Kind of a strange way for endorsements to work.

[madfloridian]

Gadfly blog tells how AFT process supposedly worked. Makes no sense.

This much seems certain:

1) The AFT executive board invited all of the candidates to meet with them and submit to an interview. No Republican candidates responded.

2) Democrats including Bernie Sanders, Martin O’Malley and Clinton were interviewed in private.

3) The executive committee voted to endorse Clinton.

4) NOW the interviews are scheduled to be released to the public.

This is a perplexing timetable. Why would the AFT endorse BEFORE releasing the interviews? Ostensibly, the executive council used these interviews to help make its decision. Shouldn’t that same information have been available to rank and file members of the union before an endorsement was made?

[Smarmie Doofus]

1. Maybe they felt sorry for her because of her "battle scars."

I'm not kidding. Her support forum here thinks she's got "battle scars." You know, like PTSD?

And they see no irony there.

Some day... I hope... we can ALL laugh about this campaign ( HERS) because truly, there is a treasure trove of comic material waiting to be discovered and enjoyed.

As far as AFT/UFT goes: they ( TPTB) made an arrangement ( believe me, I've been a member for thirty years) and the "polling" and interviews is window dressing.

Are ya shocked? I hope not.

Not to worry: Most teachers will vote for Sanders in the primary, esp. the ones who get to hear him and see him.

[HooptieWagon]

2. AFT pres is on Board of Hillarys Super PAC

And said to be angling herself to be appointed Sec of Education in an Clinton Administration. So the endorsement was predetermined. The "Town Hall Meeting" was scheduled during the last week of school, when teachers were busy. Probably most didn't have time to participate. There were supposed to be results posted of the candidates questionnaires, which apparently wasn't done. Then a "poll" was claimed to have been taken of 1million of the 1.6 million members. In perusing several blogs and FB pages, none of the hundreds of comments by members indicate they knew about or took part in a poll. No detailed poll results have been produced.
In short, the whole situation appears to be a charade conducted in secrecy. The political ambitions of Weingartner tromped all over the rights and wishes of the members.

[sabrina 1]

3. What a scam, really. So blatant also. But the membership is what is important and they

are free to vote for THEIR choice.

[HooptieWagon]

4. That's the silver lining.

This sham endorsement has pissed off a lot of teachers. Enough that some who were undecided are now likely to vote for Sanders. Maybe even enough that they throw the entire Union leadership out on their asses. So this shady arrangement has likely backfired and blown up in Clintons face. We saw that happen in '08, we'll see more in this cycle.

[Enthusiast]

5. It's pissed me off and I'm not even a teacher. "shady arrangement"

I prefer fairness. Right is right and wrong is wrong. People will really compromise their integrity. Maybe their integrity is as thin as a coat of paint.

[HooptieWagon]

7. Expecting fair play from Clinton is like expecting fair play from Bill Belichick

What we must do is to continue exposing the shady deals, dirty tricks, smear jobs, and dog whistles she will employ, so they keep blowing up in her face. She represents corporate interests, which by definition are unfair to the 99%.

[SoapBox]

6. Wow...that is skeezy.

Rotten, rotten, rotten to the core.

I am so OVER this type of bullshit.

We need Bernie.

[jwirr]

8. And this type of campaign is exactly why we need Bernie.