Teachers And Obama Heading Toward A Quick Divorce (Common Dreams)

[Dinger]

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/07/25-4

It's best to quickly recognize the red flags in any failing relationship. This way, ties can be severed instead of allowing things to linger forever in dysfunction. For Democrats and teachers' unions, the writing is on the wall. The two are simply going in opposite directions.

The Democrats continue on the road to corporate-inspired charter schools, using the tried and true method of "stronger teacher evaluations" to undermine "underperforming" schools and teachers - thus opening the door wide to private charter schools with their non-union workforce.

Obama's Race to the Top education "reform" has enshrined these odious goals into government policy, and the once love-struck teachers' unions have hastily exited the honeymoon stage with the Obama administration, heading toward a quick divorce.

Rank and file teachers have already quit the Obama administration, and by extension the Democrats as a whole. Evidence of this was on display during the national conventions of the two largest teacher unions, the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).


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If neither the Obama Administration nor the repukes want our vote, then who does? Who will represent us? C'mon, we'll get behind someone who gets behind US! It's simple.

[villager]

1. That Labor Party is just a-waitin' to be formed...

n/t

[Catshrink]

2. Sign me up.

Both the Dems and Repugs are so entrenched in their corporatocracy that neither gives a crap about those making less than a couple of million a year - except come election time with they both talk the good talk with their fingers crossed behind their backs.

[yurbud]

3. the unions need to only back Dems with consistent progressive record

and when there is no such candidate at the presidential level, they should withhold their endorsement.

[Me.]

4. K & R

[LWolf]

5. One dispute:

I don't know if teachers were ever "love-struck." More like cautious and guarded. He wasn't a hit with the NEA; they waited until he was the last Democrat standing to endorse him. A "lesser of two evils" endorsement. When he spoke to the convention by satellite to accept the nomination, they booed his remarks about merit pay, and gave his support of charters a cold shoulder.

Now, though...

does he really think he's going to keep our support?

[MichiganVote]

7. Maybe Bill Gates will call on voters door to door for him instead.

[Dinger]

18. I Agree LWolf

"love struck" isn't quite accurate.

[MichiganVote]

6. Teachers do not object to accountability. They object to the measures the Fed's mandate as

accountability. But the argument for accountability by Obama is a total smokescreen. This is corporate america at work and Obama is their tool.

Change in education is a good thing. Destructive change is needless and will not result in the changes that I believe parents really want and taxpayers really need.

Face it, Washington DC is the factory of the oligarchs and the executives. It has no need for us.

[txlibdem]

14. Nailed it!

The corporate attack against the citizens of the United States of America is in full force. They attack us with nukes. We are fighting back with wetnaps. Teachers are only the latest victims. We all better believe that we are all in this together because the big corps and their bought and paid-for politicians have us all in their gun sights.

The time will come, very soon, when we will be backed so far into the corner that we will have to fight back.

[MichiganVote]

17. Yes. The effects of global warming will tip the balance. But it will be bloody.

[flyarm]

8. Some of Your teacher Union Leaders heads need to roll as well!

Find out who of the Union Leadership is selling you out and clean house! Pronto!

For the leadership of a teachers Union to bring Gates in as a speaker is unacceptable when he is raping your jobs!

Organize to rid yourselves of those sell outs inside your unions!

[MichiganVote]

11. Agree.

[opihimoimoi]

9. The CORE ISSUE is who da ya wanna vote for...Dems or GOPers??

If "IT" Divides...consider suspicion....

Who gains by divisiveness??

Why its them GOPers...we divide/split the vote...they gain odds for elective victory....,

very clever....

[MichiganVote]

10. Not necessairily. There is a vote for an independent, the assorted others or no vote.

A no vote is a vote of no confidence. Which seems to be the case at present.

[opihimoimoi]

20. This also mirrors the GOPers Plans....just say no....

[flyarm]

12. seems to me the Gop'ers are not the ones dividing on this!

The GOP'ers didn't put Arne Duncan in charge of destroying the Public Education system...and selling it out to Gates and the Broad group!

[opihimoimoi]

13. fixin the prob does not include voting RED...which is Their goal....

[flyarm]

16. where did you see anyone saying they are voting "RED"? Please use quotes as well!

and who's goal?

Figment of imagination much????????

[opihimoimoi]

19. Its common knowledge them GOPers wish to divide us into small chunks

thats their GOAL....

In dividing us....the GOPers get peeps to vote RED.....

Its a generic statement

[femmocrat]

15. I really don't know where we go from here.

After we worked so hard to elect Obama, he totally snubs us. I will always vote democratic, but will probably withhold my donations and volunteer work in 2012. And I could even decide to write-in another dem at the top of the ticket.

However, I doubt if the party will notice unless more of us decide to do the same.

[Catshrink]

21. I feel the same...

Hard to justify voting Dem but even harder to vote Rep. I won't donate this year except to one local candidate. As for writing someone in, wouldn't that be something if a significant number of teachers wrote in Diane Ravitch? It's a way of saying "I'm a teacher and I vote and I won't be taken advantage of again."

[femmocrat]

22. That is a great idea!

I am reading her book right now. It is excellent and really sheds light on the lead-up to the Duncan era.