Triangulation Man: Education Edition

President Barack Obama has said he wants to listen to ideas from all sides. It seems the side that Obama listens to has powerful lobbyists. Technically, SKDKnickerbocker is not a lobbying firm or a basketball team. It seems the law lets you get away with lobbying if you call yourself a consulting firm or a historian. SKDKnicker brings in conservative groups to the White House. How conservative? How about conservative enough to be funded by Rupert Murdoch.

SKDKnickerbocker represents consulting for Students First, a lobbying group aimed at destroying collective bargaining, and replacing public education with a mix of charters, private schools, and online learning companies. According to documents revealed the blog At The Chalk Face, Students First helped craft bills in Michigan to break teachers unions by severely limiting collective bargaining.

SKDKnickerbocker is run by former Obama communications director Anita Dunn. Hillary Rosen also is employed with SKDKnickerbocker. The only question is how much lobbying did Dunn and Rosen had to do for a President who thinks bashing unions is good politics.

But Rhee couldn't have done it alone. Then-candidate Barack Obama endorsed Rhee in a 2008 debate as a "wonderful new superintendent" and later applauded the firing of every single unionized teacher at Central Falls High School in Rhode Island. (The teachers were later rehired.)

The Washington D.C. teachers were rehired because Rhee violated their contract. I often think Obama must have been a terrible law professor. Students First is run by conservative education darling Michelle Rhee. Gov. Rick Scott hired Rhee to work on his transition team. I would love to hear Obama supporters defend or deny that Obama has supported Rhee's education agenda. Any claim that Obama is progressive on education is a blatant lie.

Side note: A local Students First employee, Catherine Robinson, has taken her blog Out In Left Field offline. Litbrit and I have been having a blast using Way Back Machine to read Catherine's past literary masterpieces. Since Way Back Machine is down you can read the description of Robinson's book Learning Curves.

At first, Carolyn found meaning as an educator, helping students who grew to appreciate her enthusiasm and passion for learning. Carolyn's caring and dedicated co-workers also became her closest friends. But she noticed a certain trend. Many teachers turned to drugs i order to deal with the stress of low pay and impossibly high demands. Others lost themselves in illicit affairs, conducted in unused or empty classrooms, and a few risked it all by seducing their own students.

Carolyn tried to ignore the sexually charged atmosphere and cling to her happy marriage, but when an attractive and flirtatious teacher pursued her, Carolyn got swept up in a scandal of her own.

I don't know about you, but nothing screams education reform like "sexually charged atmosphere."

Kendrick Meek Death Watch: Obama Insiders Helping Crist

If Democrats are really behind Kendrick Meek's Senate campaign why then is the Wall Street Journal reporting Charlie Crist has twice talked to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Crist is not in the Senate or a Democrat. What possible reason could there be other than Reid is courting Crist to caucus with the Democrats.

Other fun facts: Alfredo Balsera advised Barack Obama on Latino outreach and national finance during the 2008 presidential campaign. The consulting firm Squier Knapp Dunn Communications is working on Crist's campaign. A list of SKDC's clients reads like a whose who Democratic politics. Former Obama White House White House Communications Director Anita Dunn is one of the partners. Dunn's husband Robert Bauer serves in the White House Council.

Crist has people that helped Obama get elected working with him. Obama supports Meek so much he has not come down to campaign for him. Reid would not be talking to Crist without White House approval. The Obama people are letting their talent work on the Crist campaign to maintain a Seante majority. If Obama and Reid really thought Meek could win Crist would be isolated from the Democratic establishment. On the bright side: Meek has Kenneth Quinnell on his campaign staff to counter Squier Knapp Dunn Communications and Balsera.

The Obama Campaign Team

60 Minutes interviews Barack Obama campaign staffers David Axelrod, David Plouffe, Robert Gibbs and Anita Dunn about their historic campaign.