Oakland County Republicans could have a beer and a good chat with teachers tomorrow night

A couple of unlikely groups could happily sit down for beers and watch President Obama's State of the Union Tuesday night: Oakland County Republicans and K-12 teachers.

Now, normally, this might sound like an unlikely gathering. These are, more or less traditional political enemies and the animus is increasing, rather than decreasing.

But the two groups would have much in common right now, I think.

Oakland County elected Republicans seem stuck having to publicly back  Governor Snyder's education "reform" push -- still ongoing from 2011 -- to "unbundle" geographically defined school Districts even though in their areas the "schools" have long been terrific and a mainstay in the community. But the Governor's ceaseless attack is getting way too close to home for many, particularly in an election year.

In fact, Oakland County Republicans  had to shut MI reform down (in Michigan "reform" means school closures ) when Pontiac almost sank.

But you still can't find one who will say in public Birmingham, Bloomfield or Troy Schools should continue to exist even if they did risk going "L. Brooks" on their own party!!

They need a drink, I think, and some fresh company to let it all out.

K-12 teachers, for their part, have been ranting (rightly, I think) about Arne Duncan in assorted publications and social media. The President's Harvard to Chicago basketball buddy can't open his mouth without insulting teachers or parents, and he is driving a moronic corporate based education reform across America that is a disaster in the making.

Already, for example, a newly elected school board in Pittsburgh has revolted and insisted the city must hire real teachers (sacrilege!)-- not Teach for America kids -- and New Orleans is going to bankrupt itself because it turns out firing all their teachers because Katrina made it politically possible to do so is downright illegal.

Many thousands of  teachers get back pay! for being political scapegoats! i I know where they can find a political accountant to make that look like it didn't happen.

Here in Detroit, of course, the EAA is just, well, peachy.

But for all the ranting about Duncan nary a teacher will mention the Secretary of Education's boss, President Obama, the man who hired him and the only man who can fire him, and the man who is supporting education reform like the EAA implicitly by not acting to at least change the now dead end conversation on "choice" and "competition" and on an on and on. Obama is simply incoherent on education; he makes Thom Friedman sound tuned in. On the K-12 teacher side, though, there seems to be a political glitch, a cognitive gap, a complete lack of understanding that if President Obama doesn't have to pay a price for Duncan, Duncan stays and thrives. It is one of those things they simply will need to give up on -- like arguing 99% of teachers are effective -- to have a fighting political chance.

These guys are pals! Basketball buddies from Harvard that have never seen a public school.

So: Teacher meet Oakland County Republican, Oakland County Republican meet teacher. On education reform, you are both stuck with some lousy leaders at the moment who are both pandering to some big edtech "bubble" money and threatening your jobs and your communities.

Heck, for the Republicans, I don't think you really want to be in town in 3 or 4 years when your neighbors get a look at where you have taken them if the Mackinac Center and edtech folks get their way.

It is only the strange team sport (basketball?) nature of modern politics that doesn't allow this to be discussed.

My colleagues in academia? They will sit down and join the table, I think, soon enough, after the President brings a bit of Arne to campus for a little "shoot-a-round" and start ranking who will get to the Final Four and who won't: bet on Harvard, Princeton, Yale, and Stanford.