Cory Booker Has a School Choice ProblemBooker’s past positions on vouchers and charter schools are out of line with Democratic orthodoxy. He can’t stay quiet about it much longer.
New York’s Superdelegates: Who Are They, and What Are They Going to Do?Man, the election is all about the superdelegates these days, huh? As Obama surges into the Potomac primary, the press remains unwilling to start making predictions about a serious downturn in Hillary’s chances. They’ve learned their lesson from New Hampshire, after all: There’s no telling what will happen in this race. Instead, the media is focusing on getting hysterical about superdelegates, and the possibility that the influence of those 796 unpledged party officials will swing the primary results away from the will of the voting public. But who are New York’s superdelegates? Who are these people who have the power to, well, take power away from us? They include Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Chuck Schumer, Eliot Spitzer, our 23 Democratic congressmen, and Democratic National Committee officials like Randi Weingarten. Many of the above have worked extensively with Hillary Clinton since she was elected senator and are likely to swing her way. Today, the Sun spoke with Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, who is one of our Clinton supporters. “I’ll be with Hillary to the end,” said Velazquez, when asked about critics of the superdelegate system who would like it to more accurately reflect the will of the people.
in other news
Randi Weingarten Torn Up Over Cell PhonesSince this Friday is apparently “Kids Gone Krazy” day, we thought we’d update you on how serious things are getting in the New York City Public School cell-phone battle. After vetoing a bill that attempted to spell out children’s right to carry a phone to and from school (for safety reasons), Mayor Bloomberg was easily overridden by City Council. The bill will pass, but still leaves unanswered the question as to how students are supposed to take phones to school, but not actually have them while there (where they are banned). “Most schools have a ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy” about phones, said teachers’-union honcho Randi Weingarten in a radio interview to be aired this weekend. [Ed. note: Wait, what? Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell? Oh, no, homo don’t play that!] Weingarten is torn. She wants to help kids be safe while traveling, but admits that in some schools phones are so disruptive that it’s becoming a serious impediment to learning. And we’re betting it’s only going to get worse. Phones, even when kids aren’t talking on them, are distracting. Texting, playing games, and conducting business is easy to do under a table while appearing to pay attention. Adults do it all the time, in meetings. You could even write a whole blog while in boring meetings with your bosses. We hear.
Weingarten Reveals Truth about Cell Phones [Daily Politics/NYDN]
