NEA Endorses Kerry for President

AP ^ | July 5, 2004 | BEN FELLER

[Brilliant]

WASHINGTON - The National Education Association, the nation's largest union, endorsed Democrat John Kerry for president Monday, the final touch in its campaign to drive up school spending and reshape the biggest education law in decades.

The NEA, a 2.7-million member group composed mainly of teachers, is out to advance its agenda on everything from testing students to halting private-school vouchers. The union is mobilizing its money and forces for Kerry — targeting political staff in 15 swing states, going into schools to rally its members, and joining liberal groups to organize a massive night of political house parties.

Kerry, who is scheduled to speak to the 9,000 delegates at the NEA convention on Tuesday, was endorsed by 86.5 percent of them. The Massachusetts senator offers many teacher-friendly promises the union likes, but he also advances ideas the NEA has long opposed, such as paying bonuses to teachers based on student test scores.

Although a quarter of NEA members identify themselves with the Republican Party, the union has never endorsed a Republican for president and typically spends $9 out of every $10 it raises on Democrats. Its relationship with the Bush administration has been particularly prickly since his education secretary, Rod Paige, jokingly referred to the union as a "terrorist organization" and annoyed members with how he apologized for the remark.

[Brilliant]

No surprise that they endorsed Kerry. Our education system stinks. By the time Kerry and the NEA get done with it, we might as well simply abolish public education altogether.

[myself6]

Im SHOCKED! SHOCKED, I tell ya...

[Izzy Dunne]

we might as well simply abolish public education altogether.

All in favor, say "AYE!"

[buffyt]

Great, our educators are all STUPID!

BTW there are some conservative teachers in Lake Jackson Texas where I live.... they have to keep their mouths shut about it!

[Paul Atreides]

Thanks. The suspense was killing me.

[AmericanMade1776]

I think there is some misinformation in this article, the NEA is not a "union", it is a professional teachers association. Secondly, the NEA has to have a seperate entity, such as NEA PAC to endores Candidates. I am not sure why NEA is said to be the endorsers of John Kerry. It should be the NEA PAC Endores John Kerry.

[Young Werther]

I was substitute teaching in April and May and I saw NEA posters in the teachers lounges which called for all to get on bored the Kerry Absess.. or sumphin like dat.

BTW if life begins at conception.....What's Fn's excuse?

[xrp]

For someone whose name is Brilliant, you sure don't know how to use the search function!

[SunnySide]

"Great, our educators are all STUPID!
BTW there are some conservative teachers in Lake Jackson Texas where I live.... they have to keep their mouths shut about it!"

You're right and it is scary how republicans have been intimidated into silence. Something very wrong with that.

[walford]

The Power Grab of the NEA

...Transformed to militancy during the 1960s, Dr. Moo explains that the NEA has become a “hydra-headed… D.C.-based organization” that aspires to control a singular nationwide education system. In the NEA’s vision, local school districts’ directives should be circumvented, parental values should be undermined, and a good education for children should take a back seat to political power. The NEA’s Executive Secretary Sam Lambert said in 1967:

“NEA will become a political power second to no other special interest group… NEA will organize this profession from top to bottom into logical operational units that can move swiftly and effectively with power unmatched by any other organized group in the nation.”

[mombonn]

NEA would endorse Saddam if he was available.

[Russ]

I dealt with them for 12 years as a school board member, board president and member of our negotiating team. There isn't anything "professional" about them. They act like a union, they talk like a union and they smell like a union. Therefore, I have to conclude that they are a union.

[Renegade]

I'm from NJ .Teaching 35 years . I constantly break liberal balls with all the anti -Kerry stuff I can find . My door is a shrine to the terror attacks of 9/11 with NEVER FORGET emblasoned on it .I also am the only teacher in the building with an NRA sticker on the window of the door . I call it equal time representation for all the liberal bull$shit they try to stuff down our throats . BIG possibility W could take NJ this time .Keep the faith ..

[Kackikat]

Aye

[wingman1]

Only if he is a Democrat.

[mrs tiggywinkle]

Well this comes as a complete surprise to me. Yep. right. uh uh.

[AmericanMade1776]

Russ....

In the early 1970's , I was teacher , and somehow drafted into serving as a delegate to state and national teacher association Convention meetings, and the one thing I learned, is that due to the way the NEA and the local Teacher associations guidelines are written, is that they can not endorse Candidates, technically. So what they have formed are Pac's , Such as NEA PAC, which is capable of endorsing candidates. I am not sure , that the NEA is actually capable of endorsing candidates. They are composed of the same people, but they have different functions. NEA is techically suppose to be a Teachers Professional Organization, Not a Union.

[SunnySide]

" I'm from NJ .Teaching 35 years . I constantly break liberal balls with all the anti -Kerry stuff I can find . My door is a shrine to the terror attacks of 9/11 with NEVER FORGET emblasoned on it .I also am the only teacher in the building with an NRA sticker on the window of the door . I call it equal time representation for all the liberal bull$shit they try to stuff down our throats . BIG possibility W could take NJ this time .Keep the faith .."


I applaud your integrity! Good for you! My prayers are with you and yours. I am a christian and PROUD OF IT!
Never allow the secularists/athiests/socialists brow beat you into submission.

[lightman]

This is dog bites man.

"NEA endorses A REPUBLICAN" would be man bites dog.

United Church of Christ = Democratic party at prayer.
NEA = Democratic party at school

[wingman1]

I'm going to take the liberty to change your statement just slightly. It would have read better if you had said, "I also am the only teacher in the building WHO HAS A PAIR."

Thanks for standing up.

[MamaB]

Aye!

[Cicero]

The NEA does this not only because most of their members are liberals, but because they want more money and more power, and Kerry will give it to them. Even the AP admits this.

[LiteKeeper]

INTREP

[Sister_T]

Wow! Really?! I'm stunned!

NOT!

[longtermmemmory]

Did they just copy the press release and add the last paragraph for show?

This is important for FL, where the teachers union is the dominant force of the Democrat Party.

[The_Reader_David]

Union or professional society makes no difference in this case, the NEA exists to defend the monopoly guild interests of the graduates of schools and departments of education, a group granted a monopoly on teaching in public schools and in some states any schools by the supine legislatures of the several state (solidly Republican states like Kansas where I reside being no excpetion--indeed the only exceptions I am aware of are, paradoxically liberal New England state where old-money private schools have enough clout to insist on being allowed to hire teacher with real degrees in real majors), a group morover consisting overwhelmingly of people who chose the college or university major because it was the easiest one, where they could take 3-credits in using AV equipment, weren't forced to learn to write well, take any serious mathematics or science, or really learn much of anything to get a Bachelor's degree. (I see the wretched students in my classes when I teach lower division mathematics courses, and with a few shining exceptions they are terrible almost to the point of being uneducable at the university level.)

[Dan from Michigan]

WTF has Johnny done for education?

The NEA sucks.

[dfwgator]

And in a related story, water is wet!

[The Great RJ]

I'm saddened...deeply saddened..a real shock </sarcasm

[Antoninus]

Sun rises in east. Michael Moore still fat.

[Biblebelter]

It was my understanding that it was the NEA members who were delegates to the Democratic Convention that were leading the boos of the Boys Scouts.

[beavus]

Aye!!!

Why would anyone who is interested in education want to preserve public schools anyway. They don't make any sense and they are totally unnecessary.

[No Surrender No Retreat]

More money to dumb down the students and keep in lock-step with the communist manifesto.

[Libloather]

...the union has never endorsed a Republican for president and typically spends $9 out of every $10 it raises on Democrats.

Breaking news...

[Howlin]

Wow, this is shocking!

[Brilliant]

Why is the NEA allowed to endorse anyone for President? They are a nonprofit.

[Libloather]

Why is the NEA allowed to endorse anyone for President? They are a nonprofit.

Good question. Kinda like the Postal Service endorsing someone...

[leprechaun9]

The NEA - the NATIONAL EXTORTION ASSOCIATION - and trial lawyers, PERFECT TOGETHER!

[Carolinamom]

Mark Levin's Legal Foundation has a case pending against the NEA about its status....NEA reports ZERO for political donations it makes on the forms its submits to justify its non-profit status....when it should be paying TAXES on that money.

As a former teacher, I refused to join this union the last few years I taught because of its tactics, philosophy, and directions.

[arliet51]

Your understanding and use of "nuance" screams that you are very liberal. Our school system is a failure. I think most involved support it because they would fail themselves in private industry. Shameful.

[Mojave Mark]

I'm a teacher who proudly displays a picture of Bush by the flag. Hey, he's the president! What can they say???

[Carolinamom]

Good for you!

[Republican Wildcat]

Teachers! Leave the NEA! There is an alternative to getting legal liability insurance! Your dues will not be spent on political campaigns!

Association of American Educators

[AmericanMade1776]

NEA, National Education Association picks a candidate to represent them, not the students. What NEA forgot, is that there are many many more students with Parents who vote, than their own Association. And We, the parents of public education students in America, pay your bills and we are holding you accountable for what you do, and we will do it at the voting booth.