“Voices for Academic Equity,” is presenting a report on MCAS today and I could go through the Voices member groups and their funders but let’s focus on Voices member National Parents Union and the Vela Education Fund. Vela is a joint venture of the Walton Family Foundation and Charles Koch Institute. It provides funding for…
New “Ed Reform” Coalition Shows How Media Allows Billionaires to Control Narrative
According to a State House News Service report picked up at WWLP a coalition called “Voices for Academic Equity” has formed to oppose teachers’ unions efforts to amend the MCAS law. The story doesn’t say whom the coalition members represent. Simple: it’s the familiar story of capital vs. labor. But you wouldn’t know it because…
Why Gun Violence in Schools Is NOT a Problem
In the wake of the murder of three 9 year olds and three adults at a Nashville grammar school some have called for stronger regulation or even banning of certain weapons such as the AR15 used in the killings. This will not happen because gun violence is not a problem in this country. Republican Congressman…
Banned in Boston (Globe): the Walton Family’s 2021 Political Team
We all love us some Market Basket so imagine if the Walton family of Arkansas (d/b/a WalMart) bankrolled a takeover of our local grocer! News coverage would be constant—the Globe, the two NPR radio stations, local TV descending on shoppers to ask about their favorite possum pie recipes (it’s an Arkansas delicacy). But the Waltons…
Parents for Education’s Hit and Run Job on Milton Public Schools
The Boston Globe‘s Adria Watson recently reported that Parents Defending Education has filed a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Education against the Milton Public Schools. It sounds daunting. But PDE is not parents, it’s an obedient franchise of right-wing donors like Charles Koch. PDE’s Milton complaint is based on an email exchange…
Why Doesn’t Popularity Translate to Power in Massachusetts Politics?
A couple weeks back MassINC pollster Steve Koczela analyzed his most recent poll of Massachusetts residents in THIS CommonWealth article. Fascinating findings and excellent analysis. The question posed by Koczela that the data can’t answer (yet) is: Why are Democratic elected officials in the state less popular than their election margins and history suggest? I…
Nicole Neily, Keri Rodrigues, and the “Parent” Group Gravy Train
Lisa Graves and Alyssa Bowen at True North Research have a new research article at Truthout Tax Docs Link Right-Wing “Parents Group” to Leonard Leo’s Dark Money Network. It’s stunning. Stop reading this and go read Graves and Bowen right now. Ah, you’re back. The Truthout piece is a masterful use of research and logic…
DFER, a Campaign Finance Bundler, Scores Op-ed in Boston Globe
A recent commentary in the Boston Globe by Mary Tamer, state director of Democrats for Education Reform Massachusetts, was notable in that you don’t see a newspaper cede op-ed space to political money “bundlers” every day. Note the quotation marks. I’m not calling DFER a bundler I’m quoting DFER’s former president calling DFER a bundler….
Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance Brings Koch’s Circus to Town
Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, the Koch-tied operation, held a press event in Boston with other New England Koch allied fronts and I always wonder what milquetoast description the media that cover MFA will hide behind. How about “fiscal watchdogs” (Boston Herald)? Or this one: “Business-minded, small government groups.” Here’s one I’ve seen often: “right-leaning.” MassFiscal is…
Key Factors in Baker’s Decision Not To Run in 2022 are Being Forgotten
I wrote the following post right after Governor Baker and Lt Governor Polito announced that neither would seek re-election in 2022. I am re-posting it because in the wake of the 2022 election that saw Democratic women take over the Bay State’s executive branch, too many analysts and commentators are pinning Baker’s decision entirely on…