President Obama’s endorsement of the firing of the entire faculty and staff of a Rhode Island public school is reminiscent of Ronald Reagan’s crushing of the air traffic controllers union, nearly three decades ago. Back then, President Reagan made an example of a union that had supported his presidential candidacy, firing its members and ultimately decertifying the union when it went on strike. The move sent a signal to the bosses in all sectors of the U.S. economy: the president – the U.S. government – is on management’s side, and unions are a considered a threat to the general economic welfare.
Last week, President Obama sent the same kind of signal to teachers unions, when he cited the Central Falls, Rhode Island, school shutdown as an example of the “accountability” he is demanding of poorly performing schools – which invariably means poor, non-white schools. Teachers union leaders appeared to be shocked by Obama’s language and tone – but they shouldn’t have been. The Rhode Island mass firing was not substantively different than the wholesale sacking of teachers and abrogation of their union contracts elsewhere in the country. The fundamental logic of Obama’s so-called Race to the Top program – a multi-billion dollar competition to show which states are most willing to fire teachers, shut down classrooms and replace them with charter schools – is to break the teachers union. If the teachers want to save their union, their dignity, their contracts, and the institution of public education, they will have to break with Obama. Because he is going after them with a hatchet – just like Reagan went after the air traffic controllers, despite their having supported his 1980 candidacy.
This comment following the piece is good:
If the AFT and NEA's 4 million membership doesn't come out swinging on Obummer's ass, they deserve to get fired. I am beyond tired of Lefty groups drowning in the sea of denial. How many times do these people have to be crapped on by their Democratic masters before they bite back? Silence while Obummer appoints public education enemy/never set foot in a classroom Arne Duncan as Education Czar. Silence as Herr Duncan barnstorms around the nation to promote privatization. Now, as teachers are under major seige, we STILL get tepid hand wringing and "shock" that sweet-faced Obummer could turn on them. Just how shocked can these nutters be - especially union exces - who know the backstory on political players and should have demanded more guarantees from Obummer and the Demomasters before they spent every waking hour campaigning for his ass.
No wonder Obama admires Reagan. Never have there been two better voodoo practitioners who can fool the fucking hell out of the public and get barely a sliver of flack for it.
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