Luke Brinker writes in Salon about “Michelle Rhee’s favorite wing nuts.” He says that StudentsFirst, flush with hedge fund cash, is spending freely on hard-right GOP candidates.
He writes:
“Michelle Rhee, the former Washington, D.C. schools chancellor and the longtime public face of the education “reform” movement, makes no secret of the fact that her nonprofit organization StudentsFirst backs Republican politicians. In 2012, the self-described Democrat’s group threw its support behind conservative candidates in state legislative races around the country, overlooking many GOPers’ extreme stances on issues like abortion and LGBT rights in its quest to elect candidates who subscribed to the group’s agenda of increasing the number of charter schools, weakening teachers’ unions and tenure protections, and reinforcing an approach to education that emphasizes high-stakes standardized testing. This year, Rhee is once again lending her organization’s financial might to a set of Republicans with hard-right views, as StudentsFirst aims to keep a Republican-led coalition in control of the New York state Senate.
“In its fight to keep the chamber in the GOP’s hands, StudentsFirst launched New Yorkers for a Balanced Albany, a political action committee that quickly became the biggest spender on behalf of Republican Senate candidates. Among its most generous benefactors have been some of the hedge fund world’s boldface names; Daniel Loeb of Third Point LLC and Julian Robertson, formerly of Tiger Management, each ponied up $1 million, Elliot Management’s Paul Singer donated $500,000, and Louis Bacon of Moore Capital Management has also contributed to the group.
“Flush with Wall Street cash, New Yorkers for a Balanced Albany has lavished more than $1 million on ads for four right-wing state Senate candidates; the ads denounce higher taxes and public campaign financing and all but one cast New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, a foe of the “reform” movement, in the role of left-wing bogeyman….”
Oh, so that’s who funded that bizarre senate ad I saw this morning while making the kids pancakes…It was rather unhinged, insinuating that Mayor De Blasio was being set up as some kind of Albany puppet master…
her husband kevin Johnson has been making robocalls for marshall tuck.
Today I received a robocall from John Legend supporting Marshall Tuck. (and he mentioned that he is a democrat) Very disappointing to see creative and innovative people like him and Steve Jobs widow supporting someone like Tuck. Maybe they have listened to a misleading narrative about innovation and change and new technology. Many California public schools have led the way in bringing new technology into the classroom. Charters don’t have a lock on it – but they act like they do -actually the ed reform crowd has pushed some of the worst ideas and uses of new technology- quite unbalanced. Interesting when you read the brochures on their own kids’ schools – it is a veritable Waldorf paradise – developing lots character and compassion – and using tech in its rightful place – as an adjunct.
I got the same call. (SEE MY DETAILED POSTS BELOW)
Pop singer John Legend mentions that he is calling on behalf of is called “PARENTS AND TEACHERS FOR TUCK” (again, see my posts BELOW).
If multi-million dollar Super-Pac is, as its name indicates, truly by and for California public school parents and teachers, THEN WHY are California voters all getting robo-calls from pop-culture figures and entertainers… none of whom are ACTUAL CALIFORNIA TEACHERS OR PARENTS???!!!
John Legend—born “John Stephens”… he renamed himself “John Legend” in a bit of optimistic self-promotion—neither lives here in California, nor does have any children attending school here.. and of course, HE’S NOT A TEACHER!!!
Couldn’t this Super-Pac come up with actual California parents and teachers to “perform” in these robocalls?
Also, as Robert Skeels has meticulously researched and detailed, MARSHALL TUCK NEVER “turned around” ANYTHING… since Legend mentions in the robo-call that Tuck “turned around” failing inner-city schools.
Read Skeels takedown of Tuck here:
http://www.laprogressive.com/marshall-tuck-unqualified/
and here:
http://atthechalkface.com/2014/10/27/guest-commentary-on-marshall-tuck-by-joining-forces-for-educations-ellen-lubic/
I saw that Rhee herself said she was voting for Tuck (although she’s a resident of Tennessee–maybe hedge-fund money can sidestep a thorny annoyance like residency, too?).
It denounced public campaign financing???????? It it pointing fingers at itself? Michelle Rhee should just quietly go away, and take the rest of her clones with her (or was she their clone)? Either way, I’ll be glad to read that she and her pedophile husband have gone to jail, for obvious reasons.
This morning got a “vote-for-Marshall-Tuck” robo-call with the voice of pop singer John Legend (who was paid a huge salary for writing the theme song for WAITING FOR SUPERMAN, and has since made statements and appearances for corporate reform.
In this call, Legend claimed that he was calling on behalf of…
“PARENTS AND TEACHERS FOR TUCK”.
Legend waxed orgasmically about how Tuck will fight for the parents and teachers of California, blah-blah-blah….
Hmmm…..
Sure, I’m a teacher who’ll happily vote for a the guy who wants to wipe out the California teachers unions the way Scott Walker wiped out the Wisconsin teacher unions?
Yeah, sounds good. I’m a teacher who’ll vote for a guy that opposed funding for the classroom—Tuck opposed Prop 30 which, because it passed in 2012, restored desperately needed funding to the classroom.
Tuck also is against extending Prop 30.
Sure, I won’t mind untold thousands of layoffs of fellow teachers—possibly myself—when, per Tuck and his corporate masters, Prop 30 ceases to be in effect.
I’ll vote for a guy who wants to wipe out the organization that is trying to offer my fellow teachers and myself a live-able wage.
I’ll back a guy who even wants to cut my salary and benefits further.
I’ll vote for a guy that wants to wipe out an organization that provides decent working conditions for my fellow teachers and myself.
“PARENTS AND TEACHERS FOR TUCK”?
That’s gotta be a STUDENTS FIRST-like front group.
I’m sure that, like teachers, California parents want all of the above things to happen as well.
Say, let’s find out a little about “PARENTS AND TEACHERS FOR TUCK”:
http://edsource.org/2014/app-details-state-superintendent-race-spending/69030#.VFVyAYesPxw
—————–
ED SOURCE:
“There are no limits on donors to outside groups, identified on campaign disclosure reports as ‘independent expenditure committees.’ These committees have intensified their efforts in the past few weeks.
“A new committee supporting Tuck, ‘PARENTS AND TEACHERS FOR TUCK for State Superintendent 2014,’ formed in early October and has spent about $7.5 million on ads. It is the outside group that has spent the most of any of the committees supporting Tuck. The committee is financed by 30 donors who gave on average $267,000 each, including real estate developer William Bloomfield, Jr., Broad Foundation founder Eli Broad, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Emerson Collective Chair Laurene Powell Jobs.”
——————
Say, you notice that THERE ARE NO TEACHERS ON THAT LIST. And that there are also NO PEOPLE WHO SEND THEIR KIDS TO THE CALIFORNIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS that Tuck seeks to be in charge of.
So then why do they care so much whether Tuck wins or not?
And how can they claim this group to be “PARENTS AND TEACHERS FOR TUCK” when they are neither??
Back when it was “formed in early October”, I’m sure there were plenty of California teachers and public school parents present at that meeting… NOT!!!!
Oh, that’s right, I forgot. Rich people—particularly out-of-state rich people—care more about the education of middle and working class children than their own parents and the teachers who are with students 7 hours a day, 200 days a year…. and that’s why total, they’ve pumped $50 million into Tuck’s campaign.
This is such a freakin’ scam!!!
Oh and Ed Source has more about Tuck’s backers;
————
ED SOURCE:
“Another committee, ‘Great Public Schools Los Angeles PAC’ – largely formed to support Los Angeles school board candidate Alex Johnson – gave $117,450 to the Tuck committee. The Los Angeles PAC is financed by many of the same individuals funding the Tuck committee.”
————
So, again, EXACLTLY WHO is behind “PARENTS AND TEACHERS FOR TUCK”?
Tom Torlakson’s campaign out out this statement about exactly WHO is funding the pro-Tuck super-pac cynically mislabeled “PARENTS AND TEACHERS FOR TUCK”, campaign and WHY they are funding it.
http://www.tomtorlakson.com/pension_school_privateers_invest_in_tuck_for_schools_chief
———————————–
PAUL HEFFNER (Torlakson’s spokesman):
“A handful of ultra-wealthy donors who support school privatization and cutting public pension systems are behind a flood of spending supporting former Wall Street Banker Marshall Tuck’s campaign for state schools superintendent, campaign disclosure records show.
“Far from ‘PARENTS AND TEACHERS FOR TUCK,’ the $4.7 million collected so far comes instead from sources that support school vouchers, privatization of public pension systems, and using disruptive business tactics to overhaul public schools.
“Major funders include:
“$500,000 from Carrie Walton Penner, whose family made its fortune running anti-union, low-wage paying Wal-Mart. The Walmart 1% website reports that Penner’s biography includes serving on the board of the Alliance for School Choice – a school voucher advocacy group.
“$300,000 from John D. Arnold, a former Enron trader and funder of efforts to persuade governments to cut public employee pensions. In February, the New York Times reported that a public television station returned $3.5 million Arnold’s foundation had paid to underwrite a series examining the economic sustainability of public pensions.
“$1 million from corporate CEO Eli Broad. He drew statewide attention when it was revealed he had donated $500,000 to a group with ties to the Koch Brothers to defeat Proposition 30 and pass Proposition 32.
“Here’s how Parents Across America, a public school advocacy group, described Broad’s approach:
P.A.A.: “Broad and his foundation believe that public schools should be run like a business. One of the tenets of his philosophy is to produce system change by ‘investing in disruptive force.’ Continual reorganizations, firings of staff, and experimentation to create chaos or ‘churn’ is believed to be productive and beneficial, as it weakens the ability of communities to resist change.”
While you’re at it, check out the Facebook page for “PARENTS AND TEACHERS FOR TUCK”
https://www.facebook.com/parentsfortuck
There’s nothing but happy smiling children, parents, and teachers all singing the praises of Tuck… and platitudes about putting students first… blah-blah-blah…
There’s not an out-of-state billionaire, or in-state billionaire in sight.
If you’re a Californian, get out the word to
*** Vote for for Tom Torlakson!!!!***
———-for———-
*** State Superintendent of ***
***** Public Instruction *****
This is urgent.
Contact everybody you know in your various circles of influence
— co-workers and/or former co-workers
— neighbors, and/or former neighbors
— friends,
— family,
— extended family…
— people with whom you went to grade school
— people with whom you went to high school
— people with whom you went to college
— people you were/are in a club with
— groomsman/bridesmaids in your wedding party… or a wedding party of which you were a part.
The list goes on and on…
CONTACT THEM—via phone, email, text, etc.—
AND TELL THEM THAT THEY MUST…
VOTE FOR TOM TORLAKSON
for
STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF
PUBLIC INSTRUCTION…
… ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4.
If you’re out state, and you know people in California whom you an influence, do likewise and call them, and urge them to vote for
Tom Torlakson.
If you want to go so far as contribute to the Torlakson campaign financially—to fight Tuck’s $50 million, you can so so here:
https://tomtorlakson.nationbuilder.com/donate_to_tom
If you want to volunteer for Torlakson during these last three days of G-O-T-V… Get Out The Vote… find out here;
http://www.tomtorlakson.com/volunteer
Here’s Torlakson’s website:
http://www.tomtorlakson.com/
I spent this morning phone banking for Torlakson. This evening met with two friends who, between them, had received five robocalls from Tuck today…and none from Torlakson. One of my friends was swayed by Tuck’s claim that he had “turned around” inner city schools in LA. Tuck seems to be using his money well.
A recent article in the Sacramento
Bee stated that Rhee who has been campaigning in Sacramento encouraging the locals to vote like her for Measure L. One problem for Rhee is she isn’t registered to vote on California. For all of Rhee’s many claims of being a “card carrying Democrates”, has she registered to vote and has she voted? I recently received a post card from local democrates noting the # of times I’ve voted in the last 5 years. What is Rhee’s voting record? Any one out there who knows? This seems relevant given her public claims and her political interference.
The Akron Beacon Journal has been working on a series about Ohio charter schools with the help of journalism students. The students attempted to ask 77 Ohio legislators about the charter school case that was recently heard by the state supreme court. This is the result:
“Identifying themselves as a student journalism team working in conjunction with the Akron Beacon Journal, they attempted to contact 79 legislative candidates — incumbents and challengers — in Northeast Ohio and ask a question about charter schools that is now before the Ohio Supreme Court.
The results were disappointing.
Of 77 candidates with available contact information, 51 did not respond, even after multiple attempts to reach them.”
“None of the few who responded sided with for-profit management companies, or defended contract and state laws that allow such companies to turn tax dollars into private assets.”
They know people in this state won’t like profiteering on public schools, so they’re all running away 🙂
http://www.ohio.com/news/break-news/most-candidates-for-ohio-legislature-don-t-answer-charter-school-question-1.537104?localLinksEnabled=false
“StudentsFirst aims to keep a Republican-led coalition in control of the New York state Senate.” This is Cuomo’s agenda, as well. He can play good cop to the R’s bad cop. Obstruction works to the advantage of both parties.
StudentsFirst are still very influential in Ohio. Read any newspaper piece on public schools in this state and you will find paid spokespeople for the following lobbying groups quoted: StudentsFirst and The Fordham Institute.
I have no earthly idea why two DC lobbying groups are running Ohio public schools, or why anyone would care what either of them think.
We don’t even hear from superintendents or (God forbid) teachers or parents. The entire narrative is framed by lobbyists. It’s like our lawmakers have just left the field. They’ve completely relinquished their duties, the jobs they are paid to do, to outside groups. It’s complete and total capture. I don’t know why I’m paying the Ohio state people. Lobbyists are running their agencies anyway.
There’s a term they use in campaign finance “conduits”. It refers to when a person launders campaign money thru another person or entity to hide the source. I think Ohio state lawmakers are now just conduits to policy and practice that comes from ed reform lobbying groups. That’s their only role.
Here’s a good video about Tuck’s true agenda:
Check out this commercial for Marshall Tuck:
Mary Najera
This woman, Mary Najera, was a paid staffer with Parent Revolution for years, making a six-figure, or high five-figure salary, paid to privatize schools… not some poor minority parent telling a tear-jerker story about her impoverished son…
Ms, Najera has since moved on to staff at the Extera Charter School Corporation—allied with Parent Revolution—where she’s still a paid corporate shill making a six-figure (or high five-figure) salary to, again, promote privatization of our schools, where schools will no longer be accountable or transparent to the public via democratically-elected school boards, and will not educate all the public.
Parent Revolution is an astroturf front group—a school privatization super-PAC, if you will—funded by billionaires who want to privatize our schools, and thus, they’re backing Marshall Tuck. If you got to its website, it looks like a grassroots assemblage of poor minorities pulling together, when, in its inception, Parent Revolutions was started by the Green Dot Charter Corporation to give the appearance of parent demand for privatization WHEN THERE IS NONE. Over the years, Parent Revolution has gotten over $100 million dollars from the usual suspects—Eli Broad, Bil Gates, the Walton Family, Michael Bloomberg… the same out-of-state moneyed forces now backing Marshall Tuck.
Education activist Robert D. Skeels accurately portrays Ms. Najera as “a hostile takeover specialist” in privatizing schools.
http://rdsathene.blogspot.com/2011/04/readers-speak-out-on-ben-austin-parent.html
I just spoke to a teacher at the traditional public school, Lorena Street School, where one of the Extera Charter Schools (allied with Parent Revolution) was forcibly co-located on their campus. Despite a directive from the LAUSD board barring Exteran and her from doing so, Ms. Najera has actively attempted, with limited success, to poach students from Lorena Street, and move to Extera. The teacher I just spoke to claims that when the Extera and Lorena St. students both walk through the same entrance, Ms. Najera hands out candy ONLY to the Extera kids, and tell the Lorena St. kids, that they’ll get candy, too…. if they leave Lorena St, and move to Extera.
Sweet Jesus!
Like everything else about Marshall Tuck and his campaign, this above video featuring Ms. Najera is phonier than a Chinese redhead.
Oh, you want proof that this woman is a phony? Check out Mary Najera—in her capacity as a high-paid Parent Revolution staffer—engage in double talk outside a phony, public “community forum” meeting staged by Parent Revolution a few years ago with an appearance by then-Mayor Villaraigosa, a privatization ally. She makes the contradictory claim that the meeting is open to the public, followed by the claim that attendance is RSVP-only, then backtracking again, insisting that “it’s not private.”
Can’t you get your lies straight, Mary?
starting at 00:37
——————–
NAJERA: “It’s open to the public.”
PARENT: (off-screen) “This is NOT open to the public.”
NAJERA: “It’s not open to the public.”
PARENT: (off-screen) “It’s not open to the public?”
NAJERA: “NO… it’s RSVP.”
PARENT: (off-screen) “So it’s private?”
NAJERA: “No, it’s not private.”
————————————-
Watch the whole thing, and you see how inclusive Parent Revolution—and by extension, Marshall Tuck—actually is towards minority parents wanting a voice.
Check out creep-a-zoid Gabe Rose, a high-level staffer at Parent Revolution, making an appearance…
… at 02:50
When the parent cameraman sarcastically tells him, “Say ‘Hello’ to Steve Barr”—Barr was a Green Dot leader and privatizer… one of the ACTUAL Parent Revolution founders).
Not expecting this kind of resistance. Rose is visibly shaken. Indeed, Rose is not used to actual parents, not the stage-managed charter parents who have to appear as part of a charter school’s requirement of “volunteer hours.” Faced with the “real thing”—actual parents not being paid by Parent Revolutin— Rose makes some lame remark to the request to say “Hello” to Steve Barr,
GABE ROSE: “I will. Get over your weird obsession.”
“Weird obsession”? WTF, Gabe? The guy with the camera is a parent and he’s not “obsessed”; he’s outraged that Rose’s plastic-vinyl phony astroturf group Parent Revolution—falsely claiming to represent parents—is shutting out actual parents from the their fake “community forum” hosted by their ally Mayor Villaraigosa.
If Students are really FIRST, wouldn’t they have spent on them??
Reblogged this on 21st Century Theater.