tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33431390.post1869688037005899094..comments2024-03-26T11:07:03.496-04:00Comments on Ed Notes Online: Why UFT Elections Are a Sideshow to a Bigger Struggle in the Schoolsed notes onlinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15018047869059226777noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33431390.post-12903703453592093872015-11-16T12:30:54.613-05:002015-11-16T12:30:54.613-05:00Norm,
I've only been peripherally active in M...Norm,<br /><br />I've only been peripherally active in MORE since I moved to Yonkers and hesitate as both a retiree and Yonkersite (Yonkersian?) to do more than say again that I think your analysis is spot-on.<br /><br />I was involved in NYC and NYS government and politics for twenty years before I became a teacher. Two things always happen in an election: each side, but particularly the challenger, tries to develop a narrative or story that explains 'plausibly' the road to victory and each side begins to pick and chose from among the omens that confirm the narrative. In real-world politics, those omens include supposed word-of-mouth, the number of lawn signs counted or the size of crowds. In union politics, they include favorable Tweets or FB postings or number of leaflets distributed.<br /><br />I don't say this to mock MORE or anyone else because the behavior is part of human nature and happens in every campaign. But there are always many more people who urge on the campaign than who are willing to do the arduous door-knocking in the real world or the chapter organizing in the teacher union world.<br /><br />I hope that Jia and the rest of the slate 'win' by whatever definition of 'win' we use. I also ask people to be realistic about how rarely insurgent campaigns 'win' in the first, or even third, election. Without a tangible electoral base or 'ground game' election campaigns can just as easily deplete resources and demoralize people as restore and energize them.<br /><br />I offer these as 'realistic' reflections from experience and not as bleats of 'defeatism.' <br />Go Jia and go MORE-NAC! Just go intelligently.<br /><br />Best,<br /><br />HarrisHarris L.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33431390.post-60117868129815990142015-11-16T09:57:49.272-05:002015-11-16T09:57:49.272-05:00MORE already has FB, Twittter etc and the budget w...MORE already has FB, Twittter etc and the budget will be bigger than before. But as we've said before -- if you cannot get into the schools ads in the NY Times mean little. Unity doesn't have to do ads in the TImes - they have their people in the schools plus control over communications. I believe in quick growth like Chicago had -- but their growth came from winning the schools. Better criticism is why MORE is not going to every one of those 95 schools in danger of being closed and organizing. CORE would have been on those cases - ed notes onlinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15018047869059226777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33431390.post-41740509995421612892015-11-16T09:49:44.835-05:002015-11-16T09:49:44.835-05:00You and I have had this discussion since the day J...You and I have had this discussion since the day James ran for president. I warned without a good financed public relations campaign targeting the politically moderates on the elementary level would win you the election. You get them, you get their retiree friends as well. You are still calling for a slow growth, but the politics is against us. We have seen collectivize bargaining rights, tenure and pensions slaughtered in other states. We know Cuomo's intentions. <br /><br />MORE has to spend first to get their name out (run an ad in the NYTimes, local papers). Get a better FB page and snappy blogsite. Start getting out on Twitter. Aim the issues that effect classroom teachers since we are the ones that will get the votes out. And spend money to do it. Start fundraisers online!! But first be true to the issues of all teachers in the trenches. Social issues are important too, but teachers need to know we can have strong leadership again. <br /><br /> Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com