Madfloridian's Journal - Ravitch:"leaders on the right wanted to promote charters as a boon to minorities and the poor."

Now that plan has taken hold in both parties.

Diane Ravitch speaks from her background as George H. W. Bush's assistant Secretary of Education. She refers to a video of a speech by Glen Ford, and here are her words.

Saving Poor Kids from Failing Schools?

Several people sent me a video of Glen Ford of the Black Agenda Report skewering Corey Booker, the mayor of Newark, and Howard Fuller of Black Alliance for Educational Options as sell-outs for a rightwing agenda.

I must say there was nothing in the video that surprised me. Back in the late 1990s, when I was involved in three different conservative organizations, there was a concerted effort to find and promote black advocates for choice. The leaders on the right wanted to promote charters as a boon to minorities and the poor. The pitch was, “We are saving poor kids from failing schools.” After all, they couldn’t very well go to state capitols and say, “Please pass charter legislation so that we can get government off our backs.” Or, “please pass charter legislation because we can’t get vouchers.”

So the strategists on the right devised a clever campaign that was irresistible to liberals and conservatives alike: Create privately-managed schools to save poor black and Hispanic kids. Republicans would like the privatization aspect and liberals would fall for the “save poor minorities” part.

She says it worked. She is right.

Here is the video. I posted it in the Politics Video section with further comments.

Public school privatization has moved from right wing fringe to center of both major parties.

From the text at You Tube:

In the space of less than 20 years, the public school privatization movement has emerged from the narrow, right wing fringes to dominate both major political parties. From vouchers to school choice to charter schools, the issue has divided even Black Americans, who were once public education's most fervent supporters. Glen Ford explains how this came about by wealthy individuals buying black politicians and promoting their careers, particularly Corey Booker.

.."Sponsored by LifeLines and Peace and Justice Task Force of All Souls Church. Event May 9, 2012 Camera, sound Joe Friendly

This picture of a rally Jeb Bush held in Florida in 2006 shows us that a picture is truly worth a thousand words.

TALLAHASSEE -- Invoking images of God, civil rights and apple pie, Republican leaders urged thousands of cheering parents and children to lobby lawmakers for what may be a final battle over the nation's only statewide voucher system. The state's Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that the Opportunity Scholarship Program is unconstitutional. The program uses taxpayer money to pay private school tuition for about 700 children in schools that fail to meet testing guidelines.

..."It was a striking scene Wednesday as a predominantly black crowd outside of the Capitol cheered as white, millionaire politicians promoted the voucher plan as an antidote to class and racial inequalities.

Those white millionaire and billionaire politicians are still doing the same thing today...and getting away with it.