So yes they were neutral and yes they should have been.

but just not true. It's a national issue of people vs. bipartisan agenda. And of course Obama and whole Dem establishment are on the side of their own (corporate) education policy. It just happens to be election campaign time so Obama cannot publicly attack and bash teacher union fighting back - bash as the Party Convention did.

when it comes to backing unions exercising their rights.

and even more so for a Democratic president. "Neutral" means he supports the corporatist education policy, but can't be explicit about it during campaign season.

but over 26,000 teachers were in the street picketing and speaking out against their education policies. I'm guessing in private they were not very neutral at all. It seems to me that there is some denial of this because it is an election year.

Many of us are affected by the exact same issues the teachers are striking for in Chicago. They're trying to tie teacher evaluation and pay to test scores all over the country. Schools in my district aren't air conditioned. Class sizes are increasing everywhere. I don't think any districts anywhere have enough social workers or counselors. Chicago's issues are OUR issues all across the country.

but international issue. Finnish system has been mentioned often in these discussions, and I'm slowly starting to believe that maybe our Finnish teachers are really doing something right in this country - because they are given freedom to teach as they want and know how, and no (or very little) external pressure from non-teachers.

And now I realize that the Charter system your politicians and business leaders means going back to where Finland was 40 years ago, absolute opposite of learning anything from Finnish example and what makes it work.

That is Obama and his values.

how the President stands. The protests are still going on and have sympathetic protests IN OTHER STATES. Also, this is one of many of these confrontations. This is just the first with a Democratic(?) mayor.

An extremely important test. Can the oligarchs prevail via the Democratic Party or will the Party side with labor?

As anyone who knows what the issues are, knows, this is not going to stop until the Corporations are kicked out of our Public Schools. This is about the War on the Public Schools and Teachers and if you think it is just a 'week's distraction', I think you're in for a big shock.

Not only that, it was a War on Unions. And all over the country this week, people came out in solidarity with the CTU and more every day. Even as far away as Canada. Because is about finally standing up against the Corporatization of America part of which requires the crushing of Unions and the flat-lining or worse, cut backs in American Workers' salaries to make them more in line with Third World countries, for the benefit of the Corps bottom line.

This is bigger than just the Teachers and the Public Schools, this a Labor issue and the more they try to bully Workers, they more opposition they are going to get from now on.

They nearly got away with it, but now the people are finally waking up and standing up.

Across the Globe.

a Democratic president?

of course they shouldn't. Or any other president. They shouldn't need to fight at all but left in peace and allowed to teach as they want and can.

The sad fact should not be denied that it is also the Democratic president who is fighting against teachers, and therefor against children and the whole community. He just can't fight so well during campaign time. Best we can hope is that teachers have taught him and others a good lesson and that they stop picking fights, and continue to learn.

what's your point?

the Chicago teachers stood up and held signs that said STOP RACE TO THE TOP. Union leadership had asked all of the delegates to wear blue Obama Biden shirts they had handed out the day before. But the Chicago teachers were wearing their red shirts. The visual of 100s of delegates in red shirts standing up and holding those signs was striking.

So yes, I believe the president understands what led to the strike. I'm also glad he stayed out of it. Not all teachers agree with me, but I want to see Rahm fail without being rescued by Obama.

was following the plan.

The strike was against bush/obama education deregulation and privatization.

I think the whole ed reform movement was just put on notice, no matter what party the person comes from who espouses it.

The results of this successful labor action will have far-reaching effects...I think the President was probably watchful, he didn't come out and support Rahm publicly either, which is also a meaningful silence. Rahm had the shittiest and most pallid speech at an otherwise pretty 99% oriented DNC. His political miscalculation with taking on members of one of the top 10 biggest unions in the US in an election year is probably creating some interesting meetings in the White House.

It's easy to be cynical, but actions like this do have effects.

happened to unions over the last 30 years. And now labor is being attacked by a Democratic mayor that is very close to our Democratic president. The oligarchs have a lot of control.

work back from that, or something because it smells like Obama wanted to cut Medicare like Lyan Ryan says. and that was a LIE. A lie some people here said in the words of Ryan

and then tell us to rationalize and justify from there. Whould it be more logical to determine how the President stands based on his actions? Besides every politician claims to be pro-education. Some just think it would be better to privatize.

And what was that business about people here using the words of Ryan. What does that have to do with this issue?

One of their main goals, which they state openly, is to move the Democratic Party away from it's traditional constituencies, and appeal more to business. Neutering or destroying unions is a means of accomplishing that goal.

I expect Democrats to be pro-labor.

It would have been a distraction in an election year...the outcome didn't reveal anyone's true cards...they just didn't want it to be a topic in November.

like he did in Central Falls during an election.

I am voting Obama as well, WTF is right!

I know I miss my ponies.

I read that somewhere before and I don't understand what it means?