DFER Spending Big Again

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I get that you hate charter schools or whatever but I don't understand the hand wringing about out of state money. I donate to plenty of candidates in races outside of DC, does that somehow taint them?

I don't hate charter schools. Both of my sons attended a charter school. I don't mind outside money from small donors like yourself. But PACs funded by deep-pocketed monied interests have a corrupting influence. Where would Goulet be without DFER backing? That's the only thing that made him a significant candidate. Moreover, DFER in particular is dishonest about its agenda. If it just came out and said, "we want to privatize public schools so that our hedge fund backers can make money from education" that would be fine. Instead, they act like they are concerned about crime or whatever issue polls well.

Jeff, I'm with you but I subscribe to a different conspiracy theory.

Charter school backers want to have government-paid religious schools in the guise of charter schools. Not in DC, but in the red states. They push them upon DC because they want to be able to point from their red state at how many charter schools we have here and say, "we should try that too."

[Anonymous]

Uh oh here come more tin foil hats

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I get that you hate charter schools or whatever but I don't understand the hand wringing about out of state money. I donate to plenty of candidates in races outside of DC, does that somehow taint them?

I don't hate charter schools. Both of my sons attended a charter school. I don't mind outside money from small donors like yourself. But PACs funded by deep-pocketed monied interests have a corrupting influence. Where would Goulet be without DFER backing? That's the only thing that made him a significant candidate. Moreover, DFER in particular is dishonest about its agenda. If it just came out and said, "we want to privatize public schools so that our hedge fund backers can make money from education" that would be fine. Instead, they act like they are concerned about crime or whatever issue polls well.

Jeff, I'm with you but I subscribe to a different conspiracy theory.

Charter school backers want to have government-paid religious schools in the guise of charter schools. Not in DC, but in the red states. They push them upon DC because they want to be able to point from their red state at how many charter schools we have here and say, "we should try that too."

This is definitely an explanation for some of the support for Charter schools. But, I don't know if it explains DFER's support. Possibly, but that is a more obvious explanation in other cases.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:I guess we just disagree mainly on whether DFER's objectives are worthwhile or if they aren't why they aren't.

Do you even know what DFER's objectives are? You wouldn't know based on the advertisements the group funds. Even if you support their objectives, don't you wonder why they don't campaign on them?

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I get that you hate charter schools or whatever but I don't understand the hand wringing about out of state money. I donate to plenty of candidates in races outside of DC, does that somehow taint them?

I don't hate charter schools. Both of my sons attended a charter school. I don't mind outside money from small donors like yourself. But PACs funded by deep-pocketed monied interests have a corrupting influence. Where would Goulet be without DFER backing? That's the only thing that made him a significant candidate. Moreover, DFER in particular is dishonest about its agenda. If it just came out and said, "we want to privatize public schools so that our hedge fund backers can make money from education" that would be fine. Instead, they act like they are concerned about crime or whatever issue polls well.

Jeff, I'm with you but I subscribe to a different conspiracy theory.

Charter school backers want to have government-paid religious schools in the guise of charter schools. Not in DC, but in the red states. They push them upon DC because they want to be able to point from their red state at how many charter schools we have here and say, "we should try that too."

This is definitely an explanation for some of the support for Charter schools. But, I don't know if it explains DFER's support. Possibly, but that is a more obvious explanation in other cases.

I think the Walton family just wants a n abundant supply of poorly educated workers.

[Anonymous]

Do you even know what DFER's objectives are? You wouldn't know based on the advertisements the group funds. Even if you support their objectives, don't you wonder why they don't campaign on them?

They're pretty up front about the issues they care about: https://dferdc.org/issues/ and about electing people who'll support their issues. Why do they do campaign ads about other issues? Probably because they're trying to get people elected and want to hit on things that voters know or care about. Seems like most PACs do the same.

[Anonymous]

I still want DFER to eat $#!* for trying to get Brandon Todd elected over Janeese Lewis George

[Anonymous]

Investors are becoming interested in charter schools for the same reason that investors are becoming interested in clean energy, etc. "Social" capital is a good investment that gives them a reliable return, and also performs a social good by creating more seats at high quality schools, manufactures more solar panels, divests from oil, etc. Its an entire movement that liberals, cough, are typically supportive of.

For charter investors, that often means investing in actual school facilities, since charters don't receive public funds (in many states) to lease, buy or renovate buildings. The best charters can't keep up with the number of folks who want to enroll, so investing in new buildings helps more kids get a better education than they would in public, and investors get their money back when per student funding goes up.

The best public schools in this city are charters. We should want more of them. I would kill to send my kid to Latin if they could get a lottery seat.

[Anonymous]

So who are the non-charter school funded candidates who aren’t Republican?

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:So who are the non-charter school funded candidates who aren’t Republican?

Silverman and Frumin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I still want DFER to eat $#!* for trying to get Brandon Todd elected over Janeese Lewis George

I liked Brandon Todd. He was amazing. Janeese is MIA.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So who are the non-charter school funded candidates who aren’t Republican?

Silverman and Frumin.

Oh should have clarified Ward 4.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So who are the non-charter school funded candidates who aren’t Republican?

Silverman and Frumin.

Oh should have clarified Ward 4.

Ward 4 has virtually nothing on the ballot this election. The really only competitive thing is the At-Large Council race in which Silverman is the main non-DFER candidate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I still want DFER to eat $#!* for trying to get Brandon Todd elected over Janeese Lewis George

I liked Brandon Todd. He was amazing. Janeese is MIA.

Brandon Todd would glad hand you and never follow up. Janeese Lewis George has been following up on difficult long term issues and actually getting results.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I get that you hate charter schools or whatever but I don't understand the hand wringing about out of state money. I donate to plenty of candidates in races outside of DC, does that somehow taint them?

I don't hate charter schools. Both of my sons attended a charter school. I don't mind outside money from small donors like yourself. But PACs funded by deep-pocketed monied interests have a corrupting influence. Where would Goulet be without DFER backing? That's the only thing that made him a significant candidate. Moreover, DFER in particular is dishonest about its agenda. If it just came out and said, "we want to privatize public schools so that our hedge fund backers can make money from education" that would be fine. Instead, they act like they are concerned about crime or whatever issue polls well.

Jeff, I'm with you but I subscribe to a different conspiracy theory.

Charter school backers want to have government-paid religious schools in the guise of charter schools. Not in DC, but in the red states. They push them upon DC because they want to be able to point from their red state at how many charter schools we have here and say, "we should try that too."

This is definitely an explanation for some of the support for Charter schools. But, I don't know if it explains DFER's support. Possibly, but that is a more obvious explanation in other cases.

I think the Walton family just wants a n abundant supply of poorly educated workers.

Not just the Waltons - the long-term health of the entire GOP enterprise is based on this. Their utopia is a nationwide company town with all of us fighting for starvation wages, unable to get healthcare (including abortions) and thus more desperate to work.