Bob Braun, veteran investigative journalist is baffled: the Néw Jersey Educational Association endorsed Cory Booker, who loves vouchers and charters. About 90% of charters are non-union. About 100% of voucher schools are non-union.
Braun asks:
“In the latest NJEA Review, the organization that calls itself a union and supporter of public education not only endorses this pro-voucher, pro-charter, pro-Cami Anderson, pro-Chris Christie candidate of Wall Street, it also provides a forum for him to spread lies and half-truths. How, when the children and parents of Newark are suffering from the agony that is “One Newark,” when the city’s teacher union is under attack and about to be broken, how when Booker already has said he wanted to see Newark turned into the charter capital of New Jersey—how could the NJEA publish this rot?”
He adds:
“I went on a voucher pilgrimage to Milwaukee that Booker helped organize, a trip sponsored by the right-wing organization Education Excellence for Everyone (EEE). He brought us to see evangelical schools operated with public funds where students greeted each of us individually with “Jesus loves you.” He brought us to see Catholic schools kept alive with public money. And it was then that he began his nonsensical mantra—“Public school choice is the civil rights issue of our time.”
“To be honest, I was in favor of school choice until that trip. When I saw what it really looked like in operation, I was repelled. It meant the end of public education as we know it: And that is precisely what Cory Booker wants—and, if he succeeds, the NJEA will have helped him.”
Braun says the NJEA is so desperate to maintain a Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate that they support a candidate who wants to privatize public education.
Another explanation is that his opponent on the Republican line is a Tea Party extremist who is far worse–from the point of view of teachers and public education–than even Cory Booker.
Is it best to make a deal with someone like Booker or to send a message to the Democrats that teachers and parents of public school students will not vote for them or send them a dime until they end their privatization policies? That’s why I Am voting for the Green Party in the Néw York gubernatorial election. Cuomo is a tool of the charter industry, and I can’t vote for him. If I lived in Néw Jersey, I would not vote for Cory Booker. Bob Braun calls him “the Manchurian candidate of rich, white people who don’t live in Newark but want to control it and its people and, most of all, its real estate.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
The problem is…have you seen who Booker’s running mate is? This was a done deal; Booker is a DINO and the Republicans love him. He has the same backer$ as Christie. This is a shame; Booker will win — Lautenberg held that seat until he died~!
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The previous poster hit the nail on the head. We end up holding our nose and voting for Wall Street stooges like Cory Booker, or mini-Nixons like Andrew Cuomo because that alternative is so much worse. Since the Republican party has become insane, even the most odious Democrats get a free pass. At least there’s probably some limit to the damage Booker can do.
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They are all insane stop looking at them as Republicans and Democrats they are ultimately politicians and both sides of the aisle have been bought. You have zero choice at all when voting. All of the candidates are Wall Street stooges and have been placed there accordingly; it’s a win win for the establishment. Stop voting in phony elections and stop paying taxes it’s the only way to get real government by the people for the people not government by the corporations for the corporations whom just happen to be people.
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Thank you Paul. It was not a good day. But I loved Cuomo as a “mini-Nixon” Yes! So true.
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“Cut off your nose to spite your face.”
Just sayin’, not the best strategy…
😧
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This is where we are in the US, voting for the evil of the two lessers. I voted for Obama twice. He’s horrible on education but there are other issues about which he is more tolerable than Romney or the other Gopers. The GOP has gone off the rails, it has become a hard right wing/libertarianish type of party. I could have voted Green or wrote in a progressive name or not voted at all but the winner is going to be a D or an R no matter what; it’s a travesty and a shame but this is the reality we have to live with. Booker is horrible on education but he’s not defaming the unions 24/7 as Christie does; he’s more enlightened on other social issues (abortion, gay marriage, gun control) as opposed to the GOPers. But make no mistake, Booker is a tool of Wall Street, he’s whole hog for school privatization. Could the NJEA just have said that it would endorse no one and at least have been honest about Booker’s record on education? Maybe the NJEA is terrified of the more evil nudnick than the already evil nudnick we are dealing with. Maybe they wanted to maintain a place at the table? Overall and on average, I’d say that the NJEA has done more good than harm for its membership and we should not throw the baby out with the bathwater, so to speak. However, Braun is right to criticize them and to hold them to account. Many teachers have expressed their displeasure with the NJEA’s endorsement of Booker and so the NJEA must be aware of the blowback.
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I can’t believe you voted for him twice. Do some thorough research and you will find that we have not had a real choice in a presidential election within the last fifty years. The process is a sham and we will soon be resembling a third world country. The writing is on the wall but no one wants to acknowledge what is occurring they are too busy looking for the next high tech gadget or watching reality television. The last person I voted for was Clinton and I regretted it right away. When people point to the lack of high paying jobs in the U.S. They can look no further than Clinton. By signing NAFTA he essentially sealed the economic fate of this Country with one stroke of the pen. Nader would have been a better President than all the other stiffs we’ve had since then combined.
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I don’t watch reality TV but I do like the electronic gizmos. My TV is 22 years old. Do you own a computer or a cell phone? So whoopee, don’t vote, now there’s a real solution. If McCain or Romney had won, then we would have had two more far right wing justices on the Supreme Court as opposed to Kagan and Sotomayor. Nader was right about everything but he couldn’t even get into the debates. It’s really up to the American people, there has to be a major shift in their mindset. What do we do about the corporate controlled mainstream media that supports privatization and deregulation? But don’t vote and let the GOP take over the senate, no problem.
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Booker’s buddy Anderson is busting the NTU in Newark. Do not vote for Booker.
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“I could have voted Green or wrote in a progressive name. . . ”
Well you SHOULD HAVE voted Green and/or written in a progressive name!
Your type is why the two parties continue to dominate because they know they have the suckas’ votes locked up.
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This country NEEDS a THIRD Party. The DEMS and REPS have ripped us off in so many ways. BTW, no HIllary for me.
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Then you wanted (in effect) President Mitt Romney; talk about suckers.
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Thank you Duane for having common sense which by the way is not that common these days.My comment above about not voting is insinuative of everyone not just few hundred people. The elite cannot win the game if we all refuse to play. Yet Joe simply says well if we don’t vote for Obama then we get Romney. THEY ARE THE SAME! Do you think the owners of this Country are going to allow anyone on the ballot who can end their reign of greed, power and control? Stop being divided and categorized into the liberal / right wing boxes. Obama or Romney would have both done the same exact things because they are both puppets of the same masters. Don’t vote and if you do decide to participate in elections write in a name or vote for a Green Party member. Republicans and right wingers are not destroying this Country alone Democrats are right there holding their hands aiding in the destruction. Joe just the fact that you voted for the worst President ever especially when it pertains to education not once but twice says a ton about you. So next time you want to sarcastically chide someone do it but don’t attempt it with me because I didn’t vote for that schmuck either time. You sir wasted your time voting for that POS and then did it again. I think my strategy of not voting is better than voting for someone then watching them destroy education and following that up with another vote for the same crook. Yeah that’s a real calculated and intelligent decision. I think I will follow your lead next time NOT!
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Dear Diane:
I will not vote for Booker.
I voted for him before I read Dale Russakoff’s article “Schooled,” detailing Booker’s role in planning for the privatization of Newark’s schools–to which the people of Newark strongly object.
Now I know better.
I am considering alternatives–including writing in Bob Braun.
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I wrote in Ras Baraka on my absentee ballot.
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This post bothers me a lot. I have had the same questions about Cory Booker, and this is one of the chief reasons I supported Frank Pallone in the primaries last time. (He and Rush Holt were for public education.) I called and emailed Booker’s office several times then on this issue and NEVER got a response. I have been doing it this year too and not getting responses. Emails go unanswered and phone calls get promises of call backs.
Last week on 3 different Booker phone numbers I was told it was not the right number for this question. Each time I was given another number and the same thing happened. This occurred right after I had read the article in the NJEA Review , especially p. 32, where he says: “I often say that charters—and I want to be clear what I mean by vouchers, a tax credit program—are not the panacea. The focus of our country really has to be how you make high-quality public schools. And the solution is not going to be tax credits, vouchers or charter schools. They’ll provide access and opportunity for some kids, but not all children—not even then majority of our children.”
Further along: “Newark is not going to become an all-charter system………AND he continued about how you have to” make a level playing field, giving the district’s public schools some of the same advantages that the charters have. With that, you’re actually going to see greater school improvement among the district’s schools, which then remove the need for a charter movement.”
In my last week’s calls, in which I quoted the above, I wanted to know has he changed his ideas or was this just said to keep the NJEA happy and get him the teachers’ votes. I still have no answer.
Anne
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Anne,
I voted for Pallone and then Lonegan. Alrhouthough I do not work for Booker, I will attempt to clarify his position on charter schools. In Newark, he plans to maintain public schools to warehouse charter school rejects, expensive Special Education students, English language learners and children who answer back.
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Sorry-although. My phone is acting up. Booker specializes in photo ops.
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I voted for Andrew Zwicker in the primaries because he’s a scientist and a strong progressive.
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I am not voting for Booker. In an ad championing himself as a supporter of public schools, Booker himself said it is not about right or left. It is true – it is not about right or left. It is about him. He has no loyalty to any party because then he would have to limit from whom he can get donations to propel his political ambitions.
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Booker – among the most insipid and disingenuous politicians I’ve ever seen slither onto the stage – has no political loyalties other than to the Overclass that created and promotes him.
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Booker’s GOP opponent is Jeff Bell who wants to return us to the Gold Standard which puts him into the twilight zone of wackdoodlery. Supporting the gold standard alone disqualifies anyone from holding public office; Paul Krugman calls them gold bugs and totally debunks this whole gold standard crap fest proffered by libertarians and right wingers. Bell is endorsed by the tea party and Steve Forbes. What the tea party says about Bell: “Jeff Bell went on to help develop and champion supply side economics. His voice and ideas were influential in forming Reagan’s tax reform policies and his contributions were felt during the economic boom of the late 1980s and 1990s.” In other words, he’s for trickle down economics or voodoo economics. He does not stand a chance of beating Booker (I think), so it’s safe not to vote for Booker to protest Booker’s educational policies.
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I am voting for Bell. It is fine with me if he is a monarchist.
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We in Illinois have a similar situation for governor. The IEA is so desperate to not have Bruce Rauner elected that it is endorsing Pat Quinn, the slightly less evil and most anti-union governor in 50 years. I’m not drinking the kool-aid and will be voting third party . Again.
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Bob Brill,
How did Gov Quinn expect union support when he chose Paul Vallas as his running mate?
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They’re scared to death of Rauner! They have endorsed Quinn solely on that point. I have personally discussed this with our state union leaders on not endorsing Quinn and at least bringing in third party candidates to interview for endorsement. Nope. The answer 4 years ago was that “Quinn won’t forget who brought him to the dance”. That obviously didn’t work, but they endorsed him again any way.
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With all due respect, the situation in Illinois is different. A anti public school Governor (Christie, Cuomo, Quinn, Malloy, ect) can do far more damage in one term than a any three term Senator!
Most importantly, THE BEST WAY TO STOP THE kDESTRUCTION, is to show the Democrats that they can not hide in the canyons of Wall Street!!!!
Vote for Bell, at least he is honest about his views (and I do not like his views)!
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For folks who say they’ll vote 3rd party or write-in, please review Florida’s 2000 presidential election results. Ralph Nader and 7 other third-party candidates each got more than the 537 votes that put W ahead of Gore. (138,027 total)
The NJ Democratic primary was the time for write-in.
Not voting means observers can cite apathy, “low turnout.”
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Gore lost his home state and Clinton’s Arkansas. Either win would have given him the presidency. Quit blaming Nader! He was the best candidate then, and the other two times I voted for him as well. The lesser of two evils is still evil.
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Thank you sir he was and is the best candidate who was spot on about all the pivotal issues. You know you have an excellent candidate when the media portrays him as a loony or a radical i.e. Ron Paul. Yeah Gore for President that really would have changed everything the guy whom supposedly invented the Internet yet can’t string together a coherent sentence.
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“Quit blaming Nader! He was the best candidate then, and the other two times I voted for him as well. The lesser of two evils is still evil.”
On the other hand, as the perfect is the enemy of the good, the “best” may be the enemy of the better.
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Gore is also a putz and a controlled figure head. Open your eyes they are all the same. W is to Gore as diarrhea is to turd. Geesh people wake up already!
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Bob and Duane you guys give me hope that there are still some bright individuals out there but then the Joe ‘ s and Book Lady’s of the world arrive with their illogical arguments and instantly my optimism turns back into gloom.
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The Real One, Teddy Roosevelt may have had that optimism-gloom dilemma in 1912.
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Not blaming Nader/97,488 votes or Socialist Workers/562 votes or Socialist/622 votes or third-party candidates w. vote counts in between. Just citing results; citizens’ “statement votes” have real consequences.
Without Perot, would Clinton have beaten an incumbent President?
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Did Braun even read the article? My guess is, no. Did anyone else?
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Did anyone here attend the NJEA Legislative Conference last February where members ripped Booker a new one? He certainly has changed the way he approaches the topic of charters.
No, I don’t agree with him that One Newark is going to improve the public schools by injecting a drive for learning in the city, but he is advocating for magnet schools which are public schools.
I think we need to understand that policy-makers can and do change their ideologies when educated by an interest group of experts, much like our very own Diane Ravitch did. Do we work with a Booker or do we vote for the worst candidate instead? Booker has little power in Newark anymore. The people need to keep lobbying to oust Anderson. While I admire Braun as a no-nonsense journalist, I think he’s inciting a fight where there just isn’t one. Booker is out of the picture on the state level.
I grilled Frank Pallone at an endorsement screening in CD 6 last April when he referred to charter schools as public schools. He finally explained that he only called them public because they take public funds. Not every politician gets the big picture–it’s our job as experts to educate the politicians.
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LG,
Are you hiding under a rock? Booker and Christie are buddies. What do you mean that he is out if the picture on the state level? Perhaps you should research the role of a senator.
One Newark is running full steam ahead. Come down and see the results.
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Since you are bringing it up, just how much interference/influence does a federal elected official have at the state level? Very little. If you can quote the NJ State Constitution, please do. Here is the result of a quick google search on the role of federal congressional/senatorial officials:
“The state governments tend to have the greatest influence over most Americans’ daily lives. The Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the federal government from exercising any power not delegated to it by the States in the Constitution; as a result, states handle the majority of issues most relevant to individuals within their jurisdiction.”
Upon speaking with Rep. Pallone, I have learned just how little influence our federal officials have on the running of this state.
Nowhere in the article was a relationship between Booker and Christie mentioned. Braun was “outraged,” but it seems fashionable to fill in information that was not in the article nor that is relevant anymore.
Have you read the article? Were you at the NJEA Legislative Conference? We all are angry about One Newark, but it’s time to start educating our policy-makers on these damaging policies instead of giving power to those who would completely destroy public education.
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LG, I usually agree with your comments, but I can’t see Cory Booker ever abandoning his love of vouchers and charters and total privatization without unions. For a major union like NJEA to support a candidate who hates unions and wants schools that have no unions is beyond my understanding.
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Diane, thank you for your comment. I am looking at the article Braun cites right now.
On his speech about charter schools and vouchers at the Legislative Conference, Booker says, “I often say that charters–and I want to be clear what I mean by vouchers, a tax-credit program–are not the panacea. The focus of our country really has to be how you make high-quality public schools. And the solution is not going to be tax credits, vouchers or charter schools. They’ll provide access and opportunity for some kids, but not all children–not even the majority of our children.
We’ve got to be, as a country, committed to the larger effort of supporting our public schools…”
On the concern “that in places like Newark, traditional public schools are being replaced by a system of charters as has happened in New Orleans” (where I disagree with him and feel he is out of touch and out of the loop):
“Newark is not going to become an all-charter system. Even the most optimistic people who believe in charter growth who talk about Newark do not talk about it as even being the majority of schools. And, as I’ve said to people time and time again back when I was mayor, the key to making Newark’s public education a success is focusing on the district schools and improving them.”
I personally have a difficult time believing he felt that way back when he was mayor, but I was one of the NJEA members who took him to task at the Legislative Conference last February. Whether or not he is trying to defend a phantom position, he certainly knows that the NJEA would not support him if he was NOT in favor of supporting the public schools. Has the leopard changed his spots? He backtracked almost immediately at that conference after the audience booed a pro-charter remark. Is it possible that somebody is showing him the light? Whether he is sincere remains to be seen, but for now, he is being closely watched by the NJEA.
On what he can do as a senator to ensure that we do not lose any more living wage jobs:
“Union jobs have always been a pathway to a solid middle class job and not poverty jobs. I’m disturbed about the trend toward privatization, and I’ve seen it everywhere from the airline industry to many of the people they’re contracting with, to the cases that you’re talking about.
We’re relying on privatization to deal with short-term budget cuts. In the end we end up costing taxpayers more because people find themselves working a full-time job and still living below the poverty line and having to rely on government and our communities to keep their family afloat.
I’m not sure of the ways that federal level officials can deal with these disturbing trends, but I love the idea of raising the minimum wage–something that I have been pushing for. With a lot of these local subcontracting decisions, it’s disturbing to me if we see people being pushed out of middle-class jobs, pushed out of union jobs and into jobs where they find themselves living at the economic margins of society, which ultimately contribute to–and we know this because of the performance of children in poverty–the educational problems we claim to be trying to solve.”
Is he minding his Ps and Qs? Most definitely. However as a member of three NJEA candidate screening committees this past year, I can assure you there is a difficult vetting process for endorsement. While I was not part of Booker’s screening committee, I cannot say exactly what his answers were. The questions are generally tough and always pro-public education. There are several levels of areas that a candidate must meet for endorsement. If the committee threw him softball questions, I would be surprised. That does not mean they did not go easy on him. Perhaps a bit of hubris clouds the recollection of his past as mayor, but let me ask you if you believe the young senator is incapable of changing his stance when educated on the issues? Stranger things have happened.
As I said, NJEA is watching him closely.
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LG,
I do not want to use bad language out of respect for Diane. Booker is full of excretement. I work in a renew school in Newark. Come down for a tour. Booker brought Anderson to Newark. He is bought and paid for by hedge fundies. I am living the nightmare.
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NJ Teacher, I really wish you could have been at the endorsement screening. Are you an NJEA member or AFT?
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AFT
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Does AFTNJ endorse candidates? Can’t find anything on the website.
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Weingarten gave Baraka an envelope.
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So no vetting process by members, huh? Ugh. AFT never impresses me.
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UFT/AFT endorsed Cuomo who could not possibly have done more for the advancement of charter schools in New York.
The running of the AFT is far from democratic. I am not privy to their decision making processes. I can, however, ascertain that Weingarten sold the Newark teachers down the river with her “historic contract.”
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I remember reading Jersey Jazzman’s blog entry about the “merit pay” clause–terrible idea. I understand that your leadership was promoting that membership vote to agree to that horrid contract. It also shocks me that Weingarten has so much influence at the state level. Who is the state leader of the AFT in NJ?
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I don’t know LG. I am not involved with the union. I hold them responsible for my current predicament.
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From what I can see on the AFTNJ website, there seems to be an equal (or near equal) number of higher ed locals and pre-K to 12 locals. We have more K-12 locals in our county association than AFTNJ has in its entire state association. I think the lack of both numbers and support for those numbers is what is working against the members of the AFTNJ. It’s like the Pre-K to 12 locals are an afterthought–not a lot of power in small numbers. I’m sorry that your association has been letting you down over and over again. This really is a problem.
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Only the facade of choice is maintained when we agree to hold our nose and vote against our interests. Look at what it has gained us. Loss of tax revenue, undermining of regulatory power, fiscal collapse, privatization of public utilities and services, undermined civil liberties and a nightmarish country wide attack on public education. These have rolled forth under republican and democratic administrations alike.
There’s really only one choice. We need to abandon democratic Trojan horses by refusing to endorse those who vote against our interests. Regardless of the union’s position, as educators who live the destructive attacks on public education, we must refuse to vote for any candidates that support that attack. Booker can not be supported. We’re better off endorsing a 3rd party candidate and only voting those members on the democratic line that support what we support.
Yes, the toxic republican is likely to win in Booker’s case. I say, let him win; sack a piece to gain a piece. Withholding our vote today will send the important message for tomorrow that our vote is not assured by party line. That is to the good right there. The message received? You can’t be a conservative running as a democrat and expect to get our vote. The gain is worth the loss. It will influence the direction of our platform. Conservatives will need to run as the Republicans they are or build their own third party coalitions. Our third party progressive candidate may not be able to win today, but enough votes off the party line will scare the established order and push against right wing drift. It will force the democratic party to promote candidates and platforms that democrats endorse.
Voters in New Jersey: choose to be screwed by your enemy rather than by your friend. It’s fundamentally a position of power with benefits down the road.
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well stated audhilly
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