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He's a Republican (again)
NY1 reports that Michael Bloomberg has won support from the Bronx Republicans to run on their line. Combined with Brooklyn and Staten Island, that gives him the three votes he needs under Wilson-Pakula.
Bloomberg has already bought gotten the Independence line, so he'll have two lines to run on now.
http://dailygotham.com/danjacoby/blog/he039sarepubicanagain
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Re: He's a Repubican (again)
Dan, what did you expect? I knew Savino would be #3 because he wanted his piece of the pie and was salavating for it.
As for Bloomberg, we need whoever our candidate is to go at him with gloves off. To start there's term limits and then lets see a half screen of his current commercial and the other half with him announcing 7,000 lay offs. Then we move to term limits and other subjects. We can't fight his wallet but we can fight his cold calculated uncarrying sobery against the middle class.
Re: He's a Republican (again)
We can also challenge him on education, including all the lies he's told in order to defend his incompetence (where have we seen that before?). Graduation rates are only up if you don't count a lot of students who dropped out in the 9th or 10th grade (they are officially "unstudents," in true Orwellian fashion). Test scores are only up on tests Bloomberg/Klein create, not on nationwide NAEP tests. Student/teacher ratios are far worse.
Does anyone have info, or know where to get info, regarding average teacher experience? I'd bet the average NYC public school teacher has far fewer years of experience than was the case six years ago.
Anecdotal
My info is anecdotal. But when my step-daughter was in elementary school everyone, parents, students and teachers, noticed that the standardized tests got easier once Bloomberg's "reforms" went through. That seems to be one way he boosted the scores. Secondly, from what I have heard (from teachers), students who look like they won't do well on the standardized tests get kicked out more often now to remove them from the pool. I wish I knew details on this because I am sure they have to be over a certain age, but again, this comes from teachers who claim to see it happen.
Not Anecdotal
It is a fact that the largest jump in fourth grade test scores occurred the year after Bloomberg/Klein began holding third graders back.
Re: Anecdotal
Not anecdotal. All it requires is comparing the results on the citywide test with the NAEP results. The citywide results were dramatically better, the NAEP results, not. Surprise, surprise.
Re: He's a Republican (again)
It also looks like Bloomberg is trying to buy the WFP line, or at least prevent Thompson from getting it (in the same way his campaign was able to block Fernando Ferrer from getting the line in 2005).
Well
WFP certainly is open to being bought, but I think even they won't go for Bloomberg.
What would it take
WFP was all over several City Council districts, loudly campaigning against extending term limits. What would make Michael Bloomberg think he could "kiss and make up" while taking advantage of having won that fight?
If WFP doesn't support the Democratic nominee, they are spineless.