Like all state-wide electoral races in Washington State, this race is a dog and pony show, shamelessly manipulated by and for the corporate powers that rule this state from the de facto capital of Seattle. There may be a silver lining, but let me give you the bad news first.
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WASL, WASL, WASL
The top education office in Washington State is Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI). I ran for that office in 2000 and 2004, and the biggest issue (according to the media and most candidates) was the WASL (Washington Assessment of Student Learning). In fact, the WASL was nearly the only issue they discussed.
Carl Chew, a 6th grade science teacher at Nathan Eckstein Middle School in the Seattle School District, made headlines when he defied federal, state, and district regulations that require teachers to administer the WASL to students. The timing, Mr. Chew’s association with Juanita Doyon and some other factors cause me to suspect Chew was merely at the center of a publicity stunt. Nevertheless, I wish more teachers would boycott the WASL. It would be nice if parents would get off their butts, too.
In 2000, the media focused on the incumbent (Terry Bergeson) and a right-wing, one-issue (e.g. anti-WASL) nut case named Arthur Hu, largely ignoring the other three candidates. (Nevertheless, second place went to Don Crawford, a one-issue charter schools fan.) In 2004, they focused on three women (Bergeson, Judith Billings and anti-WASL drone Juanita Doyon), ignoring the three male candidates.
This time around, the WASL is once again being promoted as the primary issue. Initially, most of the attention was showered on Bergeson and a schools bureaucrat named Rich Semler, who suddenly claims he isn’t entirely happy with the WASL. Semler gained a powerful support group when he was endorsed by the Washington Education Association (WEA), the corrupt teachers union of which Bergeson once served as president.
However, the plot took a twist when former state legislator and Bergeson supporter Randy Dorn filed as a candidate. Dorn is head of the Public School Employees of Washington (PSE), which represents 26,000 cooks, bus drivers and other non-teaching employees of schools and some colleges.
Union Whores
Thus, the race has essentially evolved into a battle between three union whores, arguing primarily over the WASL. A fourth candidate is former Bellevue Public Schools teacher Donald Hansler, another anti-WASL soldier.
The sad thing is that both the WASL and our teachers unions are so obviously, glaringly bad. What makes it sick is the way the corporate plantation masters manipulate them. First they dump the WASL on us, then they recruit one-issue candidates to take a phony stand against the WASL during election campaigns. Of course, the races are always rigged so that Terry Bergeson wins re-election, and the WASL remains, essentially unscathed.
By writing the WEA and PSE into the script, the media command the allegiance of educators and school employees, most of whom blindly follow their unions, like so many lost sheep.
It isn’t clear to me which candidate the Seattle Chamber of Commerce ultimately wants to win this time around. My hunch is that Bergeson will be reappointed, but it’s possible that higher powers have decided it’s time for her to move on. Either way, my best guess is that Bergeson will once again take first place in the primary, followed by Semler, then Dorn. Their votes have virtually been bought and paid for.
I have some surprises of my own up my sleeve, and it’s possible I could take third or even second place. But it will be a struggle.
The State of the Nation
But it isn’t hopeless. The presidential campaign is another story. The mere fact that both John McCain and Billary Clinton are even seen as valid candidates is simply disgusting, and I seriously doubt that Obama is really genuine.
That’s one reason people need to focus on local elections as never before. People have been putting all their eggs in one basket, and the results are plain to see; the U.S. has been transformed into a basket full of rotten eggs.
Let’s face it, this country’s going to Hell. The economy is a train wreck, government corruption remains rampant, we’re bogged down in a phony war against terrorism and on and on. Amongst all these problems, most people don’t even pay attention to education issues. If you’re serious about fixing things, then you need to get involved and make every election count.
Reaching for a Star
Unlike many political races, the SPI race actually features a good candidate. Pardon the arrogance, but that candidate is me.
Perhaps the biggest problem I face is publicity. The media have been shamelessly telling voters there are only three candidates, when there are at least five of us.
That’s one of the reasons I’ve asked Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez to consider endorsing me or somehow publicize my campaign. It’s us versus them, and Chávez is a proven friend of us.
It’s a long shot, and it may even sound bizarre to some people, but in a battle for our very soul—education—I’ll leave no stone unturned. In fact, Chávez probably knows a lot more about education than Bill Gates, and Chávez and I already have some surprising connections.
Stay tuned.
E pluribus unum,
David Blomstrom—May 15, 2008
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