Today we discuss the issue of what our union and the members of the
Illinois Education Association, should do in the Illinois election for
governor. This will be cross-posted on all four blogs. Ken Previti (from Reclaim Reform), Glen Brown
(from Teacherpoetmusician), and Fred Klonsky (from Preaprez).
Dear
Ken, Glen, and Fred,
There
is the old cliché that voting in American politics often requires a person to
hold his or her nose and pull the lever. Not so this year; at least, not so on
the Illinois gubernatorial level. In the case of people like me – public sector
workers both current and retired – we have a couple of real stinkers to choose
from.
I
should remind myself that there are indeed other candidates, like the Green
Party candidate Scott Summers or the Libertarian candidate Chad Grimm. But
voting for those unlikely characters is an act of defiance akin to holding your
breath when you were five years old to prove that no one could make you go to
bed. Nice gesture, but even if you won, you put yourself to sleep. Nothing
changes in politics without a plan that moves beyond the moment.
Me?
I’m looking for a Haz Mat suit this year. Pulling the lever for Quinn is the
most unseemly and antithetical action I can contemplate given his various affronts
these last few years, from the ridiculous (Squeezy) to the delusional (“I was
put on this earth…”) to the unconstitutional (signing SB1).
Whoa!
Almost talked myself out of it.
On
the other hand, it doesn’t take much time to read over Bruce Rauner’s home
website proposals for correcting Illinois’ woes to see that (1) he has no idea
what he’s doing, (2) he’s only trying to copy major ALEC ideas put into play by
real (Koch-purchased) politicians with experience in right to work states like
MI or IN, and (3) he couldn’t begin to do much more in Illinois then as he most
accurately promised: “Really, I’m gonna drive ‘em all nuts.”
In
short, he is an expert on nuts, guys. And we’d be nuts not to vote against him
by choosing the danger we already know – Pat Quinn.
I
could decide not to vote at all, but like the silly act of defiance such
inaction might be a mistake. Reason? Quinn won last time by only 32,000 votes.
Those were likely public sector workers and others. If we want Quinn to beat
Rauner, we’ll need to vote for him as public sector workers.
And
Rauner will do anything using others to prove he is not who or what he really
is. Lula, the commercialized African-American “educator” is an attempt to blunt
the outrage of most of us who are quite aware of his positions on nixing the
minimum wage, pushing charter schools for the wealthy, or destroying pensions
for small savings accounts called 401K’s.
And
I could decide that I won’t do what the unions will ask me to do – yield and
vote for Quinn despite his SB1 and all his blustering on fixing the pensions on
the backs of retirees and now the poor current workers. Did I mention the
future hirers? Yeah, I’m sorry they didn’t anticipate this dilemma too, but
they’ll need to make a choice and ask us to do what’s ugly but necessary.
It’s
a Hobson’s choice, guys, but that’s not to say both candidates are equivalently
dangerous to the middle class. One is a bumbling populist while the other has,
as WS once pointed out, “a lean and hungry look,” the kind who looks quite through
the deeds of “real workers.”
Hey!
Got one!
Regards,
John
Dear
John, Glen and Ken,
Thanks
for kicking this off John. It’s a great exercise in debate and collaboration.
As four retired teachers, we are modeling what we hope for our union: open
debate and inclusion.
What
is clear to me is that the election for Illinois Governor is going to be close.
Recent polls show only a few points separate them.
Quinn’s
problem is that because he and his Democratic Party comrades in Springfield led
the assault on public employee pensions, many of us will not vote for him. At
least, not at the moment. I talked to many IEA members after their face-to-face
at the IEA RA. They hated Rauner, but told me that as of now they would not
vote for Quinn. I expect that will change for many by November. But Quinn needs
all of his Democratic base. Not some of it. A few thousand stay-at-homes or
Green Party voters and his goose is cooked.
As
for me, I have not decided yet if I will vote for Quinn.
What
are the Democrats offering unions and public employees in exchange for our
vote?
Incredibly,
they are planning more pension thievery even as we write this. This time they
have voted to cut the pensions of City workers. Chicago police, fire fighters
and teachers are next on the agenda.
If
Quinn wants my vote, he should veto the current bill and swear off any further
pension cuts.
He
should make a public pronouncement that he was put on this earth to
raise revenue. To tax the rich. To end cuts to the programs that serve the
most needy.
The
more serious problem is that our union leadership and the leadership of the
other unions in the coalition have done nothing over the years to create a
working families’ electoral alternative.
They
spent over four million dollars on a campaign to elect the Chairman of ALEC in
the Republican primary and came within three percentage points of doing that.
Imagine
what could have been built with that money in terms of a pro-working families
electoral alternative.
-
Fred
Dear
John, Fred and Ken
Two
equally objectionable choices could have been avoided. To choose between the
lesser of two evils with the added hope that a repentant politician emerges to
“swear off any further pension cuts…” is perhaps fanciful thinking.
However,
“the failure of the union leadership to create an electoral alternative (that
wasn’t based on electing the Chairman of ALEC as the Republican nominee) has
led to this: an unholy alliance with the worst of the Democrats” (Klonsky’s
…Will Rauner fear push our union leaders into the arms of Michael Madigan? May
4th). This is our profane reality now.
As
to voting for either duplicitous, constitutional contract-breaker Quinn or
negligent, ($53 million+ a year) venture capitalist Rauner:
For
anyone who is a current or retired public employee, let your Conscience be your
guide.
-
Glen
Dear
John, Fred and Glen,
The
problem of voting for governor in the next election is not merely Quinn (D)
versus Rauner (R) in Illinois.
Teachers
in IL, CT, FL, PA, etc. face the identical “lesser of two evils” ploy in future
elections for governor. They are told that each state faces unique sets of issues,
but that is a lie.
Teachers,
pro-public-education parents, CCSS dissenters, high stakes testing opponents,
pro-education-for-all supporters, and all active and retired public employees
face the abuses presented by the corporate controlled two political party
system that monetizes children for private profit while starving seniors by
diminishing their pensions. Stop accepting the lies and abuses we are all being
subjected to.
Harsh
Fact of Life: There is no valid gubernatorial candidate from either major
political party to choose between in many states.
Harsh
Conclusion: Our votes have already been wasted – wasted as in killed,
exterminated, made dead. The politicos during the manipulated primary selection
processes saw to that. Past politicos have created barriers for third-party
candidates. Major corporate media has also marginalized or ignored candidates
other than (D) or (R). The Supreme Court has declared that money is free speech
and approved bribery and the purchase of candidates by the wealthy. Unions have
failed to create, select or support pro-union candidates at an early enough
time when the money and support would have mattered.
Who
do we vote for in November? For governor, leave it blank.
Vote
for anyone of your choice for other elected office, but leave the governor’s
choices blank. Yes, this sends a message. No, it is not wasted; it shows the
numbers of people who see through the “lesser of two evils” ploy being played
by Democrat and Republican Party leadership across the nation.
These
party leaders need to count how many votes they themselves have wasted. They
need to see that the old game is breaking apart as they lose in areas that they
believed were safe.
Yes,
this is a form of non-violent revolt. Vote, but don’t vote for any “lesser of
two evils” gubernatorial candidates. If any state, such as Connecticut, has a
chance for a third-party candidate, vote for the person in order to give the
two-party game players a lesson in what politics could and should be.
If
there are no valid candidates, revolt; leave blanks.
I
will not wear a Haz-Mat suit. I will wear Gandhi eyeglasses.
-
Ken
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