Monday, September 2, 2024

As Panic and Fear of Losing Grows, Will Randi Play the Part of Nancy to Mulgrew's Biden?

As panic and demoralization grows inside the increasingly narrow level of support for Michael Mulgrew's leadership inside the Unity crumbling fortress, how close are we to an evacuation helicopter on the roof of 52 Broadway to take Mulgrew and key supporters to sanctuary in NYSUT or the AFT? 

Mulgrew did the usual desparate act of moving deck chairs with a top level shakeup. Co-staff director Anthony Harmon is already on the way to NYSUT sanctuary - was he pushed or did he get out while the going was good? LeRoy Barr's seeming power was also reduced by the return of the incredibly ineffective Ellie Engler, a known Randi operative who is considered the eyes and ears for Randi inside the UFT. And long-time operative David Hickey has been plugged in as a key advisor. Oh, and I hear Mike Sill is now something or other. 

Word is a number of Unity Chapter Leaders lost their elections, another bad sign for Unity.

Imagine Unity staff seeing the possibility of losing their jobs if the Mulgrew candidacy continues - compare them to the Dem faithful after the June 27th Biden debate disaster? The UFT equivalence was the June 14 RTC vote count and seeing the stunned disbelief on the faces of Unity honchos. 

Randi appeared a few days later at the final RTC meeting under Unity control for at least the next 3 years and said she "heard" us. What she really heard are footsteps coming for Unity control of the UFT in this year's election. And what might a Unity loss and its 700 AFT delegates mean for Randi's control of the AFT? Watch for her helicopter?

Now we know Mulgrew arrogance won't let him leave as Biden arrogance kept him saying he was going to run hell or high water? At that point Nancy Pelosi jumped in and laid things out in a way Biden seemed to understand. It didn't take long after that for Kamala to come into play.

So, in a parallel universe, as internal polls come in showing severe dissatisfaction with Mulgrew, can madame Randi/Nancy pull off a similar swap of Biden/Mulgrew for the UFT in time to save them? Some think Mulgrew would be a candidate to replace Randi at the top of the AFT, but given his performance would anyone trust this guy with the national teacher movement keys?

In this scenario, there is a fly in the ointment: Finding a Kamala to replace Mulgrew. Not all that much in the Unity coffers, though I know of a few. 

So until Randi can find her Kamela, Unity will continue to flounder, with a helpless Randi left dangling. And the election clock starts clicking this week. 


2 comments:

Fred Arcoleo said...

I want to see the helicopter!

Anonymous said...

The problem really isn’t Mulgrew or Randi (though, they are white heads on top of the pimple) - it’s the Unity Party’s slavish adherence to obscenely undemocratic practices to maintain their control over the wants and needs of those they purport to represent. Everything they do is done to hold on to their power, and all that comes with it. If they do anything for anyone other than themselves- it’s only in the singular pursuit of that goal or simply an unintended accident.