I support individual candidates I believe in. I do not send money to the DNC. I often get emails asking which topic concerns me most, listing a dozen topics but not K-12 education (free college is usually on the list). I write back and say, “Not a dime until you support public schools and oppose privatization.”
A reader posted this comment:
“In the year running up to the POTUS election I received a call almost daily from the DNC about Dems taking back the Senate, or winning NC for Hillary, or the evil republicans (a point I have been well aware of for 50 yrs). I told them I was not sending one dime to the DNC for 1 reason: Arne Duncan. Several volunteers said they’d heard the same from other people.
“You would think the DNC would have listened to their most loyal voters as they lost state house after state house to Republicans (the count is now 32 states in Republican control).
“Instead the DNC abandoned us.They thought they could helicopter in at the last min & win the election. After all, in their mind we had “nowhere else to go” (from Thomas Frank, Listen, Liberal!).
“After Devos was appointed, Arne Duncan tweeted “Miss me now?” That tells me all I need to know about the DNC.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Hurrah!
Ann
Ann Staman Hollingworth
*ManyRoadsToReading.com * *teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Many-Roads-To-Reading *
On Tue, Aug 22, 2017 at 3:01 PM, Diane Ravitch’s blog wrote:
> dianeravitch posted: “I support individual candidates I believe in. I do > not send money to the DNC. I often get emails asking which topic concerns > me most, listing a dozen topics but not K-12 education (free college is > usually on the list). I write back and say, “Not a dime un” >
I agree, I set mail stating no $$ from me until they start disavowing their support for charters and throw support behind public schools, still waiting for response
Same here.
Same here including Sen.Sherrod Brown’s campaign.
I sent them the same message. Not a penny till you include K-12. I read somewhere the other day that Dems might be in a tight spot with charters and that might be why they don’t say much about it. Tough! I donate to Emily’s List and NPE frequently but only candidates I like for the Dems.
The DNC has lost touch with its base. They need to start supporting candidates that will appeal to working families, and a key issue for most working families is quality public education.
I generally do not support liberal nor “progressive” causes. I do however break with my fellow conservatives on one issue. I strongly support public financing of elections. This would break the “big money” which holds far too much sway in our political life.
I agree.
Amen! You all have expressed my sentiments exactly.
I had been writing to the DNC for years in their postage paid envelopes. I gave up.
Such a great way to approach them.
Agree whole heatedly . But,
Wholeheartedly
It’s time to build a strong 3rd party. Trump’s election proves that the two current political parties back the agenda of the wealthy.
The 3 busiest days in Capitol switchboard history were opposition to DeVos’ privatizing agenda. The reaction of the Dems is to squander the opportunity that is morally correct and that is right before their eyes.
The last third party that was effective was the Republican Party when the country was still young. Our system will not abide a third party. Why do you think Bernie ran as a Democrat? He and his constituency gave up on that a long time ago.
There will not be a third party. If we want change, we must work to rebuild the Democratic Party.
The richest 0.1% who have infiltrated the Dem party have no reason to leave. And, they don’t care about wins because both Dem and Repub. politicians will deliver on economic issues- which is THE AGENDA that matters to them. On the Democratic map, they’ve carved out a niche. It’s the segment against racism and homophobia (because profit-taking from bigotry, including sexism, provides negligible opportunity for profit taking).
Michael Bennett, formerly employed by Anschutz is one example of a candidate for the rich. Corey Booker is another. Congressional committee leaderships are awarded based on amount of funds raised for the political party not, the number of votes received.
But, as Michael Moore said, he “couldn’t live without hope.”
I balk at giving money to the DNC mostly because they don’t seem to know how to use the money effectively –cf. Hillary and Joel Ossoff. I donate a lot of my time doing get-out-the-vote and voter registration for Democrats.
Test
Amen to the comment on which this post is based. Why won’t the DNC listen? The DNC’s answer is covfefe.
Good one, LeftCoastTeacher.
The DNC is a huge mess because they went for the $$$$$$. SICK.
We need to create a national campaign to get the Democratic Party to commit to NOT privatize public education like they were pushed to commit to not privatize Social Security and the VA. They didn’t just take those positions on their own. Activists did the work to push them. We are perfectly positioned to do this, leveraging the universal opposition to Betsy DeVos. Can NPE Action help us organize this because one of us here, and one of us there is not going to get the job done. There is a huge network of activists we could engage with clear, key messages developed around a strategy. We could go state by state and even by key counties which have heavy influence. This is how it works. Or are we content to complain and heckle? We cannot afford to hold out for a third party while weak kneed Democrats currently in office or running get away with passing the buck.
NPE action is working this as hard as we know how.
Karen, can you arrange a meeting with CA Senator Harris?
I don’t have a personal contact there. Some of the Northern California activists should.
Please do not get me wrong, I am not trying to critical or argumentative, but when you write, “I don’t have personal contact there”, it disheartens me. It takes work to build coalitions, engage staff, and then personally reach a member of Congress or state legislator. One develops personal contacts, they do not just happen.
If I have the chance to meet with Senator Harris, I will fly to DC at my own expense to do so.
Karen Wolfe is helping.
GregB, I completely agree with you! I did contact the Senator’s office this morning to begin engaging her staff. I interpreted Diane Ravitch’s request to be asking if I had open lines of communication in the Senator’s office, since Dr. Ravitch knows that I am one of Ms. Harris’ California constituents. She also knows that I am in the face of a lot of my elected Democratic officials in Los Angeles, always cultivating, always engaging. That is why I asked for NPE’s help in setting up a campaign to reach Democratic Party officials in all our states.
Believe me, the charter school lobby is way ahead of us.
Thanks for all that you are doing, Karen!
Only one slight peeve: please try not to use the term “believe me” (or “I can tell you that”). It’s starting to send me into epileptic-like convulsions. 😃😄😜
Whenever Trump says, “Believe me,” you know he is lying. Also when he makes that thumb-to-index-finger circle. Also when he opens his mouth.
On many sides. On many sides. 😉😂😜
Okay, this one is so off the wall I am responding although the comment is a week old…….Please stop spreading misleading info on the Democratic Party. It is ludicrous, ignorant, to imply the Dem Party had to be pushed to commit to not privatize SS and the VA. You sound more like a Russian troll than a person truly interested in protecting public education and all other programs the Democrats fight for every day. It is also ignorant to think you can trash the Party then expect your audience to want to be part of an org you so trashed……Look at how Sanders poisoned the minds of millions of young people against the Democratic Party. What did that get us? TRUMP!
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Dianecbrown, I’m a proud, lifelong Democrat. Im not trashing anybody. I’m just reminding my activist friends that it is up to us to get elected officials and party organizations to do the right thing. Like FDR said, “I agree with you, I want to do it, now make me do it.”
It is pretty routine to count on democrats to oppose vouchers…and tear in to DeVos for her support of them…..but the subject of charter schools is far more difficult….my senator McCaskill sent me a form letter of criticism of DeVos and ignored everything I asked her about charters. If anyone knows my senator, tell her…..no problem…..I plan to ask her in person. In a loud voice.
‘ “After Devos was appointed, Arne Duncan tweeted “Miss me now?” ‘
It will be a cold day in Hell before I miss him. So incredibly clueless.
I will NEVER, EVER MISS or SUPPORT Duncan and the rest of the DFERS. They USED public schools and public school teachers for their own personal benefits … KA-CHING.
I’ve written similar messages – even have a fully typed up response I’ll send back to the DNC when they ask me for money. Lately I’ve stopped getting DNC money requests…..
But the DNC takes its marching orders & candidates from the Center for American “Progress” (CAP), and they LOVE charter schools & their Wall Street hedge funders, so I don’t expect much.
Are there complications involved in a national party setting K-12 education agenda when individual state constitutions cover public education? I.e., US constitution says powers not assigned by it are left to states.
NJ state constitution calls for a “thorough and efficient system of education.” Always wondered how the “efficient” would be determined.
Washington state constitution is worded so that charter schools not deemed legal.
DNC = Do NOT Contribute!!!!!
AMEN.
“After Devos was appointed, Arne Duncan tweeted “Miss me now?” ”
No. We don’t miss you.
You were nothing more (or less) than a stepping stone to this disaster Arne. Don’t kid yourself. You’re disgusting.
Duncan is DISGUSTING and so is RAHM, Polis, Bennett, and the list continues. I also BLAME the BILLARIES…BIG TIME. Remember Arkansas!
Put Obama and his people in this group, too. And now we have that DUMP. The DNC holds BLAME for that Dump, too.
Obama was CRITICAL in accelerating charters and choice. He is a total bastard and trickster. May he rot. He is NO progressive, except maybe for LGBTs. He was good for that. Other than that, he is a centrist leaning very much right.
NF,
He took his cues on education from DFER, i.e., Wall Street
Obama also had strong ties to the charter industry before he got into politics. He sat on the Board of Directors of the Joyce Foundation for years. They were major contributors to the charter school movement.
This is a long piece, but if you scroll down you can find reference to their stance on education:
https://capitalresearch.org/article/the-joyce-foundation-betraying-donor-intent-in-the-windy-city/
Here’s a quote:
“Joyce seeks greater government funding for public education; in particular, for universal, federally funded pre-school and “early learning opportunities, especially for low-income and minority children,” observes DiscoverTheNetworks. It supports “the establishment of charter public schools for youngsters in those same demographic groups; and endorses teacher-preparation programs that permit ‘alternative certification’ for aspiring instructors who are unable to become certified via traditional avenues.””
It can become a slippery slope when we question motives. There’s no doubt that children living in poverty aren’t afforded similar education services as you’ll find in higher income groups. In that respect, Obama and the Joyce Foundation’s work can be applauded. But it’s a lot easier to talk than it is to walk…and the reality of the growth of the charter industry and its effect on public education calls the altruistic side of its’ proponents into question.
If you read Steven Brill’s book “Class Warfare,” an obsequious paean to hedge fund managers who support charters and to Eva M., you will see that Obama was the first speaker at the inaugural meeting of DFER in NYC. 2005. He was a senator. He knew where the money was.
What a battle this has been.
And continues to be.
Considering the massive amounts of private money, the media distortions, and the (not so coincidentally) bipartisan political push for education “reform”, it’s a testament to our democratic process that the public has been able to resist as effectively as we have to this point.
I’m glad this blog is so widely read, Diane.
We have GOT to use our networks to make this an issue in the Democratic Party or we will be right back there if Dems ever regain control of Congress or the White House. We are already facing this in state races.
“Miss me now?”
Sorry, Arne, but not only do I not miss you, but I wouldn’t p&$$ on you if your heart was on fire.