Not the same AT ALL. National Groups and the PA Commonwealth Foundation, as well as the legislators and one or two "Tea Party Activists," wanted Tea Party and other conservative grassroots groups to rubber stamp SB1 with no discussion or objections, without even asking their opinion.
Friends column is a response to the above effort and has inspired further discourse and thought on the issue. He put the "pressure" where it rightfully belongs on Piccola and Williams, the legislators who are sponsoring this horrible bill. One or two groups supported Friends column by forwarding it to those in their Tea Party organization, hardly "pressure" and certainly not comparable to the efforts brought to bear on Tea Party and Conservative Organizations to rubberstamp SB1.
It is unwise for the Party to take small, incremental steps, and support the passage of a bad bill, when it is in a position to take larger steps and get a better one. REPUBLICANS in this state, were the overwhelming victors in November. And they'd better start acting like it.
Teri, I am extremely upset at your suggestion that the Commonwealth Foundation is “pressuring” any organization to support Senate Bill 1.
Our entire work to this point has been to educate folks about what SB 1 is and would do (to this point Chris Freind’s article was objectionable, in that it was factual inaccurate about what is in the bill), about the merits of greater school choice, about education spending in Pennsylvania, and about existing choice in Pennsylvania (like the EITC, about which there is a great deal of misinformation).
While we have been largely supportive of SB 1 as a step in the right direction, that does not mean we would not be supportive of a broader proposal. Indeed, when we testify on Senate Bill 1 at the public hearing on Feb 16, and in our detailed analysis of the legislation which will be forthcoming, we will be suggesting improvements to the bill.
I am flabbergasted that you think we are putting any pressure you to “rubber stamp” the bill with “no discussion.” We never expect your organization to rubber stamp any proposal, nor even agree with us on every issue - that is for you and your members to decide. Our role is to educate and to persuade on the merits of our position. And to that end we INVITE discussion of the legislation.