Posted on 09/10/2012 1:19:23 PM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney on Monday said Chicago teachers are turning their backs on thousands of students and that President Barack Obama is rooting for the striking educators. Obama's top spokesman said the president has not taken sides but is urging both the teachers and the city to settle quickly.
Chicago's mayor, Obama ally Rahm Emanuel, called Romney's statement "lip service"...
.....Romney released a statement that promised to "side with the parents and students depending on public schools to give them the skills to succeed." He said he was "disappointed" with Chicago teachers, who walked off the job in Chicago's first schools strike in 25 years.
...Jay Carney said Obama was monitoring the situation in his hometown but was not itching to take on a role in the dispute.
"We hope that both sides are able to come together to settle this quickly and in the best interests of Chicago's students," Carney told reporters.
The move by 26,000 teachers and support staff affected almost 400,000 students. It was the latest flashpoint in the public debate over public employee unions that have roiled politics in Ohio, Wisconsin and beyond.
Obama political aides in Chicago criticized Romney for seeking advantage and pointed to Romney's repeated campaign statements that class sizes do not impact students' education.
"Playing political games with local disputes won't help educate our kids, nor will fewer teachers," campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt said.
Emanuel, Obama's former White House chief of staff who is on the opposite side of the city's teachers in negotiations, was more direct in dismissing Romney.
"While I appreciate his lip service, what really counts is what we are doing here," he told reporters. "I don't give two hoots about national comments scoring political points or trying to embarrass — or whatever — the president."....
(Excerpt) Read more at newsday.com ...
I am calling a B.S. alert. This is a major set-up. They are going to get it set up and then have Obozo come in and save the day.
In Chicago that has to be a major improvement in their education.
Part of me agrees with you.
If I were Mitt, I would sit this one out and not get involved.
I can’t see an upside on this strike for Urkel. It seems to be made to order for Romney/Ryan to clean up on this UNION stoppage eg. teachers highest paid, ... great benefits ,... 16% raise, and ..students math and reading scores in toilet.
Good for Romney in saying this. Especially given the teachers salaries. I think Rahm’s and Carney’s responded partly because they had to. I don’t think that Mitt was not going to say anything.
I told my Mother months ago that this is a set up for Obama to come in at the last minute as the grand negotiator and that the media will slobber all over him about what a great caring person he is and how he will do anything for the children. He will probably even give a speech about how he has to suspend his campaign so he can negotiate a deal to get the children back to school.
“Never let a crisis go to waste.”
Democrat War on Children.
Maybe Obammy can get Holder’s people to stop shooting people while he’s out there solving his party’s greedy and unaccountable teachers’ union problems.
Also, maybe Odumdum should pay attention to the US intellegence meetings he’s missing and let the Mayor deal with labor disputes.
Soon SuperObama will come to save the day! Little kids will go back to school.
This is a terrific opportunity for Romney.
Draw together, compare, contrast and explain how rat cities and states are going down. Wisconsin v. Illinois. North Dakota v. CA, Detroit v. Houston . . . show that where Chicago and Illinois are going is where Hussein will take the nation.
No, because he can only “save the day” by forcing the union to go back to work...and that’s not going to win him any friends among his union buds.
This strike is aimed at their mayor, Rahm Emmanuel, who is now on the outs with Obama (for reasons unknown) and is hated by the Dem lumpenproletariat because he is considered...brace yourselves...too conservative!
I’d be surprised if Bambi “intervened” until all the shouting dies down and they’re going back to work anyway.
Romney is right to point this out.
So Rahm tells Mitt: “C’mon Mitt, we’re pulling off a little scam here. Don’t get serious on us now.”
82,981 of 132,502 Illinois Teachers Pay Nothing or Little into Their Pensions
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2701628/posts
Illinois’ credit rating downgraded after pension reform failure
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2924499/posts
I can't believe that I forgot this. What do you bet he already has the D@MN thing written?
That is what I meant when I said after it is set up. Jesse Jackson did something like this back in Buffalo about 20 years ago with a civil employees union. A friend of mine told me the strike had been settled and JJ swooped in to score some points.
“Mitt Romney: Chicago teachers turning backs on students...In Chicago that has to be a major improvement in their education.”
Aww, someone gets it. The only thing more abusive (as a parent) than not sending your kids to public school, is actually sending them to public school.
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