Every day I get fund-raising appeals from Democratic and progressive national organizations. They usually include a list of critical issues and ask me which one I care most about. They never include K-12 schooling, which is now being battered and assaulted by DeVos and the Red state governors.
Here is a list I got today from the DCCC (I think that’s the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee). Here is its list:
WHAT ISSUES MATTER THE MOST TO YOU? (CHECK ALL THAT APPLY)
Fully funding climate change research
A health care plan that takes the burden off families
Continued funding for Medicare and Social Security
Student loan forgiveness
Making tuition affordable for all
A $15 minimum wage
Protecting immigrants and immigration reform
Fully funding women’s health centers
Fighting economic inequality
Creating new jobs
Preserving President Obama’s Medicaid expansion
Gun violence prevention
Protecting voting rights
The form had a box for other. I wrote: STOP PRIVATIZATION OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
And made no contribution.
No money until they acknowledge the threat posed by charters and vouchers.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I see the same flood begging for money. If I donated to even a fraction, I’d end up homeless because I would not be able to pay my bills. I have to be very selective in what or who I support with donations, and I haven’t seen many I’d support. My last donation was to the group this site supports. When I can afford to donate again, I’ll probably make the same one. The rest can suck from an empty baby bottle.
I used to get 2-3 calls a year from the DCCC. Every time I berated the caller that I wouldn’t even consider contributing a penny until the party started to stand up for K-12 education and distanced themselves from privatization schemes. Haven’t had a call from them in at least 18 months.
Did you notice that over the last 8 years Common Core started under the Democrats? And that they led the charge to change our entire educational system including Charters.
I think that the lobbyists along with Charter owners will not let their profits go by the wayside in educational businesses. And in their effort to keep the businesses lobby hard to every Congressman no matter what political party.
And that’s why no one stands up to be counted. They’d not get re-elected.
Joan: elections are won by votes. Public schools are very popular w/constituents in many local areas. Lobbyists, charter owners & businesses can only affect the popular vote through misleading campaign ads. Seems to me there’s lots of room for on-the-ground, door-to-door local campaigning to wise up voters & convince them to vote for pro-public-school candidates. What we need are pro-public-school candidates. And also a cadre of pro-public-school advocates — door-to-door– to keep voters apprised of exactly what their elected reps are doing & how it affects their local schools.
Boy, can I relate!!!!!
Fixed income is my lot, too. Each month I drain more from my measly savings. Even my take home retirement is less than it was. Plus costs keep rising. But do I want to be a bilionaire? NOPE! Greed is a disease.
Yes, greed is a disease. When I retired, I took a 40-percent pay cut and left without medical. The district offered COBRA but the monthly cost of that health plan was almost half of my monthly retirement check. Still, so far, I manage by living a simple, healthy, frugal life. If there is work to be done around the house, I do it. I don’t hire someone to do the work for me if I know how to do it myself. In fact, I just built a new back fence. The job took more than four months but I saved at least $20k (and maybe more) on labor. That work also came with heavy duty exercise. There is about 12,000 pounds of concrete and rebar in the fence’s foundation and I carried and mixed every bag.
Soon after I retired, I discovered I was eligible for medical care through the VA because I was a former Marine and combat vet who had been exposed to Agent Orange. But Trump, the new Agent Orange, might change all that with his obsession to privatize the public sector and hand out vouchers that in no way will meet medical costs.
I have responded to many of these and where I’m able, always included education. Teachers must get involved and stand strong for public education!
Why Do National Democrats Forget About the Threat to K-12 Schools?
Diane, it’s obvious!
It’s because they believe that privatization is just fine and they have their palms greased for all the hand jobs they give to their corporate campaign contributors! They’re CORRUPT and have lost sight of who they represent. They no longer provide balance; they are a huge part of the imbalance.
Please, please forgive my vulgarity. I am rarely crude and vulgar in my rhetoric and practice. But it makes me crazy to see an ally turn into a traitor over the decades, according to my working class relatives in Minnesota.
Dispense with the niceties.
Now, tell us what you really think.
I just did . . . The Democrats are no longer any good for the most part when it especially comes to public education.
Yes, indeed.
I thought you were just being nice with the “hand job” reference. 🙂
I was.
Norwegian Filmmaker is correct.
Diane knows it is true, but still hopes it is not.
I think Diane can speak for Diane. She’s no dummy. I can’t see her being enamored of the Democrats. I know I’m not. I sense you aren’t either. I don’t think anyone should be, Ed Detective.
Norwegian Filmmaker,
WELL SAID! Thank you.
The Dem way of “fighting economic inequality” is iPads for Common Core tests. They fight labor unions and privatize public service. In other words, they “fight economic inequality” by giving money to rich, multinational corporations, fostering more economic inequality. The Dem way is to be just like the Repugs. We need a political revolution.
AND apparently have no ability to understand that even access to technology/Internet is creating a growing divide between the haves and have nots.
They understand.
You misspelled Repugs. It’s Rethugs!
And so as to be bipartisan it’s DimoCraps!
We have one party, America Inc. We have repugnant thugs who’ve created an entire democracy in name only. It’s just one big, industrial complex. All hail our mighty corporate officers!
Sadly so, sadly so!
Swacker: You say DimoCraps, I say Demoncrats.
Tomatoh, tomAHtoh…let’s call the whole thing off! (And by that, I mean, I absolutely agree
w/the content of the post, & w/all of the commenters–none of my precious pensioner’s money to DFERs {&, insofar as I’m concerned, those who are ignorant of the fight for public ed. & all that goes w/it are also DFERs}. Such as, “ignorance of the law is no excuse,” so goes education issues–public education is the crux of retaining our democracy–but–preaching to the choir, here.).
Don’t you all just love the progressive posing? Esp. after the GA debacle–if they had a new election tomorrow after possibly proving the election fraud (yes, it happened), the DemonCrats would need to get another candidate…one who actually lived in the district.
I am still livid over all the $$$$$ absolutely WASTED on the Ossoff campaign, & nary a one (or very little) money–or even help (ohone banking, door knocking) for the Kansas special election, where a really GOOD, progressive candidate (civil rts. lawyer) ran, & lost by just 7%age pts. AND–add in that equation that this is deep Koch Country–imagine what a message would have been sent to Koch bros. & fiends–er, friends–had he been elected.
Sorry, the Dems (DCCC. DNC) are just Dumbs.
&–love the Harry S. Truman quote (hope I have it right), “Given the choice between a real Republican & a fake one, people will vote for the real Republican every time.” So, I guess the same thing was going on in the party even back then.
Yes, the Overclass in this country is very divided, as shown by Trump’s election, but they are in agreement about the hostile takeover of public education. It’s a bipartisan consensus.
My response is about like Diane’s, not a penny and on “other issues” a call for unequivocal support of public education
The two Dems running for Georgia Governor have baggage. One, the minority House leader, failed to lead her fellow Dems in opposition to GOP legislation related to closing “struggling” public schools. The other voted with the GOP. On a positive note, Huffpo political journalist, Marans, devoted a paragraph to the issue.
“Republican so long, it looks like Democrat to me”
I’ve been Repub so long
It looks like Dem to me
And Wall Street plays my song
So dollar’$ what I see
I had exactly the same thought yesterday after the fourth such e-mail request and was detailed (and mouthy) in my responses as to why I will decline to contribute further until public education returns as a priority. I am a public high school teacher in Florida, recently relocated from Connecticut…I barely know where to start when it comes to the corruption emanating from the charters in both states. Thank you so much for providing a clear, sane, brilliant voice as you advocate for public education. You keep me going.
Good for you! I’ve said it to those who call. I need to remember to write it in on mailer solicitations.
Are you kidding?
They aren’t concerned about the threat to k-12 education because THEY ARE THE GODAMNED THREAT!
Dems and Republicans are the same on education. They have bought on 100% to the reformer/privatizer agenda. Nowhere near news that little tidbit.
On the Dems side, they had no compelling counter-narrative to the privatizers so therefore they went all in with them.
DFER led by hedge funds and Silicon Valley are huge campaign contributors. As always follow the money, and you will find the answer to why the Democrats put on their “we the people” show during an election cycle and abandon it later. After the election, they still may present some socially progressive ideas, but they will continue to forward the demolition of public education in alliance with DFER. Obama’s two terms are perfect examples of this “passion play,” and Hillary was gearing up for the same dissemblance before she got derailed.
You are one hundred percent on target retired!
Let’s be honest here – neither Hillary nor Bernie was very strong on public education. So you have no idea where either of them stood. However, if I had been voting in the primary only on public education I would have voted for Hillary and not Bernie. She at least publicly criticized charters for shedding expensive students while Bernie made a vague reference to supporting public charters – whatever that means.
Furthermore her choice of Tim Kaine – one of the few Dems who really supported public education – showed her position was likely not to be Obama 2.
And finally, we saw that Bernie endorsed the DFER candidate in the recent Virginia primary. So perhaps critics of the DNC could find someone on the left to champion public education who – unlike Bernie – has a clue since the ones who do believe in public ed or care enough to learn about the issues are not acceptable to them. My vote, as usual, is Mayor de Blasio
I concur. The more “infighting” they create and more more polarized the parties become, the better the control of the masses.
“Mirrored Images”
When Demos look in the mirror
Republicans they see
Cuz left is right
And money’s tight
And corporate they be
I agree completely with your evaluation and actions regarding the Democratic party. It seems to have lost its way in regards to a number off issues, particularly public education. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen evidence from the likes of Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren that they have any real understanding as to the importance of public schools and the damage being perpetrated by the “reformers”, which include the DFER and President Obama.
No contributions until they show an understanding as to the importance of, and that they are ready to provide strong support for, PUBLIC EDUCATION.
Both Sanders and Warren appear to have bought into the “reform* = civil rights” meme.
*testing and other “accountability”, charters and all the rest of the stuff they both voted for when they voted to approve ESSA
Hillary and Tim Kaine didn’t buy into it. Neither did Bill de Blasio who is about to get the Hillary treatment.
Good questions, Diane! And good, don’t give.
I’ve asked this myself. In the comments section of those DNC/DEMs polls, I’d asked many of the pointed questions you pose.
I have even left voice mail messages as well as my phone comments (when someone answers the phone) expressing my concern that PUBLIC EDUCATION as well as PUBLIC SCHOOL teachers, students, and parents seem to be a betting chips for bargaining.
DCCC is the political arm of the pro-corporate Democratic party that has been promoting the supremacy of corporate profits and running away from core values since Clinton and Rahm Emmanuel took over. The Center for American Progress, John Podesta’s “progressive” organization that was Hilary’s closet campaign operation, painted itself as the Democratic party-in-waiting, and spoke on behalf of the Democratic establishment about K-12 schooling. Both Clintons, Obama and most of the Democratic congressional leadership were avowed fans of “choice.” Even Warren and Sanders don’t really get it. I think that a campaign to Save American Public Education from the Corporate Rapists would unite Americans of every stripe around one of the greatest foundation blocks of American democracy.
Unfortunately, the Corporate Democrat institutions (like the DCCC) control the political apparatus, which means that those of us who care about making the Democratic party Democratic again must pour our energies into the political process, as the only thing a politician cares about is getting elected. In NYS, we have the Working Families Party which has fought for progressive values for its 19 years of existence. On the state level, our work led directly to raising the minimum wage (soon to be $15/hr), paid family leave, and other progressive legislation. In the NYC arena, we helped elect true progressives to our three top city offices (mayor, public advocate and comptroller), and a progressive-led majority in the city council. Our progressive city government has drastically reduced stop-and-frisk, provided employer-paid sick time for one million workers who previously had not a single day off with pay; free preK for all four year olds — which greatly benefits every young family trying to get by in NYC; and free legal services for all people being evicted from their apartments by the rapacious real estate industry. Now WFP is leading the country in anti-Trump actions — from actively protecting our immigrant neighbors from deportation, to reaffirming our commitment to climate change reduction, to investing heavily in K-16 public education, while fighting the onslaught of the EduReformers.
Right now we are fighting hard to force the Independent Democratic Conference — a breakaway group of greedy Democrats that caucuses with the Trump Republicans in the state Senate — to return to the Democratic party and thus turn power in the State Senate over to Democrats. THEN, NY State will have control over state government and once again be the progressive beacon for the country that it had been in the mid-twentieth century — with landmark legislation on reproductive rights et al. We will pass campaign finance legislation and single payer health care and end the multi-billion dollar corporate welfare NYS dishes out each year.
AND, we are targeting the nine Republican US congresspeople from NY State. We would like to flip two or three of these seats to Democratic, and contribute to an anti-Trump wave in the 2018 House elections. THEN we can return to the conversation that Dems and Repubs everywhere really agree on — support for truly public education.
No one has mentioned the return to Segregation in the public schools, and don’t they vote? Maybe not, and they should be pushing and demonstrating for Public Money for Public Education! DeVos was chosen because of lack of experience and commitment to parochial schools. Her support for private corporations works just fine with this administration. But, yes, where are the others in this issue? Our values need to be re-evaluated
.Shirley R.
‘Return’ to segregation in the public schools?
I write back to the Democrats all the time and they consistently ignore me.
If you express disagreement, its more likely that they spy on you than that they ignore you. 🙂
I did the same thing, and before I read your blog post. Thank you for all you do.
During the past few weeks I have received twice much the same kind of email survey solicitation from democratic candidate Stacey Evans who is running for Governor of Georgia.
Each time my response has been and will continue to be:
[begin quote]
Your survey does not expressly include the issue “most important” to me: improving public education.
Should you care to update your survey to include that, then I shall gladly take it and go on to make a donation of support.
I am certain improving public education in conjunction with stopping its destruction by turning so-called lowest performing public schools over to private charter school operators, as is happening in Atlanta especially where Black children are concerned, for example, are most important issues for many others, as well.
Because improving public education is the issue most important to me, and others, I cannot in good conscience support the other [democratic candidate] Stacey [Abrams] who could have but did not take a forthright, unequivocal stand against [Gov. Nathan Deal’s Opportunity School District] OSD nor SB 338, aka Plan B, aka OSD Light, both of which posits changing public education, not improving it.
Improving public education and merely changing it are two very different matters, as discussed here and here.
[end quote]
I stopped giving them money years ago. They aren’t democratic, they’re enthralled by Wall Street.
Speaking of Democrats as well as Republicans neglecting K-12 schools:
Chicago’s Terrible New Plan to Force High School Kids Into the Military
http://theantimedia.org/chicago-high-school-military/
Like the Republican Party, the Democratic Party is owned and operated by its own cadre of billionaires, and one of the main puppeteers pulling DNC strings is the self-proclaimed “Democrats for Education Reform” — “reform” as in “convert public schools to private charter schools from which we can skim billions of dollars because their is no financial accountability.” Obama was enlisted by the DFER while he was still a senator and he dutifully appointed a secretary of education who delivered for the DFER’s charter school “reform.”
Don’t look for Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren to stop, let alone reverse, the charter school scam because they aren’t even aware of what’s going on with charter schools. It’s just not on their radar…and even if it was, without the backing of the billionaires who are pushing the charter school movement there is no hope of being elected.
Money rules.
Yes to all your comments. And, ahead to Laura Chapman’s (yet another, thank you, Laura) excellent post, when in ILL-Annoy, Obama was associated w/the Joyce Foundation, which appears on her list of saboteurs.
&, as to Bernie, more & more people continue to urge him to get away from the Dem Party (he is still a declared Independent)–that he is being used– & talking heads say
that he is afraid of being marginalized by going third party, as was done to Ralph Nader.
Nevertheless, as Diane has stated in an earlier post (& I wholeheartedly agree), he is on the HELP Committee, & should know better. Since Nina Turner has just become President of Our Revolution, there’s a chance we could get somewhere on the K-12 issue, especially w/respect to the information in the next (Laura Chapman’s) post.
If any of you are in Chicago this weekend, perhaps you could attend the Rainbow-Push Convention (Google it) & make sure that you bring copies of Laura’s post & comments.
Fully funding climate change research
(Subsidies for product R&D)
A health care plan that takes the burden off families
(Subsidies for insurance companies)
Continued funding for Medicare and Social Security
(Was there a question? How did that get on the table?!)
Student loan forgiveness
(Subsidies for lenders)
Making tuition affordable for all
(Subsidies for private schools)
A $15 minimum wage
(…to dislodge some workers from their unions)
Protecting immigrants and immigration reform
(Protecting lower wage hb-1 visas, especially Gülenists)
Fully funding women’s health centers
(They sell pharmaceuticals, don’t they? Just saying.)
Fighting economic inequality
(…corporate welfare for ALL billionaires, not some)
Creating new jobs
(…low wage, unstable temp jobs called gigs and internships so that pensions and benefits disappear from the face of the Earth)
Preserving President Obama’s Medicaid expansion
(Pharma)
Gun violence prevention
(is our favorite thing to talk about while conducting drone strikes)
Protecting voting rights
(protecting us so we can do more of all of the above!)
“No money until they acknowledge the threat posed by charters and vouchers.”
As we used to say: Right On.
When Democrats attack public school teachers, our students and their families they are attacking the heart of America. Apparently, the national party still hasn’t wised up.
Has this been posted here?
Is Wall Street About to Take Over Public Education Once and for All?
https://
emilytalmage.com/2017/07/07/is-wall-street-about-to-take-over-public-education-once-and-for-all/
O. M. G.
It is a dog and pony show . They balance between what get donors and what gets votes .
Further there will always be just enough votes for the corporatocracy to get by with majorities of Democrats looking progressive while those in the safest districts take a little heat on many issues .
We have seen this on trade , on pharma, just witnessed it on healthcare in California and even Nationally with few democrats signing on to John Conyers single payer proposal ..
Education is no different . We will see the same on another tax bill that screws the 85% -90% .
They count on us being to petrified of Republicans to not vote any other way. Well how is that working out .
Tomorrow I get to have another fun town hall with Tom Suozzi . I’ll never get as far as education . It would seem Tom is a member of the “problem solvers caucus” is seeking to work across party lines with Republicans . Done so already on a de regulatory bill that
guts Environmental,Consumer,saftey and worker regulations.
Can’t support the single payer effort because , I will quote “New Yorker’s already have an unfair portion of the Federal Tax burden ” I will translate. My district encompasses
the gold coast of Long Island some of the wealthiest zip codes in the Nation and I will vote with republicans to cut their taxes even more. Because he aint saying its time for secession .
As for the DCCC. Greg B what is your secret because the four letter words i address the callers with ,since my last congressman was head of that organization , have not worked for me .
too
I didn’t understand your para on why you can’t support single-payer.
bethree5
The congressman can not support single payer
Can’t support the single payer effort because , I will quote “New Yorker’s already have an unfair portion of the Federal Tax burden ” I will translate. My district encompasses
the gold coast of Long Island some of the wealthiest zip codes in the Nation and I will vote with republicans to cut their taxes even more. Because he aint saying its time for secession .
I will quote HIM !!!!
I will translate him !!!!
My district His !!!!!!!
Because he !!!!!!! ain’t saying its time for secession .
Okay I was an Anthro major and not linguistics .
Oh now I getcha 😉
One reason: Funding for K-12 education in publicly operated schools is primarily a state/municipal responsibility. 90% (or more) of the funding is non-federal. There is no specific (federal) constitutional mandate for the feds to get involved in education at all. As far as I am concerned the feds should just get out of it altogether.
There is very little political “capital” to be earned by federal-level politicians getting involved in K-12 at all.
Charles,
The Feds got deeply involved with GW Bush’s Bo Child Left Behind and they refuse to butt out
As did Obama.
Bush did have support from more Democrats than Republicans in the Senate with No Child Left Behind. In the Senate 47 Democrats and 43 Republicans voted for Bush’s NCLB. It passed 91 to 8. Of the 8 that voted NO, 6 were Republicans.
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/107-2001/s192
All the more reason. Most (federal) politicians in the House/Senate send their children to private schools. Therefore, they have no (personal) reason to get involved at all. (I keep pushing for a “slumlord” law, to force all politicians to send their kids to public schools).
Congress can just “wash its hands” of K-12 education, and suffer no political loss for it.
I cannot think of any congressman/senator who has ever won or lost an election, over his stance on K-12 public education.
Charles,
We are working to change that. We want governors, senators, and congressmen who oppose public schools to lose office.
Absolutely, Lloyd!!!
Ah, Charles, we agree at last. Or, let’s say, I agree w/your dollar-for-dollar assessment. I am fine w/Fed DOEd exercising 10% control, i.e., keeping an eye on equal access to quality ed for minorities/ poor/ handicapped & providing guidance/ funds in that regard. I am absolutely against their involvement in stds, assessment, & curriculum for public schools, & throwing money toward charters– which they have been involved in to the nth degree since 2001– & it continues now even under the supposedly fed-hands-off pro-states-rights Trump/DeVos agenda, w/ even worse incursions as they propose to pump billions into voucher programs.
As soon as the New Deal was our deal, the rich set out to destroy it. And, as soon as the Great Society came to be our society, they set out to destroy it. The NCLB and its offspring are simply ways to take back the funding provided by the 1965 ESEA: You want money to help schools? Too bad if you don’t have a scam to create a test score miracle for us. The Democrats and Republicans have both been taken over by rich and powerful forces that would like to return to the harsh world of the 1930’s. Frankly, if we can’t get back to the original intent of the ESEA, and all the federal government does is mandate testing and fund the drive to privatize, it would in fact be better to do away with the entire US Department of Education, since both parties just use it to roll back social justice.
The DCCC is supposed to underwrite Democrat campaigns at all levels… the GOP donors understand that winning any and all partisan elections at any and all levels helps develop a base, keeps the base activated, and develops new faces in the leadership. Look at the money pouring into school board elections from billionaires if you need evidence…
I feel the same and do the same when I receive requests for contributions to Democratic organizations.
Sent from my iPhone
>
The Dems are clueless in precisely the same measure as the Repugs because they none of them, not the actual policy makers or staff or electeds, the ones who comprise the government itself — none of these folks has any actual skin in the game. It’s all an equivalent theoretical discussion for them.
Until those who believe in Public Education invest the fruit of their own loins and soul in the matter, the actual harm will continue to pile up ever more ghastly, ever-increasingly remote in its feel.
BTW with respect to all those who teach here, it’s not the same. Your children and your grandchildren in the public schools, the ones with bashed in lockers and leaking roofs and 50 kids in a classroom — those schools. You will never, ever fight for a theory with the same vigor as for your own, regardless of your degree of dedication. It’s just a different parameter, that’s all, no diss on the sky-high, honorable degree of your personal commitment. That’s fundamentally different from the sacrifice of decisions made on another’s behalf — on your offspring’s behalf.
In just the same way the relevant economic split is not Dem-Repub, but 99%-1%, the relevant educational split is: suffering public education vs. thinking about it. Until the people writing and asking for money send their own grand/children to a public school with 50 kids per classroom, they’ll never, ever urge engagement of that issue.
Some need to elevate the level of thought about charters and see the big picture in order to do what’s best for their children. Keeping in mind that diversity is good for children and adolescents, the question is not only who you want your children to be, but also what kind of neighborhood and world to you want them to be in. Public schools are the best option.
Agreed completely. But for those who send their kids – me, a parent – this is still just the theoretical side of things, and my point is that this theoretical side isn’t going to generate the activism, the keen action on these matters that are necessary to halt the march of privatization. Again, “no one’s” home – virtually all policy makers, dem and Repub, send their kids to private or at best charter schools. They do not know and do not care, except theoretically, about that whole thing. They don’t get it, know it, in their solar plexus. And that goes for teachers, sorry to say, too – different thing, that work place from the gene pool.
It’s not, however, the same thing for the kid themself. My kids, who did attend public school, would agree with your summary 100% of the centrality of this value. But their perspective is first-hand; everyone’s else is second-hand at best. And again, that’s my point: the skin in the game.
Red Queen,
You and I have a deeply respected, mutual acquaintance or two whose children or grandchildren attend local charters. At least one of those acquaintances seeks to be a policy maker a few years down the road, or at least to influence policy. I am talking about people who believe in public education. As a teacher, I feel I must hold myself to a certain higher standard regarding my behavior in public. I practice what I teach. I hope that anyone who is or wants to be my boss also strives to hold him or herself to that higher standard, to practice what we preach. I would like to be our mutual acquaintance’s child’s teacher. I’m really good! My ceiling doesn’t leak and I don’t have 50 students in a class. Let’s encourage our friends to join me. I think it would be good for everyone.
Succinctly, the answer to the posted question is explained by the Walton and Gates-funded Center for American Progress and John Podesto. The creation and promotion of a civil rights facade on a privatization/corporatization system detrimental to vulnerable kids of all colors was indefensible.
I’m with you, and I do exactly what you did. I also write to state Dem leaders and advise them that we are out here needing their support.
Sent from my iPhone
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Linda is absolutely right about Obama and Hillary’s education platforms being run through CAP, but there are other names involved, such as Ann O’Leary, Neera Tanden, Chris Edley and even Randi Weingarten. These were Hillary’s advisors for her 2016 campaign but the public doesn’t know the extent of the money people pushing reform such as testing, Common Core, ed tech and the federal takeover of the teaching profession.
When Podesta’s emails were hacked, it laid bare exactly who these multi-billionaires were and it’s not just the ones we knew about (like Gates and Broad). The emails also showed Wall Street bigwigs advising Obama going back to before his 2008 election.
To this day, the media isn’t reporting on exactly who these mega-donors (dubbed “experts”) were and it’s not just because Democrats are crying foul over Russian interference, or because “the election is over”, it’s because these are the most powerful and influential money people in the nation – and the “left wing” media themselves was shown in the leaks colluding with the campaigns.
Since the election, establishment Democrats have been banking on the press doing them a favor and laying off the leaked content because of the Russian taint, but during the election, the right wing press ran every story they could understand. The Dems are even saying themselves the damaging content in the leaks is WHY they lost.
Many also don’t realize that some emails weren’t leaked until after the election was over, so there are totally unreported stories there involving education, healthcare, energy policy, foreign affairs and much else. Media folks tell me there is no point reporting them now, but I disagree – the truth needs to get out there as the left and center-left are battling for the heart and soul of the Democratic party. The media has obviously picked sides.
But it’s a guarantee that the right wing media will hold all this stuff until the height of the next election to do maximum damage (again), so it’s much better to get it all laid bare as soon as possible. Diane’s question above alludes to the ugly truth that Democrats do not want to change and would be willing to lose again rather than part ways with these powerful tech billionaires.
Obama spoke to the inaugural meeting of DFER in 2005, when he was a senator. He made Duncan Secretary of ed because DFER wanted him, not Linda Darling-Hammond. Obama outsourced education to Wall Street.
Explains why 1000 legislative, judicial and executive seats were lost and why the losses will mount. Rep. Lujan of N.M. is a significant part of the problem.
Yes, Obama implied Linda Darling-Hammond would be his Ed Sec, but as early as Oct 2008, the leaks show Duncan was actually one of two Wall Street-approved candidates on a spreadsheet sent by Citi’s Mike Froman that correctly predicted almost every cabinet secretary.
The emails showed Obama wanted “diversity” so some positions had alternatives to ensure the cabinet would not be dominated by white males. For Education, the spreadsheet read Duncan/Powell.
The Daily Mail and CBS reported this, saying Colin Powell was the alternate choice for Ed Sec: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/leaked-podesta-emails-reveal-2008-correspondence-with-obama/
However I think they were wrong – it should be obvious Colin Powell’s expertise was clearly in areas other than education. I think their “diversity” alternate was Laurene Powell. Sure enough, by 2014 other leaked emails showed she was convening ‘billionaire summits’ to meet with Podesta and Ann O’Leary about “ed reform”.
I heard in fall 2008 that DFER picked Duncan.
The leaked list of Hillary Clinton’s likely cabinet was also not surprising for those who took Hillary’s history of actions more seriously than her campaign rhetoric. There is little doubt that Hillary Clinton would have continued the neoliberal agenda, and built on Obama’s legacy, overall, and in the education sphere. See Jennifer Granholm who would seek to militantly “improve” education with the “innovative” approach we all know and love: school “turnaround”, lifting the cap on charters, “evaluating” teachers more “rigously” by test scores, and so on.
Granholm would have been no open extremist like Betsy DeVos, but certainly a continuation of Duncan and King, who, consciously or not, were allied with our enemies, the servants of austerity and privatization.
That could be, but who is DFER really? This article had detailed reporting from the time (and it quotes you, too): https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2012/5/1/1087992/-DFER-and-Education-Policies
In this video, however, at 1:50, John Podesta, who was co-chair of Obama’s transition team, is credited for picking Duncan in a keynote intro. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWafXFPZWJQ
The leaked emails also reveal that:
Chris Edley was not in the loop when the final decision was made. He liked Duncan or LDH but also recommended Melinda Gates or Mark Yudof.
The transition team considered Ruth J. Simmons, the highly-qualified president of Brown.
They also floated C.J. Prentiss, a black female legislator from Ohio who was outspoken against testing.
The team prepared a list of Hispanic cabinet heads as well, with the Education picks being Juliet Garcia or Ricardo Romo, both campus Presidents at UT.
Harstad Research, the polling/strategy firm hired by the campaign had suggested Suellen Reed, former Ed Supt from Indiana.
John Stocks from the NEA suggested Donna Harris-Aikens.
Interesting to see the process, but it doesn’t show who ultimately pushed Duncan over the top. Rahm Emanuel may have been a factor, but Edley noted that Arne was tight with Obama so would be loyal, but that he would need someone like LDH as a deputy.
Instead, Arne’s top advisor was Joanna Weiss, who revolved in to the USDOE from billionaire donor John Doerr’s NewSchools Venture Fund.
Trump’s vetting of cabinet candidates includes being a billionaire (and, for education, family connection to Erik Prince).
N.M. Democratic Rep. Lujan is significant to the policy of privatization of America’s most important common good. So is Howard Dean.