For the past few weeks, I’ve been going out twice a week to knock doors for Pam Byrnes, the Democrat running to unseat Tim Walberg, the current Congressman for Michigan’s 7th District. Last week, while speaking to one woman, I asked her, “Can we count on your support for our Democratic candidates this year?” Her response was, “Of course. I’m a teacher.”
Last night, the scene repeated itself. I was speaking to a man on his doorstep and asked him if we could count on his support for our Democratic candidates. His response was nearly the same: “My wife is a teacher. What do YOU think?!”
I’ve said for a year now that education is going to be the top issue in Michigan this year and these conversations have convinced me that I’m right.
That’s why I have been thrilled to hear both Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mark Schauer and his running mate Lisa Brown repeatedly tell audiences that their Number One Issue is education. It’s a smart move because countries that invest heavily in education do very well, indeed.
The Democratic Governor’s Association (DGA) has been putting a lot of resources into defeating Rick Snyder in this year’s election. Yesterday, they released their seventh television ad of the election cycle and it’s a powerful one. Called “Teacher”, it highlights the cuts that Gov. Snyder has made to education while feathering the nests of his colleagues and business associates:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNM6ZycMEag
The DGA released this statement with the video:
Governor Snyder cut $1 billion from education to give pay raises to his officials and his administration gave millions of dollars in state contracts to his cousin. Michiganders already know that Snyder thinks tax cuts for businesses, even if they ship jobs overseas, are more important than investing in students and keeping taxes low for seniors, but this is appalling even for him. Mark Schauer’s plan calls for investing in a world-class education system that is the key to long-term growth, and finally building an economy that works for everyone, not just the wealthiest and Snyder’s well-connected cronies.
Rick Snyder is now trailing Mark Schauer in the latest EPIC-MRA poll and education is one of the main reasons. People are tired of the defunding of classroom education, the demonization of teachers, the profitization of education through for-profit charters, and the incessant attempts to destroy our public school system.
We now have 60 days until the election. Please make sure you’re doing EVERYTHING you can to help our candidates prevail. You can sign up to help HERE.
