Arne Duncan Signs with Talent Agency

February 9, 2016 //

Wonder no more about what Arne Duncan will do next. The Chicago Tribune reports that he has signed with CAA, a major talent agency.

CAA will arrange speaking engagements for him and line up a book deal.

Categories Education Reform

57 Comments Post your own or leave a trackback: Trackback URL

Cheryl says:

February 9, 2016 at 9:03 pm

Talent of what?

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- Christine Langhoff says:
  
  February 10, 2016 at 12:21 am
  
  No talent (or experience) necessary; agency is run by Gates. Same old, same old! 😉
  
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Geronimo says:

February 9, 2016 at 9:05 pm

…because Duncan always wanted to direct.

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- Karen Wolfe says:
  
  February 9, 2016 at 10:10 pm
  
  hahahahaha!
  You’re giving away your ties to Hollywood, Geronimo.
  
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  - Lloyd Lofthouse says:
    
    February 9, 2016 at 10:12 pm
    
    Direct what—-child porn?
    
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- Carrie says:
  
  February 10, 2016 at 12:56 am
  
  Ari Emmanuel (Rahm’s brother) is the co-CEO and agent at CAA. No talent need apply, just like his appt as Secretary.
  
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  - FLERP! says:
    
    February 10, 2016 at 1:35 am
    
    Ari Emanuel is with Endeavor, not CAA.
    
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- Carrie says:
  
  February 10, 2016 at 9:00 am
  
  Used to be with CAA
  
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Donna says:

February 9, 2016 at 9:15 pm

Well here is our opportunity to tune him out, never watch him on video, never listen to him on radio/media, not attend his tours, never purchase/read his book, and boycott whatever he touches. I would imagine he will go on the charter/reformer tour, showing up wherever Campbell and Eva do. Boycott him.

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- Dienne says:
  
  February 10, 2016 at 6:13 am
  
  I don’t think lowly little me or you are the target audience for Mr. Duncan’s stellar talent (pause here while I go throw up). It sounds to me like Arne is doing what Hillary’s done – he’s going to build a war chest and proper connections to set himself up for a future run for elected office. I think these speeches will be along the lines of “here’s what I can do for you if you fund my next election campaign”. I’m wondering if Chicago mayor is one of those elected positions he’s eyeing, since Rahm isn’t faring too well these days. Time will tell!
  
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Linda says:

February 9, 2016 at 9:15 pm

Maybe they can figure out Arne’s talent. Beats me

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- Dienne says:
  
  February 10, 2016 at 6:14 am
  
  I think we’re going to find that he has a talent for hooking himself up with donors for a future campaign war chest.
  
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- Steve B says:
  
  February 10, 2016 at 12:19 pm
  
  Arne’s great talent lay in the destruction of public schools and the millions of children who attend them…while his children were carefully shunted off to private schools.
  
  His talent is built on the millions of children’s minds stunted and malaised by Common Core, the Death by Danielson Drive-by’s aimed at destroying our public school teachers, and Endless Testing so finely calibrated, as to destroy the minds and hopes of children…the end goal being the destruction of public education in the Unted States.
  
  Arne’s legacy in the destruction of education places him among many of the most heinous dictators of the Twentieth Century.
  
  A resume worth reading…millions of pages long…with the names of our children, our children’s teachers, and our children’s public schools…
  
  …For a profit…
  
  …of course.
  
  The Former Secretary of Education…coming to a “business” near you.
  
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Shirley Rausher says:

February 9, 2016 at 9:21 pm

I hope he finds that he has some talent, somewhere!!!! Maybe basketball?

Shirley Rausher

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Lloyd Lofthouse says:

February 9, 2016 at 9:22 pm

Duncan must have landed a role as an evil ogre in a fantasy film—maybe a remake of Gothmog in the Lord of The Rings.

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- Robert Rendo, NBCT says:
  
  February 9, 2016 at 9:40 pm
  
  No, no, no . . .
  
  He is starring in a made-for-Netflix series:
  
  “Stupid, Stupider, and Stupidest” where he plays triplets who venture into the field of education.
  
  Or maybe he’ll get his own cooking show with Mario Battali . . .
  
  Or maybe he has entered into adult films with him as Obama’s cabana boy . . . .
  
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  - Susan Lee Schwartz says:
    
    February 10, 2016 at 7:07 pm
    
    LOL but at least he is not running for president… Trump is an entertainer who thinks his roles on tv are enough to make him a leader of a nation at the most dangerous time in history….. whiteout is according to the senate hearings by ourintelligemce community. That clown want to take over a t me of the greatest global instability in modern times, with enduring threats that Brennan and Clapper say are like nothing seen before!
    
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- Linda says:
  
  February 10, 2016 at 6:23 pm
  
  Or, a reality T.V. show with Agassi (tennis) or, Hanna (at a zoo).
  
  Or, the resident advisor for homeschooling at a mash-up of the Big Brother house and Desperate Housewives of D.C..
  
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- Robert Rendo, NBCT says:
  
  February 10, 2016 at 6:34 pm
  
  Linda,
  
  It’s so sad, isn’t it?
  
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- Linda says:
  
  February 10, 2016 at 7:51 pm
  
  Robert,
  Again, crying a river for A.D.
  
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elpasoclaynation says:

February 9, 2016 at 9:24 pm

Guess he’s going to give moronic speeches.

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Susan Lee Schwartz says:

February 9, 2016 at 9:25 pm

Agggh!

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WA Teacher says:

February 9, 2016 at 9:31 pm

Are they going to help him find his talent?

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M says:

February 9, 2016 at 9:53 pm

…so he is trying his hand at another area in which he has no expertise ? Unless gaslighting a country and blowing hot air is a talent.

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Priscilla Gutierrez says:

February 9, 2016 at 9:55 pm

“You’re gonna know my name by the end of the night. Bright lights, big city going to my head. Bright lights, big city going to my head….” Apologies to Gary Clarke, Jr. for using his lyrics, but they fit.

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- Dienne says:
  
  February 10, 2016 at 6:17 am
  
  The name on everybody’s lips is gonna be: Arne
  The liar raking in the chips is gonna be: Arne
  I’m gonna be a celebrity,
  That means somebody everyone knows,
  They’re gonna recognise my eyes, my hair,, my teeth, my boobs, my nose….
  
  Hey, this is Chicago, after all.
  
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GST says:

February 9, 2016 at 9:59 pm

He’ll start out as Hillary’s opening act when she next speaks before Goldman Sacks. Or when she delivers the Keynote at the next AFT and NEA conventions (Those early endorsements are looking really good now). Thank you, New Hampshire!

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- Karen Wolfe says:
  
  February 9, 2016 at 10:14 pm
  
  That could not be further from the truth. The first group Hillary mentioned tonight in her concession speech was teachers. Get it straight. AFT and NEA were very smart for endorsing her early and we see many indications that she is listening to their advice. Be grateful!
  
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  - Linda says:
    
    February 9, 2016 at 10:18 pm
    
    Yes, she’s a very good liar and well coached by Randi and Lily.
    
    Please donate at http://www.beniesanders.com. #feelthebern #bernyourenthusiasm
    
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- Linda says:
  
  February 9, 2016 at 10:19 pm
  
  Typo: http://www.berniesanders.com. So many donations his site is crashing right now. Keep trying.
  
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- Yvonne Siu-Runyan says:
  
  February 9, 2016 at 11:03 pm
  
  Pathetic!
  
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- Dienne says:
  
  February 10, 2016 at 6:19 am
  
  Grateful for what, Karen? What specifically has Hillary been listening to Randi and Lily about?
  
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michaelelliot55 says:

February 9, 2016 at 10:06 pm

He joined CAA because they will represent him for his book deal.

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- Karen Wolfe says:
  
  February 9, 2016 at 10:12 pm
  
  Let’s hope that’s the extent of it. I fear him being credited as “Consultant” on some new HBO series about charter schools being all the rage.
  
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- Michael Fiorillo says:
  
  February 10, 2016 at 5:43 am
  
  That “book deal” will be a roundabout form of bribe – or more accurately, a payment for services previously rendered – since there is absolutely no way it will earn back the advance against royalties that Duncan receives, for a book of lies and self-congratulation that he himself will not even write.
  
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Jon Lubar says:

February 9, 2016 at 10:13 pm

So, Rheevolting went on to work for a fertilizer company, and Dun-can’t will continue to play it safe as a pitchman for what exactly, perhaps self help books or correspondence courses?

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- Robert Rendo, NBCT says:
  
  February 9, 2016 at 10:31 pm
  
  “Dun-can’t” is hilarious!
  
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MathVale says:

February 9, 2016 at 10:48 pm

Living in a van, down by the river!

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caligirl says:

February 9, 2016 at 11:07 pm

He is a hack. His speeches were always misinformed and out of touch – he had no concept of what teachers really do because he never was one, nor was he a principal or superintendent. He did huge amounts of damage to public education by opening the floodgates to privitazation, using your taxes to do it. What is it that he has to say ?

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- dianeravitch says:
  
  February 9, 2016 at 11:13 pm
  
  Caligirl
  He can scold lazy teachers, self-satisfied parents, and anyone who mentions poverty as a problem
  
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- Dienne says:
  
  February 10, 2016 at 6:20 am
  
  All you say is true, but none of it will matter to his target audience.
  
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EAS9 says:

February 9, 2016 at 11:18 pm

He’ll spew out tripe, with occasional fancy edu-lingo jargon, mixed in with fabricated stats and mentions of “credible” supporters. And, Arne will make even more $ than he has now.

If karma is real, a dung beetle thou art in your next existence Arne!

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Jack says:

February 10, 2016 at 12:04 am

t would be interesting to see how Duncan’s income from his “corporate reform” show biz ends up comparing to that of Michelle Rhee, who makes more in an hour of bashing public school teachers & their unions as the average starting teacher makes in a year—while we have to read the outrageous stuff that her supporters claim about how self-less and noble she is..

Here’s an old post about another CAA client, Michelle Rhee:

—————————————–

Below, we can read as one of her backers blathers about how — back when Rhee was running Students First — Rhee was then “shunning high salaries” to “improve the lot of our nation’s students,” and how she previously had been targeted and victimized in D.C. because she “put students first.”

Check out what WAITING FOR SUPERMAN director Davis Guggenheim wrote in his blurb accompanying her page in TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Important People list:

(CAPS are mine… Jack… it’s in the last paragraph)

http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2066367_2066369_2066128,00.html

—————————————

DAVIS GUGGENHEIM:

“She (Michelle Rhee) SET A GOAL TO IMPROVE THE LOT OF THE NATION’S STUDENTS, and she has stuck to that. And she PAID DEARLY FOR IT, stepping down from her D.C. post in 2010 after Mayor Adrian Fenty lost his bid for re-election, a public rejection that some saw as A REPUDIATION OF THE TOUGH STEPS to raise the standards of the city’s public schools.

“Subsequently, SHE SHUNNED ANY HIGH-SALARY OFFERS that resulted from her high-profile tenure and INSTEAD FOUNDED HER OWN ORGANIZATION.

” ‘PUTTING KIDS FIRST’ could be a pithy slogan. For many it is.FOR RHEE, IT’S A LIFELONG COMMITMENT.”

—————————————

Hey Davis, you know who else has to “pay dearly”? The folks who have to pay to have this woman speak for an hour or two!

Ms. Rhee may have “shunned any high salary offers” after the voters of D.C. ran her out of town, but she sure isn’t shy about lapping up her $50K / hour speaking fees!

(NOTE: her 2013 STUDENTS FIRST tax forms indicate she currently makes $350,000 annually… isn’t that “a high salary?)

It’s nice that her “lifelong commitment” to “putting kids first” pays so well.

Here’s Hollywood agency CAA’s promo blurb for her:

http://caaspeakers.com/michelle-rhee/

——————————————————————-

“In the ever-evolving landscape of education in America, Michelle Rhee has been working tirelessly for the past two decades to give children the skills and knowledge they will need to compete in a changing world.

“From adding instructional time after school and visiting students’ homes as a third grade teacher in Baltimore, to hosting hundreds of community meetings and creating a Youth Cabinet to bring students’ voices into reforming the DC Public Schools, Michelle has always been guided by one core principle: put students first.”

——————————————————————

Wow, Rhee has “been guided by one core principle: put students first.”

How touching and noble of her? Given that moving statement, I’m sure that—like Dr. Ravitch—Ms. Rhee probably donates her time to give speeches and make appearances… at most only asking to have her expenses covered.

Wait a sec. I just found something on-line. It says that… Ms. Rhee… NO, I DON’T BELIEVE IT… SOMEBODY’S LYING OR MAKING THIS UP TO HARM HER REPUTATION…

No… it says that… she actually CHARGES MONEY (???!!!) for her speeches?

Say it ain’t so!

And that, when giving speeches, she is represented by the top Hollywood agency C.A.A., Creative Artists Agency?

Well, I’m sure her pay is just a small honorarium… as, like you, Dr. Ravitch, her true motives are to improve the educational lives of children, and to make sure every child has a great teacher at the front of his or her classroom, and, as Davis Guggenheim puts it, her mission to “put students first,” while “shunning high salaries.”

What’s that? It’s NOT just a token honorarium. Let me guess…

$1,000?

$2,000?

Higher? You gotta be kidding!

$5,000?

$10,000?

Get outta town!

$15,000?

$20,000?

What? She gets more than that just for an hour or two of speaking and answering questions?

Really? It’s actually higher?

$25,000?

$30,000?

Okay, someone’s just winding me up here. There’s NO WAY she charges more than THAT!!!

$50,000!

BINGO!!!!!

$50,000???!!! I don’t believe it.

Somebody’s gotta be making that up to discredit Ms. Rhee. It’s probably some evil, corrupt defenders-of-a-failed-status-quo teachers union thugs who put adult teachers’ interests ahead of children/students’ interest that hacked into C.A.A.’s website and created… yeah, it’s probably them who are making up and spreading these lies in an effort to harm Ms. Rhee’s reputation, and protect those teachers’ own selfish interest and cushy jobs-for-life.

Apparently not.

Some enterprising writer named Molly Bloom at the on-line publication STATE IMPACT actually got a copy of the contract that Rhee uses for her personal appearances and posted it on-line.

Oh, will you just shut up and gimme that link!

http://stateimpact.npr.org/ohio/2011/10/10/michelle-rhee-to-speak-at-kent-statestark-prompts-faculty-to-organize-counter-event/

What’s that? Just scroll down and you can see
a scanned copy of Rhee’s boilerplate contract? Hmmm….

Yep! There it is… In the contract posted, $35,000 is indeed what she’s getting paid to speak at Kent State, plus a bunch o’ FIRST CLASS expenses. .. (She claims here that she was discounting her usual $50,000 / hour fee because the venue, Kent State, was “a school.)

The contract posted is the actual one used for Ms. Rhee’s appearance at at Kent State University,

Why, that’s SECOND worst atrocity ever associated with that school’s history. (“Tin soldiers and Nixon’s coming… Four dead in O – hi – o… “)

(Watch this whole video… it’s pretty well done!)

I like how the “Purchaser”—the entity or person who hires her— sends the payment to:

“Rhee Enterprises, LLC” (PAGE 2)

Helping improve the education of children and “putting students first” is a lucrative Big Business, apparently.

There’s more on PAGE 3:

——————————————————————

“a. Purchaser shall provide the Artist with one (1) First Class round-trip, unrestricted, fully-refundable airplane tickets, or cash equivalent, at Artist’s election;

“b. Purchaser shall one (1) VIP hotel suite; Purchaser to make and confirm reservations in consultation with the Artist; Artist reserves the right to choose hotel;

“c. Purchaser to provide the Artist with meals and all reasonable incidentals;

“d. Purchase shall provide Artist with a towncar and Professional Driver for round-trip transportation from the Artist’s home to the airport, airport to hotel, hotel to engagement, or any combination thereof;”

——————————————————————

Yes, that’s right… Rhee demands not just a hotel room, but a “VIP hotel suite” at a hotel approved by her, as well as a towncar with a chauffer to drive her around???!!!

Come one. Be fair. Don’t beat up on Rhee because of this. You need all that if you’re going to be “putting students first.”

Item 6 is telling. Michelle or her agent crosses out the following:

——————————————————————
(CROSSED OUT WITH A PEN)

“6. RESPONSIBILITY for EVENT-RELATED TAXES. Purchase agrees to pay any and all local, State, and/or Federal rental, amusement, sales or other taxes as required by law.”
——————————————————————

Next to the crossing out, Michelle or her agent scrawls,

“TAX EXEMPT”…

… as Students First is a non-profit organization.

Awww, that’s too bad. That money would have gone to the state’s general fund for education, as Ohio schools are hurting for cash right now.

Item 9 is interesting:

——————————————————————

“9. ARTIST’S MERCHANDISING RIGHTS. Artist shall have the right, but not the obligation, to sell souvenir programs and other merchandising items on the premises on the place of the presentation without participation by the Purchaser, subject to local venue’s contract requirements, if any, of which the Artist is notified in writing.”

——————————————————————

(INSERT JOKE HERE… it’s too easy… i.e. Michelle Rhee T-shirts, action figures, etc.)

There’s also a pay-or-play clause, which means that if the event is cancelled for any reason, you have to pay Michelle her $35K anyway.

Reading this I feel like I’m watching a final scene of “THE WOLF OF WALL STREET”, where the slimebucket and convicted Wall Street felon Jordan Belfort now makes a cushy living as a “motivational speaker.”

God save us all!

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- Linda says:
  
  February 10, 2016 at 6:27 pm
  
  Has the corporate board she’s on, managed to improve diversity in the company? Management photos, on the web-very telling.
  
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Carrie says:

February 10, 2016 at 12:53 am

No brainer. Ari Emmanuel (Rahm’s brother) is co-CEO and an agent there.

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- Christine Langhoff says:
  
  February 10, 2016 at 1:00 am
  
  Ugh! All roads lead to Chiraq.
  
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- FLERP! says:
  
  February 10, 2016 at 1:38 am
  
  See above. Ari Emanuel is not with CAA.
  
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maggiemadonna5@aol.com says:

February 10, 2016 at 5:48 am

What talent does he have? KC

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readingexchange says:

February 10, 2016 at 6:37 am

ICYMI … Arne grades himself …

https://www.the74million.org/article/the-74-interview-arne-duncan-grades-himself-and-sees-failures-on-pre-k-safety-desegregation

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Chiara says:

February 10, 2016 at 7:07 am

“The troubled for-profit education company that owns the giant University of Phoenix agreed on Monday to be bought for $1.1 billion by a group of investors that includes a private equity firm with close ties to the Obama administration.

The university and its owner, the Apollo Education Group, have been subject to a series of state and federal investigations into allegations of shady recruiting, deceptive advertising and questionable financial aid practices.

Vistria’s founder is Marty Nesbitt, one of President Obama’s closest friends and the chairman of the Obama Foundation. Mr. Nesbitt is also a longtime business partner of Penny Pritzker, the commerce secretary.

A Vistria partner and its chief operating officer, Tony Miller, was deputy secretary of the United States Department of Education between 2009 and 2013. He has been tapped to become the new chairman of Apollo Education Group in August, when the deal is scheduled to be completed.”

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Chiara says:

February 10, 2016 at 8:27 am

I always wonder who buys these books politicians write. Maybe no one buys them- they’re created to go along with the speeches 🙂

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- Michael Fiorillo says:
  
  February 10, 2016 at 8:55 am
  
  As we’ve seen with our Reptilian Governor here in New York, Andrew Cuomo, virtually no one buys these books: they are an ex post facto bribe for services rendered, laundered through a media subsidiary of a reform-connected oligarch.
  
  In Cuomo’s case, the particular Overclass Patron would be the risable Rupert Murdoch, one of whose publishing subsidiaries, Harper Collins, published Cuomo’s (deservedly) unread and un-purchased verbal excretion, while another publishing subsidiary of his, Houghton Mifflin, was angling for Common Core bucks.
  
  It’s a neoliberal facsimile of a perpetual motion machine, whereby the external “energy” (aka, cash) is ultimately supplied by the taxpayers.
  
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markstextterminal says:

February 10, 2016 at 8:36 am

Hahahahaha! Perfect!

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afraid of bersin says:

February 10, 2016 at 9:40 am

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2014/dec/12/hillarys-burgeoning-bersin-bump/
If you thought Arnie was a problem, look what Hillary is reported to be thinking….

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Old Teacher says:

February 10, 2016 at 10:20 am

Maybe he will have a talent for in flight rocket repair, I’ll buy his tools for him.

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- dianeravitch says:
  
  February 10, 2016 at 12:24 pm
  
  Old Teacher, I think he may demonstrate how to build a plane while it is flying.
  
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stock73 says:

March 22, 2016 at 10:47 pm

Interesting that he was carrying out President Obama’s wishes. So … the @POTUS is the real failure behind the evisceration of public education? Guess so. Figures.

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