Changing Perspectives: The Power of the Union

Today, I saw this article from MarketWatch on the impact the National Education Association will have on the election, not how the election would affect the NEA, but vice versa.

According the MarketWatch article, the NEA commands a voting audience of 5 million voters. That’s a lot of suburban or rural women, the major demographic of the NEA, together in one voting block. NEA President Dennis Van Roekel calls them, “the typical swing voter of the 2008 election.” For me, at least, I was thinking in absolutes of top down, but this is a democracy, meaning I need to start thinking from bottom up as well and meet top down perspective somewhere in the middle.

The NEA isn’t the only education group that holds the power to influence more than we think. The American Federation of Teachers and United Federation of Teachers’ president is Randi Weingarten, a woman who is not only a member of the Democratic National Committee but has also been labeled a “king maker” in New York City for her sway over politics. The AFT represents another 1.4 million votes of the education sector, a massive block of generally active voters. Teachers, generally, are a group familiar with politics and its controversy.

Up until today, when I thought about how education would factor into the election it was always from top down. The questions I asked when I started to think about writing blog posts on the election were: “What are McCain’s Education adviser’s previous records?”, “What changes does Obama want to bring into the education space?” and “How do both candidates feel about online education?”

Never did I stop to think about how the candidates would be affected by the education sector of America, instead I focused too much on their intended policy. Political tunnel vision, if you will. It was always “Education and the Election” or “McCain and Online Education.” The teacher unions not only represent a massive block of active swing voters but also a pleasing reminder that this is still a democracy and grass roots organizations still play a major part. Politics may seem to flow top down, but, especially in critical election years, the flow of power goes both ways.

To a young voter, one for who this Presidential Election is their first, this realization of the multiple perspectives we can take to approach the election is eye opening. President Kennedy recognized these different perspectives when he said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” It’s important to re-orient myself and see that it’s not just he candidates that have power in this election, it’s also active voting groups like the AFT and NEA with leaders that recognize their capability to shape an election.