For a group claiming to defend teachers, We Are Ohio doesn’t hesitate to attack teachers who step out of line. In response to the Building a Better Ohio ad featuring Baltimore teacher Kyle Farmer, We Are Ohio released a pathetic YouTube response that begins with this:
Oooo-kay, “teacher” in scare quotes. Farmer publicly supports government union reform, so it’s fair to assume he’s a Republican. Does that mean he’s less of a teacher than peers who vote Democrat? Is that really an argument We Are Ohio wants to make?
We Are Ohio then proceeds, “Here’s What Real Teachers Have to Say About Issue 2″ – as if conservative political beliefs make a teacher a fraud. Cue a series of monologues diligently parroting We Are Ohio talking points: Senate Bill 5 was crafted in the fires of Mt. Doom! The GOP wants to steal our cars and kick our puppies!
Coming from union bosses who create propaganda for a living, this is amazingly stupid propaganda (and not the first example of it). Why should voters blindly accept We Are Ohio’s rhetoric? Because We Are Ohio claims to speak for all public teachers. Why shouldn’t We Are Ohio’s millions from D.C. unions cause alarm? Because We Are Ohio claims to be a nonpartisan group, floating above petty politics.
Truth is, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more partisan bunch than We Are Ohio. Union bosses are so desperate to smear a teacher who won’t toe the union line, they’ve taken an axe to their own platform.
Teachers, make sure your voice is heard – unless you’re a Republican, in which case you can go straight to Hell. (Thanks for the dues, though!)
Follow me on Twitter: @jasonahart
Cross-posted at that hero.
