| We Democrats are the natural allies of teachers in Texas. When they've needed help, the teachers could always count on Democrats. In the Leg., it's Democrats who introduce legislation for teachers, and work to pass that legislation. Republicans, like Strayhorn, are the major barrier to good legislation for education and teachers. This has been true for (political) eons.
So who did the largest teachers union support? The self-promoting, self-serving republican hack, granny Strayhorn. Why? To be accurate, and politically incorrect, it was the "old girls network."
Do you remember "old boys" networks? The old male power brokers who saw to it that only "their kind of men" were put in positions of power? And do you remember all the injustices that resulted in? Well, TSTA, the largest teachers union in Texas, is now run by a parallel "old girls network." How do I know? I'm a founding member of the NEA higher education affilate in Texas, and have served on the Executive Committee. We share office space and staff with them. I've been to their conventions.
TSTA has had some strong success legislatively, and been instrumental in electing some Democrats to the Leg. And they credit themselves, the women of Texas teaching, for their success. So when granny came along and pandered to the "old girls" of TSTA, they looked in her mirror and saw themselves as the power brokers of the Texas governorship. They fell for the well-documented Strayhorn con.
Now Rick Perry wins again, and a little over half the granny vote would have put Chris Bell in the governorship. That's not idle speculation. In the past, TSTA has endorsed Democrats and put a strong phone bank and ground game in play for local and state-wide candidates. They've accounted for solid victories in the Leg. They are a political force in Texas politics. Not *the* political force, but an important one. And, allied with other Democratic interests, they could have made a big difference. Figure granny's vote going to Bell by about 2-1: Bell is governor. Texas teachers are not going to vote for Perry after what he has helped do to education this last leg. session. Do the math, and with TSTA, Bell wins.
But noooo, the "old girls network" that runs TSTA saw a moment of (delusional) grandeur, the Big Opportunity, and got a big plate of cow pie in the face. Granny walks away as a noble crusader, and the political stock of TSTA in the next leg. goes in the sh-tter.
Don't blame Kinky: his vote count was minimal, what you'd expect for the kook fringe. It was granny Strayhorn's vote that made or broke the race. And she, and her biggest supporter, TSTA, gave the election to Governor Prettyhair, Rick Perry.
Moral: in politics, look at reality, not in the mirror. |
