At USA Today a Democrat operative makes a good argument for school choice, shows it is popular with parents, shows the public schools aren’t doing well for kids, the whole deal. And whoever wrote his title teed up the underlying question.
Voters demand school choice for their kids. So why aren't Democrats embracing it?
The answer to that question is as clearly visible as the nose on his face, yet the column’s author doesn’t dare mention it. So I will.
Democrats don’t “embrace” school choice because teachers unions rabidly oppose it. Teachers unions are some of the biggest contributors to Democrats’ campaign funds and a major source of campaign volunteers.
Charter and private school teachers are much harder to organize than public school teachers. Forced to choose between what’s best for kids vs. what’s best for teachers, the teachers unions always choose teachers, at the expense of kids.
The Teamsters Union has some responsibility for the recent failure of the Yellow freight firm. The National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers are factors in the manifest failure of many public schools, and the primary reason Democrats don’t support school choice. Choice would give parents alternatives and force public schools to improve.
