Ed just had a great idea.

[senseandsensibility]

He said that the repugs had a lot of teacher bashing at their convention because they are trying to bust the union. He is the best on public education!

His idea was that the Dems should counter with real teachers as speakers. I agree. Do you?

[snappyturtle]

1. Yes. nt

[northoftheborder]

2. Yes, a very good idea.

[avebury]

3. K&R nt

[DianaForRussFeingold]

4. Way To Go 'The ED Show' Thank You!

Excellent Idea, Support the teachers!

[senseandsensibility]

5. You know what I like about this idea?

In spite of the thirty year effort to discredit and smear teachers by the rightwing, the average person still likes and trusts teachers. I know this for sure because I am a public school teacher, and people in all walks of life say "thank you" to me when they find out I'm a teacher. Some of them are even republicans! So I think letting real teachers speak would be a great contrast.

[valerief]

6. and maybe some postal workers, too.

[ErikJ]

30. Definitely! Expose the GOP's USPS poison pill.

[senseandsensibility]

31. Yes!

Great idea!

[hifiguy]

7. No one addresses the issues of working people better than Ed.

No one. Rachel, Lawrence, Cenk and Jennifer Granholm are terrific, but Big Ed never foregoes an opportunity to speak up for average people.

[democrat2thecore]

40. I agree 100%

Ed is passionate about workers. The national party has moved so far away from labor to join up with the big donors and corporatism and it's always Ed that tries to put working people - as an organized force - on the agenda. It WILL happen.

[Smilo]

8. Get Matt Damon's mom to speak

and as a bonus Matt Damon.

Both are passionate about public teaching and wonderful examples of what our education system can do.

[KT2000]

11. +100 !!

[proud2BlibKansan]

16. I'd be surprised if she accepted

[progressoid]

41. Ha - considering what he's said publicly, I doubt he'll even get in the door.

[panader0]

9. Did you see the argument between Ed and Tweety about this?

Chris was against the teacher's union and Ed let him have it. A wow moment.

[oliverrams1]

14. Yes

Ed was great.

[senseandsensibility]

37. When was this? Details, please.

Sometimes I really dislike tweets. Well, many times, actually. But I would like to know any details, please.

[Squinch]

10. Yes!

At this rate, in a couple of years, no one in their right mind will choose to become a teacher.

[muddrunner17]

18. Most of the teachers I work with have discouraged their high school and college age children from

Going into education. The bennefits to BS ratio is terrible right now. We love teaching kids, but all of the other things keep bringing us down.

[Squinch]

23. So at this rate,

we have a pipeline of two or three years of kids in school getting education degrees. After that, they're going to be hurting for anyone to become a teacher, and hopefully the pendulum will swing again.

I am not a teacher, but I work closely with them, and it breaks my heart to see these people being beaten up for doing their best at the job they feel called to.

I'd love to see any accountant or marketer or administrative assistant or whatever having their performance reviews published in the newspaper, being told how much they suck every day by politicians who have never met them, being suspended for any complaint from any colleague (as teachers can be suspended for any complaint from a student) and then keep getting up in the morning.

[Hissyspit]

32. It's because teachers have ruined everything.

They are so powerful and have ruined everything with their greed.

Lawmakers and administrators are powerless to control them and public education policy.

Major ->

[proud2BlibKansan]

39. Damn. Busted.

[BumRushDaShow]

12. They do have one on the schedule

Denise Juneau - who was a teacher and became the first Native American elected to state-wide office in Montana as the Superintendent of Public Instruction. She has an interesting background (her mother was a state Senator).

[Cha]

15. Good to know...thanks

BumRushDaShow!

[BumRushDaShow]

20. Here's pic of her with her Mom

Her Mom served in the Montana state House and Senate.

[Squinch]

27. Oh, crap! Don't tell the Republicans that!

First thing you know we'll need to show penises to vote.

[Cha]

28. Lovely!

[Tikki]

13. YES and from a swing State or two...

Tikki

[reteachinwi]

17. Marketing

There is a marketing campaign against public education. A teacher with a passion for kids would be evidence for a speaker who would expose the marketing campaign. Arne Duncan is the wrong man.

[Squinch]

25. Because the corporate powers that be don't want to have to deal with the pesky unions anymore.

Because life was so much better for the average Joe during those good old Robber Baron days. You know, when there were no safety nets, and if a disaster befell you, or if God forbid you got old, you only got through if you were rich.

[MrMickeysMom]

19. I'll see your teacher and raise you a student!

Those are the best examples. So many times teachers do not get to see how a life is influenced unless you're listening to something like "This American Life" or something.

[Mnpaul]

21. Real teachers and real auto workers

The Jaynesville auto workers are tearing Ryan to shreds on Ed's show

[proud2BlibKansan]

22. There are a lot of things the Democrats can do to support teachers.

Stop Race to the Top.

Halt privatization.

End high stakes testing.

Stop promoting vouchers.

Tell Michelle Rhee to take a hike. Quit accepting donations from Students First.

Don't allow this horrible new film to be shown at the convention:

[Squinch]

24. Oh, please! I have lost so much respect for all the actors in that monstrosity.

I can only hope they have no idea what they are doing.

Idiots.

[proud2BlibKansan]

26. Viola Davis is from Central Falls, RI and supported those teachers last year

Then she turns around and makes this hit piece movie?!?!

Zero respect for her anymore. Zero.

[Karmasue]

29. And of course the Second Lady,

Dr. Jill Biden, a lifelong educator.

[ChoppinBroccoli]

33. Definitely, Along With Cops And Firefighters

I live in Ohio, and K-Suck (working in conjunction with the A-hole in Wisconsin) turned a lot cops and firefighters against the Republican Party a couple years ago by passing that union-busting bill (which was later struck down definitively by the voters). Cops and firefighters have generally been a very reliable Republican-leaning bunch, but I know that the vast, VAST majority of them, at least here in Ohio, have vowed to vote Republicans out of power.

I say let's remind them how they felt a couple of years ago when K-Suck and the other Republicans around the country took a big, steamy dump right on their faces.

[TrollBuster9090]

34. Being married to a teacher who pays for all her own teaching supplies, and goes in to do work on

days she's not getting paid, I can say with confidence that the Democrats can find some AMAZING teachers with compelling stories of dedication and self sacrifice to use as exemplars at their Convention if they WANT to, and IF they have the SPINE to!

It remains to be seen whether, unlike the State Democrats, the WASHINGTON Democrats actually have the guts to stand up for organized workers and teacher's unions, or if Democratic 'centrists' will claim they've never heard of unions.

[JDPriestly]

35. Yes, but teachers are not real excited about Obama either.

Too much testing. Too much privatization. Not enough emphasis on well qualified teachers in the classroom.

[senseandsensibility]

38. Well, there's that, of course.

But I wasn't really thinking of them as endorsers of Obama so much, as speakers in their own right.
Wouldn't that be cool?

[reformist2]

36. Our "surprise guest" should be ordinary Americans. Not washed up and crazy celebrities.

[N_E_1 for Tennis]

42. Great idea !! n/t

[Honeycombe8]

43. I'd like to see at least one teacher. nt