Bernie Sanders first voted for NCLB. But when the bill was finalized in conference between the House and the Senate, he was one of the few members of Congress who voted against it.
He was for it before he was against it.
I am all in favor of people changing their minds as the facts become clear.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
And it was in the same year: First he voted or it in May 2001 and then he voted against it Dec in 2001, which could mean he opposed the final draft of the bill.
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Bu t Hillary did not change her mind when she voted in favor of the Iraq war.
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But she said she made a mistake!
HAH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah, RIGHT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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My vote goes to Bernie!!!!!
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#FeelTheBern
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Vote for Bernie!
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Good for Bernie! The fact that he’s willing to do his homework and change his thinking based on what he learns makes him even more appealing.
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Obviously, very few people had any idea what the consequences of NCLB would be, and a whole lot of people thought it was going to do good things. Everybody who has never changed their mind raise your hand. Everybody who thinks never changing your mind is a good thing raise your hand. I think what is very dangerous is not being able to learn from our experiences. Whoever becomes President, we do not need an idealogue.
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It seems like everything Bernie Sanders ever voted against, he knew it would be bad before the rest of us did. He’s a visionary with a moral compass.
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Yes x 1000!
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A normal compass follows Earth’s magnetic field. It points to magnetic north and can be corrected to yield true north.
Hillary’s compass follows Washington’s political field. It points to Wall Street and can not be corrected.
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Powerful and geographic at the same time! Excellent!
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“Hillary’s Compass”
Mariners have a compass
That tells magnetic north
Hillary has a compass
That tells her what it’s worth
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Reblogged this on David R. Taylor-Thoughts on Texas Education.
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It makes me sad that the AFT gave their endorsement to Clinton. It is my hope that the NEA will endorse Sanders. The difference between Sanders and Clinton is obvious from their responses: Clinton’s responses are slick nonanswers while Sanders is direct and clear, and entirely consistent with this voting history as a politician.
No politician has been more prescient when it comes to voting on laws that have far ranging effects. No politician has been more earnest or hard working or informed. Sanders is incorruptible and fights against the corporatization of America. Unlike ALL other presidential candidates, Sanders will NOT accept any funds from Big Money, instead relying solely on grassroots donations.
Sanders is the President our country needs and workers deserves. If you don’t know anything about him, please go learn about his platform. Go see his speeches on YouTube.
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Did AFT really survey the membership? I can’t find a single member who says they voted at all or even got the survey, muchless voting for Hillary.
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Ask them to supply the survey and the results. This should be easy for them to produce. After all your membership pays their salaries.
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Clinton’s responses are slick nonanswers while Sanders is direct and clear, and entirely consistent with this voting history as a politician.”
That was my impression as well.
Aside from that, I don’t know why anyone would want the Clintons back in office.
With his policies (repeal of Glass Steagal, NAFTA and others), Bill Clinton helped lay the groundwork for many of our most pressing problems.
And make no mistake: the Clintons are a package deal. if you elect one, you get two, whether you want the second or not.
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Bernie to the White House. Smart visionary.
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“Was for it before he was against it” is probably unfair. If he wanted to have any influence on the final it makes sense to stay open to a possible “yes” until the end. He could have a perfectly consistent view of his end goal thru the process and still find the bill came up short.
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Maybe I’m missing something but I don’t see that much difference between what the two candidates said. Sanders’ answers are, I think, better in the sense they’re more specific and definitive but they both agree on the basics and have the standard Democratic position.
I think the hesitancy towards Clinton’s connections with the huge players in ed reform is justified, especially considering past performance re: Obama and what I believe was a real divide between his rhetoric and what he actually funded, prioritized and promoted, but these statements aren’t that different either from each other or from what Obama ran on. Obviously Democrats are running on prek now partly because Democrats need some way to distinguish themselves from Republicans on education. What’s happened here with prek is they simply shifted funding from K-12 and added prek. K-12 has less funding that it did in 2008 and now there’s an additional draw on that funding. I don’t know if it’s a net win or not, in terms of quality and value.
The devil really is in the details 🙂
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Chiara and ALL others:
The difference is not only in the details shown in this blog, but also that Bernie, UNLIKE Hillary, does not, will not, and IS OPPOSED TO using a super PAC and corporate donations to fund his campaign.
Bernie wants to raise about 45 million dollars; Hill unabashedly wants to raise, as she stated in a press conference, TWO BILLION dollars, and she will be trying to do so mainly through corporate sponsorship. Yet she also succinctly states that she wants big money out of campaign finance.
Hillary is disgusting and says whatever anyone wants to hear at the time she is speaking to them.
You always illuminate such great things on this blog. You probably know that “Chiara” means “light” in Italian . . . .
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chiaro(a) adj. light in color – also means clear, bright or fair
CHIAROSCURO
1 pictorial representation in terms of light and shade without regard to color
2 a : the arrangement or treatment of light and dark parts in a pictorial work of art
b : the interplay or contrast of dissimilar qualities (as of mood or character)
luce n. f. light
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Buona informazione, Giuseppe . . .
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I think saying “he was for it before he was against it” is harsh… I gotta believe the bill he opposed at the end was different from the bill he supported at the beginning… He basically offered qualified support for the bill… sort of like NPE has done with the bill before Congress now 😉
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Do you know anyone else who did that? (Tongue in Cheek.)
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😊 Thoughtful people are known to change their minds.
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Changing your mind
Is not a crime
When err you find
In reason or rhyme
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At a late May union meeting. Retired Teachers Chapter I filled out a questionnaire re major policy positions and Democratic candidates preferences along with hundreds of others, the questionnaire was also on the AFT website. in 2001 Sanders was a House member, not a Senator, it is interesting to see the other
“no” votes, mostly from far right Republicans, could not find any explanation of why Saunders changed his mind.
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Yes, and wasn’t Vermont one of the only states to tell the Bush administration to go fly a kite on NCLB?
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Well, Diane, Bernie and I were in the same graduating class at James Madison HS, and I met him again when he was installed on our Wall of Distinction, where Ruth B. Ginsberg also is featured. HE needs to speak with you!
I have been trying to reach him for weeks now, to bring him together with YOU, because I think that he needs to get the reality from you. Maybe, YOU can reach out to him. PLEASE… with Scott Walker throwing his hat in the arena, we need one candidate to talk education with some grasp of the past propaganda narrative and the truth… IT IS YOU! Tell him that his Madison classmate is pushing hard for him to learn the truth from YOU!
Bernie is a good man, a real person, and he cannot be bought… if he is confused, well, then, so is everyone I meet. But this man, cannot afford to be mislead… he needs the reality, and instantly, he will recognize the brilliance and integrity that you bring to informing him… as you will recognize exactly who he is… you just cannot miss it when you are vis-à-vis with Bernie Sanders. Nothing your read about him, nothing you see when you watch him, can prepare you for the reality of the man in a day of political phonies.
and Diane ,FYI, Rob Kall at OEN , finally has an education desk. Gustav Wynn (of BATS) is the editor and here is this WONDERFUL, fact-filled article about our new NYS Education Commissioner.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/NY-Teachers-Reach-Out-To-I-by-Gustav-Wynn-Andrew-Cuomo_Corporations_Corruption_Education-150712-619.html
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wow, that’s quite an endorsement and IMHO, worth a lot coming from you.
It’s clear that you and Bernie shared some great teachers that instilled not only thinking ability but ethical principles to live by.
Thanks.
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you are welcome. I am not alone. Jane Gordon, who is the president of our Alumni, and lives near me, is also aware of this man’s honest nature and powerful intelligence… anyone who knows him, knows this.
She and I work hard to end this one line which we hear when we talk about him, “Bernie WHO?” We both want to speak in his behalf to the those ignorant about him, but his campaign people only seem interested in pushing for $$$ contributions.
The publisher at EON (Oped News) where I write,
comments/author40790.html
has also been having a hard time getting to talk with him, as Bernie is full out moving among the people. Since we are both 73, I am in awe of his stamina.
Dan Geery, who writes at OEN, and who ran for Senator from Utah, a brilliant man and a former teacher, is trying to reach him about grassroots folks like us who would walk the walk for him.
All I want is 15 minutes of his time to say, “Bernie, Bernie, Bernie, TALK TO DIANE!”
or Anthony Cody, or Carol Burris…. sigh.
Who will tell Bernie to call me. I can be messaged at OEN.
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I love that fact he admitted to this in his speech on the Senate Floor while deliberating on the Education Bill S. 1177.
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If you kne w Bernie, like I know Bernie, Oh1 OH1 oh what a guy!” Admits when he has been mislead!
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Bernie on the Floor of the Senate amendments to S. 1177, the Every Child Achieves Act
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Gotta love him!
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Bernie is to legislation what Diane is to education…changing your mind and acting upon it–in the most public way possible…with the good of ALL people in the USA in mind.
Bernie is truly a public servant–NOT a politician, NOT someone to be bought by millionaires. I’ve written this before, but I seem to recall a post from Diane titled something like, “Is Vermont the Best State for Public Education?” giving all the positives that would, indeed, prove that it is. And, folks, you better believe that Bernie has had a great deal to do with that.
Also–still waiting to hear from Arkansas teachers comment on issues when BillHill were there. Weigh in, please!
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I am a Bernie fan. I was/am an Elizabeth Warren fan, but she doesn’t want to run for President. I have researched and began following Sanders before all the various people started announcing their candidacies.
I have never been a fan of Hillary, mostly because she seems to feel entitled.
I am an independent voter, but have voted for several Democrats in recent years.
You may not agree with every issue that Bernue supports, but he is the only one on either side who knows and cares about the middle class. He’s the only one who is consistent and has been since his youth. He is outspoken and passionate about the American middle class.
If he makes any vote or takes a stance, he is measured, honest, and committed.
Check him out. #FeelTheBern
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When a bill comes out of conference, you mite not even recognize it as the same bill! Which would change how you vote for it!
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NO CARROTS AND STICKS: In that case, Diane needs to bend Bernie’s ear about Common Core. Both Bernie and Liz Warren voted against an ESEA amendment to prevent Common Core from being mandated by the federal government, or incentivized in any way. It PASSED narrowly on a party line vote, meaning Common Core will be voluntary in the Senate version of the bill, so Republicans were right for the wrong reasons and Democrats, well they need to hear from teachers!
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Was it funded? To often the federal government/congress puts mandates on schools but do not fund them. I mite like a program, but if it were not funded, I would vote against the bill as well! NO child left behind was a good idea, but so much of it was messed up as it mandated things but gave no funds for it! There are so many areas that do this, and republicans are not going to add anything to the education budget, they just cut 1.7 billion.
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Below is the message that I sent to the ‘handlers’ of Bernie Sander’s Campaign.
I have had no luck in contacting him directly, although on the 29th, I will attend a local ‘grassroots’ video conference his people set up.
Here is my letter (minus the embedded links because this site does NOT include them:
I have a crucial message for your campaign managers and Bernie, which can bring MILLIONS OF VOTES TO BERNIE… from teachers and parents.
My name is Susan Lee Schwartz. I am Bernie’s Madison HS classmate, and I was the the NYS English Council’s (NYSEC) choice for the NYS Educator of Excellence in 1998, and the NYC cohort for the real Pew funded, Harvard research on the National Standards I graduated with Bernie, same year, and I have been trying for months to give him a route to THE MILLIONS of votes OF teachers, but it is impossible to speak with him, which I must, because as demonstrated by the post BELOW, at Bernie is missing the mark on education! He lacks the facts, the truth, which is very hard to grasp. PLEASE BERNIE, give me, your madison classmate 15 minutes to tell you what you need to create a real policy statement.
Bernie works with truth, and he needs to talk with Diane Ravitch! It is Diane Ravitch who Bernie needs to hear!
Politico said Diane Ravitch (who was under secretary of state for 2 administrations, and wrote the book on the tragedy of the NCLB act) is one of the 50 most important Americans; she is chosen by educators as THE top academic on the subject of education in America!
Ravitch brings one million views a month to her wonderful site, where she gathers and posts the voices and writing of the most important education voices in this nation!
Someone in YOUR campaign should read the daily feed http://dianeravitch.net ) and ALSO read the NPE news http://www.networkforpubliceducation.org/news/ .
The Network for Public Education was created to counter the spin and the narrative of lies spread through the PACS, media and lobbyists to our people.
YOUR campaign should go there daily http://www.networkforpubliceducation.org/grassroots-reports/
Grassroots? WE are grassroots! We are the parents and the teachers of the next generations of American citizens!!!
Diane Ravitch, and the people she follows are the best ones to explain to Bernie, why reform is a hoax, and give him a coherent approach to policy, so he can talk about this complex subject with real authority. She knows what an emerging intelligence needs to be present in a school, in a classroom so that kids can learn LEARN, and teachers can ‘teach’. This is the only conversation that needs to take place in this nation.
BERNIE HAS TO BE THE ONE TO TALK THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE FOR KIDS TO LEARN! The national narrative, today, is not about learning, it is about teaching. THIS is the defining issue of our times! Bernie NEEDS TO GET THE FACTS ABOUT EDUCATION STRAIGHT, and if he does, he will win the votes of millions of teachers, and parents.
HAS ANYONE IN YOUR CAMPAIGN ACTUALLY GONE TO HER SITE, where the reality of the war on public education is reported DAILY! Diane Ravitch, can explain to Bernie ,the needs of an emerging intelligence (children) what really NEEDS to be present in all schools, in all classrooms so kids can learn LEARN, and teachers can ‘teach’. This is the only conversation that needs to take place in this nation. She can explain why reform is a hoax, and give him a coherent approach to policy, so he can talk about the complex subject with real authority.
She has followed the debacle. GO TO HER BLOG, and see how the legislatures are taking over the schools in many states as the teachers are silenced and the privateers invent failure through testing mania and false curricula mandates! .
Your campaign MUST DO THIS, Because this is a race…. as legislatures in state after state take over the schools WITH NARY AN EDUCATOR ON BOARD TO MAKE DECISIONS ON what to give to support LEARNING in an genuine way. This is not just abut money. This is about the end of democracy, because as E.D. Hirsch explains shared knowledge is essential for a democracy, and this is what happens hen schools fall into the hands of the very people who are leading the destruction… read it and shiver!
She created the NPE to counter the spin put out by the PACs working for those who are destroying public education.
HAS ANYONE IN YOUR CAMPAIGN ACTUALLY GONE TO THIS SITE, THE ONLY PLACE BESIDES THAT OF DIANE’S SITE, WHERE THE TRUTH IS TO BE FOUND!
I can help Bernie to write policy, but he must write her directly at Diane Ravitch gardendr@gmail.com
And finally,
Please, have Bernie call me because I can explain a civil rights violation that is the scandal of our times, how the veteran teachers were removed, and how in systems across American this is ongoing.
BERNIE NEEDS INFORMATION. He cannot be the one who does not know the reality of the PROCESS THAT TOOK US OUT!
http://www.perdaily.com/2011/01/lausd-et-al-a-national-scandal-of-enormous-proportions-by-susan-lee-schwartz-part-1.html
Take LAUSD the second largest schools system in the nation — at this very moment: What appears nowhere in any other article by any reporter for a corporate owned media , is the fact that for every older teacher that LAUSD is able to get rid of LAUSD will save approximately $60,000 in combined salary and benefits savings when they replace a top-of-the-salary-scale teacher like Esquith who is paid over $80,000 a year with one making $35,000 with significantly less expensive benefits. A tidy sum when one realizes that one way or another LAUSD has gotten rid of 14,000 of these high seniority teachers.
Because the public is never given this essential fact that 93% of targeted teachers are at the top of the salary scale, they have difficult believing that those running LAUSD would go after teachers, unless they were bad or morally reprehensible as is echoed again and again in the corporate press with an ultimate agenda of privatizing public education for corporate profit. Nowhere is this incredibly dark motive of corporate America or their LAUSD administration ever mentioned.
With the professional gone from the classroom, their voices silenced, this ‘reform’ hoax was perpetrated. It was all about money
THIS WAS THE RESULT IN NYC the largest system in the 15,880 systems
The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman on Vimeo
http://citywatchla.com/8box-left/6666-lausd-and-utla-complicity-kills-collective-bargaining-and-civil-rights-for-la-s-teachers
PLEASE BERNIE, give me, your madison classmate 15 minutes to tell you what you need to create a real policy statement.
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