mr. Obama. "And that is very much the kind of service that community colleges can provide."
Santorum defended his comments on Sunday, telling NBC that everyone should be able to either go to college or seek a "higher level of training skills" but said "it doesn't mean you have to get a four-year college degree."
He also argued that colleges tend to promote "the dominant values and political values and overly politicized values and politically correct values" that he says Mr. Obama shares.
Earlier on Monday, Obama called on lawmakers to invest in education, reiterating his belief that America's best chance at competing on a global stage is through innovation in growing industries.
"I don't think any of this should be a partisan issue," he said. "All of us should be about giving every American who wants a chance to succeed that chance."
