The 2019 Socialism Conference, sponsored by American leftist juggernauts the DSA, Jacobin magazine, and ISO’s Haymarket Books, features regime-change activists from multiple US government-funded NGOs - The Grayzone

Now that the ISO has disbanded, its veterans can reach into the rapidly growing ideologically diffuse world of Democratic Socialists of America, using platforms like Socialism 2019 to infect DSA’s youthful core with the imperial politics of regime change – but always “from the left,” and always “from below.”   ....The Grayzone

There were estimates that 300 former ISOers were at the socialist conference in Chicago. Here's an article that raises important issues about sectors of the left and how some organized groups operate. Note this excerpt which has relevance to events that occurred in MORE since the leaders of the split came from ISO, Solidarity and people they recruited from the Democratic Socialists.

This March, the ISO voted to dissolve — in a decision some former members joked was the most democratic act ever undertaken by the organization, which had been dominated by an unelected leadership of veteran Trotskyite activists.
The dissolution was prompted by evidence that the ISO’s steering committee mishandled sexual assault allegations. It also came as the ISO’s membership was shrinking and rapidly being absorbed by a newly burgeoning anti-communist organization, the Democratic Socialists of America, or DSA.
Now that the ISO has dissolved, some of its past prominent members have entered the ranks of the DSA, burrowing from within to inject their anti-anti-imperialist politics into the group.
Because Trotskyites are so sectarian and notoriously incapable of holding together organizations, they are infamous for infiltrating larger, more popular groups and trying to take them over, in a tactic known as entryism.
This is precisely the strategy being used by former members of the ISO — and by another tiny US Trotskyite organization, Solidarity, which was led by anti-Nicaragua regime-change activist and Socialism Conference speaker Dan La Botz, now a leader in DSA.
Democratic Socialists of America is the largest self-described socialist organization in the United States, with more than 60,000 card-carrying members. It is also very heterogeneous, with many internal contradictions and conflicting political views.

I joined DSA and have some hopes they can be a counter force to the Democratic Party machine as I've been reporting. But I don't want to end up in another MORE-like situation where there is a group that is meeting privately out of sight plotting.

The 2019 Socialism Conference, sponsored by American leftist juggernauts the DSA, Jacobin magazine, and ISO’s Haymarket Books, features regime-change activists from multiple US government-funded NGOs.

By Ben Norton and Max Blumenthal

https://thegrayzone.com/2019/07/06/dsa-jacobin-iso-socialism-conference-us-funded-regime-change/?fbclid=IwAR1Zzjwdi5BuokPD1y3l3N0Jc2wxKS4T-IL97_atR81S0IgW_zBpFM2gPmE

  

Socialism is now apparently brought to you by the US State Department.

From July 4 to 7, thousands of left-wing activists from across the United States are gathering in Chicago for the 2019 Socialism Conference.

At this event, some of the most powerful institutions on the American socialist — but avowedly anti-communist — left have brought together a motley crew of regime-change activists to demonize Official Enemies of Washington.

NYState Opt Out Leader Jeanette Deuterman Castigates Mulgrew and UFT - and NYSUT Leaders for "Unforgiveable Betrayal"

Our hope was that Andy Pallotta would in fact come to realize that not supporting a student protection opt out bill would be a PR nightmare and he would instead lead with his moral compass rather than what he was told to do, regardless of the consequences from UFT. We had been conversing with NYSUT’s VP, who assured us on several occasions that NYSUT was is full support of the bill and NYSUT’s “lobbyists have been lobbying in support of this bill”. ... Jeanette Deuterman

NYSUT has made a big showy campaign of “Correct the Tests!”, and collecting testing horror stories. Yet, when the opportunity arose that would eliminate the source of many of those stories and protect children in EVERY corner of NYS, they instead chose to sabotage our kids... Jeanette Deuterman

Watch what they (UFT/NYSUT/AFT) do, not what they say -- an aging but still wise sage
 
I told Jeanette at the Skinny Awards dinner that I found it hard to believe Andy Pallotta would ever go against the Unity Caucus machine. And so it was. Ultimately they side with the enemy - Cuomo, state ed dept, DOE. Fact is high stakes testing has been used against teachers so often and also entire schools. The ATR pool is an outcome.

Jeanette Deuterman on the fate of Robert Jackson’s opt out bill. The UFT's support of high stakes testing and undermining of opt out smacks of their being in bed with the deformers as opt-out has been the major weapon forcing changes.

An Unforgivable Betrayal

6 years. 6 years I, we, have been working alongside teachers and union leaders to try to make a difference for NYS children caught in the middle of politics, greed, and power struggles. Every year, I personally spend the two months leading up to the tests reading through hundreds of horror stories sent to me by desperate parents trying to do what should be a simple action: opt out of state assessments. For some of us, opting out is as simple as receiving notification by our school districts that we have this right, filling out a simple form, turning it in, and protecting our children from multiple hours and weeks of meaningless testing. For many parents, this process begins with schools telling them they in fact do not have this right. They are told if they opt out they will be held back, will fail, won’t get into middle school, high school, or even college. They are threatened with CPS and calls to immigration. During testing their opt out children are harassed, reprimanded and bullied by administrators trying to set an example. They are excluded from pizza parties, candy gifts, and school carnivals. The adults in these situations completely lose their moral compass, and the children become the targets. It is sad and unconscionable. And more importantly, completely preventable.

This year we had a breakthrough that could have ended these grueling months of horror stories and interventions. We had a Senator willing to step up, and we had a bill. This was the bill we had dreamed about. One that would make it illegal to treat kids in this manner. This bill didn’t address the larger challenge of over-testing, the chronic problems with the curriculum, or the eroding data privacy. But IT WOULD HAVE PROTECTED CHILDREN. So simple, yet so profound.

Months ago began the hard work of drafting the bill, finding just the right sponsors, and getting the word out that this was the bill that hundreds of thousands of parents wanted our elected officials to pass. Senator Jackson and his team worked tirelessly to get this right. NYSAPE put out an action alert calling on parents and teachers to send letters to legislators telling them to support the bill and sign on. As momentum was growing, the political games began.

Let me be clear. I’m rank and file all the way. I’m the daughter of a NYSUT unionist and the sister of two more. I have made lifelong friends with local union leaders and members across the state. NYSUT members make up half of my organization and sit on my steering committees. It is because of these teachers that the absolute duplicity of their union makes me speak so loudly against it right now. They deserve a union that represents them and their children. They deserve one that will operate with democratic transparency. We all deserve that.

It’s no secret that I am not a Michael Mulgrew fan. I have witnessed the complete and utter lack of democracy that is the current teacher’s union. The union is run by voting. The majority wins. But what looks democratic on the surface hides the ugly truth. The UFT (city caucus run by Mulgrew) has the votes to control the union. The RA (where voting takes place) is held in places that many members of smaller locals can not afford to get to or are willing to travel to. The UFT delegates ALWAYS show up. There are caucuses within the UFT, such as MORE, desperately trying to make a difference and change the leadership, but even that is a battle that may never be won. I attended an RA once, to witness first hand the block voting, noise signals, and complete domination by the UFT/Mulgrew. It was heartbreaking. My only face to face meeting with Mulgrew ended with him refusing to back down on keeping testing as the major piece of the evaluation system because he believed, taking it out of the hands of administrators, even if it placed it on the backs of kids, was preferable. I had heard very early on with this student protection bill that Mulgrew, who very publicly, and very often, has spoken out against opting out, would not allow this bill to pass. 

Our hope was that Andy Pallotta would in fact come to realize that not supporting a student protection opt out bill would be a PR nightmare and he would instead lead with his moral compass rather than what he was told to do, regardless of the consequences from UFT. We had been conversing with NYSUT’s VP, who assured us on several occasions that NYSUT was is full support of the bill and NYSUT’s “lobbyists have been lobbying in support of this bill”. For what it is worth, I absolutely believe she PERSONALLY was behind us and this bill. But as we know, that makes no difference in the larger picture of roles within the organization. This “support” was contrary to what we were hearing from legislators. In fact, they weren’t hearing ANYTHING from NYSUT about the bill, and most believed NYSUT was NOT supporting the bill. We kept asking, and asking for this support in writing FOR MONTHS. Not once were we told that support was contingent on an amendment. Funny thing is, the bill sponsors, who would be the ones to make changes and amendments, weren’t told that either. This wasn’t the first time either. A few years ago we worked with Todd Kaminsky on reversing some of the most damaging aspects of the Education Transformation Act. Those bills were also killed, mostly in part because NYSUT made it clear to legislators that they would not support. Mulgrew’s insistence on keeping testing in the evaluation matrix was again the reasoning.

The night before the last day of session this week we had a miracle. The Senate passed the bill, and we heard word that the Governor would sign if it passed the Assembly. The kids in NY were about to have their win! Here’s the way it works at the end of session - if bills make it to the last day and are ready for a floor vote, they can pass. If a person or organization wants to kill a bill, but they don’t want to take the fall for killing it, they propose amendments on the last day. It happens ALL THE TIME. And that’s exactly what happened here. NYSUT realized this thing could pass. This is the only part I will guess at - Mulgrew must have made some calls to the Assembly and NYSUT, throwing his weight around. What we know for a fact: Suddenly Benedetto, who had to be the one to bring it to a floor vote, indicated he would ONLY do so if NYSUT put their verbal support in writing. This is cowardly and a huge red flag of just how little the voices of constituents matter. Benedetto should lose his Assembly seat for that. NYSUT now had a problem. They had been called out as the last remaining factor for months and years of work that culminated in this bill getting passed. I’ll admit, the amendment was a genius idea. The language of the amendment protected schools against a threat that the Regents already eliminated when they removed the Title I funding ties to participation in our NYS ESSA plan. It wasn’t an amendment that made sense, as there is currently no law or regulation at the state or federal level that puts Title I money in jeopardy, nor does NYS have ANY jurisdiction over federal Title I money, but man that sounds plausible!! And it makes them look like they’re the only ones who thought enough about children in poverty!! Win win! Best yet, it can’t be done because it’s too late AND it’s not based in any current law or regulation issue!! And added plus is that everyday parents and teachers don’t know enough about ESSA and Title I to challenge them. I have already seen local members believe the justification of killing this exceptional and desperately needed law, defending the action.

NYSUT has made a big showy campaign of “Correct the Tests!”, and collecting testing horror stories. Yet, when the opportunity arose that would eliminate the source of many of those stories and protect children in EVERY corner of NYS, they instead chose to sabotage our kids. This is unforgivable. I will personally be sending Andy Pallotta, Jolene DiBrango, and Michael Mulgrew each and every heartbreaking story that comes to my inbox, so they can see first hand what they have supported and encouraged by killing this bill. I encourage all of you to do the same. The stories are listed on the Long Island Opt Out and NYSAPE websites. Pick a few out and send them along. Maybe it will have an impact, maybe it won’t.

Rank and file will still be my friends, my colleagues, and my family. Perhaps we can still make important changes in spite of the obstacles that NYSUT leadership places in our way. Onward.


https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RIRo6XnnhbyX-jNi2-v8cVrZuhK64oApvwKxScpAqmk/mobilebasic

Jill Lepore Argues for American Patriotism - Why?

The definition of the nation, and its relation to the state, can be pictured as a circle, with “thick” versions of identity on one side and “thin” versions on the other. On the side of thick identity are found both illiberal nationalism and illiberal multiculturalism or identity politics, which in different ways privilege descent-based communities above a common cultural or civic identity shared by citizens of a democracy. On the thin side of the circle are found both liberal nationalism, which is nonracist, and “civic patriotism,” or what the German philosopher Jürgen Habermas calls “constitutional patriotism,” which is nonnational. In “This America,” Lepore defends a version of civic patriotism against the three alternatives: illiberal nationalism, identity politics and liberal nationalism.....
nationalism .... eats liberalism.... Purging American identity of nationalism and refounding it on a purified liberalism is her purpose.

Traditionally I have not been a nationalist, feeling that nationalism has been so destructive. But what is the alternative? A worldwide state? A World Federation like in Star Trek where earth has united to battle Klingons?

A thought experiment: If aliens were coming to invade - say we detected them two years away, what would happen? A united earth or every nation for itself -- Trump could make a deal to save the white people.

I'm generally a fan of Jill Lapore and have her recent opus on American history, "These Truths", still unread but on the list. She is center left which is probably where I am at politically. I'm not sure what to make of her latest collection which is reviewed below but there are some interesting points made about the illiberalism on both the left and right. I know that the hard left is anti-liberal - mocks liberals as often as the right does. This point in the review is interesting because some of us who have experienced the direct impact of groups focused on identity politics like MORE have come to similar conclusions. A possible path to power in the UFT has been tossed away by the same type of politics Lapore describes - see recent UFT election.

Lepore’s critique of illiberal identity politics is so brief it is easily overlooked. Of the left she writes: “A politics of identity replaced a politics of nationality. In the end, they weren’t very different from each other.” Lepore was less circumspect in a Rolling Stone interview about her previous book “These Truths”: “And so you have this conservative ‘we are colorblind’ American history, and then you have this very lefty history that can’t find a source of inspiration in the nation’s past and therefore can’t really plot a path forward to power.”

I think I myself have moved away from hard left toward liberalism but always am teetering. These are big ideas but also local - we can apply some of the same discussions to the Democratic Party - ie, the Caban/Katz Queens DA struggle, or struggles inside the UFT where the leadership comes from both a liberal and illiberal tradition.

History with all its angles of interpretation is important in order to understand the present and see into the future - but always there is context which is often left out. That is why it is important to get together with others on some regular basis to talk things over, which a bunch of us are doing this week.

Nonfiction

Jill Lepore Argues for American Patriotism

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/28/books/review/jill-lepore-this-america.html

Krugman - Democrats aren’t radical, but Republicans are

In moving to the left on taxes and spending, then, Democrats are actually moving toward voters’ preferences, not away from them. Yes, Republicans will try to demonize their proposals, but they would do that in any case. Remember, they called Barack Obama, with his incrementalist policies and willingness to consider Medicare cuts, a socialist, too. In fact, the best argument against “Medicare for All” skeptics like me, who worry how voters will react to proposals to eliminate private insurance, is that Republicans will scream about a government takeover of health care — and Fox News viewers will believe them — whatever you do.... Paul Krugman

Some very interesting insights here especially considering where Krugman on the Dems moving left.

The Moochers of Middle America

The Democrats aren’t radical, but Republicans are.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/01/opinion/2020-democrats-taxes.html?rref=collection%2Fbyline%2Fpaul-krugman&action=click&contentCollection=undefined&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=collection

Queens DA Race - Katz leads by 20, many ballots tossed, recount coming

Mr. Goldfeder said he intended to challenge the decision to invalidate all but 487 of the 2,816 affidavit ballots cast. Election officials said they had determined that the ballots, used when a voter’s name is not listed at the polling place, were invalid or had been cast by ineligible voters... Mr. Goldfeder said he intended to challenge the decision to invalidate all but 487 of the 2,816 affidavit ballots cast. Election officials said they had determined that the ballots, used when a voter’s name is not listed at the polling place, were invalid or had been cast by ineligible voters.

The primary race was cast as a battle between the traditional power bases in Queens and the progressive forces that propelled Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to her primary victory in New York last year. Ms. Katz had the backing of unions and local political leaders, while Ms. Cabán received support from prominent members of Congress, including Ms. Ocasio-Cortez.

Ms. Katz is ahead by 20 votes, 34,898 to 34,878, according to lawyers representing her. Jerry H. Goldfeder, a veteran election lawyer representing Ms. Cabán, agreed that Ms. Katz was now ahead by 20 votes..... NY Times

There is joy at the NY Post but some skeptism over this change of affairs when few thought the absentee ballots could close an 1100 vote lead. There were ballots tossed - by whom? The Dem party controlled judges? We'll see.

An old pal, Jerry Goldfeder is the best election lawyer there is  -- I was a bit surprised to see him identified as Cabán’s lawyer but a good sign for her. Jerry has had many regular Dems as clients and his willingness to step into the progressive trench if he pulls this out for Cabán might get some blowback. In my previous articles on this race I've painted this as a struggle between the Dem party machine and the Democratic Socialists and other progressive elements. Many people on the left do not think the machine can be broken and they will retain control of the Dem Party, which may lead to some interesting developments - like a serious third party -- and it won't be the Greens from what I can see.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/03/nyregion/katz-caban-recount-queens.html?fbclid=IwAR3TxKHSrRldpwrK8S3GdMDsObzacAsqOopqvSRr83cbCfyLIYH-cg6_ZmY

In Surprise, Katz Pulls Just Ahead of Cabán in Queens District Attorney Primary

Tiffany Cabán’s 1,100-vote lead evaporated after the count of paper ballots, putting Melinda Katz 20 votes ahead in the hotly contested primary.

July 3, 2019

Let's Blame the UFT for Everything

For the past almost 5 decades I've been one of the UFT's biggest critics and they deserve a lot of criticism for what they are and how they operate. My gripes which are somewhat fact and experienced based. But I won't list them at this point. My goal had always been an organizing goal - and if you read the lead at this blog it says: Educate, organize, mobilize - in that order. You can't mobilize or organize if you don't have the knowledge you need. Thus my aim has been to give people information and use that to get them to act. I used to believe that by organizing a group of people who are in a lot of schools we could present a real challenge.

A main area of action - the main area of action - has been organizing opposition caucuses to challenge the UFT leadership on a number of levels. Since the opposition led by MORE has fallen apart in the goal of challenging the leadership on a broad-based basis, I've rethought the point of griping about ever single thing. I mean, what exactly is the point other than to get your rocks off? I've not been interested in getting my rocks off. With no organizing goal we are left with using the internet and social media to broadcast our ideas with no reach into the schools -- to me organizing means giving people info they can read and talking to them about it. With no base it becomes preaching to the ether.

I've also taken a different look at the leadership and rather than slamming them I try to see things through their eyes in an attempt to divine their motivations for their actions. I still put forth the idea that watch what they do, not what they say. Use what they do as a basis of analysis rather than a gut check attack.

My advice for activists in the UFT would be to take your activism elsewhere -- there's plenty to do with many organizations. Thus if you want to fight racism, you are wasting your time doing it in the context of the UFT, especially when the Unity Caucus is so much more diversified than its critics. Try NYCORE or Teachers Unite. Or if you are left enough go join DSA and take on their work on housing or healthcare where you can have a bigger impact. Or go work for one of their progressive candidates. Don't waste your time and energy butting your head up against a wall.

School Scope: The Debates: On Busing, Capitalism, and Socialism

Submitted to The WAVE for publication, July 5, 2019

School Scope:  The Debates: On Busing, Capitalism, and Socialism

By Norm Scott

The initial debates, while shallow in terms of drilling down, touched on a number of essential issues, at times raising more questions than answers. Headlines stressed the Biden/Harris confrontation on race and busing. I remember the contentious battles over busing back in the 60s and 70s and the consequential racial divides. Biden, as he often does, danced and obfuscated a bit by saying he opposed forced busing imposed by the federal government and we should leave it to the local communities. Harris pushed back about local communities run by people who are anti-segregation. We know there is a history of federal involvement in forcing integration in the schools from both parties – you know, when the Republicans were still a rational party – Eisenhower sent troops to Little Rock and Kennedy to Alabama and Mississippi.

I found Harris’ raising the issue, while legitimate, somewhat artificial – especially when those tee-shirts of her as a little girl started appearing the next morning. I would like to have all candidates raise their hands if they support busing as a solution to segregation today. I wonder if Harris would have raised her hand. When Bernie was asked specifically about the issue on Sunday, he gave a rational response that we rarely see from politicians: Is it a good idea to put kids on buses takes them out of their neighborhood for up to an hour ride each way? It is a surface tool that should ideally only be used when absolutely necessary. Real solutions call for housing and economic reforms. By the way, look at the streets on school days and count the buses.

The debate also focused open attacks on Bernie for being a socialist, with loaded questions from the NBC panel  - the right always points to them as liberals but they are as opposed to socialist oriented ideas as is the right. Hickenlooper who apparently sees Bernie’s ideas as a real threat, never missed an opportunity to attack Bernie indirectly by talking about socialism. (The July 1 New Yorker has an article: John Hickenlooper’s War on Socialism.)

 I was disappointed in some of Bernie’s responses which were stock and repetitive, but he did hammer the point that many of our problems are due to outrageous profits on health care. Yes, he said we would raise taxes but at the same time cut the costs of health care which is also a tax of sorts. Get rid of insurance companies and the cost of their profit disappears. He pointed to our high costs compared to universal health care nations with much lower costs (see Germany).

Bernie’s policies align with social democratic parties in capitalist Europe, many of whom have run the governments at times. Not to be confused with Democratic Socialists (DSA) who are closer to traditional anti-capitalist ideologies. DSA is a broad socialist tent and the majority seem to believe that socialism can be achieved by democratic means. But there are also people who do not support liberal democratic norms, like a multi-party system. Confusion around these terms should be cleaned up

Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel Prize winner in economics, a voice representing a vision of left-leaning economic analysis, was often ignored – until the 2008 crash and the crisis it created within capitalism and its structure. He has a new book, People, Power, And Profits which makes a case not for socialism but for progressive capitalism, sort of where Elizabeth Warren is coming from. He argues that we don’t have really free markets, a faux bedrock of capitalism, but an economic system concentrated in the hands of the few who in turn exercise control over the political system, thus leading to an increasing economic gap which has spurred populism on the right and the left. I know revolutionary socialists who believe in overthrowing capitalism who are cheered by this news since they feel it is pretty much what Marx predicted would happen. What he didn’t predict was that the right populists could defeat the left, as it did in Germany under Hitler.

A closing note on free markets. Trump Dept of Ed. appointee Betsy DeVos’s has rolled back Obama-era regulations, intended to protect students against predatory for-profit colleges, which trap students into high debt they can never repay, guaranteed by the federal government which funnels money into their hands. People who ask when Bernie of Warren talk about free college how are we paying for it don’t ask the same question about those tax payer funded profits.

Norm blogs for no profit at ednotesonline.com.

Comment from a parent activist:

A good article on busing by Matthew Delmont. 

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/07/kamala-harris-and-busing-debate/593047/

"Buses had long been used in the South—as well as in New York, Boston, and many other northern cities—to maintain segregation. This form of transportation was not controversial for white parents. Put more starkly, school buses were fine for the majority of white families; busing was not."

Plenty of parents are willing to make their kids travel out of their neighborhood to attend G&T programs.  

 

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A Deeper Dive into The Queens DA Race - A Battle for the Democratic Party

While progressives celebrate the narrow victory of Tiffany Cabán in the Queens DA race, it was a shock and awe moment for the Queens Dem Party machine and allies (yes, to the UFT). But hope springs eternal and they are holding out hope that the absentee ballots will give Katz the victory.

Katz and her supporters remain optimistic that the approximately 3,400 absentee ballots, which remained uncounted as of earlier this week, could still tip the polls in her favor. .... The WAVE, June 28, 2019, www.rockawave.com

The WAVE took no formal position in the race other than "anyone but Tiffany." Yes, I write for a publication that doesn't quite align with me politically but they do give me space.

I'm sure people are sick of my reports on this election:

• Queens DA - Bad News for Katz, Democratic Machine,...
• School Scope: Queens DA, School Discipline Needs ...
• School Scope: The Queens DA Race - The Battle of...

The implications locally and nationally are so deep and complicated. The AOC/DSA/Justice Democrats showed they could pull out more votes for their candidate than the Democratic Party machine plus the UFT (they donated $36,000 to Katz), the real estate interests, etc couldn't  muster the turnout for Katz.

This election mimics the Bernie/Hillary split in the Democratic Party. One candidate,

Deputy Attorney General Mina Malik, told a crowd in Southeast Queens on the Thursday evening before election day that “Bernie Sanders is the reason we have Trump in the White House.”

The articles I quote below have all the elements of this split, including black leaders' support for the regular Democrats and slams at the left.

 Katz, who was running for her sixth elected office in New York in 25 years, had support from former congressman and former Queens County Democratic Party Chair Crowley, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, along with New York Congressional Reps. Gregory Meeks, Tom Suozzi, Carolyn Maloney, and Adriano Espaillat, and a host of local and state unions. Meeks, despite a key vote on Capitol Hill Tuesday, was at Katz’s election night party. Earlier, he slammed Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., for endorsing Cabán without consulting leaders of the machine. The move, he said, was “arrogant” and “patronizing.”

Our own UFT lines up firmly against the left and will do so every time. The number of UFT failures in its endorsement policy continues the trend. In other words, whoever they endorse for president should view it as a kiss of death.

A year ago, the party establishment could claim — whether it was true or not — to have been caught off guard by Ocasio-Cortez. That rationale is absent in Tuesday’s race. The eyes of the country were on Queens, and the machine was as prepared as it could be. It simply couldn’t muscle out the vote... The Intercept

There's a lot packed into this comment -- DSA vs Dem Machine. But also ignores that the number of candidates who were not progressive splintered the vote. If it was Katz against Cabán head to head this would be a different story.

The progressive Intercept has a different take

Tiffany Cabán Stuns Queens Machine, Holds Solid Lead in Race for Queens District Attorney...  progressive groups coalesced around Cabán

Cabán’s apparent victory is a show of force in New York for the local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, which worked hard for Cabán early, as well as for the Working Families Party and Real Justice PAC. Larry Krasner, the Philadelphia district attorney elected with the help of Real Justice on a similarly radical platform, was in attendance at Cabán’s election night party. The most significant endorsement, however, likely came from Bronx and Queens Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. ....The Intercept

The Intercept called this victory more significant in some sense than AOC's defeat of Joe Crowley - who by the way still runs the Queens regular Democratic Party despite the fact that my own Congressman, Greg Meeks is the chair. Meeks is black and all the black elected officials came out for Katz with slams at the left.

I love how publications interpret events from their own point of view. The WAVE, which I write for, took a basic Anyone But Tiffany position and was critical of outsiders coming in to support her. Look at the map of the voting below -- my neighborhood went all blue for Greg Lasak, a retired Supreme Court Justice, who is associated mostly with the old regime. He had 12,377 votes -14.5 percent. While the progressive celebrate, consider that if you combine the Lasak and Katz votes, Tiffany gets swamped. Look at that sea of green for Katz and sea of yellow for Tiffany. Pick a color and you can see the racial divide plus the white progressive in Astoria, Long Island City and Jackson Heights -- their vote pulling efforts were impressive.


There's still the election...

Given that Queens leans heavily Democratic, Cabán is all but assured a general election victory, provided she survives whatever challenges Katz files. That election will take place on November 5, 2019.

But there is still a chance for a conservative/right wing/Reg Democrat alliance. Melinda Katz's ex, right winger Curtis Sliwa who fathered two children with Katz was on Bernie and Sid this morning pointing out that Katz had no chance to win and would probably be given a judgeship, the usual way the graft works, saying all non-progressives, Republican and Democrats, should all gather together and back Lasik against Tiffany in the November election.

Sometimes politics is better than sports.


Both articles below.

Queens DA - Bad News for Katz, Democratic Machine, the UFT (so often wrong), Cuomo, Real Estate Interests, etc.

UPDATE 2:
Hi Norm:
I read what you wrote about Caban beating Katz. You might be interested in these articles:

https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/albany/story/2019/06/26/cabans-likely-win-deals-another-big-blow-to-the-queens-machine-1075762

https://theintercept.com/2019/06/07/queens-new-york-district-attorney-race-melinda-katz/

The UFT gave Katz $36,000.

UPDATE1: Let me add this FB comment from Schoolgal about the UFT, which expresses the attitude of many teachers - at least the ones that follow things closely:

Hey UFT! Why did I get so many calls for a DA race? Do you really think I’m gonna buy a plane ticket to vote....illegally.....in NY? And for a woman who folded to give Bloomberg an illegal 3rd term! Glad to see Cuomo, Randi and Mulgrew with egg on their face! Remember when Bloomberg won by a slight margin the year you didn’t back a Democrat! In fact you didn’t back a Democrat against Pataki. Teachers don’t forget! 

And a big win for the AOC wing of the party and the Democratic Socialists (DSA) who I've been writing about and pointing out their ability to put together a grass roots movement that seems to be able to outflank the regular Democrats when they chose to contest. (See the upcoming primary next year between Elliot Engel and Jamal Bowman -Bronx principal Jamaal Bowman running for Congress - https://www.theroot.com/bronx-ny-principal-wins-nod-from-alexandria-ocasio-co-1835674536.)

That adds up to bad news for Katz — and worse news for the Queens Democratic Organization. It would mean that Ocasio-Cortez was not just a blip localized to one congressional district, but rather, that the organizers on the ground have built a movement that may be capable of consistently challenging the establishment. The 2020 primaries are shaping up to be a wild ride! ((Gothamist)

In yesterday's post for The WAVE on the morning of the primary (School Scope: Queens DA, I predicted that Katz would win, especially since the Dem machine, probably seeing the dismal pre-election polling, convinced (or threatened) Rory Lancman to drop out days before the primary (I heard he was offered borough president but imagine if the progressive wing of the party makes a big push for that - and it probably will). It's still neck and neck with Tiffany Cabán leading by a hair. If Katz hadn't picked up the Lancman votes Tiffany's would be even further ahead.

Who supported Katz? She raised lots of money from real estate interests and the UFT was one of the major contributors.

Now what does this mean? I think that the insurgents from the left have shown they can go neck and neck with the regular Democrats aligned with our own lovely UFT which so often picks the wrong side and will continue to pick wrong sides (it's in their DNA.) They will do so again in the 2020 presidential race. The UFT has always fought off the left both internally and externally. They are lucky that the left in the UFT, unlike in other teacher unions, is so inept.

This is Queens, though a much changed borough of Archie Bunker fame. Ooooh, politics as sport -- I turned off the Yankee game to write this - there's a machine that manages to win.

Shocker in Queens DA Race

By Brigid Bergin

Queens district attorney candidate Tiffany Cabán receives her ballot at her polling place in the Queens borough of New York, Tuesday, June 25, 2019. (AP Photo/Scott Wenig)

Cabán Holds Lead Over Katz On the one-year anniversary of political newcomer Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's defeat of Congressman Joseph Crowley, voters woke up to the news that another first-time candidate may have upended the political world of Queens Democrats — again. My colleague Beth Fertig was at Tiffany Cabán’s election night party where the 31-year-old appeared to win the Democratic nomination for Queens District Attorney in a tight race against five other candidates, including the Queens County Democratic organization's candidate, Borough President Melinda Katz. Based on the unofficial returns, Cabán ended election night ahead by less than 1,100 votes — with 39.57 percent of the tally compared to Katz’s 38.3 percent. The official count of machine votes and emergency ballots begins today and could drag on throughout the weekend. Staff from the city Board of Elections along with representatives from the campaigns will watch as ballots that could not be scanned at polling sites are run through voting machines at the Queens borough office. This process is unlikely to dramatically shift the current tally unless officials find a large stack of unscanned ballots. That leaves more than 3,000 absentee ballots that the City Board of Elections will begin counting on July 3rd. With seven candidates on the ballot, it’s a stretch to imagine that the overwhelming majority would go to one candidate. That adds up to bad news for Katz — and worse news for the Queens Democratic Organization. It would mean that Ocasio-Cortez was not just a blip localized to one congressional district, but rather, that the organizers on the ground have built a movement that may be capable of consistently challenging the establishment. The 2020 primaries are shaping up to be a wild ride! (Gothamist)

School Scope: Queens DA, School Discipline Needs Class Size Reduction

Submitted for June 28, 2019 publication in The WAVE.

School Scope:  Queens DA, School Discipline Needs Class Size Reduction

By Norm Scott

You may have been reading about changes to the NYC school discipline and integration policies spearheaded by Chancellor Carranza and the Mayor and tabloid press has been going wild by emphasizing the excess in these policies. The use of restorative justice (RJ) has many supporters but also many detractors in schools where the administration has allowed discipline to get out of control and is not capable of creating an adequate RJ environment. Often these admins absolve themselves of responsibility and play the “blame the teacher game.” These schools often have very high turnovers of staff. If you want to see a key to admin incompetence check the turnover rates. In the Bloomberg days, principals who had high turnover were praised as bringing in new blood while dumping senior teachers (and their salaries).

The most controversial have been attempts to revise the conditions for entry to the big 3 specialty schools: Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Tech and Bronx Science, the only schools based on one test, the SSHAT. Traditionalists are going wild. As is the Asian community, which dominates all three schools. What is sort of funny is that the equally great school, Townshend Harris in Queens, does not rely on the test but on an amalgam of grades. I don’t believe in the one test policy but am also always suspicious of the De Blasio administration of the schools. I also believe all students benefit from a diversity of schoolmates. That Brooklyn Tech at one time had a high proportion of black students and now has barely none means something. The number of white kids at these schools has also declined but they are viewed as having other options.

Teachers are very familiar with the constant refrain to “differentiate instruction” which means reaching every child at his/her own level, even if class sizes are in the thirties. I’ve been sitting in on a 3020a hearing where they are trying to fire a 17-year tenured teacher on what seems a very flimsy case. A key argument is that she has not differentiated instruction effectively enough – in middle school math classes of 30 students (LOL). And then there are her ratings on Danielson rubrics, which calls for a double LOL. As someone who spent 20 years teaching 4-6 grades, I had to stifle an instinct to LOL at what has been done to the ability to teach.

Restorative justice and differentiation of instruction are ideals I agree with but without addressing a serious reduction in class size, chances for success are minimal. It is expensive to reduce class size, but it is time to bite the bullet and begin the process, at the very least in the earliest grades k-4.

The DA race has national implications

·       Race For Queens DA Tightens As Lancman Quits, Backing Katz

·       Cuomo: AOC-backed candidate could win in Queens if voters don’t show up

·       A looming district attorney election may not bode well for New York City’s second-largest borough.

Just a few headlines about what would usually be an obscure election.  I’m about to head out to vote for Tiffany Cabán for Queens DA because I believe in reforming the criminal justice system. Melinda Katz has also promised reforms but I’m concerned about the sources of the money she raises. Rory Lancman dropped out at the last moment (rumors are he is being offered a chance to take Katz’ place as Queens borough president), Katz should win. But the numbers will tell an interesting tale of the power of the Queens Democratic machine and its allies vs. the newly activated people by the Democratic Socialists (DSA).

NY Times headline: A Race for Queens D.A., but Ocasio-Cortez, Warren and Sanders Loom

A few excerpts: “The Democratic primary may show whether a progressive vision for criminal justice resonates in a borough with a law-and-order past. One persistent, if timeworn, image of Queens, popularized in television shows like “All in the Family” and “King of Queens,” centers on white working-class families in New York City’s second most populous borough. “Another is that of an ethnically diverse and gentrified place, a force that helped propel Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to a shocking primary victory last year over a powerful Democratic congressman, Joseph Crowley. The upcoming six-way Democratic primary for Queens district attorney may go a long way in determining which portrait is more accurate. It is a local race that is unexpectedly drawing national attention, with presidential candidates like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren weighing in. In cities like Boston and Philadelphia, progressive candidates have captured district attorney seats by promising criminal justice reforms in the hopes of ending an era of mass incarceration brought on by policies enacted during the 1990s, when crime was at record highs.”

The WAVE didn’t make an endorsement  but the editorial made it clear that Tiffany was taboo.

Norm blogs at ednotesonline.com and wishes all school workers a happy end of school year.

"Hitler’s a damned remarkable man,” Tollever says - Wouk, Winds of War

That an American, a person of some authority, could be so cavalier about the Nazis in a story set after the Nuremberg Laws stripped Jews of equal rights, not to mention after Hitler had imprisoned his political opposition and eliminated the free press — was both mind-boggling and infuriating. Of course, this was the point. A canny novelist, Wouk — who died on Friday, just shy of his 104th birthday — had the good sense to let his characters hang themselves with their own words..... It seemed silly to protest … she insisted that anti-Semitism was a blot on an otherwise exciting, lovely land.” As such, her resistance primarily took the form of playfully chastising high-ranking Nazis at booze-filled dinner parties.

...... Adelle Waldman, NYT book review

The NY Times June 23 book review print edition this past Sunday had this very interesting piece on the late Herman Wouk who died recently.

Herman Wouk, Best-Selling Novelist With a Realist's Touch, Dies at 103https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/17/obituaries/herman-wouk-dead.html

I never read Wouk and found author Adelle Waldman's extracts fascinating. As Waldman says, Wouk was considered a middle-brow writer and that prejudiced me. So this piece might get me to read some of his works.

Herman Wouk Wrote Historical Novels. But His True Subject Was Moral Weakness.

By Adelle Waldman

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/17/books/review/herman-wouk-winds-of-war-war-and-remembrance.html

Principal Barred From LaGuardia's Graduation! - Mars has been promoted and is gone from LaGuardia!!!!!

We just got a comment saying Mars is gone - promoted of course.

NYT appears to confirm:

https://twitter.com/elizashapiro/status/1143159275591733248

leoniehaimson@gmail.com [nyceducationnews] <nyceducationnews@yahoogroups.com>

Mon, Jun 24, 8:03 PM (12 hours ago)

to Nyceducationnews@Yahoogroups.com

https://www.wsj.com/articles/fame-high-school-principal-leaving-post-after-student-protests-11561417253

‘Fame’ High School Principal Leaving Post After Student Protests

Students and faculty say Lisa Mars hasn’t prioritized the arts enough in her push for strong academics at the Manhattan public school

Students from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts celebrated before their graduation ceremony at David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center, in Manhattan on Monday. Photo: Sarah Blesener for The Wall Street Journal

By

Leslie Brody

Updated June 24, 2019 7:18 pm ET

The principal of Manhattan’s famous high school for the arts, known as LaGuardia, is leaving after protests by students and teachers saying she didn’t prioritize the arts enough in her push for strong academics.
Principal Lisa Mars will join the city Department of Education this summer in a senior post in academic instruction, according to the head of the city principals union.
A Department of Education spokesman didn’t confirm the change. Dr. Mars didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Before the announcement, questions mounted about her future when she didn’t attend graduation Monday, held at Lincoln Center.
The Upper West Side school hit the spotlight in the 1980 film “Fame.” In recent days, some seniors had threatened to turn their backs on Dr. Mars during the graduation ceremony and avoid shaking her hand.
Last month many held a sit-in to call for more focus on arts education, and heavier weighting of artistic talent in admissions at the public school, formally called Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts.
Alumni include a host of actors, artists and entertainers, including Al Pacino, Eartha Kitt, Jennifer Aniston and Wesley Snipes.
Tension about how to balance arts and academics had simmered for years, even before Dr. Mars arrived in 2013, and grew more intense in recent months, said students and faculty. Some said there was more pressure to take Advanced Placement classes, some arts classes were cut, and rehearsal time was reduced, among other changes.
The faculty union held a poll this spring in which 88% of participants said they had no confidence in Dr. Mars, said Richard Titone, a music teacher. The faculty, he said, has had less say in admissions, and some brilliant young musicians were rejected due to their middle-school grades.
“There was less input from teaching artists,” Mr. Titone said. “There was no ability to compromise.”
Admission is highly competitive. Students must audition and supply academic records.
This high-achieving specialized high school, with a 99%-graduation rate last year, is more diverse than eight elite public high schools where admission is determined by a single exam. That test, which has fierce critics and staunch defenders, has been at the center of debate about fair access to opportunity.
Among LaGuardia’s 2,800 students last year, 46% were white, 20% Asian, 18% Hispanic and 10% black by city data. It said 31% faced economic hardship, compared with 71% of students in the system.
Mark Cannizzaro, president of the Council of School Supervisors & Administrators, said Dr. Mars had been considering a department offer of a new position long before the spring protests.
When she arrived at LaGuardia, senior department officials were concerned there wasn’t enough emphasis on academics, he said, and she valued the arts while pursuing curricular rigor.
“I’ve been to outstanding performances there, like nothing I’ve ever seen before by high-school students,” Mr. Cannizzaro said. “I don’t think anyone could fairly say it wasn’t focused on the arts.”
Write to Leslie Brody at leslie.brody@wsj.com
I've seen no news reports but this petition has been signed by almost 15,000 people. I don't see how a principal would be barred unless students planned to protest her being there and the DOE caves. Now if there's a back story and alumni with pull have gotten to the DOE then this could be possible.

Petition update

Principal Barred From LaGuardia's Graduation!

LaGuardia High

New York, NY, United States

Jun 24, 2019 — 

Dear friend of LaGuardia High,
In response to years of overwhelming evidence of incompetence, as well as the public outcry from concerned people like you, the Department of Education has finally taken action: Principal Lisa Mars has been barred from attending graduation of the 2019 class!
This is only the beginning of LaGuardia's renaissance. We are committed to restoring the beleaguered arts programs of our school, with leadership who understands the importance of talent over tests.
Stay tuned for more news this coming week!
#BringFameBack

Here are some articles.

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/.../I-Team-New-Academic-Standards-Sparks-Controver...

1. 
   

May 24, 2019 - Published May 24, 2019 at 11:08 AM | Updated at 5:46 PM EDT on May .... Some auditions that were given perfect scores were rejected because of a C average in one class, ... LaGuardia school is led by its principal — Dr. Lisa Mars. ... in New York City has been raging amid admission questions of race, ...

Missing: barred ‎| ‎Must include: ‎barred

Protesters Say 'Fame' High School's Admission Process Is Not ...

https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2019/06/03/laguardia-high-school-admissions/

1. 
   

By Alice Gainer June 3, 2019 at 6:50 pm ... According to some students, alumni and parents, the current principal, Dr. Lisa Mars, has placed a bigger focus on middle school academic records and attendance when it comes to accepting ... But the Department of Education says the current policy has been in place for over a ...

Ed Notes Online: Update: Lisa Mars, LaGuardia's Failing Principal ...

https://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/2017/01/update-lisa-mars-laguardias-failing.html

1. 
   

Jan 11, 2017 - Update: LaGuardia's Failing Principal Gets Tenure! ... grades over artistic talent in a school with an historical graduation rate of 98%. ... June 2, 2019 ... But students say Dr. Mars has gone too far by enforcing a decade-old .... continues to attend LaG events, I'm sad and infuriated that Lisa Mars has been ...