Posted on 09/10/2012 10:41:31 AM PDT by mandaladon
For the first time in nearly three decades, Chicago public school teachers went on strike this morning. At first glance, you might be tempted to think that what happens in Chicago has little to no effect on the politics of Washington and the presidential race. But, you’d be wrong. There are several reasons to believe that what happens in Chicago could have a real — and negative — impact on President Obama and the broader race for the White House this fall. We list the three biggest reasons below.
* It’s Chicago: Yes, we know that President Obama has no role — either way — in the strike. But, that the strike is happening in Chicago, the town where President Obama made his political name doesn’t help him. And that the current Chicago mayor, Rahm Emanuel, was Obama’s first presidential chief of staff isn’t much help either. Remember that Republicans are doing everything they can to link Obama to Chicago and Chicago-style politics — thinking that it will turn off independents in the middle of the country. That the teachers strike will be at (or close to) the top of every evening news show until it ends allows Republicans a daily news peg to remind people that Obama is from the Windy City.
* Labor, distracted: Organized labor has experienced a series of major setbacks over the past few years — from losing a Democratic primary challenge to Sen. Blanche Lincoln (Ark.)
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
What? The strike in Chicago is Romney’s fault.
Chicago Mayor’s Kids’ School Remains Open
The school attended by Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel’s children remains open, even though public school teachers are striking in Chicago resulting in school closures across the city.
“Mayor Rahm Emanuel has decided to send his three children to the University of Chicago Lab Schools rather than put them in the financially strapped Chicago Public Schools he’s trying desperately to reform,” the Chicago Sun-Times reported last year.
A phone call to the Lab Schools confirmed that it remains open. It is, after all, a private institution—and strikes are taking place in public schools.
The director’s office, however, was not yet able immediately to confirm whether Emanuel’s three children were in attendance today. (UPDATE: The school called back to say it wouldn’t comment.) Emanuel’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/chicago-mayors-kids-school-remains-open_652113.html
All one has to do is look at the online images of these striking teachers and the reasons for the poor state of American education becomes obvious. Most of these losers wouldn’t last one week in a position where they were held accountable for ANYTHING.
If Obama were to have a “Sister Soljah moment” by publicly denouncing the union’s demands, then it perversely could HELP him. Sure, he’d lose some union goon support/ turnout. But he’d get major props from impressionable swing voters. JMO.
Limbaugh’s take is that this is all a setup so that Obama can ride in on a white horse and appear to be the problem solver.
Rush suspects this is a set-up with Emmanuel and the teachers’ union so that BO will come riding to the rescue and fix the strike “for the children.” Great PR that would show he cares and can solve all our problems, a typical Democrat ploy.
In the contract on the table, the average teacher is getting a $16000 raise (in spite of IL being broke), so it can’t be a pay dispute.
I think Rush nailed it today.
This is a setup for Obama to come in and save the day. Lib media will spend days peeing their pants over how wonderful he is.
Rush is right with these things about 95 percent of the time. Given that Rhamfish, teachers in general, and unions are in the tank of Zero, it makes perfect sense.
Maybe, finally, we will hang public education on the left’s neck as an albatross.
The left has been running public education in this country for 50 years. They built the current system; they benefit by keeping the system just as it is.
And yet, we let them get away with talking about how they care about public education and how THEY are the ones to trust.
THEY aren’t going to change a thing. THEY built it; THEY created the problems; and THEY aren’t going to change a ****** thing.
This from the Washington ComPost? As Rush would say, “A random act of journalism!”
financially strapped?
please.
The problem is that all of the money goes to benefits and pensions that were over promised.
The average teacher in Chicago makes $75,000. per year income (before benefits are added in), and are the highest paid teachers in the nation. They are confronting the most recently elected Democratic official despite being offered a 16% salary increase.
NPR states that the strike is for: air-conditioning , computers, pencils, etc.
So this being regarded by the Libtards as “ For The Children” , and not as a union power struggle. Rite ... /s
It is actually being blamed on Bush. What I am hearing here ( live in Chicago) is that it is Bush’s “unfunded mandates” (NCLB) that are forcing the cuts that won’t allow teachers to live above the poverty line.
Yes, that’s right. The highest paid teachers in the nation. What they are using is a number of 1st year teachers, saying they make below the poverty line in wages, and that layoffs and overcrowding are a result of republicans.
Watch now, the strike will go on for 10 days or thereabouts, and Obama will ride in and have a “beer summit” of sorts, and work it all out, proving his credentials, and propping him up as the great centrist. The media will lap it up, and it will be broadcast all over how he was the greatest negotiator since Kissinger.
It’s all a set up. Rope-a-dope. Us few conservatives in Chicagoland can smell it a mile away.
Reports say the strike is not about salary,but health benefits? Don’t they know Obama are is now the law of the land?
If it hurts Obama, I’m all for it...
Go Chicago teachers.. You are getting ripped off. Keep striking. Fight the man. Workers unite... Don’t give in!
I disagree. This was most likely planned so that Obama can intervene near the end of October with successful negotiations and BE THE HERO WHO SAVED THE KIDS!!!!
“Limbaugh’s take is that this is all a setup so that Obama can ride in on a white horse and appear to be the problem solver.”
Yup, this is exactly what I wrote last night. Watch for it. It will happen!
$16,000? or $1,600?
Lee’sGhost~” Rush is right with these things about 95 percent of the time. Given that Rhamfish, teachers in general, and unions are in the tank of Zero, it makes perfect sense.”
Yup . Rush is right again.
And Zero needs Illinois.
With all respect to those who think this is a setup for Obama to save the day, I just don’t think this will happen. Obama cannot negotiate his way out of a paper bag, even if he is negotiating with friends.
The man is a disaster to all he touches. It is quite possible he will try to be the white knight and save the children, only to make it all worse.
They just don't care about those children!
GeronL~ “$16,000? or $1,600?”
On the table ,prior to the strike being initiated is a 16 % increase of salary ,over 4 years of the contract.
The rest is just political theatre .
That kind of talent certainly deserves a big raise.
They rejected a 16% raise??
Who offered that in this economy?
The taxpayers should riot.
http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/09/10/what-are-key-issues-in-chicago-public-school-strike/
The Chicago Teachers’ Union is the face of American labor.
Nice!
They should get a 16% pay cut in this economy
I could only find one black face in the photo on Drudge. Don't they have diversity in their hiring of teachers? I wonder what the racial and gender break-down is on the employed teachers. The Dems are always so big on minority hiring, it would be interesting to know how diverse this really group is.
I don’t think so.
If it doesn’t get solved in the coming week it will be nothing but a negative for Obama. It really is a damned if you do/don’t situation for him and I’m betting he’s not too pleased this has come up right now.
The unions got Rahm and Barry over the barrel (even though they may like the position)and no union is going to back down when they have an opportunity to not only strengthen their position now but strengthen their position for the future.
They will not let what happened in WI happen to them...they’ll want to show how the big boys do it.
If I’m completely wrong and Obama comes in on his white horse to save the day it will be so obvious politically even to the dumbest among this country that it was staged.
And here I thought that the three year contracts of 0-0-3 percent that were offered us by NY State were generous. Having worked in uniform in Corrections for 25 years, it ticked me off that the union always went for more money and benefits. My argument was to push for safer working conditions, which over the years had deteriorated greatly. What's the sense of making more money, and having more benefits, if you weren't alive to enjoy them.
Don't be silly - it's George Bush's fault.
That reply can only come from a person (thing) who cannot be anything but a gov-mint thug teacher!
Why the Chicago teacher’s strike is bad news for President Obama
___________________________________________
Its not...
Willard opened his big ugly mouth again and made it all about him instead...
The heats off Obama before it even got warm...
Obama will remain silent while the strike goes on for a few days. Obama will be “forced” to “help.” Obama will speak, the unions will bend with a “little less than they wanted.” The problem will be solved and a HUGE savings to the Illinois state budget will be reported as a sign of how effective these negotiations were.
Then the DNC and the media will start reporting how effective collective bargaining can be. We don't need the draconian state legislation enacted like in Wisconsin and Indiana. The unions are “helping” the states and the kids.
Obama looks like a savior. Rahm is praised by the unions and Obama. And the sheeple are led to believe there is some alternative to renegotiating ridiculous government employee union contracts.
The sheeple of Chicago laud their progressive city and are none the wiser about the foolery that is hammered upon them. I'm reminded of that old commercial back in the 90s....the young entrepreneurs are so excited with one kid running in circles cheering “IPO,...IPO,...IPO,....”
There are no republicans with any influence of significance that could possibly effect Education in Illinois. And there hasn't been in my lifetime.
anyhow, the bam can make a few statements, and the union can back down, and accept the pay raise, and everybody will swoon that he took on his union base, and mittens will still look like a mean ole big money union breaker that hates the lil guy, and his kids...
the rest of the 'R' talking heads will be trippin over their own johnsons making stupid statements...
Don’t underestimate the dumbness of the dumbest.
The trick is to get the progressives mad at Obama, make him take a stand and go after him from both ends.
Given Rs track record its hard to argue with you.
Obama would likely call for another teachers union stimulus and they will swoon over him and Romney will step in it. Or some dumb Republican candidate will say “We need to shutdown all public schools” then the fingerpointing and apologizing continues with another circular firing squad.
I think Rush overestimates the ability of Obama and the Democrats.
CNN seemed to indicate this morning that the real issue is the annual performance evlautions, which, if implemented, could cost 6,000 teachers, who are performing poorly, to lose their jobs.
The horror.
I don't know if it's a setup, but I'll bet the "white horse" idea has crossed Obama's perverted mind.
“What? The strike in Chicago is Romney’s fault.”
I’m thinking it was Bush using the CIA and the Mossad to cover for a secret inside-9/11 thingy using alien ships piloted by Bigfoot.
Meanwhile, Bigfoot is controlling Obama’s brainwaves, keeping him from helping, from one of Calypso Louie’s mile-wide spaceships, all at the direction of RR.
They’ve also been scrambling Debbie WassupWithHerHairMan Schmooz so she can’t remember what lie she told yesterday.
It’s all part of TheMasterPlan(tm).
If a white horse has crossed his mind, it’s probably the one from Revelation 6:2.
It might actually be good news for Rahm in 2016. Might win some moderate fans if he can get concessions from the teachers.
$75k/year up bennies so 21% of 8th graders can read (per Drudge) “See the dog. See the dog run...”. Where do I sign up for this gig? I’d be willing to dodge bullets for that dough for what, seven month work per year.
Labor is not going to lose this “fight” in Chicago unless the hard-working suckers who actually pay taxes in that city finally stand up and march against the thugs who are stealing their money.
I really want to know how the city conjures up all this extra money to pay the teachers? Chicago is already bankrupt.
Just looking towards the future.
Why doesn’t Michelle Obama step in and solve the crisis? She’s spent the last three years ranting and raving about school children not getting healthy-enough lunches, yet the many poor children of Chicago who qualify for free school lunches will not be getting ANY lunches during the strike.
Surely, a lecture from Mrs. Obama about the harm the strike is doing to the favorite objects of the Democrats’ bleeding-heart outpourings — ‘’the children’’ — would save the day.
Yeah I was aware you were posting in sarcasm.
;)
We all know that Obama does only wonderful and great things.
In the minds of his lemmings, that is.
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