NY Times' Sam Dillon Misses the Mark

Obama was hiding at the hotel during the AFT convention in Chicago pretending to be out of town but George Schmidt had proof he was there. I'll leave it to Susan to take down Dillon and the Times:

http://susanohanian.org/show_nclb_atrocities.php?id=3995

Teachers' Union Shuns Obama Aides at Convention

Ohanian Comment: This reporter is wrong. Presidential Candidate Obama did not address the AFT conventioneers in Chicago two years ago in person. Although he was in Chicago the night before, he avoided addressing the conventioneers in person, just as he'd avoided NEA convention goers, choosing to appear via video. And although he promised Higher standards; More money for NCLB; Merit pay (“teachers…who consistently excel in the classroom”); and although he asserted that "You teachers", not parent income, is the single most important factor in determining a child's achievement, he received a standing ovation.

I would point out that, seated in the second row, I remained seated.

One can only wonder what "change" NEA president Dennis Van Roekel could possibly have been hoping for. Since his Senatorial days, Obama's education platform, fashioned by the Center for American Progress, has always been aligned with that of the Business Roundtable.

All that said, this is a disgusting article. Look at who Dillon calls on for "expertise" in union matters: Chester Finn and the head of the New Teacher Project.

Typically, about 30 percent of TNTP’s annual revenue comes from the support of leading philanthropies, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Arnold Family Foundation, the Joyce Foundation, theCarnegie Corporation of New York, and the Charles & Helen Schwab Foundation.

Chair of the Board of Directors of TNTP is Kati Haycock of Education Trust. Other members include: John D. Arnold (Arnold Family Foundation), Chris Bierly (Bain & Co.), Christopher Cross (Cross & Joftis, whose clients include Gates & Broad & Walton Family Foundations), Daniel Keating, Wendy Kopp (teach for America), Julie Mikuta (New School Venture Fund), Dr. C. Kent McGuire (Temple University), John Simpson (Stupski Foundation), Dr. Uri Treisman (University of Texas, Austin)