NEA endorses Obama for reelection despite teachers’ discontent
Posted in Main Blog (All Posts) on July 5th, 2011 4:34 am by HL
NEA endorses Obama for reelection despite teachers’ discontent
The governing body for the National Education Association voted Monday to endorse President Obama for reelection in 2012, handing him an early campaign boost despite widespread dissatisfaction among teachers about federal education policies.
Dennis Van Roekel, president of the 3.2-million-member union, said in a statement that Obama shares the group’s vision for America. “He has never wavered from talking about the importance of education or his dedication to a vibrant middle class,” he said.
The endorsement from the nation’s largest union is one of the first from organized labor, traditionally a key source of votes and campaign volunteers. Many teachers are worried about the prospect of a Republican in the White House, particularly as their rights to organize are being challenged by GOP lawmakers in Ohio and Wisconsin.
Burmese diplomat seeks asylum in U.S.
The second-ranking diplomat at the Burmese Embassy in Washington has decided to defect and is seeking asylum in the United States.
Deputy Chief of Mission Kyaw Win, 59, confirmed Monday that he is leaving his post to protest what he says are his government’s human rights violations and sham elections, and because he is afraid for his and his family’s lives.
Kyaw Win, who declined a phone interview, sent a letter Monday to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in which he laid out his reasons for defecting, talked about his experiences as one of Burma’s top diplomats and sided with international human rights groups who have accused Burmese military leaders for years of abusing their countrymen. The letter was obtained by The Washington Post and confirmed as authentic by Kyaw Win.
One Republican race, two starting points
AMHERST, N.H. — The GOP presidential hopefuls who hit the campaign trail on the Fourth of July spent their time doing much the same thing — over and over again. They walked and waved their way through parades, shook hundreds of hands, and dropped by back-yard cookouts, capitalizing on the day’s patriotic fervor to try to make inroads in key early states.
But their time on the hustings underscored that while their method of face-to-face retail politics is the same, their starting points for the Republican nomination race are miles apart: One race begins in this primary-obsessed state, where Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman Jr. marched in the same parade; another begins in Iowa, where Rep. Michele Bachmann and Newt Gingrich saw the same flags and smiling faces as they walked down Main Street in Clear Lake, shaking hands and posing for pictures.
Voters angry about Minnesota shutdown give Republican lawmaker an earful at July Fourth parade
EAGAN, Minn. — As Republican Sen. Ted Daley hustled up Yankee Doodle Road in the lineup for Eagan’s Fourth of July parade, some of his constituents wondered loudly why he wasn’t at the state Capitol 10 miles to the north trying to end the state government shutdown that was in its fourth day.
“Go get your job done!” shouted Bill Egan, a 52-year-old salesman who said he’s disgusted by the standoff between Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton and the Republicans who control the Legislature.
The two have been at odds over the state budget since they were sworn in early this year. Republicans want to limit state spending to $34 billion, the amount the state is expected to bring in over the next two years, while Dayton wants to raise income taxes on the state’s top earners to provide $1.8 billion more to keep up with growing demand for state services and prevent cuts to social programs and public colleges.
