Category Archives: Democracy

Candidates for Sale

The late great Bill Hicks put it this way:

“They’re all the same. I’ll show you politics in America. Here it is right here:”

“I think the puppet on the right shares my beliefs.”

“I think the puppet on the left is more to my liking.”

“Hey wait minute there’s one guy holding up both puppets!”

And here’s Matt Taibbi’s version of the story updated for the 2008 War for the White House, from the The Rolling Stone, Issue 1059 — August 21, 2008—What do Obama and McCain have in common? The same big donors, who will expect to have their way no matter who wins.

Hear the Bill Hicks bit here:

CFP: Democracy & Education (Teacher Voice in Today’s Schools—Why Is it Critical?)

Democracy & Education

CALL FOR MANUSCRIPTS
Teacher Voice in Today’s Schools—Why Is it Critical?
Deadline: October 15, 2008
Publication: March 2009

We are seeking manuscripts that explore the role for teachers’ voices in today’s classrooms. Manuscripts might address themes captured in the following questions:

* How has the role of teachers’ voices changed over the last century?
* What does it mean to be an activist teacher in a democratic
tradition? What is the role for these teachers in the coming decades?
* How do teachers’ voices and student’s voices balance each other?
What are models of collaborative conversation that involve student
voices in the decision-making process? How do these models assist
in the teaching and learning of democracy?
* How do teachers communicate with the larger community connected to
schools (parents, community groups, other schools)?
* Teachers are busy people. When do you have time to talk with and
collaborate with other teachers? How does that conversation look?
How can teachers bring their voices together to make change?
* With national, state, and district mandates, where is there room
for the teacher’s voice? What are examples of innovative ways that
teachers have ensured their voices are heard?

We invite educators to explore these issues in theory (essay), to suggest pedagogical approaches (teacher file), or to share your own classroom experiences (reflection). To learn more about the categories for article submissions, or to submit a paper, please visit our website and read our submission guidelines. Please feel free to forward this call for papers to any colleagues, students, or peers that might be interested in submitting an article for consideration.

—
Hanna Neuschwander
Editorial Director
Democracy & Education
Lewis & Clark Graduate School of Education and Counseling
0615 SW Palatine Hill Rd. MSC 93
Portland, OR 97202

tel: (503) 768-6054
fax: (503) 768-6053

Where Obamaism Seems to be Going

Here’s a piece by Adolph Reed, Jr., that is one of the best analyses of Obamaism that I’ve yet to read, from blackagendareport.com. Here’s a key idea from Reed:

To be clear, I’m not arguing that it’s wrong to vote for Obama, though I do say it’s wrong-headed to vote for him with any lofty expectations. I would also suggest that it’s not an open and shut case that – all things considered – he’s that much better than McCain. In some ways Obama would be better for us in the short run, just as Clinton was better than the elder Bush. In some ways his presidency could be much worse in the longer term, again like Clinton. For one thing, the recent outpouring of enthusiastic support from all quarters – including on black academic and professional list serves and blogs and on op-ed pages – for his attacks on black poor people underscores the likelihood that Obama will be even more successful than Clinton at selling punitive, regressive and frankly racist social policies as humane anti-poverty initiatives. In a way, I suppose, there could be something useful about having a large strain of the black petite bourgeoisie come out as a militant racial class for itself. Maybe that could be a prelude to a good fight, but unfortunately there’s no counterweight. And the black professional-managerial strata, despite their ever more blatant expressions of contempt for black poor people, continue to insist on speaking for the race as a whole.

Reed’s piece in the May issue of The Progressive is also worth a read: “Obama No”
http://www.progressive.org/mag_reed0508

“You don’t care what the American people think?”

“You don’t care what the American people think?”
http://www.salon.com/ politics/ war_room/ 2008/ 03/ 19/ cheney/ index.html?source=rss&a…

Vice President Dick Cheney appeared — from Oman — on “Good Morning America” Wednesday. During Cheney’s appearance, ABC News correspondent Martha Raddatz mentioned public opinion polls on the war in Iraq. Here’s the conversation that ensued, including Raddatz’s original comment. Video of the exchange follows. RADDATZ: Two-thirds of Americans say it’s not worth fighting. CHENEY: So. RADDATZ: So? You don’t care what the American people think? CHENEY: No. I think you cannot be blown off course by the fluctuations in the public opinion polls. There has in fact been fundamental change and transformation and improvement for the better.