Why I Won't Miss Al Franken

When it came to education policy, Al Franken symbolized everything wrong with the Democratic Party. He was a tireless advocate for charter schools, Teach for America, and test based evaluation of schools and teachers- someone who persistently ignored the voice of public school teachers in his own state. I am not in the least bit sorry to see him go. The only way the Democratic Party can become a credible opposition party, and eventually lead the country out of the deep hole trump and the republicans are digging, is by repudiating the neo-liberalism that most of its leaders espouse, and presenting a vision of a future where the voice of ordinary people counts more than that of billionaires. And that means a break with cynicism and the discovery of a genuine moral compass that not only rejects sexual harassment but refuses to countenance demonization of teachers and other important sections of the nation’s work force. Al Franken showed no capacity to do that. I won’t miss him at all