Posted on 02/26/2011 7:47:17 PM PST by bronxville
[...]On the most obvious level, teachers unions are taking a pounding because Republicans have gained power in recent state elections, and the GOP has a strong partisan interest in undermining public-employee unions, which provide troops and treasure to the Democratic Party. In Wisconsin, Walker's campaign to restrict the collective bargaining rights of teachers and other groups to the issue of wages is transparently partisan. Exempt from his plan are two unions that supported him politically: those representing police and firefighters.
But Walker's argument - that greedy teachers are putting their own interests over the interests of the public - resonates because in recent years, many Democrats have made that argument as well.
Exhibit A is former D.C. schools chancellor Michelle Rhee. Under Democratic mayor Adrian Fenty, she repeatedly clashed with the Washington Teachers' Union, which she said put the interests of adults over those of children. "Cooperation, collaboration, and consensus-building are way overrated," Rhee said at the Aspen Institute's education summit in 2008. She told journalist John Merrow it is imperative that teachers-union bargaining rights exclude issues such as devising a fair teacher-evaluation system. ad_icon
Since resigning as chancellor last year, Rhee has launched a new organization, StudentsFirst, with the express goal of raising $1 billion to counter teachers unions. Her approach remains confrontational. In a profound sense, Democrats like Michelle Rhee have paved the way for Scott Walker.
But Rhee couldn't have done it alone. Then-candidate Barack Obama endorsed Rhee in a 2008 debate as a "wonderful new superintendent" and later applauded the firing of every single unionized teacher at Central Falls High School in Rhode Island. (The teachers were later rehired.)[...]
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
- Michelle Rhee - "But Rhee couldn't have done it alone. Then-candidate Barack Obama endorsed Rhee in a 2008 debate as a "wonderful new superintendent" and later applauded the firing of every single unionized teacher at Central Falls High School in Rhode Island." Oopsie!
“Today, Obama has appropriately labeled Walker’s proposal an “assault on unions.” And to its credit, the U.S. Education Department recently held a conference in Denver highlighting progressive agreements between unions and management in cities such as Baltimore and New Haven, Conn. But overall, one official told me, teachers unions feel unfairly criticized by the president.”
I guess they wanted him to put on his walking shoes and picket like he promised...heh
Public Employee Unions. Not Unions. Different animal. Private sector unions do not kick back graft to the Companies.
The idea that police and firefighter unions supported him politically is nonsense.
I started to read this article, but stopped thinking as it’s the WaPo it’s going to be Leftist BS.
I suppose it’s all Michelle Rhee’s fault for everything happening now due her exemplary work in D.C.
The Left has to be able to pick on somebody, so why not Michelle eh.
Where did I confuse the two? Thanks.
I'm pretty sure he never said that.
It’s the lefties fighting among each other with Obama as the target. I found it amusing to see them eat their own especially the “chosen one”.
Agree but this guy from the WaPo has a bone to pick with anyone who isn’t pro-union - don’t know why he’s picking on Obama though...
I just read her article in Newsweak at the Dr. office the other day.
http://www.newsweek.com/2010/12/06/why-michelle-rhee-isn-t-done-with-school-reform.html
You have to remember she’s a liberal through and through, but she does seem to know what it takes to clean up failing schools.
“But Rhee couldn’t have done it alone. Then-candidate Barack Obama endorsed Rhee in a 2008 debate as a “wonderful new superintendent” and later applauded the firing of every single unionized teacher at Central Falls High School in Rhode Island.”
The key - [Candidate] Obama applauding the firing of every single unionized teacher...:)
Thanks digger. I’ve bookmarked it. I was more interested in Obama’s statement when he was a candidate rather than Rhee though I do think it took balls to fire the teachers. I wonder what they did to piss her off?
If it’s true, I’m not sure what Obama’s motivation was...
Leni
It sure wasn't 'cause she saw unions as a problem....she even contradicts herself in the article.
Go to any public-school-board meeting in the country and you’ll rarely hear the words “children,” “students,” or “kids” uttered. Instead, the focus remains on what jobs, contracts, and departments are getting which cuts, additions, or changes. The rationale for the decisions mostly rests on which grown-ups will be affected, instead of what will benefit or harm children.
The teachers’ unions get the blame for much of this. Elected officials, parents, and administrators implore them to “embrace change” and “accept reform.” But I don’t think the unions can or should change. The purpose of the teachers’ union is to protect the privileges, priorities, and pay of their members. And they’re doing a great job of that.
“The movie includes no acknowledgment that the things teachers want for themselves - more resources devoted to education, smaller class sizes, policies that allow them to keep order in the classroom - are also good for kids.”
In order to help people here with dissecting media bias, please re-read the above sentence (from the article), and see if you can find the bias.
I shall return in 15 minutes and post the answer.
““The movie includes no acknowledgment that the things teachers want for themselves - more resources devoted to education, smaller class sizes, policies that allow them to keep order in the classroom - are also good for kids.””
No takers. Note the word “the” near the beginning. A more appropriate word would be “some of the”, as the teachers also want a lot of crap that is HARMFUL to students, like tenure, and protecting the losers among them, etc.
does anyone get that teachers can’t get the math? don’t they pay taxes too and realize we can’t keep this up?
If Rahm were smart, he’d hire Rhee to take over the Chicago Pulbic Schools
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