Christie Rips NJ Teachers' Union in Iowa

Christie Rips NJ Teachers' Union in Iowa

Scott Conroy and Erin McPike
Real Clear Politics
October 5, 2010

DES MOINES, Iowa - New Jersey Republican Gov. Chris Christie demonized his state's teachers' union in a major political appearance in the Hawkeye State.

The governor used his public battle with the teachers' union as an example of how he's cut spending during his administration. He spent the bulk of his remarks at a fundraiser for Republican former Gov. Terry Branstad talking gleefully about his confrontational relationship with his biggest institutional nemesis. The event was the biggest moneymaker for Branstad's campaign this year.

"I have nothing against teachers, but I have a lot against the teachers' union," Christie said before launching into his crusade to freeze teachers' pay for a year and have them contribute to their benefits. "They are about pure, raw power, to keep their folks, even the worst of their folks, continuing to be employed, so they can continue to be dues paying members, so they continue to perpetuate their power across my state."

The image on the Facebook page for "New Jersey Teachers United Against Governor Chris Christie's Pay Freeze" is stamped with the line, "Defend New Jersey's Public Schools." But Christie blasted union rhetoric suggesting that salaries and benefits for teachers affect students.

"They tell us it's for the kids," he said incredulously.

"To believe that, this is what you have to believe: Let's say your son comes home and he says, ‘Mom, Dad, I can't study. I can't study, I can't work, my grades are suffering, because you know, Mrs. Smith, she's not getting her pay raises. And it gets worse,'" he said, feigning whines. "‘She actually has to pay 1.5 percent of her salary for health benefits. I cannot focus. I cannot focus with that knowledge. Mom, Dad, stop the madness. Give this woman her raise and her free health benefits and I'll get all A's.'"

The large crowd erupted into laughter, to which Christie replied, "This is funny. This is the garbage I've got to listen to in New Jersey. You wonder why I am in Iowa - to get the heck away from that."

That Real Clear Politics would characterize Christie's remarks as "demonizing" is "clear" evidence that they have a bias to the left!

This makes "Real Clear Politics" a compromised site for getting at the real truth. But then, I've always known this.

You cannot trust any one site to give you the unvarnished truth, it is a matter of sedulously pursuing the truth through public documents and a knowledge of how to read the news between the lines. Thankfully I've been doing this for 30 years, and I know a red herring when I see one.

dblboggie wrote:That Real Clear Politics would characterize Christie's remarks as "demonizing" is "clear" evidence that they have a bias to the left!

This makes "Real Clear Politics" a compromised site for getting at the real truth. But then, I've always known this.

You cannot trust any one site to give you the unvarnished truth, it is a matter of sedulously pursuing the truth through public documents and a knowledge of how to read the news between the lines. Thankfully I've been doing this for 30 years, and I know a red herring when I see one.

Actually, RCP is run by a conservative. The site gets feeds from both left and right for the days news and op-ed pieces. Something for everybody.

TexasBlue wrote:

dblboggie wrote:That Real Clear Politics would characterize Christie's remarks as "demonizing" is "clear" evidence that they have a bias to the left!

This makes "Real Clear Politics" a compromised site for getting at the real truth. But then, I've always known this.

You cannot trust any one site to give you the unvarnished truth, it is a matter of sedulously pursuing the truth through public documents and a knowledge of how to read the news between the lines. Thankfully I've been doing this for 30 years, and I know a red herring when I see one.

Actually, RCP is run by a conservative. The site gets feeds from both left and right for the days news and op-ed pieces. Something for everybody.

You say it is run by a "conservative" but what conservative would characterize Christie's remarks as "demonizing" and not as just telling the unvarnished truth about these unions?

I would like to know who this so-called "conservative" is, and what this person's conservative credentials are. After all, people called Bush a "conservative" and nothing could have been further from the truth.

dblboggie wrote:You say it is run by a "conservative" but what conservative would characterize Christie's remarks as "demonizing" and not as just telling the unvarnished truth about these unions?

I would like to know who this so-called "conservative" is, and what this person's conservative credentials are. After all, people called Bush a "conservative" and nothing could have been further from the truth.

It was a story they carried, not an opinion piece endorsed by them.


About RealClearPolitics

Site Background

Founded in 2000 by John McIntyre and Tom Bevan, Chicago-based RealClearPolitics.com (RCP) has become one of America’s premier independent political web sites. Updated every morning and throughout the day, RCP culls and publishes the best commentary, news, polling data, and links to important resources from all points of the political compass and covering all the important issues of the day. RealClearPolitics has become a trusted filter for anyone interested in politics.

RCP’s political commentary, election analysis and polling averages have been featured in national media outlets including The New York Times, FOX News, CNN, The Economist, Investor’s Business Daily, The Chicago Sun-Times and many, many more.


What People Say About Us

"RealClearPolitics is the first web site I check every morning. It's an invaluable tool for anybody interested in politics or public affairs." - David Brooks, The New York Times

"I check RealClearPolitics every day. It is the best collection of political commentary on the web." - Brit Hume, FOX News

"A site that makes a credible effort to do the impossible: to provide a comprehensive, real-time (and not just Beltway-based) overview of the entire American political conversation." - Howard Fineman, Newsweek

"RealClearPolitics is terrific. It's one of the first things I get to every morning. I don't know how I ever got along without RealClearPolitics.com." - Michael Barone, US News & World Report

"RealClearPolitics.com is my favorite political web site after OpinionJournal.com." - Paul Gigot, The Wall Street Journal

"Absolutely indispensable." - Peter Beinart, The New Republic

"RealClearPolitics is just terrific. I spend as much time on RCP as I do with the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and the Financial Times combined. - Rich Karlgaard, Forbes

"Not a day goes by that I don't click on RealClearPolitics at least once, the presidential poll charts, graphs and moving averages are great. If RCP didn't already exist, somebody would have to invent it." - Charlie Cook, National Journal

"Never miss it - that's the second biggest compliment I'd give to RealClearPolitics.com. The first is that it has become indispensable to anyone, in or outside of journalism, who's interested in politics, policy, or world affairs." - Fred Barnes, The Weekly Standard

RealClearPolitics is a non-partisan political news and polling data aggregator based in Chicago, Illinois. The site's founders say their goal is to give readers "ideological diversity." They have described themselves as frustrated with what they perceive as anti-conservative, anti-Christian media bias, and while some have suggested the column selection is conservative-leaning, the site includes columns and commentary from both sides of the political spectrum.

The site was founded in 2000 by former options trader John McIntyre and former advertising agency account executive Tom Bevan. Forbes Media LLC bought a 51% equity interest in the site in 2007.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RealClearPolitics

TexasBlue wrote:

dblboggie wrote:You say it is run by a "conservative" but what conservative would characterize Christie's remarks as "demonizing" and not as just telling the unvarnished truth about these unions?

I would like to know who this so-called "conservative" is, and what this person's conservative credentials are. After all, people called Bush a "conservative" and nothing could have been further from the truth.

It was a story they carried, not an opinion piece endorsed by them.


About RealClearPolitics

Site Background

Founded in 2000 by John McIntyre and Tom Bevan, Chicago-based RealClearPolitics.com (RCP) has become one of America’s premier independent political web sites. Updated every morning and throughout the day, RCP culls and publishes the best commentary, news, polling data, and links to important resources from all points of the political compass and covering all the important issues of the day. RealClearPolitics has become a trusted filter for anyone interested in politics.

RCP’s political commentary, election analysis and polling averages have been featured in national media outlets including The New York Times, FOX News, CNN, The Economist, Investor’s Business Daily, The Chicago Sun-Times and many, many more.


What People Say About Us

"RealClearPolitics is the first web site I check every morning. It's an invaluable tool for anybody interested in politics or public affairs." - David Brooks, The New York Times

"I check RealClearPolitics every day. It is the best collection of political commentary on the web." - Brit Hume, FOX News

"A site that makes a credible effort to do the impossible: to provide a comprehensive, real-time (and not just Beltway-based) overview of the entire American political conversation." - Howard Fineman, Newsweek

"RealClearPolitics is terrific. It's one of the first things I get to every morning. I don't know how I ever got along without RealClearPolitics.com." - Michael Barone, US News & World Report

"RealClearPolitics.com is my favorite political web site after OpinionJournal.com." - Paul Gigot, The Wall Street Journal

"Absolutely indispensable." - Peter Beinart, The New Republic

"RealClearPolitics is just terrific. I spend as much time on RCP as I do with the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and the Financial Times combined. - Rich Karlgaard, Forbes

"Not a day goes by that I don't click on RealClearPolitics at least once, the presidential poll charts, graphs and moving averages are great. If RCP didn't already exist, somebody would have to invent it." - Charlie Cook, National Journal

"Never miss it - that's the second biggest compliment I'd give to RealClearPolitics.com. The first is that it has become indispensable to anyone, in or outside of journalism, who's interested in politics, policy, or world affairs." - Fred Barnes, The Weekly Standard

Okay... though some of those quoted are not what I would call conservatives; but perhaps that is a good thing. I just hate seeing Christie's remarks characterized as "demonizing" when they are clearly representative of the actual truth of these people.

You should check the site out. Everyone should.