Democrat’s Win Also Win for School Choice
2008 was by all intents and purposes and sweeping victory for all things blue. The Presidency, the House, the Senate, Colorado, my mood…. A thorough Democratic victory would normally push school choice advocacy two steps back, but this victory was different. Surprisingly, two very independent minded (read: relatively unconnected to unions) Democrats were appointed House and Senate leaders- Terrance Carroll and Peter Groff, respectively. These two guys in those two positions are a big win for school choice, so says Ben DeGrow in his Denver Post op-ed. Bear in mind, the teacher’s unions are not in good shape at the moment, despite Colorado taking the proverbial blue bath. The CEA and the Colorado Federation of Teachers spent a combined total of more than $6 million to defeat Amendments 47, 49, and 54. And 54 ended up passing! Add to that the failure of Amendment 59, the TABOR killer masquerading as an education fund, plus both leaders in Colorado’s legislature and you’ve got one heckuva rain on the union’s parade. Let’s see what gains we can achieve in the school choice arena in the next few years, now that we’ve got an advantage.
