In the 2008 campaign, NEA is supporting 31 Senate candidates, all Democrats, and 314 House candidates, 20 of whom are Republicans. Of the 20 House Republican candidates, 18 are incumbents, one is running for an open seat (the Ray LaHood GOP seat in Illinois), and only one is a challenger. But the challenger is Jim Burkee in Wisconsin’s 5th District, who is running against incumbent Republican Jim Sensenbrenner in a race with no Democratic candidate.
NEA continues to insist that it selects candidates “based on the individual candidate’s positions on key issues critical to public education - regardless of a candidate’s affiliation with a specific political party.” However, the NEA PAC Council, which decides which candidates to support, is made up of the union’s national, state and caucus officers. What percentage of these decision-makers are Republicans? If NEA’s own surveys are any indication, not very many, and certainly a lot less than that of the rank-and-file.
Raise your hand if you're surprised. Anyone? Bueller?
And guess who they are endorsing for President...big surprise.
ReplyDeleteI think every election year, the NEA and the teachers unions use a form letter to document which candidates they will support:
Endorsements for the YEAR Election
1. CANDIDATE NAME (D-STATE)
2. CANDIDATE NAME (D-STATE)
3. CANDIDATE NAME (D-STATE)
...