How badly did Arne Duncan want to talk to Matt Damon?

[Starry Messenger]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/how-badly-did-arne-duncan-want-to-talk-to-matt-damon/2011/08/24/gIQArmIgbJ_blog.html#pagebreak

It turns out that people in the Obama administration made several attempts to reach actor Matt Damon just before he spoke at last month’s Save Our Schools rally in Washington D.C., blasting education policies that focus on high-stakes standardized tests.

According to two people familiar with the efforts, the administration tried to arrange a meeting with Damon and government officials, including Education Secretary Arne Duncan, before the July 30 march. The sources declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter.

In fact, Duncan was willing to meet Damon at the airport when he flew into the Washington region and talk to him on the drive into the city, according to the sources. Damon declined all of the requests.

Asked about the efforts to reach Damon, Education Department spokesman Justin Hamilton said in an email, “We often reach out to people who care deeply about education reform. To dramatically improve the way our children learn and to prepare them for success in college and career, we need as many passionate voices engaged in this effort as possible.”

[ClassWarrior]

1. Can't have famous folks speaking the truth about Arnie's little privatization schemes.

:puke:

NGU.

[Starry Messenger]

2. Or anyone else for that matter. Arne seems fond of these little meetings.

It wouldn't be the first I've heard of him trying for damage control. The method seems to be to baffle with bullshit so he blunts the edge of criticism.

[LooseWilly]

3. Ironic as hell that, with Damon who can gain attention among them, suddenly the WH wants a meeting..

Fast forward to July. Leaders of the teachers march, who had tried for months through letters and blogposts to get the attention of the White House, were, on July 28, suddenly invited to a meeting with administration officials for the next day, the day before the march. The offer was declined, the leaders said, because they were busy with an education conference at American University and preparations for the rally. They asked if administration officials could meet with them after the march, but the answer was “no.”

They'll meet before (when they might be able to convince a toning down of criticisms), but they won't meet after (when there wouldn't be any point— except, you know, listening to the opinions of the actual teachers on the subject of education reform)? I guess they're just not that into teachers...

[progressoid]

4. "We often reach out to people who care deeply about education reform."

Riiight. More like they often reach out to people they want to shut up.

[Starry Messenger]

6. Yeah, I was picturing tentacles while reading that quote.

[Smarmie Doofus]

5. Bizarre. Even for Duncan.

I think Damon's great.... but he's a motion picture actor. Isn't he?

One would think that Duncan would benefit more from speaking with....AND LISTENING TO... Matt's mom, for instance, an an experienced educator and noted academic.

Anyway: this is bizarre too:

>>>>>Fast forward to July. Leaders of the teachers march, who had tried for months through letters and blogposts to get the attention of the White House, were, on July 28, suddenly invited to a meeting with administration officials for the next day, the day before the march. The offer was declined, the leaders said, because they were busy with an education conference at American University and preparations for the rally. They asked if administration officials could meet with them after the march, but the answer was “no.”>>>>>>>>>

A horror show. *Horror show*. This administration has no idea what it's doing.

[Starry Messenger]

7. I thought it was weird too.

I don't think Duncan is looking to benefit from the wisdom of any teachers though. He knows everything and we are stupid. :sarcasm: Duncan and his people probably wanted to know what Damon was going to say, and see if they could get a former campaign ally to get back on message. </cynic>

Remember when Duncan met with those civil rights groups that were taking him to task and after that they dropped their criticism? I can't find a link right now, but I know madfloridian wrote about it. I have a feeling Duncan was looking to repeat that performance with the SOS people. The public messaging is all that matters. Duncan doesn't care about education, he cares about disturbing his Wall Street buddies.

[proud2BlibKansan]

11. The SOS leaders handled that so well.

They invited Arne and co. to come listen to the teachers at the rally, to hear our concerns. Of course Arne was a no-show.

[Necronomiconomics]

8. My respect for Matt Damon doubles every time I read something new about him

[proverbialwisdom]

9. GO, Matt!

[LWolf]

10. If Arne really wanted to talk to him,

maybe he should have showed up at the SOS rally and taken the heat he's earned. Publicly.

More from the article:

Why was the administration so keen on meeting with Damon and march leaders just before the event?

I’ve said before that it is fair to wonder if the sudden interest was akin to the administration’s efforts last summer to blunt criticism of Obama policies when a coalition of civil rights groups released a framework for education reform. In the few days before the framework was released, administration officials met with some of the coalition leaders, and a few of them backed off their criticism.

If that was what the officials had in mind with their outreach before the teachers march, it didn’t work.

Damned straight it didn't.