Defeat DeVos- Call Your Senator Now

The Senate education committee just voted to advance Betsy DeVos’ nomination for secretary of education. Next she’ll face the real test: a vote of the entire senate. It's taken almost a month for her nomination to get this far, and the fight isn’t nearly over yet. You've sent more than 1 million emails, and called senators more than 50,000 times, and believe me - they are taking notice. In explaining why she'll vote no, Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) said that 95 percent of the people that contacted her office opposed DeVos. Ninety-five percent! At the vote this morning, Senator Murkowski (R-AK) said she is still undecided, and that she is listening to the serious concerns of the thousands of her constituents who have called. And they're not the only ones. We've heard from senate staff that they're getting more emails and calls from our members and allies about stopping DeVos than they've ever had about a nominee.  Trust me - you are making a difference. We have to keep the pressure on. Keep calling. Keep emailing. Keep telling your senators that Betsy DeVos cannot be put in charge of our nation’s schools.  Call 1-855-882-6229 to speak to your senators. Click here to email them. Our senators need to know that we will never back down when our students and public education are on the line. Let’s keep up the fight.  - Lily Lily Eskelsen García President National Education Association

School Privatizer to Head US Department of Education

School Privatizer to Head US Department of Education

Trump's Muslim Ban is a Disgrace

BY THE EDITORIAL BOARD Sacramento Bee

If any American value was served by President Donald Trump’s inhumane treatment of hundreds of ordinary people from Muslim-majority nations this weekend, we would like to know what it is.

How sickening it was to watch Trump’s draconian executive order on refugees play out, indefinitely banning entry to Syrian refugees and suspending U.S. travel for visa and, for a time, even green card holders from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

The estimated 375 travelers detained or prevented from boarding flights into the U.S. on Saturday were not terrorist threats. They were scientists, medical students, engineers, interpreters who had risked their lives to help the U.S. government.

A Sudanese graduate student at Stanford University was handcuffed and detained at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Two Iranian-born Chicago suburbanites with green cards were held at O’Hare International Airport with their 18-month-old baby. A 70-year-old father joining his son was put on a plane back to Iran at Los Angeles International Airport.

NATIONAL VIGILANCE IS UNDENIABLY IMPORTANT, BUT TRUMP’S ORDER WAS WRONG ON ALMOST EVERY LEVEL, TO THE POINT OF INCOMPETENCE.

Trump Signs Executive Orders Calling For Deportations and Exclusions of Refugees

“

First they came for the Communists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

”

Rev. Martin Niemoller, after surviving a Nazi concentration camp.

California vs Trump- Border Wall

antiracismdsa: California vs Trump- Border Wall: Great interview.  Becerra will stand up to Trump http://www.msnbc.com/mtp-daily/watch/ag-becerra-i-will-find-ways-to-stop-trump-s-wall-86...

Betsy DeVos and Blackwater

 By Marc Norton

Blackwater founder Erik Prince, who has been called “America’s most notorious mercenary” by author and journalist Jeremy Scahill, has emerged as an influential advisor to the incoming Donald Trump regime.

Prince is also the brother of Betsy DeVos, who is in the process of being confirmed as secretary of education — and an advocate for the privatization of public schools.

The connection between these two reactionary political players is no secret, but is one of those barely-known facts that has remained mostly hidden in plain sight.  Despite significant press around the confirmation hearings for DeVos, the corporate media has not called the public’s attention to her relationship to Prince.  Plaudits go to the The Intercept for publishing an article on January 17 by Scahill about Prince's connection to Trump, and highlighting his connection to DeVos.

Prince’s biggest claim to infamy is as the founder of Blackwater, a private security firm that hired mercenaries to augment US military forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, among many other places.  Blackwater, now transformed into a company called Academi, had an intimate relationship with the CIA, and was regarded by many as one of the CIA’s go to organizations when it wanted to contract out its dirty work.  Blackwater got into hot water more than once, particularly in 2007 when some of its mercenaries gunned down 17 Iraqi civilians, including a 9-year old boy, in Baghdad.

Scahill reports that trusted sources tell him Prince has been giving Trump advice on his staff picks for the Defense Department and the State Department.  Nothing like having friends in high places if you want work.

Prince is close to another Trump advisor, the racist Steve Bannon.  Prince has often appeared on Bannon’s Breitbart Radio.  Last July, Prince told Bannon that a Trump administration could and should create a new version of the Phoenix Program, the CIA assassination program during the Vietnam War that “neutralized” tens of thousands of alleged Viet Cong leaders.  The new assassination program would presumably target “radical Islamic extremists,” and who knows who else.

DeVos, while not a public advocate of murder like her brother, has worked for decades in an effort to undermine and assassinate public education.  A billionaire heir to the Amway fortune, she is a prominent Republican donor and fund-raiser.  Her political efforts have centered around campaigns to give parents taxpayer-funded “vouchers” so they can pull their children out of the public education system and send them to private schools, including religious schools.  She has also campaigned to expand charter schools, which are publicly funded but run by private companies.

She isn’t responsible for her brother, of course, but the two are closely linked politically, as described in a 2014 Mother Jones article — and there’s no sign anywhere that she has said she doesn’t approve of his actions.

DeVos hails from Michigan, where she is a political force to be reckoned with.  She has been credited with creating a network of charter schools in Michigan that are virtually unregulated, despite the abysmal test scores of their students.  Dick DeVos, Betsy’s husband, led and funded the successful campaign in 2012 that turned Michigan into a so-called “right to work” state, effectively outlawing the union shop.  That includes, of course, public schools.

DeVos was called the “the most ideological, anti-public education nominee” for the office of Secretary of Education ever by Randi Weingarten, the President of the American Federation of Teachers. (See below)

Trump's Attack on Immigrants

Yesterday, as Trump signed two executive orders meant to jumpstart construction of a U.S.-Mexico border wall and strip federal funding from sanctuary cities, California Democrats committed to fighting back.

Here's what leaders in California had to say:

"These executive orders will harm public safety, tear families apart, and jeopardize national security ... I'd urge my colleagues in Congress to uphold America's tradition of standing up to protect these communities." - U.S. Senator Kamala Harris

"It's sad Donald Trump thinks these executive orders make America safer, and it's sad he thinks they make America better ... These orders are exactly why the Legislature is taking steps to help immigrants with access to legal counsel to ensure due process." - Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon

"The California DOJ will protect the rights of all of its people from unwarranted intrusion from any source, including the federal government." - Attorney General Xavier Becerra

"It's not the job of our local and county and state law enforcement to turn the cogs of President Trump's deportation machine. He cannot force us and we will not hesitate to fight him in Congress and settle the matter in court." - Senate Leader Kevin de León

Trump Begins Border Wall

antiracismdsa: Trump Begins Border Wall: Will hire 5,000 additional border patrol. Will end catch and release policy. Says he will crack down on sanctuary cities.  WASHINGTO...

The Identity Politics Red Herring @alternet

The Identity Politics Red Herring @alternet: It is about civil rights and social justice.

Bill Fletcher

We will defend every man, woman, and child !

California Gov. Edmund G Brown Jr.  Jan. 24, 2017
First, in California, immigrants are an integral part of who we are and what we’ve become. They have helped create the wealth and dynamism of this state from the very beginning.

I recognize that under the Constitution, federal law is supreme and that Washington determines immigration policy. But as a state we can and have had a role to play. California has enacted several protective measures for the undocumented: the Trust Act, lawful driver’s licenses, basic employment rights and non-discriminatory access to higher education.

We may be called upon to defend those laws and defend them we will. And let me be clear: we will defend everybody – every man, woman and child – who has come here for a better life and has contributed to the well-being of our state.

antiracismdsa: What Trump Can and Can't Do To Immigrants

antiracismdsa: What Trump Can and Can't Do To Immigrants: WHAT TRUMP CAN AND CAN'T DO TO IMMIGRANTS By David Bacon  Dollars and Sense | January/February 2017 http://dollarsandsense.org/archives...

Trump's Hollow Rhetoric Collided With Reality At The Inauguration | The Huffington Post

Trump's Hollow Rhetoric Collided With Reality At The Inauguration | The Huffington Post


Bill Moyers and Michael Kinship 

We Stand Against Trump

Trump Will Begin Anti Immigrant Campaign Immediate...

antiracismdsa: Trump Will Begin Anti Immigrant Campaign Immediate...: Brian Bennett  of the Los Angeles Times. Jan.19, 2017. Aides are clearing the way for President-elect  Donald Trump  to take the first ...

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is a "Horrifying Prospect" for Public Sc...

Public school teacher speaks up.

What will Betsy DeVos’ focus on school choice mean for public education?

Both Major Teachers’ Unions Oppose Betsy DeVos.

What will Betsy DeVos’ focus on school choice mean for public education?: Education secretary nominee Betsy DeVos has neither taught nor worked in a school system, but she and her family have used wealth and influence to create more charter schools and champion vouchers. As educators watch her hearing for an understanding of her views, William Brangham talks to Frederick Hess of American Enterprise Institute and Randi Weingarten of American Federation of Teachers.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/will-betsy-devos-focus-school-choice-mean-public-education/

Today was the first day of hearings.  Republicans praised her and Democrats raised several important issues including her role as a leading opponent of public schools.  The vote will be next week, perhaps Tuesday. Please contact your Senator today.

The more we learn, the more we are certain that Betsy DeVos is bad for public schools and for kids.

When De Vos has to choose between quality schools and “the free market,” she chooses “the free market” of privatized choice every time. The best interests of children take a back seat.

And we know the DeVos endgame–shut down our neighborhood public schools, and replace them with a patchwork of charters, private schools and online learning.

We can’t let that happen and we need your help. Present and future generations of children are depending on us to act now.  We now know that some Senators have grave doubts. 

Here are our three toolkits to help you do your part.

Toolkit 1. Call your senators’ offices. The toolkit with numbers and a phone script can be found here. It includes a link to phone numbers.

Toolkit 2. Send a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. You can find a model here.

Martin Luther King Was A Democratic Socialist | The Huffington Post

Martin Luther King Was A Democratic Socialist | The Huffington Post

Rev. Barber: Our third reconstruction

Five key trends in U.S. student performance: Progress by blacks and Hispanics, the takeoff of Asians, the stall of non-English speakers, the persistence of socioeconomic gaps, and the damaging effect of highly segregated schools

Five key trends in U.S. student performance: Progress by blacks and Hispanics, the takeoff of Asians, the stall of non-English speakers, the persistence of socioeconomic gaps, and the damaging effect of highly segregated schools: Overview In 15 years of increasing average test scores, black-white and Hispanic-white student achievement gaps continue to close, and Asian students are pulling away from whites in both math and reading achievement. For the improving groups, these long-term trends may be a major educational success story. In stark contrast, Hispanic and Asian students who are …

What is Fascism ?

Henry Wallace was Vice President of the U.S. 1941-1945

The War on Public Schools

The War on Public Schools

Betsy DeVos - Bad for America's Children

The more we learn, the more we are certain that Betsy DeVos is bad for public schools and for kids.

When De Vos has to choose between quality schools and “the free market,” she chooses “the free market” of privatized choice every time. The best interests of children take a back seat.

And we know the DeVos endgame–shut down our neighborhood public schools, and replace them with a patchwork of charters, private schools and online learning.

We can’t let that happen and we need your help. Present and future generations of children are depending on us to act now.  We now know that some Senators have grave doubts. It is our job to make those doubts grow into active resistance to DeVos. Our senators are in district offices from 12/17 – 1/2.

Here are our three toolkits to help you do your part.

Toolkit 1. Call your senators’ offices. The toolkit with numbers and a phone script can be found here. It includes a link to phone numbers.

Toolkit 2. Send a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. You can find a model here.

Toolkit 3. Visit your senators’ offices. If you cannot get an appointment, hand deliver a letter. Our toolkit, which you can find here has a model to use, and directions to find local offices. If you cannot hand deliver it, send your letter in the mail.

When you go into the toolkits and commit to an action, we have a simple form that let’s us know what you did. As a thank you, you will receive a special badge for your Facebook page or Twitter account each time you complete an action, and you will be entered into our drawing for a copy of Reign of Error signed by Diane Ravitch.

The drawing will be held on January 5th,

Share this link on your Facebook page and Twitter account, or email it to a friend.
sorry this is late. There is still time to act. The DeVos hearing has been delayed by 1-2 days. 

Betsy DeVos Will Be an Opponent of Public Education

Jeff Bryant,
In “an unprecedented break” from tradition, Democrats in the US Senate are expected to challenge as many as eight of Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees, including Betsy DeVos for US Secretary of Education, according to a report by the Washington Post.

The opposition to DeVos, Politico reports, comes from “more than a dozen Democratic senators from all wings of the party” who “will portray DeVos’ views as being outside the education mainstream.”

The non-mainstream “views” Politico cites include her “bankrolling efforts to create state voucher programs” and to expand a “loosely-regulated charter school sector” in Michigan, her home state. The Senators are “also intent on drawing attention to her lack of experience in a traditional public school setting. DeVos has never worked as a public school teacher or superintendent, nor has she sent her own kids to public schools.”

Opposition to DeVos has brought an outcry from conservative and politically centrist fans of “education reform” who claim opposing DeVos is driven “partisanship” and “nasty,” “personalized” rhetoric.

It’s true that the opposition to DeVos is a radical departure from what’s happened in the past.

US Policies Drive Migrants from Central America

antiracismdsa: US Policies Drive Migrants from Central America: http://www.dsausa.org/us_policies_drive_migration_from_central_america By David Bacon The mass migration of children from Central Amer...

Complete Final speech by Michelle Obama as First Lady (C-SPAN)

To Stop Trump, Learn from Tea Party - Build at the Grassroots

To Stop Trump, Learn from Tea Party - Build at the Grassroots

Say No To Fascism

When Liberals Criticize Liberals About the Election

Dissent Magazine has posted a piece, "The End of Progressive Neoliberalism,' by Nancy Fraser.
https://www.dissentmagazine.org/online_articles/progressive-neoliberalism-reactionary-populism-nancy-fraser

Dissent does not offer an opportunity to comment on its articles, so I will comment here.  (below)
by Duane E. Campbell 

Thank you for the piece, The End of Progressive Neoliberalism .I wondered how folks such as the writer justified the position of not organizing all available forces to defeat Trump.  It is good that you came out of the closet. I think you represent many, I have been looking for someone to speak up from this perspective ( not my own). The position puzzles me.

From your essay you seem to consider the contamination of our politics by the Clinton, neoliberal machine as a greater danger than the potential victory by Trump and his neoliberal proto fascists.

I have some issues of dissent from your piece. Contrary to your statement, there is a left in the US.  Weak, yes, but it exists. For example the CCDS says of the election,

“”The movement for justice and progress in the U.S. has suffered a great setback. And the depth of the reactionary movement that led to this setback was underestimated by most on the left. It’s necessary to reflect on what it has taught us and about our shortcomings but it’s also vital to assess our strength to meet this great challenge.” 

  I think they are referring to your position  when they say,

“And the depth of the reactionary movement that led to this setback was underestimated by most on the left.”

Democratic Socialists of America’s position is here:

http://www.dsausa.org/we_fight_for_socialism_dl_npc

There were a good number of socialists ( not liberals) who worked night and day to defeat Trump including myself.  Most did so on some form of this perspective.

http://www.dsausa.org/trump_racism_and_the_left_dl

While you make good points in criticizing liberals  ( you call them  progressive neoliberalism), I encourage you to continue to explain your own view.

I will use data from California  in response since I know the data from here more than national data. The Trump election is most likely going to eliminate health care for some 2-4 million children, in particular the children of the undocumented.  Some 2-4 million workers ( immigrants) now face deportation.  At least 40 % of these are parents of U.S. citizen children.

The Election and Resistance

by Joseph M. Schwartz 

The Need for a Class Politics

What motivation did Hillary Clinton’s campaign provide for working-class voters of all races to turn out? Her ads stressed her “competence, experience and expertise” and the deep character flaws of her opponent, including his horrific misogyny. No doubt misogyny played a role in Clinton’s defeat. But, Clinton failed to emphasize her platform’s call to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour, create jobs through public investment in infrastructure and alternative energy, and oppose “free trade agreements.” She never fully embraced the platform imposed on her by the forces behind her social democratic rival, Bernie Sanders. Yet Sanders’s message did resonate with white working-class voters and millennials of all races. In addition, the symbolism of a woman running for president failed to win enough white working-class or college-educated women.

Many working-class-voters view the Democrats as the party of white, socially liberal, bicoastal elites who look down upon the non-college educated. Both Republican and neoliberal Democratic politicians have embraced a racial politics that attacks antipoverty programs as creating dependence, while supporting with varying degrees of ambivalence universal social welfare programs such as Social Security and Medicare.

Narrow Victory for Trump

We should not exaggerate the size of the Trump victory. Elections are often won on the margin. Clinton won the popular vote by at least 2 million votes (or over one percent out of over 137 million votes cast), and if we didn’t have the Electoral College system (created to give increased political weight to the slave states), she would be president of the U.S. The deciding votes were approximately 97,000 or just enough to fill a large stadium. Clinton lost Pennsylvania by 68,000 votes, Michigan by 11,000, and Wisconsin by 18,000. None of these states had gone Republican since 1988. But small margins can mask seismic shifts. Trump’s support from white, college-educated voters dropped 10% from Romney’s 2012 total, while his non-college-educated white vote rose 10% higher than Romney’s. Clinton’s projected final vote total of over 65 million is about two million below Obama’s popular vote total of 2012 and about five million below his 2008 total. Trump’s vote rose slightly above Romney’s total, with an important uptick in small town and rural America, particularly in the Rust Belt (more among irregular voters than Obama-Trump switchers). Clinton lost in part because she failed to energize the Democratic base, particularly among working-class African Americans and socially liberal white working-class voters, many of whom stayed home.

As of this writing in mid-November, we still need to see actual electoral data, but exit polls indicate that Clinton probably lost whites without a college education by 70-30; and this ten-point swing away from the 2012 Democratic total explains Trump’s margins in rural and small-town white America. Trump’s victory did not depend solely on the white working class, as a good chunk of non-college-educated white voters are relatively affluent small business owners or contractors.

Clinton won the votes of the one-third of the electorate making under $50,000 a year by about 12 points; Obama won that cohort by well over 20%. (Close to half of voters making $50,000 or less are voters of color.) If the Democrats are to make gains against the Republicans in the 2018 and crucial 2020 elections (which will determine reapportionment), they have to make decreasing social inequality the centerpiece of their political appeal.