No AEA Money for Bradley Byrne

ROTFLMAO@ Byrnes "pre emptive strike" against AEA (4.00 / 1)

So, the head of the two year college systems says the members of the Alabama Education Association represent the WORST of their profession huh?  That ought to endear him to teachers, retired teachers, administrators, retired administrators, and support staff that operate the Alabama Public School System.  

Byrne is pandering to the anti educated, I mean education crowd  by painting the Alabama Education Association as the problem.  I guess he's forgotten that teacher(s) taught him everything he knows.

Yo Bradley, if you can read this, thank a teacher!
Yep, that "common widespread wisdom" was certainly off the mark regarding AEA's support of Ron Sparks.  That will teach us to listen to "common widespread wisdom". :)

The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dreams shall never die.~Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D. MA)

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by: Redeye @ Wed Oct 07, 2009 at 08:14:49 AM CDT

Bradley Byrne is a fool. (4.00 / 1)

I am the son of two proud members of the AEA.  For him to call my parents the "worst of their profession" just shows how ignorant he is about education.  A full 25% of the AEA membership usually votes Republican in statewide races.  I doubt he wins them over after that statement.

That said, Mooncat, I believe the common wisdom is that the AEA does support Ron Sparks' candidacy over that of Artur Davis.  However, I think they looked far and wide to find someone who might be more viable than Sparks.  

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by: bluebearcat @ Wed Oct 07, 2009 at 12:23:07 PM CDT

I think the did too... (0.00 / 0)

However, I think they looked far and wide to find someone who might be more viable than Sparks.  

Which I think was stupid because it weakened Sparks from the git go.  He's picked up some steam since this spring, but unfortunately his big announcement was overshadowed by the search for another candidate.

I'm not short.  I'm fun size!!

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by: countrycat @ Wed Oct 07, 2009 at 13:11:50 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Artur Davis on Byrne's Comments (4.00 / 1)

Sebastian Kitchens has been on fire today bringing responses from all the camps to Byrne's grandstanding.

First the GOP:

You first have the candidates who don't see themselves getting AEA support: Tim James, Kay Ivey, and Roy Moore.  That is pretty obvious from the start, so they would agree with Byrne.

 Then you have Robert Bentley, who has been documented as receiving some support.  His statement challenges Byrne, stating that he along with other Republicans have likely received AEA money due to PAC-to-PAC transfers.  He concludes with this: "I won't make my campaign about any one person or any one group," Bentley said. "We all need to work together to make Alabama a better state."

Bill Johnson has the best attack on the Republican side, challenging Byrne on hypocricy for receiving AEA money in the past. 

Now the DEMS:

Artur Davis knows he is not the closet with the AEA leadership.  The division between him and both Paul Hubbert and especially Joe Reed have been well-chronicled in the past.  Davis also knows he supports initiatives that AEA does not, which he highligths.  He still knows that this grandstanding Bryne does will not work because AEA will have to be at the table, as shown below:

“I have disagreed with AEA’s leadership on charter schools, and I am an advocate of reforms that will strengthen confidence in higher education. That may explain why I have not received AEA’s financial support in the governor’s race.

"But after experiencing seven years in Washington of bitter infighting and the demonization of political adversaries, I think that Bradley Byrne’s denunciation of AEA is the opposite of the consensus building a governor needs to practice.

"I want to go to Montgomery to build a new coalition to revitalize our schools from pre-K to higher education, and it is wrong to think that AEA and teachers can be excluded from the table.”

 

 

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by: csduke @ Wed Oct 07, 2009 at 15:55:01 PM CDT

Sparks here (4.00 / 1)

Sorry, I hit the post button before finishing the post.

Sparks also came out with a statement that goes on the attack, strongly challenging Byrne (which I have copied in full):  

"Yesterday, thousands of classroom teachers and school support workers were publicly humiliated and insulted by the remarks made by (former) Chancellor Bradley Byrne. Making no attempt to cloak his contempt for the rank and file public education employees, Byrne launched an unwarranted and unfounded attack on the Alabama Education Association.

"Byrne said that advocates for public education, the most effective being AEA, have been “the single greatest impediment to quality education in this state” and that somehow standing up for school teachers “short changes” some of the hardest working folks among us. Perhaps Chancellor Byrne needs to reevaluate his definition of “short changed” and “impediment.”

• Ask a school teacher in any rural Alabama county who they can count on to stand up for them when an unruly Republican administration stands to cut their pay and benefits
• Ask a janitor at a small elementary school who he/she depends on when Mr. Byrne’s friends in Montgomery look to eliminate their jobs
• Ask a single mother trying to raise a family by herself how important it is to have somebody fighting to make sure that her children have the resources they need in the classroom

"(Former) Chancellor Byrne must feel a need to pick a fight with AEA to motivate the extreme right wing of his party who feels humdrum about his candidacy for governor. Ron Sparks has traveled the state from one end to the other, meeting and speaking with thousands of AEA members.

“Today, I’m proud to stand in support of the transformation AEA has delivered to our state’s educational system. I am also proud to be the only Democrat willing to stand side by side with AEA against baseless, politically motivated attacks such as this.

“Without the strong support of the education community, I wouldn't have won 62 out of 67 counties in my last election and been the leading vote getter among all Democrats on the ballot. Make no mistake about it, I will continue to be an active voice and an advocate for the hard working men and women employed in public education in Alabama.

"Much will be asked of the next governor of this state and those working in public education. It is absolutely essential that the next governor have a strong working relationship with the education community in order to weather the financial storms that loom on the horizon.

"With the impending financial crisis in this state, never has this relationship been more important. The Democratic Party cannot and will not thrive without the support of public education. We must have a partnership with public education to build a better, stronger Alabama."

 

Quick words of evaluation: the Democrats do the necessary thing in arguing that Byrne is grandstanding.  Sparks goes further in his attack, IMO since he knows he knows Davis and AEA are not the closest). 

Davis and Sparks, along with Bentley and Bill Johnson, speak of taking Alabama forward, again presenting the "change" or "reform" dynamic in this election.  Davis hits a stronger note in his statement with his emphasis on consensus-building.  I think they recognize that AEA will be at the table for that (a lesson that Bob Riley has taught as well, considering the way he got AEA to support the 2003 Amendment One plan).

 

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by: csduke @ Wed Oct 07, 2009 at 16:03:35 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Good comment! (0.00 / 0)

I didn't mean to step on your comment when I did my post.  Looks like we were typing at about the same time.

Byrne's AEA comments might help him in the primary, but I don't see they do a lot for him in the general.

I'm not short.  I'm fun size!!

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by: countrycat @ Wed Oct 07, 2009 at 16:33:04 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

"consensus building" my Donkey (0.00 / 0)

All this "consensus building" is part of the problem IMHO.  How are you going to build consensus with someone who is against every thing you stand for?  That's like a chicken trying to build consensus with Col. Sanders.

It's the bleep,blep consensus building!

The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dreams shall never die.~Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D. MA)

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by: Redeye @ Wed Oct 07, 2009 at 16:39:33 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

But how is as a political move? (0.00 / 0)

Lets examine this. Start with the fact that during the course of his tenure as head of the 2 year system, Byrne & AEA started a blood feud that goes way past Democrat v Republican. Second, AEA has never backed a Republican candidate for governor to my knowledge. Third, considering the two leaders of AEA are Paul Hubbert (former Demo candidate for governor) and Joe Reed (high in both the ADC & Ala Demo Party) that is not likely to change in 2010. Fourth, most people, when you say "AEA", realize you are talking about the leadership and not the rank & file (which distinction Byrne drew although not as clearly as he should have). Fifth, there are many people in both parties who applaud Byrne for challenging AEA's dominance in educational  matters.Sixth, even many Demos are pissed off by AEA trying to handpick a candidate to oppose Davis.

Therefore if you are Byrne, you know AEA is not going to back you and any money they give to a Repub will be in an attempt to weaken you.Further most AEA members who will follow Hubbert/Reed's lead will not be voting for you anyway.

So it seems he has litle to lose and a lot to gain by taking AEA on.Alabama citizens have always loved politicans who challenge the "big dogs" and lets face it, Hubbert/Reed are the biggest dogs in the educational field.  

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
Edmund Burke

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by: Old Prosecutor @ Wed Oct 07, 2009 at 19:55:27 PM CDT

Bryne is a "Big Dog" himself. (0.00 / 0)

What is he going to look like challenging the Big Dogs?

You said;

Alabama citizens have always loved politicans who challenge the "big dogs" and lets face it, Hubbert/Reed are the biggest dogs in the educational field.  

Play on your words;

Right wing Alabama citizens have always loved politicians who challenge Hubbert/Reed because they are anti education, I mean anti public education.

The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dreams shall never die.~Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D. MA)

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by: Redeye @ Wed Oct 07, 2009 at 20:19:56 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Play all you wish (0.00 / 0)

As long as you make it clear those are your words, not mine.

Actually I was thinking of Big Jim Folsom who I believe used the term "big mules"

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
Edmund Burke

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by: Old Prosecutor @ Wed Oct 07, 2009 at 20:33:28 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

The AEA has kept their powder dry though... (4.00 / 2)

They did so in the race between Baxley and Riley to some extent.  They have supported GOPers in state legislative races, even in contested ones (Jim Boyd vs. Jeremy Oden in HD 11 comes to mind).  And there are many GOP incumbents who have AEA support.  

I would argue that Bryne has a lot to lose in this case.  The AEA has had its issues with Bob Riley, but they have also taken a fairly moderate approach towards him ever since Amendment One.  Some believe the whole thing was political theater on Riley's part (i.e. he knew it would never pass but that it would endear him to the AEA) but the fact remains that he has not really endured the full wrath of the group ever since then.  Put it this way: he has probably been the most well-liked GOP governor by the AEA rank and file ever.  Byrne (and the Riley crew) has been positioned as the natural successor to Riley.  The most likely Dem nominee (Davis) has a very bad relationship with the AEA.  Before this, Bradley Byrne could possibly have mended some fences with the AEA and seen them withhold financial and logistical support from Davis in the general.  With the legislature up from grabs, they could have decided to sit out the gov's race and focus on maintaining a pro-AEA majority in the state legislature.  Davis could win the primary without AEA support but he absolutely cannot win a general against Bradley Byrne without their support (the BCA would turn on Davis in a heartbeat if Byrne is the nominee).  That was a real path to victory in the general for Byrne.  Now's he's cut that path off in a move that appeals to no one that wasn't going to vote GOP anyway.

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by: bluebearcat @ Wed Oct 07, 2009 at 23:16:23 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I would add that average Alabamians don't see the AEA as a "Big Mule" (4.00 / 2)

Not in the same way that the BCA or the insurance companies or the power companies or the trial lawyers are.  When you say that AEA teachers are the "worst of their profession" because the AEA represents them, I think a lot of reasonable independent voters are turned off by that.  

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by: bluebearcat @ Wed Oct 07, 2009 at 23:21:17 PM CDT

[ Parent ]