Not only are Democrats mostly opposing the Chicago teachers’ strike, a strike they would probably support if the mayor of Chicago and the president weren’t Democrats, Republican VP candidate Paul Ryan is now supporting them, which I’m sure cheers them greatly. After all, you can often judge someone by their friends.
Paul Ryan on Chicago Teachers’ Strike: “We Stand with Mayor Rahm Emanuel”
Tell me again what the differences between Democrats and Republicans are? All of this is coming from a party that used to strongly support unions and which got much of their support from unions too.
The teachers aren’t asking for that much. Yet the general tone of the mainstream media is to mock, deride, and marginalize the strike.
First Wisconsin. Then Occupy. Now Chicago. The teachers’ strike is the next chapter in the fight against plutocracy
The roots of the strike began when Emanuel announced his signature education initiative: extending Chicago’s school day. Overwhelmingly, Chicago’s teachers support lengthening the day, which is the shortest of any major district in the country. Just not the way Rahm wanted to ram it down their throats: 20 percent more work; 2 percent more pay.
He had already canceled a previously negotiated 4 percent cost-of-living raise.
“25 percent of the students in this city are never going to be anything, never going to amount to anything and he was never going to throw money at them,” th Teacher’s Union says Rahm told her.
Does anyone actually think Rahm cares about the kids?
EYup, it was only a matter of time before the democ rats shook out the Jolly Roger.
There is only One Party, speaking ’round a folked tongue and out of both sides of its mouth.
Cascadia!
So why hasn’t a Labor Party emerged long since?
First off, Rahm is far from a leftist Dem, and has been heading into the “Blue Dog” category for some time now. Most democrats are conflicted on this in part because even the union leads were not for this strike. The vote for striking was very close to the theshold, and while rank and file went for it in the majority, the union leadership was trying to talk it down and push for harder negotiations.
It’s hard to stand up and cheer for a group that’s striking when even their leadership thinks it was the wrong move to make. Harder still when their fight is against an “up and coming” Dem, even if he is trending red.