Posted on 10/09/2004 12:18:32 PM PDT by Horatio Gates
Trying to promote her image as a champion of education, state Democrats are distributing a campaign flier that boasts Sen. Patty Murray as “the only teacher in the U.S. Senate.”
On the back of the campaign literature, authorized by Murray’s campaign, is another statement: “There are 100 U.S. Senators. But only one has experience as a teacher.”
In fact, at least three U.S. senators have teaching experience, according to their biographical information: Sen. Zell Miller (D-Georgia) taught political science and history at the University of Georgia; Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) taught at Kansas State University law school; and Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama) taught Sunday school at his family church.
Sunday school and college might not have been what Murray’s people had in mind when they staked claim to their candidate’s exclusivity in her campaign against Rep. George Nethercutt.
Then again, Murray herself might not fit the traditional definition of teacher, if you look at her credentials.
She does not have a teaching certificate issued by the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, which is needed to teach kindergarten through the 12th grade. She doesn’t have a degree in education. And she hasn’t worked regularly with children since the 1980s.
At that time, Murray taught youngsters at Crystal Springs Cooperative Preschool for several years, although that job doesn’t require a teaching certificate, Crystal Springs is one of six preschools under the jurisdiction of Shoreline Community College.
During that time, Murray also taught adult education classes, part of a vocational curriculum that Shoreline offered moms and dads who want to improve their parenting skills.
So does that make Murray a teacher?
Absolutely, said Holly Moore, president of Shoreline, who ran the parent education curriculum in the 1980s and hired Murray as a faculty member.
“Any of the instructors at the school, I consider them teachers first,” Moore said.
To teach adult education, Murray had to obtain a vocational certification, which required her to take certain classes. Moore couldn’t recall how many credit hours were needed for the certificate, but continuing education was required.
The campaign flier also quotes Murray saying: “I’ve worked in education all my life – as a parent, a teacher, a PTA president, a local school board member, and now in the U.S. Senate.”
Murray has served on the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions since 1997.
“She never thought about getting into politics until she came across some problems in education,” said campaign spokeswoman Alex Glass.
Murray got involved when the state planned to cut funding for the adult education program where she worked. She lobbied in Olympia, where she was told by an unnamed male legislator that she couldn’t make a difference because she was just a “mom in tennis shoes.”
Murray used that as her slogan when she won her U.S. Senate seat in 1992.
Unnamed. Because she never really was told that, was she?
She's just a moron in tennis shoes.
She truly has a double digit lead after those ads featuring her twisted comments on Bin Laden???
What could Patty Murray teach pre-schoolers? Does she know more than a typical pre-schooler?
That's nothing. I got a flier from the VFW pac today endorsing Patty Murray. That's a no Sh!++er.
WASHINGTON STATE has murray, and the great state of NEVADA HAS harry reid, will we ever be rid of these parasites?.
U.S. Senate, WA 10/05/2004
Murray (D) 57%
Nethercutt (R) 38%
Other/Undecided 5%
Data Collected 10/2/04 - 10/4/04
Geography State of Washington
Sample Population 636 Likely Voters
Margin of Error 4.0%
The RNC just canceled a cool million in Ad funds for Nethercut so he's finished.
Hey Ern! Whats up, my brother from another mother?
Sam Brownback might have taught at a law school but not at Kansas State University. K-State doesn't have a law school. Must have been University of Kansas or Washburn University (in Topeka).
Both the Nethercutt and Murray campaign are acting like neither believe that Murray has a double-digit lead.
The national GOP dropped Nethercutt's ad funding like a bad habit. I'll be voting for him and praying for divine intervention
Hey , you leave my mother out of this and I'll....!
Just got back from my daughter's soccer game, Mary's working today, and I got a call from my boss, the lady who rhymes with witch, who told me one of our workers walked off the job today.
I'm sure it was his fault just like all the others that left and everyone else who doesn't want to come work for her. Yeah, that's the reason, his attitude.
Might know something by the end of the week, the hiring board is Thursday. Unless you've got a slot for me with weekends off like you?LOL
Not to mention the fact that she's a goofy dork and a horse's ass, just like John FnKerry.
All them dimlibs are alike.
Washington, being a bastion of liberal morons, is welcome to her.
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