The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the opinions of OnMilwaukee.com, its advertisers or editorial staff.

The mainstream media and Democratic partisans are still misreading the school choice debate in Milwaukee.

The Democrats in the Legislature are doing so at their own political peril.

As for the media, I don't believe they ever quite grasped the real nature of the emotional tidal wave that occurred recently.

True, there was a partisan element to the battle, with partisan Republicans largely lined up in support of expanding school choice and with many partisan Democrats lined up against it.

But what happened in Milwaukee was a non-partisan outpouring in a lot of ways, and that's why it caught Gov. Jim Doyle so off-guard.

With most Democrats in the Legislature, at least at the moment of this writing, apparently planning to split with Doyle and vote against his school choice "compromise," it seems they still don't get it.

For a lot of people in Milwaukee, particularly in the largely Democratic African-American community, school choice is not about us versus them (Democratic partisans versus Republican partisans or the teachers' union supporters versus teachers' union critics). It's about the realities of life: A program that is working for a lot of at-risk kids. That means it's enough to transcend old political loyalties.

Some of the most passionate advocates for school choice spring from the African-American community. And they are not easy to define politically.

The always eloquent and dignified Howard Fuller, of course, is the standard bearer. He is no Republican partisan.

Mikel Holt, editor of the Community Journal newspaper, was written off as a Republican partisan by Democratic partisans when he helped WTMJ-AM's Charlie Sykes create the "standing in the schoolhouse door'" pro-school choice spot.

But Holt is not a Republican partisan. He's an eloquent and independent African-American voice who often splits with the positions of both political parties.

State Rep. Jason Fields, a Democrat, brought another passionate voice to the debate on the pro-expansion side.

Then there's the business community. Far from being Republican partisans, many of the business leaders who taped pro-school choice advertisements leading up to the compromise have actually donated money to Doyle in the past.

Those ads were devastating, and the other side never recovered from them. The school choice advocates defined the debate before the anti-choice advocates did.

Equally devastating for the anti-school choice folks: The advertisement in support of raising the caps that was taped by Democratic Milwaukee County DA E. Michael McCann, who by no stretch of the imagination could be called a Republican partisan.

Not to mention the African-American kids and their parents, who are not Republican partisans.

The bottom line: There is a passionate and emotional well of support for school choice in Milwaukee. It burst forward publicly in a big way through the debate about raising the enrollment caps.

It's something that has a partisan element, but it crosses partisan lines. So you've got African-American leaders who are not identified with Republican party politics who are lining up with the Republican politicians pushing school choice, and so forth.

This was a political nightmare for Doyle. The school choice controversy was eroding the governor's support in his Democratic base among a constituency Democrats take for granted. That political reality forced him to the table. The governor has already been polling weak. To win this November, he must post better numbers than he's polling. He needs to start building on his base and reaching independents, not losing Democrats he was already counting on.

But some Democratic partisans are still misreading the debate. The NAACP held a press conference in the middle of the debate attempting to cast it in partisan terms by focusing on the Holt-Sykes advertisement. And now most Democratic legislators are apparently -- unless something changes in the next few days (and hopefully it will) -- poised to vote against the compromise.

I say they do so at their own peril because the passion for school choice transcends and trumps politics for many in this community. Which means that school choice advocates are likely to have long memories about those who turn their backs on these kids. Whether they are Democrats or not.

McBride, a former newspaper reporter and current blogger, is married to Waukesha County DA Paul Bucher -- a candidate for state attorney general.