LOBBYING

Teachers Association Wades Gingerly Into Republican Waters

by Bill Swindell

Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2008


While not quite the political equivalent of entering the lion's den, the National Education Association has a notable presence at this week's Republican National Convention in an attempt to burnish its bipartisan credentials and show members it is not an unofficial arm of the Democratic Party.

The 3.2 million-member group has about a dozen members attending the GOP convention as delegates and held a two-day seminar for 175 Republican officials prior to the convention, specifically trying to remove language from the platform in support of private-school vouchers.

"Public education doesn't belong to any party. It deserves the support of every elected official. Our litmus test is actually 'Do you support public schools?' That's what we begin with," said NEA Executive Director John Wilson.

Still, that message is hard to cut through for the GOP party faithful, especially as the NEA has endorsed the Democratic presidential nominee, Sen. Barack Obama, and has given Democrats 91 percent of its $1.9 million in campaign contributions to federal candidates this cycle.

The NEA's relationship with Republicans has been icy since conservative Republicans took over Congress in the 1994 elections and began pushing for vouchers and abolishing the Education Department.

In 1996, GOP presidential candidate Bob Dole went after the teacher unions in his failed campaign with harsh words conservatives typically save for groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union.

But this year NEA has made a concerted effort to reach out to GOP members -- mostly moderates -- who have supported its positions in key votes. It has endorsed such vulnerable Republicans as Reps. Jim Gerlach of Pennsylvania and Mark Kirk of Illinois, despite pressure from Democrats to refrain.

Wilson cited their opposition of vouchers and their push for increased funding of education programs as key reasons for the endorsements.

"We're not a fair-weather friend. We will be on you in the tough times, too. Not that a lot of Democrats give us a lot of heat for that," Wilson said.

The NEA conducted a survey among its members after Gerlach's 2006 race and found that the association's support played a significant role, with many Democratic teachers backing him in his narrow victory over Democratic challenger Lois Murphy.

"It's disconcerting for the Democratic Party. But [local NEA members] just believed it was more than party. Here is a person who stood up for education and probably took hits himself" from conservatives, Wilson said.

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