November 21, 2005
WHAT, NOW HE ACTUALLY WANTS TO GOVERN?:
Mayor Talks Tough to Push School Takeover: Villaraigosa accuses officials of obstructing reform. Some are taken aback by the rhetoric. (Joel Rubin and Richard Fausset, November 21, 2005, LA Times)
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has begun selling his plan to seize control of the ailing Los Angeles Unified School District with strident language that is worrying and confusing the city's education leaders.In three speeches and an interview last week, he accused the teachers union and the school board of standing in the way of crucial reform. [...]
Recently, Villaraigosa's team has begun developing a takeover strategy for the nation's second-largest school district. They are studying how other big-city mayors, including Richard Daley in Chicago and Michael Bloomberg in New York, took control. But so far mayoral aides have offered few, if any, specifics on a takeover plan.
The mayor has been unapologetic about his ramped-up rhetoric yet he continues to insist that "consensus" is key to success. Those apparently mixed messages are leaving some of his supporters confused.
Many acknowledge that Villaraigosa — a former organizer for the city teachers union and speaker of the state Assembly — is a master negotiator. But they also wonder if he should be risking a fight fraught with deep political implications.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger suffered a costly loss this month when he took on the powerful California Teachers Assn. and others in labor with his special election propositions.
"The teachers union is an incredible force to be reckoned with," said Darry Sragow, a political strategist who recently ran the district's successful $4-billion school bond campaign. "To a significant degree, teachers at a statewide level are responsible for bringing down a popular governor. Now, the difference with our mayor is he was one of them … so maybe he's decided they'll cut him more slack."
If you want to improve education the unions and bureaucracies are the enemy. Posted by Orrin Judd at November 21, 2005 8:27 AM
Apostasy is the defense of our children's education is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of the teachers unions is no virtue. h/t B.Goldwater
On a more mechanical note, I've talked to tens - of not hundreds - of people who write checks to politicians and think tanks. None of them will go after the Teacher's Unions (I prefer calling it "BIG ED").
Interestingly, it appears that Arnold is cowed by what should be considered a pretty good try.
2 of his 4 came pretty close while being slimed mercilessy by a 10:1 ad campaign, slanted media, and a Republican Party whose testes are hanging in Teacher's Union halls on display.
If one state (or big city) could mount a big enough to inform enough voters, this battle could be won.
IL & CA are good choices because BIG ED has raped the taxpayer so brazenly that when shown the numbers, even Democrats blanche.
This is a battle that can be won, but the money guys won't fund it. Think tanks, which could go a long way by pooling resources, are all carrot & no stick.
Afraid of BIG ED, they pussyfoot around touting "choice" while the children they have created are strangled in their cribs (see FL. & SC for recent news)
ERP, do you have a couple million?
Posted by: Bruno at November 21, 2005 10:23 AMVillaraigosa may have a brief opening--the unions can't have a huge reserve of cash right now after the initiative fight...
Posted by: b at November 21, 2005 12:38 PMNo, but if I win the lottery, everything left over after I buy my Humvee, will be yours to destroy the teachers unions. Can't think of a better way to use it... and I agree completely that it can be done. Why Arnold didn't know that given the savvy way he marketed himself, I don't know. Perhaps his wife is brain washing him in his sleep.
How come all the billionaires are liberal? Don't we have any billionaires on our side? I heard Merv Griffin has more money than God. He's a great friend of the Reagans. I wonder if he's conservative.
Conservatives have to start thinking outside the box.