NEA Urges Support For Obama's Re-Election

The Hill (5/6, Bogardus) reports the National Education Association "has asked its members to support President Obama's bid for a second term in the White House. The move by the NEA -- the country's largest union, with more than 3 million members -- shows that labor, a traditional ally of Democrats, is gearing up for the 2012 election." The Hill notes that NEA President Dennis Van Roekel "cited the new Republican majority in the House as a reason to get the ball rolling for a formal endorsement of Obama."

 

Politico (5/6, Allen) says the recommendation us "the first formal step toward endorsing" Obama's campaign. This piece quotes Von Roekel, "This is the time to make decisions about the direction of our country, and we have real choices to make. As activists, engaged educators, we should get involved now. Will we allow Congress to gut Medicare, slash education and cut Social Security, and continue to make it just fine for hedge fund managers and corporations to sidestep paying taxes? Or will we act and assert the real American values of hard work and responsibility, a commitment to a vibrant middle class, to college affordability, and the opportunity to reach the American Dream? It is time to stand strong for what we believe in and what is right for students and families, schools and the nation."

 

The Huffington Post (5/6, Stein) reports "the union's director of campaign and elections, Karen White, explained that the timing of the endorsement was driven out a scheduling necessity." Meanwhile, in similar coverage, the New York Times (5/6, Greenhouse) reports that "over the past year, Education Secretary Arne Duncan and other sin the administration have moved to improve relations with [NEA and the American Federation of Teachers], including helping to forge a compromise after a Rhode Island school district had fired all the teachers at a failing high school as part of a turnaround effort. The compromise called for rehiring all the teachers as well as a longer school day and mandatory after-school tutoring for every student."