Thursday, October 4, 2012

The Honorable Arne

North Carolina's swing-state status is giving us local reporters a glimpse of the wacky world of national politics.  The Democratic National Convention was the full immersion,  of course,  but today's visit from Arne Duncan was another trip down the rabbit hole.

The Honorable Arne Duncan
You probably know Duncan as the U.S. secretary of education.  But because he came to Amelie's to campaign for President Obama,  and because it's against the law for federal employees to use their official position to influence elections,  the Obama campaign went to great lengths to assure the audience and media that he was not here as the education secretary.

"Please note: The Honorable Arne Duncan will be attending and speaking at this event in his personal capacity on behalf of Obama for America," a press release said. "Please refrain from using his official title at the event and in related press reports, and note that we will not be taking questions concerning his official responsibilities.

I told my editor they wanted us not to call him education secretary in coverage. We both laughed.

When I arrived at Amelie's, an Obama staffer intercepted me.  The campaign had been calling our two political reporters,  Jim Morrill and Tim Funk.  Although I was welcome to stay,  the staffer said, it didn't really make sense for an education reporter to cover this event since it was about the middle class, not education.

I told her I'd stick around.

Meanwhile,  the educators,  parents,  students and activists who had been invited were getting the same  message,  repeatedly.  At one point a campaign staffer standing on a chair asked the group what they were supposed to call Duncan.  "The Honorable Arne Duncan,"  they chorused.

The crew from Generation Nation  --  Providence senior Arjun Gupta,  North Meck junior Sarah Kerman and adviser Amy Farrell  --  asked if I knew what this was all about.  Would they get in trouble if they asked the education-related questions they'd prepared?  Did they need to come up with new ones?  I said I wasn't sure,  but encouraged them to ask their original questions.

Duncan arrived,  accompanied by guys in suits with wires in their ears.  He spent a couple of minutes talking about his Chicago ties to the Obama family,  then segued into  ...  you guessed it.  Education.

Duncan talked about his administration's cradle-to-career agenda,  the North Carolina reforms being fueled by the federal Race to the Top program,  the Obama administration's increased spending for Pell grants and the need to invest in education.  He fielded questions from the audience,  including the Generation Nation students.  Every single one was about education.  Duncan's a pretty down-to-earth guy,  and no one seemed to feel a need to use any kind of title.

The event had been billed as a  "What's at Stake for the Middle Class Roundtable."  After Duncan finished,  Obama campaigner Leah Hill made the only clear reference to that theme:  "This is a make-or-break moment for the middle class."

I came back to file a story  --  and go back to life as a local education reporter.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a tool. He and the other neoliberals will be the death of public education. No one, I repeat, no one is going to want to teach in a public school in the next ten years.

Anonymous said...

This country was founded on the basis of Taxation without Representation.

There is not 1 Parent, Student or Teacher in the suburbs that feel they are being represented in a just way with the per pupil spending and classroom size.It is truly Taxation without Representation.

Should we all practice economic patriotism because of our geographic location?

Anonymous said...

Didn't you in the burbs vote in mr. Morgan? Just because he is worthless don't go on about taxation without representation...

Anonymous said...

Big Brother Bobby Morgan at the CHamber got Timmy voted in for at large position. His campaign manager paid for by the Chamber worked the Dem side as well for the Republican. McCrory even did some calls for favors so he can get favors from the Chamber now for Gov election. In 3 years the idiot Tim will try for a larger office to be told no by the public (hopefully) so lets just hope he does not ruin CMS in the interm.

Anonymous said...

Students in certain geographic areas have over twice the class size with only a 1/3 of the per pupil spending. Mother of 4 working at McDonlads just above poverty is egregiously underepresented in these geographic areas.

Nothing to do with Morgan.

Anonymous said...

5:02 that woulld be "NO" taxation without representation.

Wiley Coyote said...

Thank you to the Honorable Ann Doss Helms for providing this story.

You may now return to your regularly scheduled programming.

Ann Doss Helms said...

I like it, Wiley!

Anonymous said...

Ah what I love about our current administration. Setting the prime example for our children of bending the law as far as they can with some in-the-pocket judge agreeing with them.

Bill Stevens said...

No, us in the burbs did not vote for Morgan. We knew his true colors.

Pamela Grundy said...

So if the campaign paid for him to come down and campaign, who was invited and who is he targeting?

Ann Doss Helms said...

You know, I feel kind of dumb that I didn't ask more about what they were trying to accomplish. It didn't seem to be a fund-raiser. June Atkinson did a "town hall" session with a much smaller group at Amelie's this summer, so it seems to be a thing. I guess I assumed it's kind of a media show, but they don't even seem to get much media. Hmm ...

Anonymous said...

GO ARJUN!! So proud!!

BolynMcClung said...

IF HE WASN'T THE SEXYTERRY THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE CALLED HIM WHAT EVERY SOUTHERNER CALLS A WORTHLESS YANKEE...

....carpetbagger.

Bolyn McClung
Pineville

PS: Carpetbagger: used as a derogatory term, suggesting opportunism and exploitation by the outsiders.

Wiley Coyote said...

Duncan was just channeling his boss today.

Obama, the President, didn't show up at the debate last night.

...it was if there was an empty chair behind the podium.

Jim said...

Ann, I am frequently grateful for your opinion-free reporting and, now, for your recognition that the Emperor is, at best, only partially clothed!

Anonymous said...

Is this the best our country can offer?
A political hack from the worst school district in the nation, pulling the sheeple in to listen to this drival.
Should have asked him if the Chicago teachers strike was "for the children", or why the literacy rate for students in Chicago is 40%, or why private schools are so popular in his shining example of achievement.
Or better, how does a school superintendent in Chicago have a $27,000,000 pension?