We Apologize

Easy to apologize now that they helped Jeffries win three to one.  Old riddle: How do Democrats organize a firing squad?   In a circle, of course ------JMB

  

Dear MoveOn member,

 

Last month, you received an email from MoveOn about Councilman Charles Barron, a candidate for Congress in your district. It was offensive and inflammatory—and we shouldn't have sent it.

 

On behalf of the MoveOn staff, I apologize to you and to the Brooklyn community.

The email was all too reminiscent of the kind of attacks that have been used by our opponents to divide progressives over and over again—white folks from African Americans, Jews from non-Jews, recent immigrants from descendants of immigrants, etc.

MoveOn is a community of 7 million of us from every corner of our country. There are MoveOn members of every race, religion, and color. We aspire to bring folks together to fight for racial and economic justice and democracy—with respect for everyone. This email did the opposite.

After the email was sent, we couldn't undo the harm it had done. But we wanted to do our best to avoid doing any more damage. So we didn't say anything further about Councilman Barron for the duration of the race, limiting our involvement to communicating the positive reasons that MoveOn members in the district chose to endorse Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries back in April.

We can't take back our actions. But we can do better going forward to make sure that we are uniting, not dividing, our shared communities.

 

Again, our sincerest apologies. And if you have any thoughts you'd like to share with us about the email or about how MoveOn can be a constructive force in local races and issues in the future, please don't hesitate to email me at justin_ruben@moveon.org.

Thank you for all you do.

Justin Ruben

Executive Director

MoveOn.org Political Action

 

UFT "Neutrality" in Jeffries-Barron Race is Support for Jeffries

Charles Barron, a former Black Panther out of East New York, has the the movers and shakers of this city aghast. All those Wall Street lawyers, hedge fund operators and charter school advocates who have poured money into stopping Barron’s bid for a Brooklyn congressional seat are worried.-- Juan Gonzalez

Jeffries was supported be DFER but then to cover his ass claimed he didn't want their money. There is no bigger supporter of ed deform than Jeffries yet the UFT would not support his opponent. I've seen Barron and his wife Inez at almost every single rally and event opposing Bloomberg control of the schools. Look at the money flowing into Jeffries and yet Barron is holding his own. I almost never contribute to a candidate but I may just do so now. (Barron has an office on Pennsylvania and Hegeman, a corner I used to walk by every day on the way to George Gershwin JHS, not to be closed.)

If you are a UFT member ask the leadership why they won't support Barron.

Juan Gonzalez really nails the issues in today's Daily News.
 

• 

Charles Barron, a former Black Panther out of East New York, has the the movers and shakers of this city aghast.

All those Wall Street lawyers, hedge fund operators and charter school advocates who have poured money into stopping Barron’s bid for a Brooklyn congressional seat are worried.

A group of Democrats, from liberals like Manhattan Rep. Jerrold Nadler to neo-conservatives like Ed Koch, even blasted Barron this week as an “anti-Semite” and a “racist.”

All of them have suddenly realized that Barron, the most outspoken member of the City Council for the past decade, could be heading to Washington.
This wasn’t supposed to happen.

Not with all the money the people downtown poured into their choice for the newly drawn 8th congressional seat — State Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries.

Jeffries, after all, is young, articulate, nonthreatening. He claims the mantel of a new generation of forward-thinking, technocratic black leaders, following in the footsteps of Newark’s Cory Booker and Barack Obama.

Jeffries’ list of donors reads like a who’s who. His latest campaign filing shows $500,000 raised, but he now claims to have surpassed $700,000.

Members of his former law firm, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, gave the most, $33,000; but a slew of other hedge fund operators, lawyers, bankers and philanthropists provided tens of thousands more.

They include John Petry and Joel Greenblatt, heads of Gotham Capital and the founders of the Success Academy Charter Schools ($2,500 a piece); Whitney Tilson of the KIPP charter schools ($1,000); Merryl Tisch, chancellor of the state board of regents ($2,500); Kathryn Wylde of the Partnership for New York City ($500).

Barron, on the other hand, lists a mere $50,000 in donations — most of it from himself.

Still, there was Barron Tuesday morning, sitting in a small campaign office on Nostrand Ave. in Bedford-Stuyvesant, looking very much like a front-runner.

Sitting next to him was U.S. Rep. Ed Towns, who recently announced his retirement from the congressional seat he has held for 30 years.

Back in 2006, Barron challenged Towns and came very close to defeating him. Then last week, Towns shocked everybody by endorsing the rival he once called a “bomb thrower.”

“Even though we’ve been on different sides, we always shared a belief in making things better for this community,” Towns said. “I feel Charles will do a better job as my successor.”

Senior citizens, the most reliable of voters, have always been Towns’ base. And given that the unusually early Democratic primary on June 26 is expected to have record low voter turnout, Towns’ decision to throw in with Barron is a potential game changer.

Jeffries discounted the new developments.

As for donations from hedge fund mavens and charter school advocates, they will not influence his views on the lightning rod issue of education, he said.
“No one is fighting harder to stop public school closures than I am,” he said. “I’ve always held the same position on school choice, and supported lifting charter school caps,” he added.

Barron’s focus has been “on the sound bite, mine has been on substance,” Jeffries said.

Sure, Barron has been loud and outrageous at times.

But he has also been a fixture at scores of social justice battles in this city for decades. Few black leaders are better known. Few are more willing to challenge the city’s rich and powerful.

No wonder the money people in Manhattan are suddenly worried about a congressional race in Brooklyn - one they thought was a sure thing.

Author:

Juan Gonzalez

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The opinions expressed on EdNotesOnline are solely those of Norm Scott and are not to be taken as official positions (though Unity Caucus/New Action slugs will try to paint them that way) of any of the groups or organizations Norm works with: ICE, GEM, MORE, Change the Stakes, NYCORE, FIRST Lego League NYC, Rockaway Theatre Co., Active Aging, The Wave, Aliens on Earth, etc.

Unity/UFT On Sidelines in Jeffries/Barron Race

Neutrality in essence supports ed deformer/charter mole Hakeem Jeffries as the UFT wholesale sellout to ed deformers continues. Yes, boys and girls, the UFT at the Delegate Assembly yesterday said "no mas" allowing the deformers to capture a Brooklyn Congressional seat. Well, I predicted in yesterday's post that the UFT would actually support Jefffries but I guess they can't go that far. However, sitting this out is support, just like sitting out the mayoral race last time was supporting Bloomberg. (Just watch both Bloomberg and Mulgrew support Quinn, which should tell you something about there the UFT really stands.)

I'm not always a fan of Charles Barron over some of his bombast, but he and his wife, State Assemblywoman (and former teacher and principal Inez Barron, who I just love), have stood up for teachers, parents and community time and again in the WalBloomKlein years. Oh, and did I say he is adamantly opposed to mayoral control in any form – no tweaks like the UFT wants – and for local control that would empower parents and teachers at the school level, something that both Bloomberg, Bill Gates and Randi Weingarten/Michael Mulgrew all oppose.

At yesterday's DA, which thankfully I skipped, the Unity ant hill went along, leading their flock to slaughter.

Here is a post on the story from NYCTeachers.com

Mulgrew & UFT Execs Sit Out Another Important Political Race

• Posted by Mr. Jones on May 23, 2012 at 11:30pm
• View Blog

We all know how spineless Michael Mulgrew and the UFT executives were when they sat out of the most important mayoral race ever in New York City.  The UFT helped Bloomberg get his third term as mayor when they sat on their hands and did not endorse William Thompson.  How the teacher's union can sit out of a mayoral race is beyond comprehension.

Mulgrew and the UFT executives are showing that they are still not looking out for the best interest of their members, as they sit out of the very important Brooklyn Congressional race between Charles Barron and Hakeem Jeffries. Barron and Jeffries are running for the seat that the retiring Ed Towns held for many years.  The UFT is not looking out for the best interest of their members and that is a huge problem.

Charles Barron has been endorsed by NYCTeachers.com because he is a strong supporter of the teachers of New York City, and he has been on the frontline fighting against school closings, teacher layoffs and public funding being used for Charter schools.  Hakeem Jeffries receives funding from Charter school organizations and Charter school advocates, which is a slap in the face to teachers of New York City and to the union.  The expansion of Charter schools is an attempt by Bloomberg. Klein and many of their friends, to bust the union and to control public education  dollars.

How can the UFT not fight against a guy like Hakeem Jeffries, who will play a part in busting their own union and hurting their own members.   DC37 is smart enough to understand that a vote for Jeffries is a vote against unions and teachers, so they have decided to endorse Charles Barron.

Mulgrew and the UFT executives MUST answer questions about this move or they should be ousted immediately, for not looking out for the teacher's best interest.

Teachers must go out in full support of Charles Barron if we care about our profession.  Pass the word on to all teachers and educators. 

======================

The opinions expressed on EdNotesOnline are solely those of Norm Scott and are not to be taken as official positions (though Unity Caucus/New Action slugs will try to paint them that way) of any of the groups or organizations Norm works with: ICE, GEM, MORE, Change the Stakes, NYCORE, FIRST Lego League NYC, Rockaway Theatre Co., Active Aging, The Wave, Aliens on Earth, etc.

BloomKlein's Worst Nightmare: PS 197 Protests Democracy Prep Charter Invasion

PS 197 chapter leader and GEMer Antoine Bogard leads the protest at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLmGzqQUeDE

Video by Angel Gonzalez (does that guy EVER rest?), who put up this post on you tube:

July 22, 2009 - Harlem Parents, Teachers & Community protested the further privatization of PS 197 now with the Democracy Prep Charter. Already the Harlem Children's Zone Charter operates their afterschool program. GEM, the Grassroots Education Movement in Defense of Public Education, participated. The UFT-AFT leadership has supported privatization with charter schools and thus the union-busting that comes with it! Fight this privatization pushed by the DOE & the UFT!

Note the number of Blacks and Latins in this protest. That is why I said this type of activity is BloomKlein's worst nightmare.

The Grassroots Education Movement (GEM) in alliance with various groups around the city, have been engaging in these type of actions over the past few months since GEM was founded less than 5 months ago (not too shabby).

Until recently, BloomKlein have been staking out the high ground by using the language of civil rights to give the impression that the only people who opposed them were middle and upper class whites who wanted to deny them the control of the schools they needed to meet the needs of the Black and Latin community.

They even hired Al Sharpton to stand with them. But as the black community has begun to rise up in Harlem and other areas of the city, note how Sharpton has shrunk back, even endorsing Thompson for mayor against his buddy Bloomberg. (We think Mike will understand and still funnel the bucks over to Al as he will be of some use in the future after the election.)

When confronted by the possibility that groups led by Sam Anderson and Jitu Weusi and Councilman Charles Barron were going to picket the fancy event he up on with the Educational Equality Project a few months ago, he got all 'fraidy cat and offered Barron a chance to speak to avoid the possible press coverage of black people picketing his event.

See Barron's slap down of BloomKlein and Sharpton

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntbFiTXD4Og

[Barron video removed to speed up loading. Go directly to You tube to view]

Enjoy the next 4 years of dictatorial control Mike and Joel. Your time is coming.