In the education world, we have become accustomed to the intrusion of billionaires into local and state school board races, bundling money for candidates committed to privatizing—not helping—our public schools. The most prominent such group calls itself Democrats for Education Reform, but we have no way of knowing whether its contributors are Republicans or Democrats. Some of its most prominent members are billionaires who donate to both parties, depending on which candidate is likeliest to protect charter schools and low taxes.
This post in the Blog “Crooks & Liars” notes a broader phenomenon of Republican billionaires inserting their money into Democratic primaries to choose rightwing candidates.
I noted on Twitter and on this blog that Politico’s Morning Education recently published a lengthy interview with DFER spokesmen about where they plan to target their millions, which school board elections they plan to invade, without noting that DFER represents Wall Street and contains not a single educator in its midst. Politico didn’t bother to question why hedge fund managers in New York and Connecticut are swaying elections in Colorado and California. Nor did they point out that DFER was censured by the Democratic parties in both states, which said they stop calling themselves Democrats because they represent corporate interests. I don’t know nor does Politico whether DFER is actually a Republican front group with one or two show Democrats.
Politico Morning Education has NEVER interviewed a critic of Corporate Reform, has NEVER discussed the distorting effect of outside money bundled by hedge funders on state and local school board elections. Why do the Waltons—a fiercely anti-union, anti-public school family of billionaires—invest in school board elections across the nation? Why is this story NEVER reported by Politico? Why do they keep hands off the billionaires intent on privatizing public schools?
Conversely, why has Politico never seen fit to interview public school supporters other than National Union leaders? Why have they never interviewed Carol Burris or Anthony Cody or Julian Vasquez Heilig or Jesse Hagopian or the BATS?
When the Network for Public Education released a carefully researched 50-State report ranking states on their support for public schools, Politico did not consider it worthy of even a mention, let alone a paragraph with a link to the report.
What gives at Politico Morning Education?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Follow the money, Diane.
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We know the enemy of public school education and its these right wing groups. Why don’t you write about them when the school elections are coming up in each and every city, town. Why throw the statement out without a resolution, a call to action on what can be done.
I find this handwringing very disturbing because you sound the alarm but you don’t provide the necessary information on how we the public can address the matter.
Which democratic governor, politician is receiving money from these candidates. what is the point?
Progressive democrats are not taking any money period and will call people out.
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Diane writes about these elections every day and she informs us of who is pro the public schools at every available opportunity. She absolutely does provide the necessary information on how we the public can address the matter. Given that we have Trump as president and a GOP controlled congress, hand wringing and howling are kind of a normal human reaction.
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Diane reported at this blog that NPE is preparing a roster of candidates for November which will be posted.
What follows is solely my opinion- In November, remember the worst Democrat is better than the best Republican. But, don’t make campaign contributions to school privatizers. When a contribution is made, don’t use ACT Blue. Find the candidate’s address on the internet and mail the check with a note that you don’t use Act Blue because it allows the hedge funds of DFER to raise money for privatizers. On the blog comment threads when, you learn about a man like Ziele, who is an employee of St. John’s Lutheran Church, write to the church to tell them why your opinion contradicts his. When Diane shows us that a publication like Politico is biased, contact them on their feedback forms or the author’s twitter account. When Meghan McCain of the View uses her platform to promote privatization, write to the View.
Beata, I assume you are willing to work for the future of your kids/ grandkids and the nation.
Democracy is lost when we don’t fight for it.
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Politico is a great source of news and I quote it often.
But it allows the DFERS to have their say and pretends that they are not bent on charter schools and only charter schools. It does not give equal time to critics of DFER or other Astroturf groups
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New York Republican, Chris Collins was just arrested for insider trading. One down, but so many to go.https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/08/08/live-stream-rep-chris-collins-arrest-discussed-prosecutors/934774002/
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If Politico knew the following, I presume they would seek out confirmation of the DFER view from the “liberal”, corporate-funded Center for American Progress. Arne’s chief of staff is at the Center for American Progress. CAP’s VP of education policy was former
TFA . CAP’s recommendation for higher ed, published in Forbes, was strikingly similar to Marco Rubio’s. CAP wrote in favor of privatization in March. And, lastly, CAP recommended in the March paper, no new taxes (1) to fund its grand scheme to shore up middle class pay for teachers and to feed poor children, school breakfasts and lunches (2) nor, to replace ed. funding cuts since 2008.
CAP plans to return to being the left’s oppositional organization to the well-funded political propaganda of the right. That’s what a CAP executive said more than a year ago. I don’t see the signs.
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I think that there are democratic primary candidates on both the left and the right endorsed by CAP and instead of judging them by who endorses them, we should judge them on the positions they take.
Remember Tom Perriello, who Bernie Sanders campaigned for in the primary against the pro-public education candidate Ralph Northam? “Perriello has in recent weeks also rolled out endorsements from former Obama administration officials John Podesta and Neera Tanden, each of whom worked with him at the liberal Center for American Progress. ” (Once again Politico pretends CAP is “liberal”)
https://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/obama-staff-tom-perriello-virginia-236367
I don’t have a problem with Tom Perriello except that he is a very weak supporter of public education. That’s why I supported the pro-public education candidate Ralph Northam. But Perriello was a perfectly reasonable Democratic candidate, as Bernie Sanders’ endorsement of him proves. But John Podesta also endorsed Perriello. That does make Perriello a tool of Podesta and CAP — if that was the case Bernie would not have endorsed him. Like every Democrat in history, Perriello’s views are complicated but not corrupt. So are Northam’s.
The issue of why both progressive and moderate Democrats are not standing up strong for public education is far more complicated than “progressives support public schools and moderates support charters.” I wish it was that simple because it depresses me that the progressive leaders are silent on public schools. I wish Bernie Sanders would work as hard for Cynthia Nixon as he did for Tom Perriello. The fact that he isn’t does not mean I would not vote for Bernie if he was running for President — I would vote for him and donate to him and not spend the election saying he is no different than a Republican because he endorsed the same candidate CAP did.
I think Linda is absolutely right when she posts:
“In November, remember the worst Democrat is better than the best Republican. But, don’t make campaign contributions to school privatizers.”
In the primary, fight for the candidate who supports whatever progressive issue is most important to you — be it public education and a strong anti-charter position or some other issue. But in the general election, the only way to stop fascism and live to vote another day is to vote Democrat.
Had people done that in the 2016 general election the Supreme Court with two Hillary Clinton appointments could very well have made sure that Citizens United was not giving people with billions an outrageously unfair advantage over those without. Trump won not because of the money he raised himself but because groups like the NRA had $30 million to spend for him. Money whose source is unknown. Money matters. It mattered in Ohio where the Democrat lost despite his raising far more money than his Republican opponent. Because the Republican opponent had outside groups outspending the Democrat 5 – 1.
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^^sorry, typo here. I intended to write that Perriello was NOT a tool of Podesta and CAP despite the endorsement.
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Imagine if NPE drove education policy at CAP, the change in narrative, the heightened visibility, and the politicians’ talking points. The wayward Democrat would face serious consequences.
NYC psp
You make excellent points…. adding, it is dangerous to ignore the impact that the Center for American Progress has (in addition to its associates who had responsibility in Hillary’s spectacular failure). NYT’s Vogel and David Leonhardt provide example.
You and I could label education a one-off issue but, what if there’s a pattern to duck rollbacks of progress in every area except LGBT. Madelyn Albright was on the board of Pete Peterson’s Fix the Debt. The Democratic Coalition has stated that a balanced budget (which eliminates Social Security) is in their platforms. CAP could call them out.
Bernie gets huge credit for being the first one to dominate with his platform inextricably linked to bread and butter deprivations faced by the 99%.
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CAP released a devastating critique of vouchers. I wrote the author to say I hoped he would do the same for charters, which are rife with fraud, abuse, and waste. He responded: “We will have to agree to disagree.”
We agree. We disagree.
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Summarizing, CAP’s position is that the fleecing of taxpayers (Ohio, for one state), political graft, Main Street decimation and uneducated students, is offset by profits for tech tyrants? I tell you I’m shocked that a corporate-funded think tank would draw that conclusion.
The real shocker is the success of CAP’s positioning in the media as “liberal”. Would just one reporter ask the “liberal” CAP how its defense of for-profit schools and advertising on buses to raise revenue for higher teacher pay and for kids’ breakfasts and lunches differs from the Koch’s?
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I despise CAP.
I still don’t understand why progressives like Bernie Sanders aren’t keeping public education front and center in their agenda. I certainly get why the CAP Democrats are happy to undermine public education. I just don’t know why the progressives don’t care or will endorse candidates who are so pro-charter.
Is “free college” (in the fake way that Cuomo offers it up) really more urgent for this country than making sure that public education does not continue to be undermined by the forces of CAP and company?
Why haven’t the most prominent anti-CAP Democrats been campaigning for Cynthia Nixon the way they campaigned for someone who is associated with CAP like Tom Perriello?
I have no idea whether Andrew Cuomo is associated with CAP but I do know he should be defeated for selling out and working hard to keep Albany in Republican hands. It doesn’t matter to me whether CAP likes or hates Cuomo. The fact is, Cuomo is anti-public school and should be defeated.
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Trump will never get out of Putin’s bed and Dems like Cory Booker and Jared Polis will never get out of the hedge funders’ beds.
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When Diane heard, “we’ll have to agree to disagree”, it could have been subtext for a price negotiation. Next time, the follow-up question should be, “how much would it take for you to perform what I want?”
Recently, “scholars” at a “non-partisan” think tank refused to provide the service that tech tyrants wanted. The “scholars” learned their market value when they were fired.
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I know Jared Polis and Corey Booker are lost causes and I strongly support any pro-public school Democrat who runs against them in the primary. Andrew Cuomo is also a lost cause, which is why I support Cynthia Nixon.
It mystifies me why the most prominent progressive politicians haven’t been fighting for public schools and making it clear that charter schools are not the answer. I certainly know why Polis and Booker don’t fight for public schools. I just don’t understand why progressive leaders like Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders don’t seem interested. I’d love to hear Sanders make public schools as much of an issue as he did for free college. I’d love to see him campaign for Cynthia Nixon the way he campaigned for Tom Perriello. It could be a game changer.
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NYCPSP,
Stop saying the same thing over and over about Bernie and Cynthia. You are starting to act like Charles. You didn’t get an answer the first time. Or the second. Or the third. Stop.
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I’m sorry. I was stupid to expect that people might want to answer the question or at least discuss it since it pertains to public schools and why there isn’t more anti-charter sentiment along with anti-CAP sentiment. I do think that is a question that pro-public education folks should be asking themselves, however. I don’t think progressives have a very high opinion of teachers unions or public school DOEs. I don’t blame them as there are a lot of flaws that make them both easy to bash.
My own belief is that public schools and teachers unions are like democracy. Remember that quote about how democracy is the worst form of government except for all the others? I think public schools with union teachers are the worst form of education except for all the others. It’s easy to point out the flaws in both democracy and public schools, but impossible to come up with a system that is better (although the privatizers certainly lie and claim “choice” and “competition” are better).
I’m sure most NY state voters will be fooled by the endless ads I have seen touting Cuomo’s progressive credentials. It’s a shame because no one with any gravitas is telling voters otherwise. Hopefully Cuomo can’t do any worse harm to public schools than he already has with another 4 years.
I won’t mention Bernie and Cynthia again. (But I will quietly keep my fingers crossed that he decides to make a late endorsement and campaign for her.)
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Politico writes for the donor class.
The New Democrat Coalition supports the Republican’s balanced budget which will destroy Social Security and Medicare. It’s one of the Koch’s “liberty amendments”. Wikipedia names the DINOS and identifies them by state.
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Diane “What gives?” indeed.
As a relevant aside, in Hannah Arendt’s book, she recounts that one of the totalitarian methods (to get their total power) is to mirror authentic groups with the same kind or similar “fellow-traveler organizations, closely related “front groups,” with similar names and with all of the attendant ra-ra. These groups perform as connective branches from the few inner totalitarian group members, to the mass of “sympathizers.” These are still “front” organizations that give a “soft” interface and cover for their own activities. The end goal, however, is to take over the authentic group and for the duplicitous “front” to become it. The process is just like a cancer–not hyperbole–they did this to authentic unions during the Nazi and Stalin era. The sympathizers just become confused about their belonging and about their leadership, but carry on anyway.
Here is a quote from Arendt’s book, where she is talking about military and other kinds of groups, Arendt writes:
“The fellow-traveler organizations surround the totalitarian movements with a mist of normality and respectability that fools the membership about the true character of the outside world as much as it does the outside world about the true character of the movement. The front organization functions both ways as the facade of the totalitarian movement to the nontotalitarian world, and as the facade of this world to the inner hierarchy of the movement. . . . Even more striking than this relationship is the fact that it is repeated on different levels within the movement itself. . . . As party members are related to and separated from the fellow-travelers, so are the elite formations of the movement related to and separated from the ordinary members. If the fellow traveler still appears to be a normal inhabitant of the outside world who has adopted the totalitarian creed as one may adopt the program of an ordinary party, the ordinary member of the Nazi or Bolshevik movement still belongs, in many respects, to the surrounding world: his professional and social relationships are not yet absolutely determined by his party membership, although he may realize–as distinguished from the mere sympathizer–that in case of conflict between his party allegiance and his private life the former is supposed to be decisive. The member of a militant group, on the other hand, is wholly identified with the movement; he has no profession and no private life independent of it. Just as the sympathizers constitute a protective wall around the members of the movement and represent the outside world to them, so the ordinary membership surrounds the militant groups and represents the normal outside world to them. . . .
“A definite advantage of this structure is that it blunts the impact of one of the basic totalitarian tenets–that the world is divided into two gigantic hostile camps, one of which is the movement, and that the movement can and must fight the whole world–a claim which prepares the way for the indiscriminate aggressiveness of totalitarian regimes in power. Through a carefully graduated, hierarchy of militancy in which each rank is the higher level’s image of the nontotalitarian world because it is less militant and its members less totally organized, the shock of the terrifying and monstrous totalitarian dichotomy is vitiated and never full realized; this type of organization prevents its members ever being directed confronted with the outside world, whose hostility remains for them a mere ideological assumption. They are so well protected against the reality of the nontotalitarian world that they constantly underestimate the tremendous risks of totalitarian politics. . . . ” (pg. 366-68).
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Interesting that you would mention Arendt- a few years ago, the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard, published an opinion piece about public pensions. The viewpoint lined up with the view of the Koch-funded State Budget Solutions and John Arnold. I contacted the Center to question what I saw as odd. The Center doubled down on its view.
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I wonder if Arnold money paid for the report.
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At the time, Soros’s son was on the Center’s board which I couldn’t figure out, in light of the Center’s viewpoint. When I checked recently, he was no longer listed.
Sometimes, I presume, intellectual exercises get doubled down on for reasons like pride, friendships, etc. It would have provided evidence of empathy, if the Center had observed the issue as employees without Social Security who were making less than $19,000 after decades of work, in the lower paid public sector…if they could have seen it as the 99% against the oligarchy…if they could have seen it as a contract that labor made which should be honored,…but, they stuck with the SBS tact, it took money from other services, even though it was less than 3% of state budgets and corporate welfare was a far greater drain.
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Linda, send me the name of the publication and I will check with friends at Bard.
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Linda Arendt’s book is RIFE with narrative that resonates with what’s going on today in the US. That’s the material point? What you say (relating Arendt to Koch’s views) is certainly interesting but, in my view, doesn’t relate much, if at all, to that narrative. Arendt claimed not to be a theorist. However, the work is general enough to be applicable in any similar situation–aka: today.
I do know this: reading Arendt’s text draws up distinctions and nuances that most (as far as I can tell) don’t take into account in analyzing our current situation. I think many tend to apply our own brand of political and moral complacency, born of centuries of living in relative peace and stability, and in an absence of history (e.g., of fascist movements) or historical consciousness, and so don’t recognize the similarities in the fascist’s march to fulfill their own totalitarian ambitions.
In one sense, Arendt’s book is a playbook for fascism. In another, however, it shows its long-term and nuanced methods, AND its weaknesses, weaknesses that exist at every juncture along the road to fascism’s historical growth and “mature” manifestation in otherwise sane and authentic cultures. CBK
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The anti-pensions articles on the Hannah Arendt website were written by Roger Berkowitz, the academic director of the HA Center.
I don’t know who funded them, but they do echo the far-right. All those welfare queens who devoted their life to public service expecting a lifetime pension!
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Yes, Roger wrote the position. Then, doubled down. My follow-up responses that made the argument against the Center’s view, appeared at the site and then, didn’t.
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Catherine,
Separating Arendt’s namesake Center from the content of Arendt’s writings could be a worthy exercise. But, it has a parallel to, being beaten by a man of the cloth while having him tell you that God is love.
If those who have studied Arendt as their life’s work and are acknowledged expert enough to head the memorial to her and they employ their interpretation of her words to justify what John Arnold and the Koch’s are doing (and those same Center people broker no opposition) wouldn’t my time be better spent studying someone else’s work?
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Linda No–not in my estimation from having read the book. But fortu. nately, in this country, we can still read what we want.CBK
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Linda Post-script to my last note to you, in answer to your note where you said” “. . . wouldn’t my time be better spent studying someone else’s work?”
I have not read all of Arendt’s work. There may be some things I would not recommend.
My note, however, was about “The Origins of Totalitarianism.” In that work, Arendt explores and explains fascism, its generation, its motivations, its powers, its methods, its aims, its horrors, and its weaknesses.
Many people in our own “culture” have revealed of late an egregious ignorance of history, and specifically of their and our own political history. Arendt’s work in this book is a potential curative and corrective for those in power (or not) who don’t understand what’s happening to us via fascist forces in this and other countries–as we speak. CBK
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Catherine,
I appreciate your response. Top staff at the Arendt Center are expert in all of her works. The Center cites similar arguments to those made by Koch/Arnold, a position that undermines the livelihoods of millions of powerless public servants. (IMO, the Koch/Arnold goal is to enrich 0.1% hedge funders by privatizing retirement savings. Matt Taibbi described the attack on pensions as creating the playbook for elimination of Social Security which will impoverish a large segment of Americans.)
I could read Arendt and then conclude that the powerful forces in the U.S. today, like the Koch’s, are champions for the 99% and that, deleting contrary opinion reflected her philosophy.
But, I think I will go with resisting the Koch’s and their agenda promoters instead.
If there are flaws in the portrayal of Arendt’s words, by Center management, it is incumbent on the Board, whose positions demand responsibility for authenticity to her memory, to correct them. In 5 years, they haven’t .
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Linda From what I understand about Arendt, and from what you say about the group, it makes me wonder about the considered targets of the infiltration process, the wolfs in sheep’s clothing and chicken-houses of authentic culture. I don’t adhere to conspiracy theories, however; unless of course they are born out and prove to be true. Diligence, however, is a key idea in Arendt’s work–at least what I have read of it. I appreciate your response. CBK
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“An Open Letter to the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College…it was a mistake to invite a German far right politician to your conference….” The letter published Oct. 23, 2017, was signed by almost 60 professors from around the world.
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Linda Complicit? or did they think they would change his mind, do you think. CBK
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Posted at https://www.opednews.com/Quicklink/Should-Republican-Billiona-in-Best_Web_OpEds-Diane-Ravitch_Education_Republican-Sabotage-180808-754.html#comment710148
with this comment which has links in the above address.
THE EDUCATIONAL INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX OWNS THE MEDIA” they are not going to tell our peoplehow they are destroying our democracy –even as they demolish the only road to income equality! Schools fail when the professionals are removed.
The war on teachers began 2 decades ago, and the media sold the public oaths e ‘bad teacher,’ even as they were thrown out with no recourse to their civil rights.
By replacing competetent professionals with trained civil servants, the charlatans who run the show into the ground, are ending democracy, which depends on shared knowledge!
BTW…
The Ravitch blog is a treasure. Everyone should read at least follow her posts.The posts are to articles by educators across America. It is where I get the latest on the war on Public Education, that began with an assault on teachers, that took out tens of thousands of our most experienced, dedicated professional practitioners..i.e teachers. Also, here at OEN, see my many series which follow the devastation of our public schools, as the INSTITUTION OF PUBLIC EDUCATION is decimated by the ‘reformers’ who sell privatization (I.e charter schools and vouchers)a s ‘choice.’
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Here’s the list of DFER endorsed candidates, aka–wolves in sheep’s clothing, highlighted by the lead wolf, Cory Booker. If one of these persons is running in your state, do not donate to their campaign if you value public education…
https://dferlist.org/page/candidates
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DFER’s candidate for California State Superintendent of Public Instruction is Marshall Tuck. He has also been endorsed by the California Republican Party.
The California Republican party has also endorsed Marshall Tuck.
The California Democratic party, at its convention, gave Tuck 5% of its votes. The rest of the votes went to a real Democrat, Tony Thurmond, who is a legislator and former social worker. Marshall Tuck, former investment banker, ran Green Dot charter schools and the Mayor’s charter district.
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Should any kind of billionaires pick any kind of candidates?
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http://dferdinos.com
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Whoever made this wonderful graphic should know that the political arm of any organization is not the 501c3, but the 501c4.
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true…although Education Reform Now claims it is a 501c3…
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ERN is the political arm of DFER
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this helps…from Jon Pelto: “DFER is the political action committee front for the corporate education reform movement’s Education Reform Now, Inc. (ERN), a 501(c)(3) and Education Reform Now Advocacy, Inc. (ERNA), a 501(c)(4).”
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exactly right!
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It is my feeling that controlling as much as a billion dollars makes you large enough to qualify as a competitor for our government rather than a citizen of our government. Electing a billionaire to office is tantamount to electing an official of a foreign government, for the billionaire has outsized power from the money and outsized interest that run counter to many of his constituents.
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Because, in the minds of the media, every “Democrat” is a “liberal” every organization that has “Democrat” in it’s name must be “liberal”… But this just in: not every Democrat IS liberal…. and as the political spectrum as a whole moves ever rightward not every “Centrist” is in the middle either… The DNC’s insistence on supporting “centrists” in the name of “electability” is contributing to this shift to the right and is making it increasingly difficult for truly liberal voters to find a candidate to support.
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As we have also seen here in NY – Papers constantly allow HANY (High Achievement NY) to give their input on everything NY education without interviewing grassroots groups like NYSAPE (who actually represent parents, students, and communities). Mercedes did a great piece on how all these groups are intertwined https://deutsch29.wordpress.com/2014/10/28/high-achievement-ny-common-core-must-work-because-we-dont-want-to-face-arne/
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