David Gergen said on CNN tonight that young people voted for Bernie Sanders because Hillary criticized charter schools. Yes, he actually said that, on the Erin Burnett show. He said that young people like charter schools, and they were angry that Hillary opposes charter schools.
To begin with, there is no evidence whatever that young people want charter schools. If they are old enough to vote, they aren’t in school, and very few went to a charter school.
But it makes no sense to say that young people voted for Bernie because Hillary doesn’t support charter schools. Bernie has come out in opposition to charter schools. Is that why young people voted for him? Hillary made a 30-word statement that accurately stated that some charter schools don’t serve all kinds of children; her top aide for education “walked back” the statement and insisted that Hillary does support charter schools.
Will we have to endure this kind of nonsense from now until November?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Given David Gergen’s increasingly irrelevant and clueless commentary about life in the United States in 2016, I’m afraid the answer is yes, we will have to endure this type of nonsense, UNLESS we all write to Gergen, and CNN, and “clue him in” to the new narrative around charter “schools.”
Gergen still thinks it’s the mid-nineties when he was brought into the Clinton White House, along with Dick Morris as the main advisers to the new president and first lady. Back in those days, charters were viewed as “the answer” to what was widely agreed to be a “failing public school system” and Gergen is still a confused resident of that time so long ago.
Let’s let Gergen know how out-of-date and out-of-touch his charter nonsense is; it’s only slightly less obtuse than Rudolph Giuliani’s delusional drivel about the lack of charters being the main reason for the civil unrest in Baltimore last year.
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Maybe he should be advising Jeb!, who also seems stuck in the 90’s.
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I called Bernie Sander’s Hot line and asked if he supported Common Core. The answer was yes.
I said he just lost my vote. What would Hillary answer?
I have no confidence in either and hoping for an independent candidate.
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Joan..the Independent candidate who seems to be coming forth is Michael Bloomberg. I much prefer taking a chance on Bernie.
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From Wiki:
“. . . is an American political commentator and former presidential advisor who served during the administrations of Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton.”
Strange bedfellows indeed!
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Diane…we will endure far worse than Gergen who is getting old and perhaps is also losing his grip on reality. This will get very ugly. Not only will the Repubs sluring and slandering Bernie, but so will the Clintons who will be vicious. We have already seen the mud slinging with her complaining that Bernie and his campaign were defaming her, she used worse language, as with her relationship with Wall Street and with Goldman Sachs.
And I wonder what she has on Madeline Albright to get her to make such a stupid and biased statement?
She and Bill will stop at nothing to win the nomination…and yes, she got 15 of the super delegates and Bernie only got 9 even though he creamed her in the popular vote..and she has been courting these insiders, and paying them off, for a long time. The Clintons are among the dirtiest people in politics.
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Ellen, please stop the Hillary-bashing, which Republican operatives are trying to spread to Democrats.
Regarding Goldman Sachs– http://www.dailynewsbin.com/opinion/when-hillary-clinton-gave-a-speech-to-goldman-sachs-the-topic-was-female-entrepreneurship/23763/
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Teacher – if Hillary really wants us to believe the content of her $225,000 speeches to Goldman Sachs was benign, it’s really simple. All she has to do is release the transcript.
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Joan….your common core post has a fishy smell. It is my opinion….which I can neither prove or document…that you made it up.
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THIS COUNTRY IS REALLY SIC!
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Ellen, Madeline Albright has been trotting out that line for years. It’s her shtick. It was bold and refreshing when she first said it years ago, in a different world.
Despite appearances, I’m sure Hillary was cringing inside when it was said this time, because she’s smart enough to know that young women today have no idea what it was like for women in this country not so long ago. They make the mistake of judging the comments and policies and people of yesteryear through a modern lens, with no regard for the context of the time. Hindsight is 20/20. At least Hillary isn’t afraid to change positions as she gets updated information, unlike Republicans.
The Republican hit machine has been after both Clintons for decades, and I’m astounded at how many Bernie supporters are spouting the same lies that were thoroughly debunked years ago.
To say that the Clintons are “the dirtiest people in politics” is profoundly naive. It’s not “dirty” to court the superdelegates. It’s smart. And necessary. Remember, Bernie chose to run as a Democrat. He was well aware of superdelegates when he made that decision. Anyone who follows elections has been aware of them for decades, but now all the Bernie supporters are suddenly shocked and horrified.
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I have my ear close to the 18-30 crowd – they hate Hillary. FULL STOP. Yes, we do have to endure this nonsense for the next 9.5 months! Give the young crown a bit of credit for trying to learn. Their goal is to stop the “corporate machine” that runs the White House. AND some of them DO want charter schools & school choice! Personally, I am an independent and EVEN I will admit Bernie is starting to make sense to me (my first presidential vote was 1980)! As for the younger voters: Hillary is just another liar and a cheat and they are tired of it. I am happy to see all of these first time voters out and caring about what is happening not on in ED but in the US as a whole. The reporter is the person who probably messed up the story (and on purpose no doubt!).
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It is very unfortunate, that many Bernie fans seem to be falling for a hate campaign spread by Republicans against Hillary Clinton. It is very divisive, and will only help the Republicans.
Do you want a President Cruz, Trump, Jeb Bush, or Kasich? Then join in with the Hillary-bashing.
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Teacher – I won’t say I “hate” Hillary, but I am strongly opposed to her and it makes me sick to think of her being our next president. But it has nothing to do with anything the Republicans have to say about her. It has to do with her neoliberal policies and history, starting with her time on the board of Walmart, going through her very vocal support for her husband’s policies like DOMA, welfare “reform”, “three strikes”, repeal of Glass-Steagall, etc., continuing through her votes for the Iraq War and the Patriot Act and ending with her disastrous term as Secretary of State and the hash she made of Libya (and the fact that she’s threatening to do the same to Syria). There’s a whole lot more in that vein, but none of it is anything the Republicans have any problem with – and that’s my problem. Yes, Hillary may very well be able to “work across the aisle” better than Bernie, but what will she work for? Not a world I want to leave to my children, that’s for sure.
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Joan….I apologize. From what I can tell from what is online….his position is hard to nail down. He voted for it in the past, he voted for amendments hostile to it……..it would not be a deal breaker for me, because many politiicians have rethought their opinion…..I would be surprised if there is anything definitive avaiilable at this point, but it was irresponsible for me to have posted what I did previously.
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I am cheering for Bernie, I support Bernie, and I will vote for him in the NYS primary.
And if Hillary wins the nomination I will enthusiastically support her right through the November election.
IMO, for Bernie supporters, that should be the only logical position to take.
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Dienne, it’s not fair to judge a First Lady by the positions her husband takes. She was not in a position to oppose them if she wanted to.
Plus, it’s not fair to judge the political decisions of the ’90s based on your modern 2016 hindsight. At the time, those were the positions the American people overwhelmingly supported. It was a very different time. I remember it well. At least Hillary is big enough to acknowledge the mistakes of yesteryear and change accordingly, unlike Republicans, who just want to repeat them.
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PS: Can you blame the 18-30 crowd for wanting school choice – look at what they had to endure! They don’t want the same for their children.
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What have they had to endure?
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Now we have the establishment trying to correct Hillary’s platform. So will education activist groups organize to call him out for such nonsense? Or will they just be grateful for a strange bedfellow?
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I really don’t think that Bernie and Hillary should be the end of the conversation about the presidential race. The two major parties have most people convinced that they are the only choices. I think Jill Stein would.be the better choice.
As far as David Gergen is concerned, l gave up on him many many years ago. My wife and I would just shake our heads at his nonsense.
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Maybe they all read this article, oh my!
http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/02/01/464850639/what-it-means-that-the-high-school-diploma-is-now-a-moving-target
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Mom…at the LAUSD, they changed the grade range from A – F to
A – G so as to make a D a passing grade on the exit exams for graduation. So many were failing, that the district made this attempt last year to allow many students to pass and graduate. Is this doing them a favor? or is it only a distorted idea to show better numbers?
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Your statement is not accurate: “If they are old enough to vote, they aren’t in school, and very few went to a charter school.”
Sorry, but students can stay in school up to age 21…. and many still do…
and they most likely didn’t go to a charter school because they did not have that option or there were no charter school options available to choose from….
And why not ask the students where they want to go and what they think about their schools and their teachers and the quality of the education they are receiving, instead of throwing out comments without scientific data to back up your statement.
http://www.advocatesforchildren.org/sites/default/files/library/rights_students_know_your_rights.pdf?pt=1
“You have the right to be in school until the age of 21. If you turn 21 during the school year, you can go to school until the end of that school year.
If you leave school, you have the right to go back at any time until you earn a diploma or turn 21.
You cannot be made to leave school because you are too old, don’t have enough credits, or have poor grades.
You cannot be suspended or kept out of school without written notice and a chance to tell your side of the story.
Suspensions for more than 5 days require a full hearing. Whenever you are suspended, you have the right to get your class work and take tests, including Regents exams. If you get special education services, you are entitled to a suspension plan, which includes many of the services on your Individualized Education Program (IEP).”
Have a great day.
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Neither Hillary nor Bernie have made as strong a commitment as we would like, against charters, privatization, etc.
Yet either would be a million times better than any of the psychos in the Republican field. And please remember the seats on the US Supreme Court that will likely become open in the next eight years. Do we really want more Republican appointees? More Scalias? Or more Ginzburgs? (Don’t say the two parties are the same. There is a YUGE difference.)
Therefore, it is important that Democrats be united in fighting for Hillary or Bernie to become the next President. (While still trying to put pressure on both to do better on education, take a stronger anti-deform stand, etc.)
Whichever of the two you support, please do not bash the other. We need to remain united, not let paid GOP social media trolls tear us apart.
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I’m a 52 yr old women who will NEVER vote for Hilary Clinton! Status Quo democrats like CLinton have taken our votes for granted for far too long. If Sanders doesn’t make the ticket I’m voting republican….that’s how much I despise Hilary Clinton and the Democratic Party. Obama’s appointment of Arne Duncan opened my eyes to the democrats’ selling us out time and time again.. I never want to see sell-out Weingarten as Ed Secty.
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I’m kind of getting tired of the Supreme Court argument. Obama has about 11 months left in office and four of the justices are over 70. All of them need to seriously consider the chances that they will survive the next four or eight or twelve years and decide what they’re going to do right now. If they decide to risk a Republican presidency and find they can’t make it, that’s on them.
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Dienne, understand this about the Supreme Court. The president appoints, the Senate must confirm. If a judge resigned today, the Republicans would stall, never confirm, and hope that the next president is Republican. That’s the way it works. An Ibama appointee might not even get a hearing at this point.
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Yes, Jane, you have a right to be angry.
But seriously, you’d vote for a Donald Trump or a Ted Cruz or Robot Rubio rather than Hillary Clinton?
That makes little sense.
And Dienne. Would you really prefer that a Cruz or a Rubio – or any Republican – pick judges for the federal courts and for the Supreme Court rather than Hillary Clinton?
Think Scalia, Alito, Thomas and Roberts……
Not saying I love Hillary Clinton, but as Bernie Sanders said, “On our worst days … we are 100 times better than any Republican candidate.”
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Democracy – I’ve said it before, but the “lesser of two evils” is often the more effective evil. And still evil. In many ways, the Democrats have accomplished worse things than the Republicans, simply because people fight back when the Republicans do it, but they give the Democrats a pass. Do you think a Republican could have repealed Glass Steagall or passed welfare “reform”? Do you think GWB could have gotten away with assassinating U.S. citizens? As far as who’s appointing Supreme Court justices, I’ve already said that’s on them if there are any to be appointed. I love Ginsburg, but she’s 82 – does she seriously think she can make it another 4 years, or, more likely, eight since incumbents usually win? But as for everything else, I’m really starting to think it’s going to have to get noticeably worse before it’s going to get better. Right now we are the fabled frog in the slowly boiling water (the frog, incidentally, will actually hop out). Maybe we need to turn the water to a full boil for people to realize just how much trouble we’re in.
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And, in case it’s not clear, no I will not vote for the Republican candidate no matter who the Democrat is, but I won’t vote for Hillary no matter who the Republican is. Bernie is my first choice in the general, but if he’s not available, it’s Jill Stein. You can spin that as “voting for the Republicans” if you like, but really it’s just refusing to vote for the status quo.
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Dienne, by not voting for Hillary, if she is the Dem nominee, you ARE voting for the Republican.
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Dienne,
As I noted, Hillary Clinton – or Bernie sanders – would appoint very different people to the federal courts – district and appellate – than would any Republican. That’s a lot of judicial appointments, and they matter.
And then there’s the Supreme Court. The Republican appointees have shown just how awful they are in cases like Citizens United, Hobby Lobby, and climate change.
If Hillary is the Democratic nominee, expect Bernie Sanders to campaign for her. Rationalists will vote for her.
If you want to throw your vote away if it comes to a Clinton nomination, that’s your prerogative.
By the way, the repeal of Glass-Steagall was initiated by three Republicans, Gramm-Leach-Bliley, and it passed the Congress with veto-proof bipartisan support. If your implication is that the repeal was a direct cause of the Great Recession, there just doesn’t seem to be any good evidence that’s true.
I like Bernie – and Elizabeth Warren – too.
But Hillary is far preferable to any Republican, and Bernie agrees.
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Everything is “charter schools” with these people. Everything. Forget income inequality, stagnant wages, student loan debt, the corrupt pay to play campaign finance system- everything can be solved with charter schools.
Public schools cause every problem and charter schools solve every problem.
Best “solution” ever. It lets every powerful person in the private sector and government completely off the hook, not to mention completely exempting the broader public from any responsibility for any of these problems.
It’s all benefit, no sacrifice and it costs less too! I personally cannot wait until public schools are eradicated. Incomes will rise and them magically equalize, racism will disappear, and corruption and capture in government will finally end. All that and my taxes will go down, too!
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I think this interview with Larry Summers goes a long way towards explaining the DC obsession with charter schools:
“He also rejected one explanation for rising inequality — that the workforce is inadequately educated — in favor of the more liberal economist’s argument that businesses simply aren’t creating enough jobs and that technology has allowed profits to accumulate in the hands of the top 1 percent. He reiterated that point of view yesterday, as well.
“There’s a view that I think was a plausible view to hold in 1995, which I would call ‘preserve my carried-interest tax break, the market’s great, yes, there are a lot of people left behind, we need to give them better education, I’m really involved in a charter school, it’s all going to be okay,'” Summers said. “That is not a credible response to the challenges of the American economy in 2015.”
You’ll notice they’re only “disrupting” public schools. The rest of the status quo in government and the private sector, the parts that benefit them by staying exactly the same? Nothing changes there. They all roll along completely unaffected. This is a very NARROW revolution. The only people who are directly affected are people who work in public schools and the students who attend them. Of course they all support privatization. There’s no risk (to them personally) and it requires no sacrifice or additional investment from the public.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/09/10/larry-summers-has-become-one-of-organized-labors-biggest-advocates/
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Honestly, nothing new here.
David Gergen has been a twit for quite some time.
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I’ll vote in the primary and the general because I’ve been voting since I was old enough and I vote for Democrats because they’re generally more aligned with my views, but does anyone really believe Hillary Clinton will change anything about the Bush/Obama approach to public schools?
Every single high-profile ed reform Democrat is supporting her, from Howard Dean to Ed Rendell to all the many ed reform pundits who are associated with Democrats and DC seems utterly and completely captured on this issue. I just think it’s a stretch to believe anything changes at the top. I don’t have any choice other than in the primary but I refuse to kid myself about this. I’ll go in with eyes wide open, thanks.
Clinton made a mild and true statement on (some) charter schools, which was, incidentally, exactly the same as what Cami Anderson said, and she immediately capitulated when they went after her. If she can’t even publicly question or criticize any of this without immediately apologizing and never mentioning it again, what are the odds she changes anything?
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Wait: what?
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The Clinton organization has begun using every trick in the book to undermine an honest debate. They use her supporters by grabbing early endorsements and super delegates. Her strategy to paint Bernie in a negative light failed miserably in New Hampshire. Look for more
Pundits like Gergen are nothing more than tools that are pushed and swayed by the campaigns as the spin, spin, spin.
Look folks, we don’t elect the leader of the free world based on 1 position. We should look at the entire package. Integrity, honesty, and the view of what we believe our country should be. To me Bernie is the guy. I may not agree with every educational policy he has, but I do know his record is consistent of my vision of the future.
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I doubt Gergen has spoken to young people in any sizable group. Young people are people. Some are are very conservative but I am not sure they know why. Often, I hear echoes of family dinner conversations. Some are very well informed and look towards a future of climate change, unaffordable college, massive debt, and a changing country. So many support Bernie because he speaks to their concerns. Hillary can appear dismissive and condescending.
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“After more than a decade of heavy investment in closing achievement gaps and bringing all students to proficiency in reading and mathematics, the United States has fewer low-performing students on the Program for International Student Assessment—but only in science.
In math and reading, by contrast, there were no changes at all in the share of low-performing students on the PISA between 2003 and 2012 , according to a new analysis by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development. ”
Expect another round of privatization and testing and stern lectures on our failed and failing schools and “mediocre” children. The answer to data that contradicts the official Movement Narrative is to double down.
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No, we will not have to endure this nonsense until November. The Clinton and Bush dynasties have only February left. Big money-backed candidates will be thrown out in just a couple weeks, on Super Tuesday, March 1st. Then, all we’ll have to endure is their whining about how hard it is to enact education “reform” with just the other three branches of government in the billionaire boys’ deep pockets.
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An interesting report yesterday, about Facebook. One of its Board members, from Silicon Valley, was angry that regulators in India wouldn’t accept a monopoly type market for a Facebook product. So, the Board member tweets that India was better off under colonialism. In refutation, an expert pointed out that, under British rule, India’s share of the world economy fell from 23% to 4%. The Board member let slip how Silicon Valley really thinks. Remember Z-berg is listed as an “investor” in Bridge International Academies, NOT his foundation. Z-berg tried to back track the tweet but, actions speak louder than words.
India, rightfully, distrusts international corporate influence, and its obvious they care more about democracy than U.S. politicians or regulators, do.
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I believe the number of questions asked of potus candidates regarding education is about 5 percent the level of interest among voters…..I offered some possible reasons to the St. Louis Post Dispatch…….In some cases it is just routine incompetenc….in others, a wise career choice to avoid asking about anything you are too stupid or lazy to know enough to be asking……..and there is plenty of casual, easy to answer stuff which is meaningless….Maybe Gergen is just senile.
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(tried to erase the y from incompetency—forgot to add the e……whichever is correct….it is tough all over.
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To answer your question Diane: YES!
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Is this an example of disinformation or downright lying? Thank you for jumping on this issue so quickly.
Shirley Rausher
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FWIW – Gergen is on the Teach for America Board of Directors…
https://www.teachforamerica.org/about-us/our-story/leadership-team
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That explains why David Gergen is clueless and thinks young people love charters. He is on the TFA board.
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This is the result of the lack of a policy statement that WE TEACHERS WANT TO HEAR…one that young and old will know is the reality. I tried to reach his campaign with the truth, the publisher of Oped and many others including BATS members tried to connect him to my letter which contained the reality of what is ongoing now and to contact me so I could connect him with the facts and help him write a policy statement that reflects the reality…that public education is under attack.
As long as they keep talking about charter schools, and teaching, the real conversation about the CONSPIRACY to privatize EDUCATION and END PUBLIC EDUCATION is never heard.
This ain’t about schools! IT IS ABOUT INCOME INEQUALITY AND THE CONSTITUTIONS MANDATE TO promote the COMMON WELFARE!
.
If Bernie does not make a statement NOW, that shows he GETS IT, then the media and pundits will define what they THINK he thinks.
Astonishing stupidity on the part of Senior Adviser Tad Devine, and his campaign advisor whose name escapes me at this moment.
What can MORE CAN I say! I tired!
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