Nation's largest teachers union endorses Clinton for president

[riversedge]

Source: Politico







AP Photo
Nation's largest teachers union endorses Clinton for president

The National Education Association endorsement comes amid grumbling from some members that it's too soon.

By Kimberly Hefling

10/03/15 02:12 PM EDT


The National Education Association defied some of its state affiliates Saturday with an endorsement of Hillary Clinton for president, which came after an in-person, closed-door conversation between members and Clinton herself.

“This is exactly the right time if you’re going to impact the primaries,” NEA President Lily Eskelsen García told POLITICO after about 75 percent of the 175-member NEA board voted to endorse Clinton.

Eskelsen García called it a resounding endorsement, adding: “If we want to have education’s voice in this primary debate, you get involved now.”

Clinton praised the NEA and teachers in general in a statement after the endorsement was announced. “I know from personal experience that a teacher can make a profound difference in a child’s life,” Clinton said...........

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/clinton-nea-teachers-union-endorsement-214402#ixzz3nXp6opd0

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[stuffmatters]

1. This week Clinton called for ending Obamacare "Cadillac Tax"

A big union issue. So,one hand washes the other.

Prior to this way early endorsement,(this union didn't endorse tll after nominations in 2008) wonder if they asked Clinton where she stands on charter schools & Wall Street's relentless privatization of our national educational system. Or if they asked Clinton if she opposed the anti-union TPP/TISA. Doubt it.

[Rose77]

2. sigh

"""""closed-door conversation between members and Clinton herself.""""

[Starry Messenger]

3. k&r

[riversedge]

4. Randi Weingarten and 2 others Retweeted

Randi Weingarten and 2 others Retweeted
Hillary Clinton Verified account ‏@HillaryClinton 2h2 hours ago

Grateful to have @NEAtoday on Team Hillary. Educators are the frontline fighters building a stronger America. http://hrc.io/1M1z2Bk

[lunamagica]

5. K&R. Go Hillary!

[whereisjustice]

6. NEA pleased to support candidate promising more jobs to low wage Asia.

No matter how hard you study, no matter how hard you work, the American family will never get ahead as long as Wall Street owned politicians like Clinton and Bush keep sending jobs to low wage hell holes in Asia.

Thanks NEA. This endorsement is a slap in the face of students across the country struggling to get out of the poverty brought on by the conservative economic policies endorsed by Hillary Clinton, Bill Gates, Arne Duncan and the Third Way.

[pampango]

14. You forget about Africa and Central/South America - all "low wage hell holes".

The world is full of poor people. We need a candidate who will make America great again with unilateral actions like border walls and higher tariffs rather than negotiating with other countries.

[whereisjustice]

15. Hillary has certainly done her part in Honduras, like supporting a military takeover

because workers wanted to raise the minimum wage. Now there's a secretary of state who fights for the hand that feeds her.

Just because China India et al decide to sacrifice their workforce to work in shitty unregulated conditions, doesn't mean we have to let
the corporations keep the profits from that activity tax free.

Well, unless you are Hillary Clinton, that is.

As far as walls, Hillary has already helped build a massive wall that keeps rich and poor far apart - it even has a clever name, Wall Street.

[pampango]

16. Trump likes to portray foreigners as the source of our problems. Mexican immigrants? Build a wall.

Trade with Mexico, China and any other country Trump does not like? Slap a tariff on them. (Leave it to President Trump to handle the details of legality and international repercussions.) It like bringing Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover back to life and causing FDR to roll over in his grave.

Trump never, never suggests negotiating any international agreement regarding working conditions, environmental issues or any other issue under the sun. He wants the US to be great again by acting unilaterally and forcing other countries to do what the US wants them to do. Negotiating mutually acceptable solutions is not something he talks about.

Obama, Kerry and Clinton have all been involved in important international negotiations on all of these issues and more like Iran, Cuba, etc. I trust all the Democratic candidates to negotiate international issues rather than acting unilaterally.

[whereisjustice]

17. Interesting choice, killing millions of American jobs via TPP and NAFTA and H1B is good Dem value?

Because, you know, we have too many jobs and wealth in the US.

Meanwhile we start wars in Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Syria, and just about anywhere there's oil around is also a good Democratic Party value.

Sure is hard to figure out what is and is not a good Democratic value.

By the way, where is the tax money from google, apple, amazon, et al?

Wasn't it supposed to lift wages and quality of life in US? Or are you saying lowering quality of life in US is also a good Democratic Party value.

Do you have too much wealth, education, health care and family security in your life?

[pampango]

18. Countries that trade twice as much as the US have stronger middle classes and more equal incomes.

Germany and Sweden and every other progressive country in the world trade much more than we do - 2 to 3 times as much. They all have stronger unions, better safety nets, higher wages and much better income equality. If trade caused problems for the middle and lower class, Germany and Sweden would be "hell holes" rather than the US which trades relatively little.

Because, you know, we have too many jobs and wealth in the US.

When FDR lowered the high tariffs he inherited from Coolidge and Hoover, he did not do it because we had "too many jobs and wealth in the US". He did it to create "jobs and wealth in the US" and used the tax system, safety net and corporate regulation to make sure that the benefits were shared. (Progressive countries do the same today.) He followed the same principle when he created the IMF, World Bank and International Trade Organization (which GATT was a part of).

FDR did not raise tariffs or act unilaterally against other countries. He negotiated with them to lower tariffs and later created international organizations to systematize international trade rules and make it more difficult for future Coolidges and Hoovers (like Trump), in the US or elsewhere, to act unilaterally.

Do you have too much wealth, education, health care and family security in your life?

No. Neither do Swedes and Germans. They somehow manage to keep their countries from becoming 'hell holes' even though trade and trade agreements are a much bigger part of their lives than they are in the lives of Americans.

What Trump does not realize, because he is no progressive, is that the above countries have high, progressive taxes; protect and strengthen unions rather than push "right-to-work" laws; regulate their corporations effectively; and have strong and effective safety nets. They have not achieved progressive societies by blaming foreigners or using walls and tariffs. Trump probably understands that no country has created a progressive society by means of walls and tariffs. My guess is he does not care. A macho politician has to act macho.

[whereisjustice]

19. The Hypocrisy of ‘Helping’ the Poor

EVERY so often, you hear grotesquely wealthy American chief executives announce in sanctimonious tones the intention to use their accumulated hundreds of millions, or billions, “to lift people out of poverty.” Sometimes they are referring to Africans, but sometimes they are referring to Americans. And here’s the funny thing about that: In most cases, they have made their fortunes by impoverishing whole American communities, having outsourced their manufacturing to China or India, Vietnam or Mexico.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/04/opinion/sunday/the-hypocrisy-of-helping-the-poor.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=opinion-c-col-top-region®ion=opinion-c-col-top-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-top-region

[trillion]

21. When it comes down to the line, we'll end up voting for her simply out of lesser of two evils - if

she makes it to be the one. That said, lets hope this DINO doesn't make it.

[azurnoir]

7. Hillary Clinton: "I actually do believe in charter schools." I'm sure the rank and file of the union

will appreciate that

http://www.forbes.com/sites/maureensullivan/2015/04/12/hillary-clinton-on-education-8-things-the-presidential-candidate-wants-you-to-know/

[trillion]

22. I won't be surprised if all the teachers complain about this and that Association pulls its support.

[restorefreedom]

8. the BOARD of the largest teacher union endorsed

that is very different than the union as a whole. many teachers are backing bernie and om. and we know union leadership no longer speaks for the workers, they ally themselves with the elite.

getting a board endorsement is nice, in the same way that getting a ceo endorsement is nice. but it doesn't represent the working people.

hillary will keep getting the nods of the powerful. bernie will get the nods of the people. who do we think exists in greater numbers?

[left-of-center2012]

9. Union bosses

State officials and rank-and-file members plan to protest ...
... labor is deeply divided between candidates.

In this case, the Vermont-NEA has already endorsed Sanders, ...
At the PAC Council meeting Thursday, Massachusetts plans to "vote against an early candidate recommendation,"

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/09/hillary-clinton-teachers-union-214190#ixzz3nc6BaZNy

[bekkilyn]

10. Have these teacher unions (AFT, NEA, etc.) even helped teachers at all in the past few years?

Seems that they're just as corrupt as the billionaire privatizers that are determined to destroy public education.

[riversedge]

11. umm.. maybe read this thread....

At some point we should stop pretending that the anti-Hillary wing of the party is "pro-union" http://demu.gr/1251646084 #p2 #wiunion

[azurnoir]

23. all that leads to is an opinion thread from another Pro-Hillary DUer

with nothing in the thread substantiating his claims

[Doctor_J]

12. strange. I interact with dozens of k12 teachers, and they seem to be 3:1 for Sanders

I'll ask them about this endorsement next time we hang out

[pampango]

13. "Union bosses", "out-of-touch", "sell-outs", "allies of the elite".

And this is DU. Wonder if the NEA will get much love from the GOP?

[trillion]

20. Very sorry to hear this. I wonder if this is just the people at the top controlling that assoc.

because most of the teachers I know are educated and wouldn't be endorsing Clinton.