Sec. of Education Rod Paige Calls NEA Teachers Union A Terrorist Organization

ABC ^ | 2/23/04

[11th Earl of Mar]

Rod Paige Criticizes Teachers Union Education Secretary Paige Calls Teachers Union 'Terrorist Organization'

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON Feb. 23 — Education Secretary Rod Paige called the nation's largest teachers union a "terrorist organization" during a private White House meeting with governors on Monday. Democratic and Republican governors confirmed Paige's remarks about the National Education Association.

"These were the words, 'The NEA is a terrorist organization,'" said Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle of Wisconsin.

"He was making a joke, probably not a very good one," said Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania. "Of course he immediately divorced the NEA from ordinary teachers, who he said he supports."

"I don't think the NEA is a terrorist organization," said Rendell, who has butted heads with the group as well. "They're not a terrorist organization any more than the National Business Organization is a terrorist organization.

Neither the Education Department nor NEA had an immediate comment on Paige's comments. Both indicated that statements were forthcoming.

Education has been a top issue for governors, who have sought more flexibility from the administration on President Bush's "No Child Left Behind" law, which seeks to improve school performance in part by allowing parents to move their children from poorly performing schools.

Democrats have said Bush has failed to fully fund the law, giving the states greater burdens but not the resources to handle them.

Missouri Gov. Bob Holden, a Democrat, said Paige's remarks startled the governors, who met for nearly two hours with Bush and several Cabinet officials.

"He is, I guess, very concerned about anybody that questions what the president is doing," Holden said.

"He was implying that the NEA has not been one of the organizations that has been working with the administration to try to solve 'No Child Left Behind,'" he said.

Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas, a Republican, said of Paige's comments: "Somebody asked him about the NEA's role and he offered his perspective on it."

Gov. Jennifer Granholm of Michigan, a Democrat, said the comments were made in the context of "we can't be supportive of the status quo and they're the status quo. But whatever the context, it is inappropriate I know he wasn't calling teachers terrorists but to ever suggest that the organization they belong to was a terrorist organization is uncalled for."

When Bush welcomed the governors at the State Dining Room during brief public comments, he told them that rising political tensions of an election year won't stop him from working closely with them.

"I fully understand it's going to be the year of the sharp elbow and the quick tongue," Bush said. "But surely we can shuffle that aside sometimes and focus on our people."

"We'll continue to work hard to help you. Because by helping our governors, we really help our people," he said.

Bush spent much of the first half of his opening comments on foreign policy and the war on terrorism, defending his decision to go war in Iraq and thanking the governors for their work on homeland security.

"The most important job of anyone in public office is to protect the people of our country," he said.

Bush also defended his domestic policies, telling the governors that he strongly believed in his education law and that the tax cuts he championed were helping spur the economy.

The governors are in Washington for four days of discussions at the annual meeting of the National Governors Association, though the usual effort to build consensus was marked by partisan politics that Democrats said couldn't be avoided.

Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, said he planned to confront Bush on White House predictions of 2.6 million new jobs this year. Bush spokesmen already have backed off those numbers.

"If the president's not going to fight for jobs, governors will, Democratic governors will," Vilsack said. "We're on the front line of that fight every day, and we see the consequences of having lost three million jobs."

[11th Earl of Mar]

His remarks are more true than anyone is willing to admit.

I remember reading the NEA's Constitution in the 80s.

They supported stripping our military, a unilateral nuclear freeze and favored the Sandinistas, who happened to be teaching math to school children in Nicaragua by counting hand grenades.

I can't imagine they have gotten any better since the 80s.

How do they do math nowdays? "If Achmed earns his spot in paradise by blowing himself up with 14 Zionists, how many virgins will he earn?"

[Unam Sanctam]

What exactly did he say and in what context? What was his point. The article doesn't say, but just smears.

[ConservativeDude]

dang! I'm ready to vote for Paige for President!

[KantianBurke]

lol, he's got my vote too!

[truthandlife]

Tell it like it is Rod.

President Bush (Address to a Joint Session of Congress and the American People, September 2001):

"We will starve terrorists of funding, turn them one against another, drive them from place to place, until there is no refuge or no rest. And we will pursue nations that provide aid or safe haven to terrorism. Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists.

[Consort]

....against all enemies, foreign and domestic...

The NEA is among those domestic enemies.

[Esther Ruth]

Yippy We have a Winner - Somone who REALLY does care about our Children!!! God bless Rod Paige, give him courage and strength if the arrows start coming!

[Enterprise]

I'm sure his remarks were not meant to be serious, but I can hear the liberal banshees already.

[optimistically_conservative]

"we see the consequences of having lost three million jobs."

You know, the Dims are never held to account for this number.

There is not a single accounting which supports 3 million jobs lost.

[Indie]

Education Secretary Rod Paige called the nation's largest teachers union a "terrorist organization"

Someone had the nads to speak the TRUTH. So what's all the hubbub? :))

[demnomo]

I absolutely despise the NEA for what it has done to education here in America. However, I disagree with Paige about the NEA being a terrorist organization as much as I despise the "Bush is Hitler and/or a Nazi" statement.

Paige needs to clarify and say that the NEA is a "terrorist-supporting" organization. ;)

[Lizavetta]

Great. Fine, he said they're terrorists. That's nice. Now when is he going to use his bully pulpit and condemn them in public and on television for queering the curriculum? Why do these limp wristed Republicans do NOTHING about that?

[familyofman]

Has GWB denounced the comments yet? Is he distancing himself from Paige?

[AppyPappy]

However, I disagree with Paige about the NEA being a terrorist organization as much as I despise the "Bush is Hitler and/or a Nazi" statement.

What were his words exactly?

[anniegetyourgun]

[Putting on best liberal, victimized, screeching voice]: ABC is just being their usual racist self to attack a capable African-American. They seem to do this so often with blacks in this administration who want to do more for kids than just use them for a photo op.

How did I do?

[William McKinley]

Well, this will successfully ensure that Bush's salvos that he hoped to start lobbing Kerry's way at tonight's speech will either get no coverage or will be linked to this asinine comment.

Way to shoot your boss in the foot, Paige. You were speaking to a crowd with a large number of Democrats; what were you thinking?

[El Conservador]

Look forward for Rod Paige to be lumped in the Oreo-cookie, Uncle-Tom, house-negro crowd by the white liberals, just like they did with Colin Powell, Condi Rice, Clarence Thomas, Alan Keyes, Walter Williams, J.C. Watts, Janice Rogers Brown, Jesse Lee Peterson, Ward Connerly, Thomas Sowell, et al.

[SLB]

The truth hurts.

[tuckrdout]

Good for Mr. Paige! He spoke the truth. I have been on the recieving end of one of the NEA's strong arm tactics. This communist organisation black balls teachers that do not join, and strong arms school districts that hire teachers that are not on their rolls!

I was a school board chairman, and saw first hand how this organisation takes the money of good teachers, to protect the jobs of awful teachers! I had a teacher that I tried to fire, for not teaching. He did not do the job that he was hired to do, and we had the proof. They fought us and sued us every step of the way! Our small district could not afford to continue to fight this powerful group. It was impossible to discipline this horrid teacher, who called children "stupid"...because each time he was written up, they sued us.

At the same time as trying to get rid of the sludge, We also hired a wonderful teacher, who put in about 60 hours a week, working to make a wonderful, exciting class and school. She did whatever was asked of her, and thought of more to do! She used a great deal of her own money to make her room an exceptional place to be. She went to classes on the week end and during the summer to learn even more techniques for better learning. But....she refused to join the union! This was another reason they sued us about the other teacher, we were told. The union harrassed us about every issue and held up contract negotiations. The Union teachers refused to socialize with the non union teacher, and gave her greif about everything she did....

[Enterprise]

"Now when is he going to use his bully pulpit and condemn them in public and on television for queering the curriculum?"

He will never do it.

"Why do these limp wristed Republicans do NOTHING about that?"

They're scared.