Is Connecticut turning into Wisconsin? [View all]

from My Left Nutmeg...

Teachers Rally in Hartford, CT
At a rally on Tuesday in Hartford, CT organized by the Connecticut Education Association (CEA)

over 1,000 teachers showed support for legislative leaders challenging Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's proposed education reforms.

It's really unusual when a Speaker of the House stands up against a Governor. But then, he wants to get re-elected.

In 1978 over 200 BEA members got on buses to show their support for education. However, they were not going to a rally, they were going to jail for defying a judge's order. They were able to pave the way for collective bargaining for teachers with their civil disobedience.

Today, Gov. Dannel Malloy (D-CT) is trying to end collective bargaining, and he will stop at nothing in an attempt to takeover the state's public school system.

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AND

Teachers Rally At Capitol Still Unhappy With Malloy's Plan

About 1,000 teachers from across the state were bused to the Capitol Tuesday to express their displeasure with Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's education reform bill, which was modified in March by the legislature's Education Committee.

Many were still bitter about Malloy's opening day remarks about tenure when he said, "in today's system basically the only thing you have to do is show up for four years. Do that, and tenure is yours."

"It wasn't the best way to open a wide-ranging discussion on education reform," Jason Poppa, a teacher from Bridgeport, said. "But the remark is typical. Teachers are being vilified nationally."

And just like with Walker in WI, Malloy's approval ratings are taking a hit thanks to his education "reform" position.
From Jon Pelto's blog...

Malloy’s Job Approval Rating Drops 7 Percent in a Month http://jonathanpelto.com/2012/04/25/when-in-doubt-just-say-it-doesnt-matter/

With today’s Quinnipiac Poll reporting that only 37% of the voters approve of the way Governor Malloy is doing his job and only 38% approve of the way he is handling education policy, Roy Occhiogrosso, Malloy’s mouthpiece and spin-master, is absolutely right to say;

“We have tried to be consistent in not saying much about polls because…what’s there to say? Polls come and go, numbers go up and down. The Governor always does what he thinks is best for the state and the right thing to do.” – Occhiogrosso 4-25-12

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...after what is probably close to $1 million in television and radio ads supporting the Governor’s “Education Reform” proposal, ads that repeatedly complimented him by name, it is pretty telling that his job performance rating has dropped 7 percent in the last 30 days (from 44% positive to 37% positive).

Furthermore, only 4 in 10 voters support his education plan.

His negative rating on both job performance and on his education policies are particularly high among women – who, as Occhiogrosso and every political observer knows – is the most significant voting bloc in electoral politics.

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Just who is Gov. Malloy listening to on his education "reform" policy? Is he taking a tactic from the Republican Governor's playbook?
If he is, it's good to see it backfire on him, just as it is on the Rethugican Governors.

While the education issue and the bashing of the teacher's union is similar to what is happening in WI, CT still has a long way to go before it looks like CT. Although Gov. Malloy might personally be having his own WI moment. The Democratic controlled state Legislature is more likely to side with the teacher's unions. It will be interesting to see what happens to Malloy's education "reform" bill.