As Edwards Focus On Education, An Education Union Endorses Hillary Clinton

HAMPTON, NEW HAMPSHIRE -- Ex-Sen. John Edwards was late for Winnacunnet elementary school this morning and he didn't even get a hall pass. Cosmic justice: on the day that Edwards was set to speak to the National Education Associations"School to White House" team here, the American Federation of Teachers voted to endorse Sen. HIllary Clinton, a fact that will almost certainly appear in every newspaper account of the first half of the day.

(A union source says the vote for Hillary was "overwhelming" -- even though Illinois and New Mexico are well represented on the AFT's board. Now -- since the largest AFT affiliate is New York City's United Federation of Teachers, the fact of the endorsement is not too surprising.)

Edwards right now is talking to a high school civics class. They don't seem terribly interested; they seem to recognize that they're being used by a prop. As a crush of students passed by the classroom on their way to lunch, they paused and peered through the window. "He's in third place, right?" "Hillary is the forerunner," another said, referring, presumably, to her frontrunner-status and not to an animated vehicular doppleganger.

Earlier, Edwards faced the students, and they asked him some tough questions: why did it seem like Edwards had flip-flopped on withdrawing troops? (He didn't, and he used the students question to later say of Hillary Clinton, "My plan would end the war, Hillary Clinton would extend the war." Another student asked him a delicious question about how he would pay for all the federal education programs he had just proposed -- would he raise taxes? This is New Hampshire, after all. Edwards's answer was satisfactory to the student: he'd raise the capital gains tax, yes, but squeeze out other savings by removing the middlemen brokers who make money of student loans.

Comments

The teachers like getting screwed too, since they are going with Hillary. LOL. This article is not all bad, since JRE got to talk to students and got to let them know the real deal of reality. Not the la la land that Hillary is speaking about. If this is a hit job on JRE I found it very amusing. JRE never planned on getting the teachers endorsement, but Obama did.

Posted by rssrai | October 3, 2007 1:23 PM

I give up. When the Democrats get their behinds handed to them in 2008 and they lose control of both the House and the Senate, they will get exactly what their STUPIDITY deserves.

Posted by OEST | October 3, 2007 2:15 PM

Interesting tactic by the union: We all know how much the general population hates unions, so by endorsing Clinton, it gives the Edwards campaign a big boost.

Posted by Fever | October 3, 2007 2:45 PM

Also today, Hillary gets 50% for the first time in a national primary poll... Link here.

Posted by Dabuek | October 3, 2007 4:26 PM

It's amazing that some are still playing various versions of the "she's unelectable" theme, or she's going to lose us control of the house and senate. Are these people dumb, just so partisan that they have lost contact with reality, or fully paid up Hillary haters. We know what Andy is and he's doomed to disappointment. I guess he'll issue his mea culpa the day after she's elected. That was a low blow but you guys deserve it. Any rational person, and that's what you claim you are around here, would have to accept that she is almost certain to be the nominee and to have about a 60/40 chance of winning the presidency. It's reality. Those that can't accept it seem to lose contact with it or get personal.

Posted by John | October 3, 2007 5:17 PM

The democrats will be in big trouble if Hillary is the nominee. I'm a long time democrat, 52 years old, and I will quit this party if she is the nominee. I am not alone. A lot of us are tired of the republican-lite democrats that have taken over the democratic party. I'd rather form a new party than follow the Clintons back to the white house with their corrupt politics that are truly no different than George Bush serves us. Bill bombed Iraq on a daily basis prior to leaving office, he had China businessmen donating to his campaign (Hmmm, I wonder why we have so much Chinese junk being recalled!) and do you remember the Lincoln bedroom and Mark Rich? Those of you that are Hillary supporters need to really think this through. She is so very polarizing. She will never get my vote and I have voted democratic since I began voting!

Posted by Ksvoboda | October 3, 2007 5:45 PM

I agree with OEST. If this country is stupid enough to fall for the same kind of political spin and manipulation that got us the last administration, it deserves what it will get.

You will notice how the Hillary supporters always call people who do not support her 'Hillary Haters' -- the same way bush supporters call those who speak out about him 'bush haters' -- as if people weren't against their actions, only filled with hate. It's an old Rove tactic that plays well with that kind of person. If you'll recall, the Clinton campaign acknowledged that they admired Rove and proudly proclaimed that they would use similar tactics.

If this is what you want, America, don't go crying about the toilet we continue to slide into.

John Edwards is not my first choice for president, but he is a good man and deserves more respect than this article gave him. He would be a far superior choice to Hillary by a mile, and I wouldn't be too quick to count him out in this race. Polls are rather notorious in this country for being quite wrong. People have short memories as a rule, but not all of us. Most people on the ground aren't being represented by those polls or the irrelevent hype by the media.

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