Los Angeles school board member Bennett Kayser is a candidate for re-election on March 3. He issued a press release accusing the California Charter Schools Association of airing a TV commercial mocking his Parkinson’s disease.
KAYSER CHALLENGES CALIFORNIA CHARTER SCHOOL ASSOCIATION
ALLIANCE TO “SAY IT TO MY FACE”
The California Charter School Association’s (CCSA’s) political arm, the CCSA Alliance (CCSAA) is running a political attack ad with a coffee cup dropped and shattering in slow motion, not so subtly linking the image to Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Board Member Bennett Kayser, who has Parkinson’s. He proudly represents the tens of thousands of LAUSD students, families and employees with special needs and people with Parkinson’s everywhere. He publically jokes about his shaking hands and being a politician. His election is 3/3/15.
Kayser was alerted to the shameful hit-piece by supporters who reported it running first on Thursday February 12, 2015. Since Thursday, the Board member has tried to see for himself why others are so upset on his behalf. There is a 24-hour mandatory campaign expenditure reporting requirement so a link to the ad was soon expected. He looked at the Los Angeles City Ethics’ website on Thursday, and Friday, and again on Saturday. Where is the Coffee Cup?
Alas, there is no Coffee Cup ad reported but there is a $50,000 radio buy with no content listed on 2/12/15, same day the TV attack ad was spotted. They too are probably mean-spirited but no one knows because the charter group’s political hammer has failed to provide documentation. http://ethics.lacity.org/disclosure/campaign/totals/public_election.cfm?election_id=50
“If CCSA Alliance is going to make vile attacks against me, then own it, and post them as required by the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission. This election-bullying by CCSA Advocates is unacceptable.” Notes Kayser, “If the charter advocates won’t follow the rules of decency, at least they should follow the law.”
Given the fact the charter school Political Action Committee has flushed hundreds of millions of dollars into (largely unsuccessful) LAUSD school board races over the last decade CCSA Advocates should know how to play by the rules of the Ethics Commission. Sadly, b/millionaire donors, many of whom are out-of-state, will cover fines later while the local electorate is deceived now.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Obviously you’re not a golfer…
The ad is a reference to a movie, and obviously has nothing to do with parkinson’s.
Its a play on the character’s name– Who is Bennett Kayser Soze?
You guys are ridiculous.
Nice attempt at spin there “Jorge.” Are you responsible for the eugenics tinged ableist CCSA campaign? How reprehensible! Discriminate against Students with Disabilities (SWD) and then attack the board member who defends them (who is also disabled). I don’t have words for how vile CCSA and Rodriguez’s latest campaign is.
Robert K. Skeels * rdasthene: after reading this posting and the next one, plus their threads, I felt and thought many things.
Speaking only for myself, I finally realized that such a feeble defense of the indefensible says a lot about those promoting charters and vouchers and the privatization of public education.
Allow me, if you will, for a moment to assume that it is immaterial whether or not they believe their own spin and hype. Let me focus instead on whether or not they want to win over others to their POV. To peddle such desperately inadequate gruel on “Diane Ravitch’s blog A site to discuss better education for all”—
Convinces me that when it comes to logic and moral persuasion and adherence to the facts, the spokespeople of the self-proclaimed “education reform” movement manifest—with regards to that appendage that sits atop the shoulders, that—
“There is no there there.” [Gertrude Stein]
Thank you for your comments.
😎
Jorge,
It is true I am not a golfer. In golf, is it acceptable to ridicule people with disabilities? Sorry, but I put such comments and slurs in the same category with racism and sexism. But maybe that’s OK among golfers too?
I don’t think that it is okay with golfers. We golfers, fisherman and hunters can be inveterate story tellers in which the “truth” may get stretttchhedd a bit but it isn’t considered kosher to denigrate others in racist, sexist or disability-wise fashion.
Diane,
Yet again, it’s a reference to a film. It’s a joke. Light hearted humor–poking fun at the fact that you did not get the reference in the ad.
It would indeed be terrible if the ad were mocking people with disabilities, but it’s not. It’s a play on Bennett Kayser’s name, and an homage to a dramatic scene.
Childish? Perhaps.
But deserving of comparisons to the nazis, as Skeels hurls on his twitter? I think not.
“But deserving of comparisons to the nazis, as Skeels hurls on his twitter?”
Nazis, no. Nihilists, maybe.
And you are vile.
Jorge. I mean you.
From Scott Folsom http://4lakids.blogspot.com/2015/02/you-werent-there-that-day-for-naming-of.html
THE SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION: Later on in this issue I will make endorsements, to be taken with a grain of salt – or salt-substitute, if you are on that diet.
I need to rant a bit about the disreputable tactics of the California Charter Schools Association’s political action committee CCSA Advocates’ locally sponsored independent expenditure committee: Parent Teacher Alliance.
(There are three degrees of separation – but they are attached.) Take a look at this: CCSA SPONSORED “PARENT TEACHER ADVOCATES” HITS NEW LOW IN ANTI-KAYSER TV SPOT | http://tl.gd/n_1skkv90 It is true that the CCSA never called Mr. Kayser a racist, but as Steve Lopez wrote: They implied it. Their TV ad last week doesn’t say that Kayser is a pro-pederast/”bad teacher” lover – or that’s he’s responsible for everything Dr. Deasy ever did-or-didn’t do. They don’t say he is given to dropping and breaking coffee cups as a metaphor for something a little darker …or something they don’t want to talk about like his Parkinson’s disease – but they imply it. They don’t claim to be The PTA, but they have the same initials.
On or before March 3rd please vote your heart, or your conscience or your professional affiliation. Don’t copy my homework, do your own! If the only reason you read this blog is to find out where I stand so you can vote the other way – more power to you! Just vote – let’s break the single digits on Election Day!
Favoritism and jealousy are the real culprit in class, race and gender for ages in all ideologies.
To all concerned parents and educators in this thread:
There are no flowers (public education) if the only color is green (charter school) in a garden (any state in America). There is no grass (the middle pack of students) if we only see the rose and its thorns (gifted and challenged students)
Therefore, we must accept the major agreement on HUMANITY and DEMOCRACY as the backbone of our PUBLIC EDUCATION.
In any civilized nation, the utmost important REASON for citizenry to be proud is that the voting in election must be honored and respected. In other words, people vote for their chosen government, and government must abide to fulfill their platform and their promises.
As a result, any parents who have children either gifted or challenged have already had two existing special programs which are called “gifted class” and “special Ed class”. The middle pack who is neither genius nor challenged will be the backbone of the future. This middle pack is very important for the survival of HUMANITY and DEMOCRACY.
The PUBLIC EDUCATION aims to cultivate the majority of children how to care, to share, to admire, to enjoy learning their best, to recognize and to proud their own talent through many different subjects in literature, languages, arts, music, sports, and STEM.
If any parents discriminate or label other children as trouble-makers, please reconsider our own body’s part function. We have one mouth, and one a**hole. We need to respect the function without elimination of them because we have toothache or constipation.
If we have the PATIENCE, the heart, the mind, the tolerance and the CONSCIENCE, everything will work out successfully, harmoniously and peacefully.
Please DO NOT brush these virtues off with a saying that “it is easy said than done”, but
we need to critically examine our human nature in FAVORITISM and JEALOUSY. Most
of all, we always look for the shortcut and the easiest way out although we deeply
acknowledge that any shortcut in doing things will definitely yield CHAOS as a result. Back2basic
Just to make a buck, reformers design programs that are cruel to children. They
have an affinity for people who share the same social defect, whether they’re politicians, marketers or “researchers”.
Fundamental psycho-social defects can be veiled for a limited time then, as frustration builds, the mask peels away.
IMO, the veneer is cracking on both coasts and points in between like Buffalo and Ohio.
I am not very familiar with this candidate or the actual election. I have no idea who I would vote for/who should win. I did not know anything about the candidates MS- Has this been widely discussed in the election?
But watching the clip, and being familiar with the movie, I thought it was clearly a reference to the famous moment at the end of the movie where the detective realizes he has been duped- and drops his cup. I can see why people who know about his disability and have not seen the movie would be offended. Overall, seems like pretty stupid ad and strategy- Like all attack ads- but maybe not as offensive as people are thinking.
The shot in question is about 10 seconds in.
Marketers are trained to observe an ad through the lens of the viewer. The ad’s development reflects either intent or insensitivity. If it’s the latter, the promotion was o.k.’d by the advertising chain of command and approved by those who paid for the ad.
The probability is high that both groups share similar psychographic traits.