Thompson: Blaming Arne Duncan For Scott Walker

I have been slow in realizing that the Obama Administration has been distancing itself from the anti-Walker campaign.

But then again I was also slow in realizing that Arne Duncan was willing to attack the hard-earned right of teachers.  By coercing teachers to give back negotiated rights such as seniority, and incentivizing the mass dismissal of educators through SIG, Duncan helped open a Pandora's Box which, predictably, led to the assaults on collective bargaining in the swing states of Wisconsin, Ohio, and Florida.  As far I am concerned, Duncan provided aid and comfort to the Scott Walkers, John Kasichs, and Rick Scotts, and their attacks on unions as much or more so than Michelle Rhee, whom a recent Mother Jones story notes was recruited to help in Wisconsin (Walker Aide Wanted Union Foe Michelle Rhee to Counter Teacher Protests, Email Shows).

In our gut, teachers may be just as angry at Duncan as we are at the Republicans who took his corporate-style "reforms" and ran with them.  In our brains, teachers in those states should know that it makes no sense to stay home in November.  I hope the Obama administration's failure to come to our aid in Wisconsin is not the last straw.  If Walker wins, however, the Obama re-election campaign runs the risk of a rebellion by the rank and file, with Duncan as the lightning rod.- JT (@drjohnthompson) image via.     

Comments

[Michael]

Many of us are already way beyond the last straw. The President I vote for won't have Arne Duncan as Secretary of Education and that may not be enough.

[Sarah]

I think my question is, are there any teachers left that really support either candidate? I wonder if that’s enough of the public sector to impact elections come fall...

[Patrick]

There are so many last straws, but this one served as my final final last:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/27/education/duncan-and-rhee-on-panel-amid-dc-schools-inquiry.html?pagewanted=all

(And what will we do now that Michael Winerup has finished his education gig?)

In March, our San Francisco superintendent and Board of Ed voted to by-pass seniority in lay offs with some bogus argument about newbie teachers in "hard to staff schools" being so much more capable of teaching at risk students. In the end, that abrogation of our contract got shut down by an administrative law judge, but not before Michelle Rhee had tweeted her congratulations to the sup and the board for all the world to see.

This happened in San Francisco. Blue as the Pacific San Francisco!

At the question and answer portion of an education conference held by our union that same month, I told Nancy Pelosi's education staffer to kiss my presidential vote, and my formerly large contributions to national Dems, goodbye. First time in my voting life that I will not vote for president. My union brothers and sisters seemed at bit shocked by my rage, but no one contradicted me.

My brain tells me there is not a speck of difference between Obama and Romney when it comes to education.