Ed Notes Online: POTUS16

Showing posts with label POTUS16. Show all posts

Thursday, April 28, 2016

POTUS16: New Politics - The Sanders Campaign and the Left - Part 2

Senator Bernie Sanders’ run for the Democratic Party nomination for president has certainly energized thousands. It has also rekindled an old debate on the American left that revolves around the question: Should the left join, endorse, support, or work for campaigns in the Democratic Party?... New Politics, The Sanders Campaign and the Left

This is part 2 of my series on POTUS16. (Part 1: POTUS16: On Elections and Political Parties - Part 1).

Can the Democratic Party be taken over by progressive forces or is there a need for a new party? You might term this "The Case Against Bernie."

Sanders remains proud of his opposition to the Patriot Act—still supported by Clinton—which authorized mass surveillance by the National Security Agency. So why didn’t he point out the hypocrisy of a Cabinet member not trusting the government with her personal emails but feeling perfectly fine about the most intimate private data of the rest of us being subject to a vast and secret system of government spying?²³

This piece written in October 2015 which is pretty predictive of what has happened to Bernie from New Politics, The Sanders Campaign and the Left. There is so much meat in this piece which delves into history of Bernie like movements in the Democratic Party and how they end up strengthening the 2 party system.

Most people see the left as monolithic. It is far from that and I will be exploring some of the forces on the left when I have time after the UFT elections. Some people suggested MORE endorse Bernie to win over the Bernie people in the elections. Reading this article might provide some insights as to pushback from some of the left to out and out Bernie support.

NOTE: Publishing this does not mean I agree with all aspects but a lot of it does make sense. I do not classify myself as an anti-capitalist socialist but as a left wing social democrat who wants strict controls on capitalism - which is where I think Bernie comes from. This piece comes from the anti-capitalist left. I've highlighted some of the points that strike me. Of interest to us is the relationship of labor unions to the Democratic party - especially the way Randi has embedded our union in the party.

The article does not seem to take into account the Bernie fundraising which has gone beyond Hillary's. Is there a future way forward around Citizen's United? Or is it more likely to dissapate as Hillary throws him a few bones for the platform until he fades into the night?

The Sanders Campaign and the Left
http://newpol.org/print/content/sanders-campaign-and-left

Winter 2016 Vol:XV-4 Whole #: 60

POTUS16: On Elections and Political Parties - Part 1

I want to do a series of posts exploring where we might be going with the Bernie and Trump movements vis a vis the current 2 party Republican and Democratic Parties which have both drifted way right of where they were - like Hillary and Obama are to the right of Nixon.

The so-called "left" actually has a lot of wings - and at times I feel I have touched base with all of them - just within MORE I've seen a wide range of the left - or to use a broader more inclusive term - "progressives." I think a dividing line is whether one is anti-capitalist or reform capitalism drastically left - the latter is where Bernie Sanders seems to be coming from. The social democrats which is where I put myself.

The idea of a viable party of the left with deep roots might have some legs given the post-election landscape. I posted about this sort of Occupy/Bernie follow-up in Chicago: It Won't Be Over Even if Hillary is Nominee.

It is one thing to become a sort of lobby group. Some people might imagine using the super fund raising ability of Bernie people to fuel such left wing lobby group, which I think is a dead end.

What is needed is a political party of sorts though I can't imagine what that might look like at this point.

Meanwhile there is a war of sorts between our allies over whether to vote for Hillary or not, with even some of our allies seeing Trump as a better alternative to her - especially from teachers outraged by the neo-liberal assault on education and the role Randi and Hillary have played in it - check some of the comments on this blog and I even met at least a few people at the NPE of all places who said they would vote Trump over Hillary. Their thinking was that Hillary will be more of the same while a Trump victory would discredit the neo-liberal, war hawk wing of the Democratic Party - and Randi too and he would be so outrageous that would either move the Democrats to the left or lead to a split in the party and maybe even a split in the Republican Party too.

I am meeting too many people who say Bernie is their first choice and Trump their 2nd. Something is resonating.

I will explore the possibilities based on either outcome in follow-ups.

There are 3 options out there for Bernie people.
Vote for Hillary
Vote 3rd Party
and I know this will drive people crazy - vote for Trump -

Arthur Goldstein at NYC Educator will not vote for Hillary or Trump: Hillary's Haters
Mr. Talk returns to blogging with his reasons why we must vote for Hillary:

Accountable Talk

As Bernie's Ship Sinks, Please Don't Pull the Rest of Us Down With You

Mr. Talk argues against Arthur's 3rd party vote even in Blue states because he feels Hillary need to be elected with a mandate. Like Obama in 2012? That did a lot of good. I think given Hillary's neo-liberalism a mandate for her would justify those policies and any educator who has seen the assault of neo-liberalism must take that into account. If you have doubts about Hillary my follow-ups will include proof that Hillary in substance is a middle of the road Republican.

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

"A Black Agenda Radio commentary by Glen Ford

What media call "philanthropy" for the public schools are actually seed monies to establish a private "market" in publicly-financed education - an enterprise worth trillions if successfully penetrated by corporate America. Cory Booker, one of the "New Black Leaders" financed by the filthy rich, is key to creating a "nationwide corporate-managed schools network paid for by public funds but run by private managers.

"Ed Reformers" want to cash in on public education and to control its content and outcome, not improve it. Provide great education? Baby boomers had as close as this country has ever gotten to it when we were growing up. The Ed Reform Movement has no interest in seeing such a well-educated, democratically astute population ever again.

http://blackagendareport.com/content/cory-booker-clear-and-present-threat-public-education

History of the UFT Pre-Weingarten Years

This award-winning series of articles by Jack Schierenbeck originally appeared in the New York Teacher in 1996 and 1997.

Naturally, from a certain point of view. But, despite certain biases, Schierenbeck, a great guy, was one of the best NY Teacher reporters so this is worth reading. Jack suffered a debilitating stroke many years ago (I used to get secret donations to ed notes from him through a 3rd source.)

This chapter looks interesting:

Class struggles: The UFT story, part 3

“The schism in the union over radical politics [is] a major reason for stalling the growth of a teacher union for decades.” Revolutionary politics and ideology take center stage, as the original Teachers Union becomes a battlefield, pitting leftist against leftist and splitting the union.

Clarence Taylor's "Reds at the Blackboard" focused on the old Teachers Union which disbanded in 1964 after suffering from anti-left attacks.

Of course for another view, check out the review at New Politics of the Kahlenberg Bio on Shanker by Vera Pavone and me: Albert Shanker: Ruthless Neocon

Effective Union Organizing

A video series put together by Jason Mann from the British Columbia Federation of Teachers about social media and how to use it for effective union organizing.

The first series was called New Media For Union Activists Roadmap and it's still available on-line at:
http://www.newmediabootcamp.ca/welcome/
I watched some of them and need to rewatch as they are loaded with information.

The second series started last week and it's called "Online Campaigning for Union Activists"

You can sign up for this free series at :
http://act.bcfed.ca/online-campaigning-for-union-activists/

You Don't Have A Choice - Join the Revolt

Ex-Harlem Success Teacher Comments on Eva the Diva

Ex-HSA Teacher has left a new comment on your post "Fear and Loathing at Evil's Harlem Success Empire ...":

I am a former Harlem Success teacher. Not many people who work/worked for her like her very much. I once made the comment that she is very nice when I first was hired. Two of her closest colleague responded immediately almost in unison, "Eve is not nice!" Over time I realized that there was a lot of political games going on. Another colleague once said to me that he was tired of "being part of a political campaign." Sending out 15,000 applications for only 400 seats in a school is reprehensible. The money that paid for those mass mailings could have paid the yearly salary of another teacher not to mention the heartache of all those parents who applied but did not get a spot. She does good work trying to give disadvantaged students a quality public school education but at a great cost to staff AND the school's educational budget! school budget.

Davis Guggenheim Compared to Riefenstahl

“Waiting for Superman" is the second most intellectually dishonest piece of documentary work I have seen. It is surpassed only by Leni Riefenstahl's "Triumph of the Will," the pro-Hitler propaganda classic, in that regard. Uses personal narratives of adorable children to create narrative suspense that overrides public policy discussion with pure emotion in unscrupulous attack on teachers and their unions, among others

Timothy Tyson
Professor of African American Studies and History
Duke University

How Teaching Experience Makes a Difference

Even as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Michelle Rhee and others around the nation are arguing for experienced teachers to be laid off regardless of seniority, every single study shows teaching experience matters. In fact, the only two observable factors that have been found consistently to lead to higher student achievement are class size and teacher experience, so that it’s ironic that these same individuals are trying to undermine both.
- Leonie Haimson on Parents Across America web site

Full article with charts here.

Weingarten/Gates Foundation announce drone-driven teacher evaluation

According to a press release issued by the Gates Foundation, the AFT and the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, these three have entered a ground-breaking partnership to evaluate teachers utilizing the drone technology that has revolutionized warfare in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. A bird-size device floats up to 400 feet above a classroom and instantly beams live video of teachers in action to agents at desks at Teacher Quality Inspection Stations established by the AFT and the Thomas B. Fordham Institute.

When asked if the drones were authorized to drop bombs on teachers who exhibit inadequacy, Chester E. Finn, Jr., president of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, replied, "Don't be ridiculous. Gates money puts other methods at our disposal."

Randi Weingarten, president of the 1.5-million-member American Federation of Teachers said the powerful union has signed on to the drone project...

More at Substance

The Real Reason Behind Push for Standardized Tests: It's All About the Adults

On standardized testing in our schools

A must read article about the standardized test industry.
Written by an insider who has worked as a test scorer, the article outlines a multinational industry based on an army of temporary workers paid by the piece at $0.30 to $0.70 per test, translated in the need to grade 40 tests per hour to make a $12 salary. The article goes on to show how the companies gauge the grading "results" based on the need to ensure new contracts to continue profiting off of our youth. The original article is from Monthly Review. Here it is on Schools Matter blog.

http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2010/12/on-growing-use-of-corporate-test.html

Parallels between America today and Germany in the 1920's and early 30's

"Resentment and obstruction are all the right wing in America have to peddle. Their policies are utterly discredited. Their ideology - even by its own standards - is a sham. They are so bereft of leaders, their de facto leader is a former drug addicted, thrice-divorced radio talk show host. That is literally the best they can muster. But they have built a national franchise inciting the downwardly mobile to blame the government, not the right, for their problems, exactly as Hitler did in the 1920s."

The US Is Facing a Weimar Moment

Published on Sunday, March 15, 2009 by CommonDreams.org

Chicago View of Unity/UFT on Charters

After many meetings and debates, the Chicago delegation succeeded in working with the New York United Federation of Teachers, Local 2 (UFT) to push the AFT to take stronger stands on charter school accountability and school closings — though many delegates from Chicago would have liked the language to have been even stronger.

Generally speaking, the New York delegation represented organizing charters as the best model for handling their role in reshaping unions, despite the fact that according to many reports few charter schools in New York have been organized as is the case in Chicago. This logic is the same touted by the Progressive Caucus of the AFT. The few that have been organized are a part of the UFT local though they have separate contracts negotiated with the help of UFT. The Chicago delegation reflection the mindset that allowing new charters to continue to proliferate while attempting to organize existing charters is an end game in which public schools and the union lose.

Jen Johnson, CTU, Local 1 in Substance

Ed Notes Greatest Hits: HSA Rally and Founding of GEM

SEE MY VIDEO ON HARLEM SUCCESS RALLY 2009:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEp7rg_L5JI

Angel Gonzalez and I attended that rally and used the footage to promote our conference on Mar. 28, 2009, which is where the concept of a group like GEM emerged. Until then we had basically been a committee of ICE working with the NYCORE high stakes testing group. The actions of Eva and crew helped spawn GEM. Mommie Dearest!!

I have more video somewhere. I was hoping to get Leni Riefenstahl to edit it but she died. We would have called it "Triumph of the Hedge Fund Operators."

Ed Notes Extended

Thursday, April 28, 2016