David Gregory’s right wing nosedive, part 2: unions, unions everywhere

November 15, 2009 · Posted in Education, Opinion · 1 Comment 

It’s as if he was reading his talking points off the RNC website (what up!) … David Gregory was even more tooly than usual this week, as he interviewed Education Secretary Arne Duncan, who has created a $4 billion, results-oriented, competitive incentive program for states, school systems and non-profits called “Race to the Top,” and the new education twosome, Rev. Al Sharpton and Newt Gingrich, who are touring the country as part of President Obama’s education initiatives. The panel did their best, but when Newt Gingrich comes off like a reasonable centrist compared to the host, we’re nearing Fox News territory.

During the segment, Gregory mentioned “unions,” “teachers” or “teachers unions” 15 times, and seemed unwilling to allow the discussion to veer off the topic of what role teachers unions are playing in the demise of American education. By contrast, Gingrich, purportedly the conservative on the panel, mentioned unions exactly once, and teachers 5 times (compared to Gregory’s 6 union mentions and 9 teacher references.) Gingrich, Sharpton and Duncan kept trying to bring up the elephant in the room — parents, and their responsibility for demanding accountability at school, but were batted down each time, until finally, at the Gregory conceded, on the way out to break, that “Parents matter.  Parents have to say, ‘We have expectations for you.’” Well thanks for that. A typical exchange follows after the jump. Here’s the whole, tiresome segment, in which Gregory also shows how out of touch he is, by focusing mostly on D.C., rather than the nation’s, schools:

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