NH NEA Endorses Hillary Clinton

This news made me smile, (4.00 / 1)

because the head of the NH State Dept. of Ed, Lyonel Tracy, has also endorsed Clinton - sweet harmony of employer and union! :-)

I know a fair number of NH NEA members in my line of work, and when I ask they seem to fall either on the side of Clinton or Obama, with an occasional Edwards or Richardson (purely anecdotal, of course).

It's also interesting that the NH NEA decided to endorse Huckabee as well.

birch, finch, beech

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by: Dean Barker @ Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 15:09:04 PM CST

The other part of the story was Huckabee (0.00 / 0)

The NHEA also endorsed a candidate in the Republican primary, for the first time.

It was Mike Huckabee, who was the only one of them to actually  appear before the NHEA.

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by: elwood @ Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 15:15:52 PM CST

I just got back from the endorsement (0.00 / 0)

Hillary knocked my socks off, as usual. She spoke about a number of education-related issues, ranging from pre-school to the problems with no child left behind to the need for more college assistance to the need for federal assistance to make sure that schools are not crumbling and that every student has access to a good education, to the need for more vocational training and apprenticeship training, how one student drops out every 29 seconds. All this, covering so many facets of education, without reading a speech! I turned to someone sitting next to me and said, this woman is so amazingly smart.

She talked movingly about how she had been in a school in South Carolina that was crumbling, and how we all should be ashamed, whether we live in SC or elsewhere, where children go to school in those conditions.  She also spoke about how it is just plain common sense to reduce classroom size.

Listening to her I understood why the NEA had endorsed her. Her depth of knowledge about education, and the depth of her understanding of the issues faced by educators, is impressive, and her practical solutions refreshing. She mentioned how talking to New Hampshire educators had educated her even more about these issues. This is something I find really refreshing about Hillary. Not only does she want to hear your opinion, and your ideas, she actually remembers it and processes it. I've been around a lot of candidates over the years, and some of them don't want to talk to you, and some of the ones who do talk to you aren't really interested. She wants to hear what you have to say, and she listens.



"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    

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by: Kathy Sullivan 2 @ Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 17:21:39 PM CST

keep your socks on (0.00 / 0)

they might later be placed in evidence

6 days till election day
Have you knocked on doors today? Have you made calls ? Have you talked to your neighbors ?  

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by: JonnyBBad @ Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 22:57:19 PM CST

[ Parent ]

NEA's largest Affiliate Head Endorses Edwards (0.00 / 0)

A win for Hillary.A loss for Obama. A partial victory for Sen. Edwards
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200...

"Edwards' presidential campaign had actively sought the endorsement. Scott McGilvray, president of the Manchester Education Association, endorsed John Edwards recently. The Manchester chapter is union's the largest affiliate in the state, and Edwards' aides had hoped it would help sway the larger body.

The New Hampshire chapter endorsed former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean unsuccessful bid for the Democratic nomination in 2004. I still can't figure out how NEA head Amb.Terry Shumaker could be pro Dean in 2004, pro Hillary now, and help steer his union too, but he did. Applause. Being pro Dean meant you were anti-war, being pro Hillary is Scoop Jackson-ish Rudy tough type, a muscular approach to anti Terrorism, and warlike in aspect with Iran. So he was anti war when everyone was for it, and is now less so when everyone is more Dovish ? Or is it just politics Jake ?  

6 days till election day
Have you knocked on doors today? Have you made calls ? Have you talked to your neighbors ?  

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by: JonnyBBad @ Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 23:12:29 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Not quite right (0.00 / 0)

Jon, this endorsement had nothing to do with Shumaker and everything to do with the impression Hillary made on the committee when she interviewed with them, and the impression she made on the members when she spoke at their convention.  

Also, are you saying Howard Dean was a pacifist? He opposed the war in Iraq, but he was very much supportive of the military effort in Afghanistan.    

Here is Howard Dean on Afghanistan:  

Q: You said after Saddam Hussein was captured, that he could have been captured six months ago. Were you saying that our soldiers weren't working hard enough?
DEAN: Of course not. Our military has done an absolutely terrific job in Afghanistan, which is a war I supported, and in Iraq, where I did not support the policy but I always support the troops. I believe that, had Saddam been captured earlier, we might have been able to spend more time looking for Osama bin Laden, which is the real problem.

Source: Democratic 2004 Presidential Primary Debate in Iowa Jan 4, 2004

Governor Dean was very muscular on anti-terrorism.



"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    

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by: Kathy Sullivan 2 @ Fri Dec 07, 2007 at 07:44:07 AM CST

[ Parent ]

"Not that there's anything wrong with that." (0.00 / 0)

Kathy you know I love you, but you are wrong kid. You are saying with a straight face, that Terry "I rode on Air Force 1" the Shu, Shumaker was no help in getting an endorsement for one of closest political friends ? Puullleeezzee
Back to reality;
Dr. Dean clearly positioned himself as anti-war...but it was just politics, like Hillary's Primary Season conversion...she's been governing as a centrist and tried to run as one, but forces are pulling her left.

http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/new...

Fierce Opposition to War May Doom Dean

by Daniel Munoz
January 5, 2004
Reprinted from the Baltimore Sun

After initially being shrugged off by the Democratic establishment as a non-factor, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean is now widely considered the leading contender for his party's nomination.
Seizing on liberal frustration with President Bush's handling of the war in Iraq and categorical inattention to domestic issues, Dr. Dean has energized a core group of grass-roots supporters who are committed to spreading his message. It is a message many Americans want to embrace. It is a message that gives people hope that health care, education and the economy might finally get deserved attention, rather than just the occasional photo op.

Howard Dean:
A Hawk in a Dove's Cloak

By SEAN DONAHUE

   "Soon we'll find out who is the real revolutionary, I don't want my people to be tricked by mercenaries."

   ­ Bob Marley

Howard Dean wants the peace movement to believe that he is its best hope for bringing change in Washington.

In television ads and presidential debates, Dean has emphasized his opposition to Bush's decision to launch a unilateral invasion of Iraq--and downplaying his support for the continued U.S. military occupation of Iraq, and his earlier waffling over whether he might have supported a war in Iraq under slightly different conditions. Dean's emphasis on his opposition to the war in Iraq also obscures his earlier support for the first Gulf War, the war in Kosovo, and the war in Afghanistan.

http://dir.salon.com/story/new...

The trouble with Howard Dean

As a social liberal and fiscal moderate, he's lured students, professionals and the antiwar left. But he's more George McGovern than Bill Clinton.Jul 11, 2003

Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean is the only Democratic presidential candidate who has stirred any interest beyond party regulars. He has established himself as the "straight talk" candidate in a field dominated by trimmers and positioners. He has shown Democrats that they can raise money without depending on big donors and soft money from labor unions. Yet if the Democrats nominate him as their presidential candidate, he is almost sure to lose to George W. Bush, and perhaps by a very large margin.

Much of Dean's current support comes because he was the only one of the leading candidates to have forthrightly opposed the war with Iraq. In a Zogby poll taken on April 4, when popular support for the war was at its height, 27 percent of the Democrats "strongly opposed," and 15 percent "somewhat opposed," the war. Many of these antiwar Democrats, whose ranks have swelled since then, look to Dean as their candidate. Dean has also won points from Democrats because he has seemed to be speaking his mind, while John Edwards, Dick Gephardt and John Kerry appeared to be taking a safe political position in favor of the war. Of the leading candidates who favored the war, only Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman seemed to be expressing heartfelt convictions.

6 days till election day
Have you knocked on doors today? Have you made calls ? Have you talked to your neighbors ?  

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by: JonnyBBad @ Fri Dec 07, 2007 at 18:24:21 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Rigged (0.00 / 0)

"The 16,000-member New Hampshire affiliate of the National Education Association has chosen to recommend to its members Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary and Mike Huckabee in the Republican primary, according to a source within the state NEA."

Source: MSNBC

John Edwards - One of the most decent men I've ever met.

http://www.johnedwards.com

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by: JohnMucci @ Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 22:33:27 PM CST

Glass houses (0.00 / 0)

You might want to look to your candidate's actions before throwing around unsupported charges of rigging endorsements. I seem to remember there was a little controversy about the NH SEIU endorsement just last month.

Here is Senator Obama giving his opinion on what happened when Senator Edwards ended up with the local SEIU endorsement when the initial vote had been for Senator Obama.

We have got some very strong allies in the union, and had received word that the board initially had voted to endorse us. There were some changes to procedure made that we don't entirely understand and I'll leave it up to you guys to sort it all out," Obama said.

Here is Senator Edwards' response to the whole controversy:

Edwards sidestepped the issue at a news conference.

"I think I'm the one they endorsed," he said, chuckling. "It's a very long and very democratic process. ... But at the end of the day, they decided they supported me."

It seems Senator Edwards has no problem with a rigging process if the outcome is an endorsement for him.

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by: gradysdad @ Fri Dec 07, 2007 at 05:33:27 AM CST

[ Parent ]

You and Obama sitting in a tree (0.00 / 0)

k-i-s-s-i-n- g ?
No way "G"...I know, you are just trying to be helpful.
You are off base. At the recent conclusion to their convention held two weekends ago, a discussion pushed by dissident Obama supporters was held as to whether the election was fair and followed the SEIU's rules. The membership concluded that in fact there was no issue, other than that Obama lost. It was all concluded in accordance with their by-laws. The gentleman who heads the Political Education Committee, Ken Roos, was then elected a Director of the Union. He is, by the way an Edwards supporter. Hats off to him !

6 days till election day
Have you knocked on doors today? Have you made calls ? Have you talked to your neighbors ?  

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by: JonnyBBad @ Fri Dec 07, 2007 at 06:26:19 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Spilt Milk. Next. (0.00 / 0)

The endorsements make nice flair. Any and all.

SGS is Jack Mitchell of Lowell, MA. The symbolism of the "sleeping giant" is based on my HOPE for America.

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by: Sleeping Giant Stirs @ Fri Dec 07, 2007 at 07:19:03 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Hedging bets (0.00 / 0)

It wasn't a comment about rigged endorsements.  It was a comment on the rigged system and the effect of this rigged system in the real world.

Is the NH NEA saying that both Clinton and Huckabee meet their requirements for endorsement?

These are candidates with very different world views.  This opens up a can of worms.  Would have been better to decline endorsement rather than try to pander to their Republican members in my opinion.  This pandering dilutes their authority.

On the other hand, they could have endorsed every candidate. This would have provided maximum coverage for the association.

See JonnyB's comment regarding the the SEIU endorsement.

John Edwards - One of the most decent men I've ever met.

http://www.johnedwards.com

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by: JohnMucci @ Fri Dec 07, 2007 at 07:12:26 AM CST

[ Parent ]

How odd (0.00 / 0)

So, when Hillary Clinton receives endorsements from organized labor, they are rigged, but when John Edwards receives endorsements from organized labor, they are not? An interesting world view. Had you been at the endorsement, you would have heard the president of the NEA-NH expalin the process used to determine the endorsement. Each candidate was invited to speak with the government affairs committee. They felt that while each Democratic candidate was a friend of education, Hillary Clinton was the best candidate on the issue, that she understood the needs of education and listened to their concerns. The government affairs committee then made the recommendation to the executive committee, which made the final recommendation.

They know that Hillary Clinton will stand up for teachers and education, and for organized labor, and not just when it is politically easy. Can we count on all candidates to do that?  Here is an excerpt from that Hill article you like so much talking about what John Edwards did when the political climate made it hard for him to support labor:

Sloan added that in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, IAM members who worked for U.S. Air in Charlotte, N.C., were losing their jobs in the wake of lost revenues and corporate cutbacks.

"When our guys were getting laid off after 9/11, he came down and met with the company" instead of the workers, Sloan said.

"Our guys in North Carolina worked really hard to get him there and then didn't see much of him," Sloan said, adding that the right-to-work issue is "the highest priority for the labor movement."

It's hardly unusual for campaign surrogates, labor officials included, to hit rival candidates for their past records, and a senior adviser to the Edwards campaign says this is a clear example of distorting Edwards's record.

The senior adviser, familiar with Edwards's labor outreach, said the former senator's opposition to right-to-work, while "factually correct," doesn't take into account the state's political atmosphere. North Carolina is a state with a small union presence, and Edwards served at a time the adviser described as "the Jesse Helms era."

I await your personal attack! :)



"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    

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by: Kathy Sullivan 2 @ Fri Dec 07, 2007 at 07:32:43 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Yes, how odd (0.00 / 0)

I said,

"It wasn't a comment about rigged endorsements."

You reply,

"So, when Hillary Clinton receives endorsements from organized labor, they are rigged, but when John Edwards receives endorsements from organized labor, they are not."

John Edwards - One of the most decent men I've ever met.

http://www.johnedwards.com

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by: JohnMucci @ Fri Dec 07, 2007 at 07:37:58 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Odder still (0.00 / 0)

You then said, it was a comment on the effect rigged systems have on the real world. So, if it makes you happy, I will say, "So, you think that when anything happens that is good for any other candidate, it has to be because the world is rigged, and anything good that happens for John Edwards is despite the fact that the world is rigged?"  

"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    

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by: Kathy Sullivan 2 @ Fri Dec 07, 2007 at 07:52:19 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Yawn (0.00 / 0)

To all concerned:  It took me a while, but I've finally learned that the best way to converse with Ms. Sullivan, NH Co-Chairman of the Clinton campaign, is to ignore her.

I don't have the time to engage with Ms. Sullivan, an operative for the Clinton machine. On the other hand if you enjoy her brand of sophomoric banter, have at it.

My further sentiments can be found here.

John Edwards - One of the most decent men I've ever met.

http://www.johnedwards.com

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by: JohnMucci @ Fri Dec 07, 2007 at 11:07:20 AM CST

[ Parent ]

You say sophmoric, I say sycophantic (0.00 / 0)

Changeniks. We are so undisciplined and couldn't triangulate out of a paper bag.

SGS is Jack Mitchell of Lowell, MA. The symbolism of the "sleeping giant" is based on my HOPE for America.

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by: Sleeping Giant Stirs @ Fri Dec 07, 2007 at 11:11:00 AM CST

[ Parent ]

OK, that too... (4.00 / 1)

John Edwards - One of the most decent men I've ever met.

http://www.johnedwards.com

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by: JohnMucci @ Fri Dec 07, 2007 at 19:46:53 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Where have all the flowers gone ? (0.00 / 0)

He was against the War before he was for it.

I am referring directly to Dean's opposition to the war in Iraq. That was his main draw, and Terry was for being against that War. He and Polly have draft age sons, as do we, and neither of us relished the possibilities to come. They thought Howard was right on, on Iraq, and luckily not unlike Obama he didn't have to vote on it. All the SEnators did.
Hillary did have to vote, and voted to authorize the President to go to War, and then recently gave the go ahead to get the Iranian Nuclear Free Guards...when will they ever learn,
when will they ever learn ?

6 days till election day
Have you knocked on doors today? Have you made calls ? Have you talked to your neighbors ?  

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by: JonnyBBad @ Fri Dec 07, 2007 at 18:39:48 PM CST