Truth begins to emerge about Rick "Miracle Worker" Perry's Texas.
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Showing posts with label Texas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Texas. Show all posts
All Hat & Fake Cattle
If Democrats, Liberals, and Progressives had two ounces of sense to rub together, they'd make Rick "Miracle Man with a Silver Bullet" Perry's campaign for President the poster child for both the policies that got America into all our current messes and the politics of right-wing cognitive dissonance.
In fact, they could go after Perry for not being a fiscal conservative and only playing one when the cameras are rolling. That would, of course, make the "Perry is the Next Bush" politics far more credible than the crap they are likely thinking of running.
Such a focus will be far more credible than the coming campaign against the Confederate States of America some of those never-squander-an-opportunity-to-lose-the-South professional bloggers and activists are doubtlessly planning on running. It would also allow the DLP to actively challenge the very right-wing narratives and political marketing that have been so effective since 1994.
HT: Andrew Sullivan.
Perry is going to be the nominee. He is the embodiment of the current Right-Wing, GOP, Tea Party alliance. He displays all their strengths and weaknesses, and could give President Obama and what Democrats remain an actual foil to run against and turn their own numbers around.
And they don't even have to make stuff up to do it.
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In fact, they could go after Perry for not being a fiscal conservative and only playing one when the cameras are rolling. That would, of course, make the "Perry is the Next Bush" politics far more credible than the crap they are likely thinking of running.
Such a focus will be far more credible than the coming campaign against the Confederate States of America some of those never-squander-an-opportunity-to-lose-the-South professional bloggers and activists are doubtlessly planning on running. It would also allow the DLP to actively challenge the very right-wing narratives and political marketing that have been so effective since 1994.
HT: Andrew Sullivan.
Perry is going to be the nominee. He is the embodiment of the current Right-Wing, GOP, Tea Party alliance. He displays all their strengths and weaknesses, and could give President Obama and what Democrats remain an actual foil to run against and turn their own numbers around.
And they don't even have to make stuff up to do it.
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Texas A&M to the SEC
Team Speed Kills disects the rumour mill. It all comes down to this:
While I think this probably means things will happen sooner rather than later, I still come back to the same question I keep thinking of: what other team gets the invite?
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The SEC is a great conference the way it is and should not expand just to expand. But if the Big XIIish is going to spin apart -- and it eventually will -- the SEC has to get Texas A&M.
While I think this probably means things will happen sooner rather than later, I still come back to the same question I keep thinking of: what other team gets the invite?
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The Numbers
The usual way of discussing education is for individuals on both sides to talk past each other. If you think the problem with education lies with the teachers' unions, you point to the anecdotes of bad teachers who have been kept on the payroll. If you think the problems with education have nothing to do with teachers' unions, you point out that the states with the weakest teachers' unions have the lowest performances.
I've done that last part. But don't get too excited, because that's usually used in response to individuals in the first category (even if they aren't listening). If you're the one selling something, you've got to prove that what you're selling is worth buying, after all.
Though it is nice, every once in a while, to see someone really dig into those numbers. That analysis doesn't pull any punches, and does not ignore something a lot of people would be more comfortable if we didn't talk about. Wingfield could have just let all that information sit in his comments section, so I have to respect that he doesn't shy away from the topic.
Race.
If they are to be believed, what do these numbers tell us? I see three things that really stand out: 1) the artificial, race-based gap in educational acheivement exists across the board, 2) that gap is the main failing of American public education regardless of state, and 3) teachers' unions don't really have a lot to do with it.
I'll keep this in mind the next time some education "reformer's" sales pitch leads with how important it is to break teachers' unions to increase student success.
The numbers still tell us that shouldn't be our priority.
.
I've done that last part. But don't get too excited, because that's usually used in response to individuals in the first category (even if they aren't listening). If you're the one selling something, you've got to prove that what you're selling is worth buying, after all.
Though it is nice, every once in a while, to see someone really dig into those numbers. That analysis doesn't pull any punches, and does not ignore something a lot of people would be more comfortable if we didn't talk about. Wingfield could have just let all that information sit in his comments section, so I have to respect that he doesn't shy away from the topic.
Race.
If they are to be believed, what do these numbers tell us? I see three things that really stand out: 1) the artificial, race-based gap in educational acheivement exists across the board, 2) that gap is the main failing of American public education regardless of state, and 3) teachers' unions don't really have a lot to do with it.
I'll keep this in mind the next time some education "reformer's" sales pitch leads with how important it is to break teachers' unions to increase student success.
The numbers still tell us that shouldn't be our priority.
.
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