MORNING MESSAGE
...news
about a U.S. Supreme Court case, Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association,
raised concerns for progressives everywhere – and for good reason. As my
colleague Dave Johnson writes, the case is about “making every state a
‘right-to-work’ state, and suppressing unions and wages.” ... But because
Friedrichs started with a disagreement among teachers ... some people who might
normally support progressive causes have so far been less than vehement in
voicing their concerns ... Since teachers are professionals, the argument goes,
why do they need a union? Aren’t unions just for “workers” who punch a clock and
are paid “wages”? ... Actually, teachers need unions because of their
profession. Let’s look at why that’s so...
Originally published at the Education
Opportunity Network. Click here to subscribe to the EON
newsletter.Battle for the Soul of the Party
Democratic
candidate town hall on CNN tonight: “Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and
Martin O’Malley will make their closing arguments Monday … The event, moderated
by CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, will air from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET…”
Sanders,
Clinton offer two different directions for Democrats. NYT: “Mr. Sanders, a
New Deal-style liberal from Vermont, last week became the party’s first top-tier
candidate since the 1980s to propose broad-based tax increases. He argues that
only muscular government action — Wall Street regulations, public works jobs,
Medicare for all — will topple America’s ‘rigged’ economy … Mrs. Clinton, a
mainstream Democrat, has started contrasting herself with Mr. Sanders by
championing a ‘sensible, achievable agenda’ and promising to build on President
Obama’s legacy in health care, the economy and national security.”
Obama
weighs in on Dem primary in Politico interview: “…there’s no doubt that
Bernie has tapped into a running thread in Democratic politics that says: Why
are we still constrained by the terms of the debate that were set by Ronald
Reagan 30 years ago? … what Hillary presents is a recognition that translating
values into governance and delivering the goods is ultimately the job of
politics … I don’t want to exaggerate those differences, though, because Hillary
is really idealistic and progressive … And Bernie, you know, is somebody who was
a senator and served on the Veterans’ Committee and got bills done.”
Hillary
and Bernie stump for women voters. NYT: “At a rally with 2,270 people in
Decorah, Mr. Sanders noted that he, unlike Mrs. Clinton, supports proposed
Senate legislation that would ensure three months of paid family leave for
Americans … Mrs. Clinton campaigned on Sunday afternoon with Cecile Richards,
the president of Planned Parenthood, who introduced Mrs. Clinton at a rally here
as a ‘fighter’ for health care and education programs.”
Sanders
dismisses Clinton attacks. W. Post: “… Sanders said Clinton was running a
‘desperate’ campaign incapable of generating the kind of excitement his has. He
raised questions about her motives and character. He said he expects Clinton and
her campaign to ‘throw the kitchen sink’ at him in the coming week in what he
described as a craven attempt to avoid an embarrassing loss in Iowa.”
Trump's GOP?
David
Axelrod sees Trump winning a “hostile takeover” of the Republican Party in NYT
oped: ” Open-seat presidential elections are shaped by perceptions of the
style and personality of the outgoing incumbent. Voters rarely seek the replica
of what they have … who among the Republicans is more the antithesis of Mr.
Obama than the trash-talking, authoritarian, give-no-quarter Mr. Trump?”
Ethanol
opposition complicating Ted Cruz campaign in Iowa. The Hill: “The chairman
of the Iowa Republican Party says GOP presidential hopeful Ted Cruz’s opposition
to ethanol is a ‘factor’ among Iowan voters … ‘I don’t think it’s an issue that
will sink or allow one candidate to rise necessarily, but, I mean, it is a
factor.'”
Breakfast Sides
“Over
200 Educators in New York Receive Erroneous Scores Linked to Student
Performance” reports NYT: “The error, which affected a small percentage of
scores for the 2014-15 academic year, could be another blow to the practice of
linking educator performance to student exams, a system that has come under fire
in recent years.”
Walmart
responds to demand for higher wages. Bloomberg: “Wal-Mart, the largest
private employer in the U.S., is raising wages for its hourly employees either
to at least $10 an hour or by 2 percent of their salaries, starting Feb. 20.
Under the plan, senior hourly workers will get $15 an hour, up from $13 … The
retailer’s initiative could put further pressure on companies across industries
to boost salaries.”
Progressive
Breakfast is a daily morning email highlighting news stories of interest to
activists. Progressive Breakfast is a project of the Campaign for America's
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