Nearly half of the 400 residents questioned in a Detroit News poll said race has nothing to do with the debate over who will fix Detroit schools. That gap between the political and racial rhetoric and the apparent reality of public opinion raises the stakes for decisions in Lansing and Detroit about control of city schools. During its opening weeks, the debate has assumed a familiar cadence that's come to define struggles over power and politics in Detroit. Others, however, insist the takeover bid is rooted in racism. He and some other outspoken critics say the plan has more to do with infringing on black voting rights than any true school reform.
Some experts say such invective is understandable.
Hot buttons are pushed, and that obviously doesn't serve the kids well. The race card Race, however, is a recurring motif when the subject is politics and Detroit. It's been that way much of the past two decades and especially since Engler took office in 1991. He was referring to the welfare program the governor dismantled soon after taking office. Since then, race has come to dominate dozens of debates in Lansing.