Hillary Clinton’s choice for her running mate is Tim Kaine, Senator from Virginia. Tim Kaine is one of the few people in American politics who has been elected mayor (of Richmond, Virginia), governor, and senator.
He is also a steadfast supporter of public education, even though he graduated from a Jesuit high school. His own children attended primarily black schools in Richmond. His wife is now Secretary of Education for the Commonwealth of Virgina.
This is what he wrote three years ago about his life as a public school parent in Richmond.
Anne and I are now empty-nesters. Combined, our three kids spent 40 school years in the Richmond Public Schools. While we both interact with the school system in our professional lives, we’ve learned even more from back-to-school nights, parent-teacher conferences, attending school events and pulling crumpled notes to parents out of our kids’ backpacks. The lessons learned as parents have made me think about what works and what doesn’t work in Pre-K-12 education. Here are seven changes I’d like to see:
It’s about the individual!
Most policy debate these days seems to be about charter schools or high-stakes testing. But I’m convinced that the most important reform has been under our noses since 1975, when legislation was passed to guarantee children with diagnosed disabilities receive individualized learning plans tailored to meet their specific needs.
Each child brings a mix of strengths and challenges to the classroom. Let’s use the insight gained through advances in educating kids with disabilities to leverage new technologies and teaching methods that can individualize learning for each child.
Early childhood education works
My daughter was able to attend a year of high-quality pre-K in our city schools. This experience made me a believer, and it’s one of the reasons why I greatly expanded pre-K for at-risk 4 year olds when I was governor.
The research is powerful — if you invest in high-quality programs that coordinate with K-12 curricula and have mandatory teacher standards, the gains from early education are lasting. It’s also important that we focus on coordinating investments made in early childhood programs — such as Head Start — to ensure we are effectively using our funding, eliminating any waste and bolstering the structure of our education system.
The article goes on to add other recommendations, including the importance of arts education and the necessity of reducing testing.
His article ended like this:
Finally, a note of gratitude. Our kids were blessed to have many wonderful teachers. There were some weak ones, but RPS teachers were mostly solid, some spectacular and a few life-changing for our children. As I listen to public debate, it often sounds like our main issue is how to get rid of bad teachers. But this problem pales beside the larger issue of how to keep good teachers.
Too many great prospective teachers never enter the profession and too many great teachers leave too early over low salaries, high-stakes testing pressure, discipline challenges and an overall belief that society doesn’t value the profession. We need a robust debate about how to value and attract good teachers.
Better yet, Tim Kaine’s wife Anne is a long-time champion for children and for public schools. Reformers will not find an ally in her. She cares about children and has a deep commitment to improving their lives.
As a schoolgirl in 1970, she was on the front lines of the fight to desegregate Virginia’s public schools. Holton is the daughter of Virginia Gov. A. Linwood Holton (R), who championed integration in a state that was known for its vigorous efforts to resist it. To drive home this point, he sent his daughters to a historically all-black Richmond City public school, escorting Anne Holton’s sister to class in a gesture captured in a historic photograph.
“I have spent much of my working life focused on children and families at the margin, with full appreciation of the crucial role education can and must play in helping young people escape poverty and become successful adults,” Holton wrote in a Washington Post op-ed in June 2015.
Holton and Kaine also sent their three children, who are now grown, to Richmond public schools.
The pair met at Harvard Law School, from which they both graduated. She became a legal aid lawyer representing low-income clients in Richmond and eventually a judge in the city’s juvenile and domestic relations court. She stepped down when her husband was elected governor in 2005 and as first lady made a priority of finding and stabilizing homes for teens in foster care.
She continued to work on improving opportunities for foster youth after Kaine left the governor’s office.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) chose her as the state’s education secretary in 2014. In that role, she has worked to reform a standardized testing regime that had been criticized as unnecessarily time-consuming and onerous.
“Teachers are teaching to the tests. Students’ and teachers’ love of learning and teaching are sapped,” she wrote in 2015. “Most troublesome, Virginia’s persistent achievement gaps for low-income students have barely budged,” she continued, arguing that “our high-stakes approach” with testing has made it more difficult to persuade the best teachers to work in the most difficult, impoverished schools….
She continued to work on improving opportunities for foster youth after Kaine left the governor’s office.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) chose her as the state’s education secretary in 2014. In that role, she has worked to reform a standardized testing regime that had been criticized as unnecessarily time-consuming and onerous.
“Teachers are teaching to the tests. Students’ and teachers’ love of learning and teaching are sapped,” she wrote in 2015. “Most troublesome, Virginia’s persistent achievement gaps for low-income students have barely budged,” she continued, arguing that “our high-stakes approach” with testing has made it more difficult to persuade the best teachers to work in the most difficult, impoverished schools.
Tim and Anne will be great advocates for public schools. Unlike many reformers, who never set foot in a public school, they actually know from personal experience what they are talking about.
Then why does he strongly support right to work?
This clown is a big bankster and Wall Street wet dream come true! He is a slap in the face, or more like a kick in the crotch, to progressives who supported Bernie Sanders! As usual, Hilliary fakes left and goes right! Maybe his wifey is somewhat friendly to education, but when was the last time any Clinton every really listened to progressive voices? NEVER! Bernie is still in this my friends!
This too about her pick not being friendly to labor: https://www.thenation.com/article/tim-kaine-has-a-troubling-record-on-labor-issues/
This is very discouraging. Trump looks more Progressive than Clinton-Kaine. He supports raising taxes on the wealthy and a flat 15 percent tax on corporations, no loopholes. He supports Glass-Seagall (breaking up big banks) and insisted that this be included in the GOO platform. He’s opposed to TPP. He was opposed to the Iraq War from the first day. He’s also very sympathetic to the middle class workers who have been decimated by globalization. Look at the Democrat platform and notice that middle class workers are barely mentioned, except for the pro union cliches. There is a great deal of concern for poor minorities, but not for the despised “red necks” that make up the majority of America. Yes, Trumo is a racist and the RNC convention was disgusting. But, Trump taps into a genuine resentment that the Democrats, especially Hillary Clinton and Tom Kaine ignore. Note that middle class whites work with minorities in factories, serve with them in the military, live in the same neighborhoods, send their kids to the same schools. They are probably sick of being called racist by elitist whites who in reality do not mingle with minorities at all. And, they probably could care less about transgender bathrooms. Their lives have been ruined. They have no hope. And the Democrats could care less.
Hillary’s choice for a running mate is shockingly bold. It makes her look very corrupt and very entitled.
Trump’s tax plan cuts taxes on the rich from 39% to 25%
Kaine is going to be an easy target for Trump. First it was “Little Marco,” then “Lyin’ Ted,” then “Corrupt Hillary.” Now I can hear Trump’s voice saying “TPP Tim.”
TPP Tim.
The party elites have no clue about how angry their base is about the lack of jobs and why so many voted for Bernie. They are really clueless.
Hillary just lost the election.
You really aren’t that ignorant, are you? Sanders is not the nominee. Go vote for Stein, that doofus.
Clinton is going to win with ease. You alleged Sanders supporters need to get a life. Quoting “The Nation”? That isn’t exactly an objective source.
Democracy for America wrote the following:
“Donald Trump is the most dangerous candidate in the history of our country and that’s why we’re working as hard as we can to unite the Political Revolution with the Democratic Party establishment to defeat him.
“Secretary Clinton’s choice of Senator Tim Kaine as her running mate doesn’t change that goal, but Kaine’s support for fast-track authority for the job-killing Trans-Pacific Partnership and recent backing of bank deregulation will make our work more difficult.”
As a public school teacher for 40 years…I have taught since the hope we shared in the Seventies…I do hope #ClintonKaine will make up, what our children have lost since the No Child Left Behind…Thanks to Jeb Bush…We need a strong monetary focus on poverty…Public Education…for our children…
Being in the classroom for many years…I have lived with how politics affects the funding and resources that will hopefully instill what our children need to be successful…It takes a developmentally appropriate curriculum, less testing and more resources…
janisexton
What we need is decent paying jobs for all Americans in a growing economy that serves the working and middle class again .That is the only way that the poor will escape the cycle of poverty . Poverty is not a social problem. It is not a problem of ethos . Not even an educational problem.
It is an economic problem and neither one of these candidates plans on addressing the real issues. Trump will renegotiate Trade agreements” to protect American intellectual rights” he said.
Patent Protection that will raise the costs for prescription medications world wide. Well Donald then you should be thrilled with Obama so does he .The TPP is about corporate power not tariffs which are already low. .
Trump loves H1B visas that put America’s tech sector workers and even teachers in economic competition with lower paid foreign workers. Obama loves them as well. . But Trump hates immigrants from Nations with Muslim populations like India ,Pakistan and Turkey oops. Two thirds of H1B’s come from India with a very large Muslim population.
Trump loves “right to work ” so Hillary picks a running mate that has a spotty record at best on this issue. Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association is essentially a “right to work ” case.
Some Dam Poet, I may have been the only one at Woodstock not on acid. But I think I just saw the “Smoking Caterpillar”. You are right the whole thing is surreal!!
“Go ask Clinton” (apologies to Grace Slick, Jefferson Airplane)
One vote makes you larger
And one vote makes you small
And the ones that you give Sanders
Don’t do anything at all
Go ask Clinton
When she’s ten feet tall
And if you go chasing Bernie
And you know you’re going to fall
Tell them a hookah-Smoking caterpillar
Has given you the call
Call Clinton when she was just small
When the folks on the Walmart board get up and tell you where to go
And you just read some kind of email
And your mind is moving slow
Go ask Clinton
I think she’ll know
When logic and proportion
Have fallen sloppy dead
And the white knight is talking backwards
And the Red Queen’s lost her head
Remember what the dormouse said
Feed your head
Feed your head
Both of my college age boys went to parochial schools all their lives. I had my reasons for sending them there and it was absolutely not because of bad public schools. In fact, it was a very difficult decision to not send them to our local public schools. However, I am a public school teacher and extremely pro-public schools. We need to be careful not to judge (even me). Because a parent chooses something other than a public school for their children does not mean they are not supporters of public schools. Just sayin’. Thank you.
Problem is your students notice your decisions. I was one of those kids who had a few teachers at public school that sent their kids to private. It didn’t feel good knowing your teachers don’t believe in the school they work at and it was insulting that we were good enough to take a paycheck from but not good enough to have your kids around. I know everyone has reasons, but I’m just telling yo how the students feel.
Ammagirl,
I understand what you are saying. My experience with my public school teachers whose children went to parochial school or other private schools was very different.
My thoughts about my teachers were more pedestrian. In grade school I wondered if they ate bad students. In middle school I considered if they hated me as much as I hated them, and in high school I came to the realization they had lives beyond the classroom.
In other words, their choices never bothered me u less they affected me directly. I make no excuses for being a self-centered teenager growing up in Western New York in the sixties and early seventies, but in my experience, very few of my peers wondered about their teachers in the way you describe. I don’t see that awareness in my students either to any great extent. Some perhaps, certainly not most.
Perhaps it is a generational thing. It’s been a long time since I was a student, but I wanted to share a different experience.
You are right Rockhound. Let alone in my day, my sons in recent era would most likely not have known where their teachers’ kids went to school (or cared or connected dots)… or whether they even had kids. And my boys were smart & wont to be cynical. Yet open-minded enough not to imagine aspersions on their own school had they known a local resident teacher sent hers to the Catholic school.
Yes!!!😀😀
Sent from my iPhone
>
Mrs. Clinton’s hedge fund managers, and Third Way friends, will overrule any inclination Tim Kaine may have to support public schools through policy. Don’t expect anything to change.
I’m ecstatic that we will finally have a supporter of public schools in a position of power. This means Hillary will NOT pick a privatizing reformer for Ed Sec.Those who are criticizing Tim Kaine for other reasons are shallow thinkers. His positions are a lot more nuanced,complicated, more deliberative, more prayerful than what we are used to.Perfection is the enemy of the good.
@reganburke part of the issue I have with politicians is that prayerfulness seems to considered a virtue. Separation of church and state is important to some voters and would not less consideration around a candidates private religiosity. His backing of bank deregulation in this critical juncture for either continuation with banking and monied interests wielding undue influence over the political process is dismaying. These are but a few reasons that his nuanced positions are being considered and I don’t think these are shallow reasons. Clinton Kaine is infinitely better than Trump Pence but that is the lowest of bars for comparison.
pardon the typos- phone key pad inept.some people would like less focus on private religious matters in their candidates was what I was attempting to get across.
Still a politician. He might love public school but carefully chosen words about minimizing testing for young grades. He said to get rid of testing for social studies and science and in the next breath talks about concentrating effort on math and ela= testing to be included on those subjects. If he really put his money where his mouth is, he would declare the unworthiness of state wide testing in the early grades in any subject. Yes, his kids went to public schools but his kids are also old enough to have never gone through the gauntlet of the extreme testing that is common place now. If he wants great teachers to stay then get rid of right to work status.
Agree with you, Concerned Citizen.
Tim Kaine has A LOT of work to do with parents, caretakers and those concerned about children with special needs. There are thousands of ANGRY people in Virginia over the abuse of children with disabilities and highlighted by the Fed OCR’s recent findings against the Hampton City Schools over the retaliation of a parent. I am posting a blog that went live today and it exemplifies the work Tim Kaine has before him. I will go on the record that I am outraged by Trump and Pence and will vote for Hillary Clinton but that won’t stop me from pushing her, Tim Kaine and every candidate to care about truly public education for ALL children.
Sorry, forgot to post the blog! https://ugotnerve.wordpress.com/2016/07/21/va-special-education-system-a-criminal-conspiracy-dr-staples-protect-virginias-children-from-licensed-abusers/
I was very disappointed at Hillary’s choice for VP but not surprised. Kaine supports bank deregulation along with the GOP. This is insanity, have we learned nothing from the great recession of 2008. The US went on a deregulation spree in the decades prior to the great crash. As a result, we had hundreds of bank failures and a near full blown depression. Canada did not go on a bank deregulation binge, it had no bank failures and it weathered the recession better than we did. All that being said, it is a hopeful sign that he and his wife support public schools. Let’s hope that the deformers don’t get to them. On the plus side, he’s not a Pence clone and he’s supposed to be a great debater. You do not hear Hillary or Kaine engage in the race baiting, ethnic slurs and fear mongering on the level of Trump. Trump’s a dangerous demagogue so I will have to vote for the only other person who has a chance of beating him.
Good grief, Kaine “supports bank deregulation along with the GOP”?
From the Politico article “Liberals Lash out at Tim Kaine over Banking Letter”:
“…Even Warren has supported targeted regulatory changes that would benefit a narrower group of smaller lenders…
“…Kaine spokeswoman Amy Dudley argued the Virginian has a strong record on pushing stronger banking regulations… [Dudley:] ‘…The toughest regulation should be on the biggest and riskiest institutions. Credit unions, community banks and regional banks need to be carefully regulated, but the nature of the regulation can be different to ensure scarce resources are efficiently spent allowing regulators to focus on the bad actors.'”
“Kaine was one of 70 senators who signed a one-page letter asking Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray to try to “prevent any unintended consequences that negatively impact community banks and credit unions or unnecessarily limit their ability to serve consumers,” although the letter did not call for the rollback of any specific regulation.”
& the 2nd letter re: regional banks (like his state’s Capital One): “Kaine did not endorse dramatic de-regulatory measures, but asked for changes for “regional banks that do not share the same risk profile or complexity as their larger, systemically important brethren.”
On the whole this guy looks a lot better than the other contenders on public ed, & nuanced in his approach to banking regulation.
Will Tim Kaine bring the effective improvements or just the educators vote and will public education be Hills Quantanamo…Once the votes have been cast will Hills respose be can’t help you out sorry…because she is too cozy with corporate reformists for diverting public funds into private coffers? I would like a candidate authentically taking action to be the best candidate for the majority of people not the people with a majority of the income… Don’t play it cautious so you can be the first woman president but held back by corporate chains or your own ego….leave it on the field for the average american doing most of the living, breathing, working, and dying in this country. This country and community we call home.
Did Tim Kaines kids go to public schools because public schools provide better services to students with learning disabilities or differences than private schools?
That would make his position about testing to find learning issues make sense.
It is always about these politicians having a need and then understanding what the masses are saying…but if there were chsrters back then what would he have done? Or maybe there were?
I don’t know if his children have disabilities.
If you read about Anne’s father enrolling his children in Richmond public schools when he was governor and it was politically dangerous for him, you might conclude that the family has a deep commitment to public education. The Richmond schools were already predominantly black, as is the RC church that the Kaines have worshipped in for more than 30 years. And where they were married.
The most alarming and red flag statement from above is this:
“It’s about the individual!
Most policy debate these days seems to be about charter schools or high-stakes testing. But I’m convinced that the most important reform has been under our noses since 1975, when legislation was passed to guarantee children with diagnosed disabilities receive individualized learning plans tailored to meet their specific needs.
Each child brings a mix of strengths and challenges to the classroom. Let’s use the insight gained through advances in educating kids with disabilities to leverage new technologies and teaching methods that can individualize learning for each child.”
This seems like reform talk pushing CBE. Give every child an individualized plan delivered on tablets. This way you can eliminate special Ed and special Ed funding because now every student has an IEP brought to you by CBE. This has been part of the plan all along.
That is a misreading. Nothing in Tim and Anne Kaine’s background suggests that they want children put on computers and CBE. They have put their principles into practice. They live what they believe.
Yes, education is about individual children. Each one is different. They can’t be standardized.
The proof will be in the pudding. I just can’t bring myself to trust Hillary at all. Not that I trust Donald at all. I truly hope and pray Tim Kaine becomes a sane voice for public education if Hillary wins because God knows we need that. The true test for Hillary will be her Secretary of Education pick. If she picks someone like Delaware Governor Jack Markell, we will know exactly what she stands for. She could pick Moses for her VP but in a pro-corporate education reform pick for Secretary of Education we would know exactly who Hillary’s true constituents are: corporations, not people.
Yes. I think Hillary’s sec. of education pick will also expose a lot about Kaine.
Hi everyone. My wife and I are going to be opting-out from high-stakes standardized testing our 8-year-old daughter who will be entering third grade this year. I plan to announce this to my local school board in Palm Beach County, FL. at its August meeting, along with the reasons why.
I would appreciate help from anyone who could help me locate information about the effects of high-stakes testing on increasing segregation (through the stigma of school grades, student test scores, privatization and charters) and increasing institutional racism. Thanks. –Andy
Andy. I think you should start here
http://nepc.colorado.edu/all-publications/2016
You can try some key word searches and also do searches by topic.
You may also want to check fairtest.org. They have lots of fact sheets that I found to be most helpful when crafting the letter to opt my daughter out of testing this past year.
Tim Kaine is the vice president the United States needs, and he will be one heart-beat away from becoming president. Then in 4 to 8 years, he will be in a position to run for president on his own.
Thanks, Laura, I had forgotten about that site….
IMHO, conscientious politicians are always much better than NO SHAME BULLYING politicians with threat to retaliate to all people who criticize their loot on labor from all subordinates.
Please educators, wake up to smell coffee. There is NO PERFECTION on this planet.
Dream and shadow of an image WILL NEVER BE the reality of the IMAGE.
What is really the true DEMOCRACY, and FREEDOM of EXPRESSION?
Historically, in the past 5000 years of civilization, what have we learned from all leaders, commanders and commoners in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia, and Africa?
Gullibility in dreamers is the most dangerous sign for all “becoming” slaves whether these dreamers are scientists, educators, philosophers, and business tycoons, or laborers. Back2basic.
“The dreamers” have been behind virtually all of the progress that humanity has made in the way of freedom not only of actions but of thoughts.
Galileo was a dreamer.
So was Newton.
So was John Locke.
So was Frederick Douglas.
So was Sojourner Truth.
So was Harriet Tubman.
So was Abraham Lincoln.
So was Dorothea Dix.
So was Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
So was Einstein.
So was Gandhi.
So was Martin Luther King.
These “dreamers” were not gullible by any stretch of the imagination. In fact they were much more “aware” than the vast majority of people are.
But I’ll grant this much: their ideas were certainly dangerous — though not to freedom, but to all those things and all those people who would hold humanity in check.
Despite SomeDAMPoet’s inspiring reply, I’m w/you, Back2Basic. Kaine is hardly perfect. And Hillary is a very mixed bag, esp when you compare where she started w/where she ended up. However, it gives me hope that Hillary, in selecting a running mate she says she can depend on & connects w/, has chosen someone whose family background (i.e., he&his wife, & his father-in-law) synchs w/the ideals of her youth (i.e., women’s rights, foster kids/ family law, low-income access to quality public ed).
To SDP:
Thank you for your beautiful poem.
You intentionally twist my context. There is two kind of dreamers.
The childish and materialistic dreamers are gullible and blindly follow their SELFISH desires at the expense of humanity.
Your list of all NOBLE, INTELLIGENT and SELF-LESS dreamers, who have SUPERIOR quality in their logical mindset, try to cultivate all cruel and ignorant leaders into respect for humanity and democracy at their last breath with contentment.
The selfish desires blind the mind of educated people who are willing to support manipulated and malicious leader to bring wealth, fame and fear to themselves at the death of others first and to their family members later.
The self-less desires brighten the mind of cultivated people who are willing to bring freedom to slaves at their own death. May.
So, you mean that anyone who questions Clinton’s choice for VP is somehow just a gullible (childish/selfish/materialistic??) dreamer” looking for perfection?
Is that what you mean?
If so, that’s just silly.
Hahaha, Please SDP, I am sorry that I am not as clear as I thought I am.
Some educated and talented writers (= Ghostwriter for Trump) try their best to manipulate and to confuse voters for wealth, fame and fear.
I confirm that politicians and people can use the excuse of no perfection and err is human to have their guilt be forgiven.
However, the intentional act in committing fraudulence for the gain of selfish desires at the expense of people’s sufferance is NOT forgiven.
Again, if I accept to become a politician who must follow and abide the party’s ideology, then it is my ignorance and intentional act to choose the ideology that opposes my own conscientiousness in self-less desire. Therefore I cannot forgive my carrying out action that harm innocent people like educators and students.
In short, Trump reflects republican ideology = greedy, bribery, bullying minorities, and retaliation to the opponents, whereas, Mrs. Clinton should adopt Senator Sanders’ idea to rectify Democratic Party as its ideology should be.
Is my explanation as clear as mud to you, still? May
I’m sorry.
If you were referring to Clinton vs Trump, I agree that there is a lot of gullibility on the part of voters (on both sides) — and lot’s of people are gullible but not “dreamers”.
But Diane’s post (this one , at least) was actually not about the choice between Clinton and Trump, at any rate. Diane’s post was about Tim kaine, Clinton’s choice as a running mate.
Whether Tim kaine is “perfect” is beside the point. He obviously is not. No one is. Sanders supporters who are questioning the choice of kaine are not looking for perfection, but at the very least, they are looking for someone who has views closer to the views of Sanders.
That does not mean it has to be another Bernie Sanders, of course, but it’s actually very foolish from the strategic standpoint of beating Trump to choose someone who supported fast track on TPP as kaine has, because Trump has come out against TPP and even Clinton has said she opposes it! Why would Clinton choose someone like that? It makes no logical sense (unless she actually secretly still supports TPP.)
At any rate, sorry if I am confused. I will stop now. 🙂
Robert Reich discusses what I was referring to inDoes Hillary get it?
I don’t think she does get it. And that is a very big problem if Clinton intends to beat Trump.
It’s not about “dreamers’ and “dreaming”.
It’s about cold hard reality.
Is this a case of “I am an expert on educational policy because I went to public schools and my kids did too?
I think his wife is probably the better informed.
In any case, this article suggests he has little interest in listening to any review of these briefly sketched ideas from anyone within education–preschool, special education, history of education, curriculum as more than math and reading, knowledge of the risky business of shaping educational policy based on labor force projections, and slinging around the phrase “high-quality” as if the meaning of that is self-evident.
I realize this is just a news article, but there is a claim to expertise that seems to me totally unwarranted, even if “personal.”
Tim didn’t go to public schools. He went to a Jesuit high school. His children went to Richmond public schools. So did his wife.
This link is helpful: http://www.ontheissues.org/Social/Tim_Kaine_Education.htm
On the record as gov he brought PreK access to the lower-income, & as Sen supported legislation for natl PreK ed. He opposes school vouchers. As Mayor of Richmond he set out to visit a city school every Tues (in addn to the pubschs attended by his kids): “I learned in a first-hand way the strengths and weaknesses of individual schools, listened to teachers, parents and students, and witnessed how educational policies play out in real-life classrooms.”
http://inthesetimes.com/features/listen-liberal-thomas-frank-democratic-party-elites-inequality.html
RaisetheBar,
Do you think the party of Trump is the party of the people?
No. They never were. But the Democrats are not. I have been a registered Democrat my whole life. I will not be voting this election.
I found this a dispiriting yet instructive link. I’d somehow forgotten that dereg started w/Carter (then taken up by Reagan to the max)…
& sad to remember that Alfred Kahn– a popular Cornell prof w/whom I shared the stage in Savoyard (G&S) productions– whose Bennington-grad-daughters’ progressivism (whom, as a townie, I knew)– I’d mistakenly back then assumed was fostered by their dad– yet he turned out to be the Dereg Czar of a Dem admin.
Let us not forget he was joined in that effort by progressives Ted Kennedy, Steven Breyer, & Ralph Nader. So there is the Dem turning-point posited by link’s author, when Dems ceased to be the ‘party of the people’.
But it is important to remember the context. The big generation (baby-boomers) were graduating & seeking jobs amidst the Nixon/ Ford ‘stagflation’ (combination of decline of mfg plus recession consequent to OPEC restriction of oil output complicated by Nixon’s response, wage-price freeze). Lifting the wage-price freeze deleted ‘stag’ & left us w/ballooning inflation which Carter’s admin countered but could not control.
To illustrate, we bought first house at age 32 in end-Carter/ start-Reagan era only by grace of 50% down-pmt– made possible by nutty NYC RE inflation caused by rich Arabs buying up property– so our staid modest small co-op apt sold for 400% of its purchase price– but had to mtg balance @ almost-10% (adjustable!). 7 yrs later were able to renegotiate a firm lower rate (thanks to Reagan policy) with one of the many shady RE-mtg cos which only existed due to Reagan dereg (Thanks again NOT) which screwed us bait-&-switch-style as a result of one of the several Reagan-era volatile Wall-St-index bounces to which all closing-dates were tied…
But I digress. Yes, that was the era when Dems separated themselves from union folk. Decades of propping up & developing 3rd-world economies as consumers for our goods was beginning to result in formerly-3rd-world mfg competitors, & the writing was on the wall. I see both Dem and Rep policies of that era as a free-for-all, w/all recognizing a shrinking American pie, & everyone trying toget their dibs.
How does this relate to the current pres election? Trump cannot turn the clock back with exhortations to dump trade agreements & ‘bring back’ mfg jobs. The TPP may be distasteful, but we won’t bring jobs back w/o it; it’s merely a band-aid attempting to define the terms of a foregone conclusion. My hopes are w/ cautious leaders w/nuanced policies, moving us toward a future in which the US gets a big enough piece of global trade to support its citizens.
Nominating Kaine underscores the return of the Democratic Leadership Council-ization of the party to rebrand it as Republican-lite. This is another strong signal that progressives will never be taken seriously by the party establishment. Yes, it is refreshing that Kaine might actually value public education. But the rest of his record is a reflection of the corporate agenda that undermines most of the progressive agenda and takes its supporters for granted. His tenure as head of the Democratic Party was highlighted by an abandonment of Howard Dean’s 50 state strategy, the fruits of which were demonstrated by the loss of state legistures, governorships, and congressional seats that gave the Repugs all the clout they needed to continue to gerrymander their consolidation of power. Just when Trump gives me the motivation to consider voting for Hilary, she deflates it and makes me realize that a Clinton administration will have little down ballot clout and virtually ensure GOP hegemony in at least four years. That sound you hear is the popping of corks from Wall Street, the Chamber of Commerce, and all their allies. They’ve won the election already.
Agree Greg with your well stated position. Billary gave the country a clearly defined view of her real beliefs.
But the alternative is too gross to entertain.
Doubt that these two Right leaning Dems would start a nuclear war, but fairly certain that Trump would not hesitate to nuke anyone who crosses him…No Korea, Russia, Turkey, Somalia, on and on.
Thanks Ellen, the freak show in Cleveland was truly as scary as I feared it would be. I’ll probably have my first cigarette in 23 years right before I hold my nose and suppress my gag reflex to vote for Hilary and Tim. It will be only because I live in Ohio and my vote might actually matter. But I don’t expect that a Clinton administration will do much to improve our lives. Only the specter of the alternative will motivate me. The rhetoric of Philadelphia will likely be light years away from the reality of a possible Clinton administration.
I am a died-in-the-wool Bernie supporter since the days several decades ago when he sent supporters an amazing newsletter every month or so that spoke the TRUTH. I’ve supported him for a long time, and still do. I’m STUNNED that this shlumpy guy is the object of such fervent adulation — for his ideas! And I’m THRILLED that we, his believers, were able to show such great force that we have moved, and will continue to move, the national behemoth in a direction leaning toward justice, equity and opportunity for all.
I remember very clearly the uproar that ensued when Anne Kaine’s father showed great bravery desegregating the schools of Richmond, Va, in the heart of the Confederacy. She is clearly a very smart, very committed and genuine advocate for people less fortunate than she. As a Legal Aid lawyer and advocate for children in the foster care system, she got down in the weeds to fight for the most marginalized people in our society, a role she continued until her husband was elected to office. I think such people are True Heroes!
I’m NOT worried about Tim Kaine. He married Anne Kaine, a True Hero. If he’s worthy of HER, he’s good enough for me. Anyway, she (and he, by inference) brings AUTHENTICITY to the Dem ticket, which is something Hillary needs.
In fact, if the Dem ticket is smart, they can both go around the country “relating” to the tens of millions of people whose children are in public schools that are underfunded and demonized. They can promise to fully fund special education, restore dignity to our treatment of teachers, and all that other good stuff that people REALLY want. IMHO THAT is how to counter Trump’s appeal to the white (former) middle class.
Unfortunately, I don’t hold out much hope that the Dem ticket will be smart. Hillary and her entourage are conventional thinkers. Shouting out support for public schools is probably way to far outside the box for her.
Tim Kaine is an inside politician for years. He had taken over $160,000 in political gifts over the years. I guess he is a good pick for Hillary but do we want to continue with the same old politicians?
Dan McGuire, is there a politician who has never accepted money?
Did you watch Tim’s speech?
Do you know his bio?
He and his wife sent their children to public schools in Richmond. He spent 17 years as a civil rights lawyers defending the powerless against developers likeTrump.
He spoke of his Catholuc faith and his commitment to public service.
Sorry but $160k doesn’t sound like much ‘over the years’ as Mayor, Gov, Senator…
There has been a push that has lead the way to our reformed curriculums and tons of testing. It is the link between high school drop outs and children who are low readers in second and third grade. Although that is true, it is NOT the problem. The problem is students who do not have supportive home environments by second or third grade are set up for failure. Being able to read does not erase the real issue. Add to that the stress placed on the low readers… And we make their lives and the teacher’s lives miserable. The present testing system expects EVERYONE to read at a set level by a set age. It does not allow for differences in how they were raised, if they have parents who can read, or even if they are a late bloomer. Under the same type of thinking… Everyone reading this that can walk should be able to start the Appalachian Trail tomorrow and finish in four months! That is 2,200 miles of walking. (No excuses for lack of exercise, not liking the outdoors, clumsy nature, never going camping as a child, ………. .). Change is needed in our education system.
You are so right, Nancy O’Campo.
I believe it is shortsighted (if not dishonest) to claim that someone who supports Wall Street deregulation, corporate “free trade” deals, and “right-to-work” laws is a friend of public education. Those positions on economic issues directly relate to the readiness of our children to learn and the financial stability of our schools. You can cut back on testing and add pre-k programs and individualize learning plans (the meaning of which is ambiguous), but if you support policies and laws that increase poverty and decrease public funding, you are absolutely not a public schools advocate.
Stephen,
You have a choice in November: Trump or Clinton.
One of them will be elected.
Trump favors school choice; he “loves” charters. The GOP platform makes clear that public school is not a priority. Parents will get vouchers and charters to go to private and religious schools.
Vote for Trump if you want to get rid of public education.
Having done some googling on Tim Kaine over the past couple of days, I think your take on his banking & free-trade positions are overstated (if not extremist). However, I remain open to the idea that his position on right-to-work laws deserve detailed examination.
Kaine was governor of a state that has had right to work law for decades. I expect as a national candidate he will be pro-union. When he described his dad’s welding shop, he was quick to point out that it was a union shop.
Where does Trump stand on unions? One guess.
To Stephen:
It is dishonest if leader INTENTIONALLY manipulates voters into his dream of building a great America while his record in doing shady business is obviously to whomever wants to read about him.
it is dishonest because leader promotes retaliation by associating with former KKK leader, David Duke as well as a biker gang with implication of intimidating immigrants and color people.
it is dishonest when Trump’s supporters try to bully and to shout at civilians who have conscience and belief in democracy for all, NOT ONLY FOR RICH WHITE PRIVILEGE.
Most of all, it is dishonest if people take an action that contradicts to their belief in humanity, integrity, democracy and kindness in a Great America.
For an instance, a patient with severe diabetic craves for simple sweetness. (S)he has only two choices: a “make believe” sugar and die in hope; or a choke/gag over a mouth and die in frustration, regret, and fear. That is how I see in all bloggers’ arguments.
I have been in both situations. I choose to live with hope over to live in fear. I determine to sacrifice all of other interest in order to concentrate in my freedom. At least, I know that I will have freedom if I survive the shipwreck.
In the same vein, educators should be honest to their conscience in their choice to live with hope for a chance to make American Public Education to be great again; or they just let bully and greedy liar/ shady businessman, his arrogant family members and his wicked and criminal allies like a former KKK leader and bike gang members putting a gag over their mouth and terrorizing their family members sooner or later. Back2basic.
Back2Basic: I surely hope you have not had to live the diabetic experience you describe & if so I pray for you. As to your first para, I am w/you. I find it sad & frustrating that so many Americans support D Trump despite his published record of shady dealings– ‘success’ = he walks away w/$ while leaving ruined businesses & taxpayers to pick up the tab– yet these trumpsters claim they support him because he is a biz success [i.e., rich at the expense of themselves, the taxpayers?]. Sometimes I think they support him just because he talks like them (street talk), & because they’re so angry they’re willing to suicide-bomb the govt.
Charter Schools are legal segregation. The good kid with the single dad that works 3 jobs won’t get to go because he does not have transportation. The special needs child won’t get to go because charter schools are not required to provide special Ed services. The child with a drug addicted mom won’t get to go because it is too much trouble for her to get him there. The child who lives out in the country and parents do not have a car will not get to go because he does not have transportation. This should not be about competition between schools, it should be about making ALL schools great. I have worked in poverty areas. I have worked in schools with all upper class families. There were great teachers at them all, but the poverty school teachers have stress the other teachers do not deal with. I am in a low income school now. I love my students. It breaks my heart to think they would be stuck in terrible schools with the lowest teachers. They are children. They ALL deserve the very best education possible, and an equal education.
Great post, Nancy O’Campo. Can I assume your position is: fully fund all public schools? I see so many remarks on comment threads where folks living near urban schools resent the higher per-pupil expenditures (I live in NJ, where a large portion og higher-income sch-dist RE taxes go to poor districts). But tho a NJ’an I was raised in upstate NYS, & have a sis who has taught in rural areas where rural sch dists are grossly under-funded (thanks Cuomo- NOT)
I am far from an expert on Tim Kaine (or any other politician for that matter), but I see a real danger in making broad statements without a more critical analysis of a particular position. From all reports he holds a much more favorable opinion of public schools, supported by action, than has been the norm in recent years. That being said, I want to know why Kaine supports TPP and other trade deals if he does. I want to know why we hear he supports deregulation of Wall St., which sounds like a gross oversimplification from references cited by bethree. From all reports this is a guy who knows how to work with people across the aisle, a skill that used to be prized.
Thanks for the cite, 2oldtoteach. I am a total amateur in politics (I am a free-lance for-lang ed of PreK kids, & tutor some mid-sch kids) but do love to research & self-educate. & it helps that I am married to an elec engr w/40+ yrs in local/ regional/ intl power-gen & transmission projects (& worked in his co in purchasing for a decade).
As you noted, Kaine’s position on banking dereg is nuanced- he is interested mainly in modifying Dodd-Frank regs so they don’t put small banks & credit-unions out of biz. Altho he also supports relaxed regs on mid-sized banks [regionals, like the 10th-biggest bank, Capital One, housed in his state, VA]: is he skating too close to the line? Something to watch. But in general, his position seems pragmatic, &. i like that he’s protective of small-biz.
As to TPP, I have to admit a personal 180deg. Following the progressive line, for yrs I have trounced NAFTA & viewed TPP with the same leery eye. Yet what makes sense to me: we have lost millions of jobs to outsourcing, most of them to Asian countries [true a significant no have been lost to Mexico et al SA countries under NAFTA– but their number pales in comparison to jobs lost to Japan, China, S Korea & Malaysia– & India!]. All of that has been going on for 20+ yrs w/no particular trade agreement in place.
The idea of the TPP is: if you’re going to take our jobs, you must at least follow xyz rules. I like that. Yet I don’t like the ramifications: the details of such a global agreement take precedence over our own national laws.
The bottom line, to me, is that these ‘globalism’ difficulties are a direct result of our having– first, colonized 3rd-world countries so as to acquire their raw matls cheap to feed our mfg– then, propped up those economies so that they would become consumers of our products– & ultimately, consumers of our engrg & constr services, rendering them capable of becoming our mfg competitors!
TPP, it seems to me, is just our attempt to control our creature. W/ or w/o it, we have already passed the baton.
I have similar mixed feelings about TPP; I would love to sit in on a discussion of the pros and cons “League of Women Voters” style. Beyond the issue of jobs, I have heard talk about an attempt to limit the Chinese influence. We can always bring up our own attempts to control markets, but the truth is that other countries in the region have no desire to become puppet states of China either. The reported control given to multinational companies over trade relations bothers me immensely, however.
Here in Colorado we are very used to centrist Democrats. Gov. John Hickenlooper, Senator Michael Bennett, and Rep. Jared Polis are all very strong supporters of education “reform”. However, in comparison with their Republican opponents, such as Tom Tancredo (an extreme right wing former teacher) they are, overall, a better choice.
Given what I have to live with, then, I was thrilled to read the words of Tim Kaine that he truly supports public education and understands that the focus needs to be on attracting and retaining great teachers. A politician who speaks up for kids and teachers? Now that’s a refreshing change!
As with any politician, we will need to keep Hillary’s feet to the fire if she wins the election. The real insight into her views will be her choice of Secretary of Education. Sounds like Kaine’s wife would be a good choice.
Two years ago, our beloved Senator Mark Udall lost his re-election bid to Corey Gardner, who sponsored repeated “personhood” amendments here in Colorado as a state senator (giving full rights to fetuses). I couldn’t believe that Udall could lose to such a right-wing extremist, but it happened. And Trump could very well be elected.
I may disagree with Sen. Bennett and Rep. Polis, but at least they read my emails and send a reply (personalized in the case of Polis). Senator Gardner doesn’t even bother to respond.
That, in a nutshell, is what we can expect from our next president: Hillary, by all accounts, is a thoughtful listener, whereas Trump could care less what we think.
Thanks, Janet.
Trump could win the election. They are tied right now.
Kaine might love our public schools … but Hillary loves Common Core. Mrs. Kaine is a big fan of education, but none of that will ever seep Hillary Clinton’s way. She’s not gonna do a thing about it. She says so herself.
I am so over being a sucker.
Here we are … on the cusp of the political season … and no one wants to talk about Common Core.
Email leaks reveal that Hillary Clinton’s brave position on Common Core is to say nothing. And the Trump camp thinks a line or two is super-satisfying. What a pair!
Read here: http://missourieducationwatchdog.com/wikilleaks-common-core-email-dnc-believes-its-a-political-third-rail/
Here’s the problem: Common Core still has an identity complex. Is it a liberal issue? Conservative? Moderate? Let’s clear that up for the umpteenth time.
It’s politicians vs. citizens. Got it??
Common Core has virtually NO support among parents and teachers and educators in the know. It’s a mess of a reform … it’s loathed … and someone is going to pay a hefty political price for ignoring the issue … or gather up lots of important votes by cleaning out their ears and listening to millions of voters.
It crosses party lines. Get that? I know that makes it all so uncomfortable for the politicians … but … but I don’t care. It’s an issue that can belong to anyone with enough courage.
That’s the absurd dance this squeamish duo is doing … because … as those Clinton emails reveal … Common Core is a “third rail” issue they’d rather not talk about. Oh! Really? Well, then … I think we should make sure it shocks the hell out of them both.
Hillary blames the “roll-out”. Bull.
Trumps says charters are the cure. More bull.
Neither is willing to take a real stand about Common Core the Issue.
I think they should … and I think we should force them. That’s our job. That’s been our job since forever.
Psssst … Memo to both parties: The misery is plentiful. It’s an issue that can be shared. It’s so unpopular … there’s more than enough to go around.
Here’s a simple idea. If you wanna have war over Common Core, make it about who will repeal it faster. Make it about who will champion neighborhood schools … and who wants a return to local control. Make it about ending the stink of the Department of Education. And make it clear that our schools are not for sale.
Oh! And be extra certain you mention the kids. They’re the ones that matter.
Simple stuff, right? Get on their FaceBook page. Email them. Call. Make those statements as clear as a bell … and one of them will load up on votes. The other goes home.
We’re not suckers anymore. Say “Hi” to the “third rail”.
Denis Ian
Diane, your counter-response makes a big and incorrect assumption that if one doesn’t support HRC, the only alternative is Trump. That has been the argument of the Democratic establishment for many years, but the “lesser evil” logic is full of holes. For real, radical change to occur in regards to our corrupt political and economic systems, we desperately need a viable third party, a party of the people. Bernie’s success this year demonstrated that the country is ready for that now. Assuming HRC is the Dem candidate, I and thousands of others will be supporting the only progressive running for president, Jill Stein. Check out her platform when you have a moment. The revolution continues!
Stephen,
You have every right to vote for Jill Stein or to write in Bernie.
But the reality is that come November, either Hillary or The Donald will be elected president.
Oh, please. Yes, Bernie’s success shows that there is a viable chunk of voters out there who could become a third party in the future. Or even better: Sanders’ success points the way toward a more progressive future Democratic party! Get those younger potential voters onboard! Meanwhile, back to planet Earth: get all Dems onboard, including youngest, to vote Hillary against Trump!
I’d respect the Green Party a lot more if they ran more elections than just a third-party spoiler candididate every four years.
Tim kaine’s quote about wanting to keep great teachers is wonderful.
Diane, you have every right to vote for HRC or The Donald.
But the reality is that come November, we will either have a strong, left/progressive party that’s ready to fight for the revolution or we’re right back where we started with two status quo parties of the elite.
I have decided I will vote for the Green Party candidate because she represents my values and I like her stance on education. I believe a strong third party candidacy will inspire an independent to run in four years. I just can’t bring myself to vote for a warmonger (Trump and Hillary) and feel responsible for WWIII. In the end, you should vote your conscience, your honor, and your principals. Otherwise, you have nothing.
To Stephen and childish Trump’s supporters:
Please read the history in all revolutions in Russia, China and Viet Nam.
Please wake up to smell coffee.
A bully, malicious and greedy leader NEVER is your protector, BUT, an exploiter to his own followers and others until his last breath.
In 50 + years, Russians, Vietnamese and Chinese People have gone a backward in civilization: from PRODUCING famous philosophers to creating a bunch of talent-less, insecure, cruel, manipulated and malicious leaders, like Lenin, Stalin, Mao, and Ho.
In Europe, we have A. Hitler. In America, if all conscientious educators are still confused like you, Stephen and all childish Trump’s supporters, Americans will soon taste a life-less and fearful living that you and your children, grand-children intentionally deserve to live.
Melania can represent your grand children’s future because your children would not have a chance to live and to learn like you have had in the 60’s. Melania has no choice to advance in education, but to sell her body image of sexuality to get where she is today, thanks to lusty capitalism in modelling and fashion business.
Africa, Asia, Middle East and Europe have endured with terror from dictators. Australian government is smart enough to push Murdock away. America is young, ambitious, and very generous to accept all kind of crooks like Nazi criminals, all ‘falling” dictators like Gluen …and manipulated tycoon like Murdock.
It is time to be well prepared for disaster that is caused by greed without conscience, BUT manipulation of patriotism and empty promise to damage humanity and democracy. Back2basic
Stephen, come November we will have Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. We will not be right back where we started. ONE of those two people will be POTUS. We will not have a strong left party ever unless you young folks get progressive Democrats elected to Congress, as in House seats. You can’t do it by starting with the Presidency. Bernie is going back to the Senate as an independent.
I will be voting for the Democrat in the race-= the one who will attempt to get progressive stuff done against a hostile Congress.