The TSTA, Carole And A Bit Of History

When I saw this today, Teacher group endorses Strayhorn over two Democrats, it got me thinking about my earliest recollection of Carole ETC. I was a kid when we moved to Austin area, we lived in the southernwestern part of Williamson County. While our mailing address was Austin, we weren't in the city limits, and my parents weren't able to vote in Austin city elections. But back then we got to see quite a bit of Carole, then, McClellan. She was the mayor then and she was to blame for rallying support to keep Austin involved, in the then Brown and Root scam, the South Texas Nuclear Project (STNP).

If you lived in or around Austin in the mid-70's and early 80's I'm sure you remember it. That's why when shortly after her party switch in 1986 when she was trounced by Jake Pickle I was not surprised. She was not like or well remembered for her tenure in off as the mayor or Austin. But, of course, time and a few name changes allow some people forget. Also running statewide where not many knew you past.

Now that the history lesson is over it just seems kinda easy for ol' Carole just to say that well I don't like vouchers anymore (In her 1998 race she took $95,000 from James Leininger) and take the TSTA endorsement. Is Carole pro-union? Is she going to stand up against Craddick, Perry and all those right-wingers when vouchers come up in the special session? 's Here's what the TSTA's leader had to say:

The group's president, Donna New Haschke, a graduate of Austin's McCallum High School, said the timing proved right for Strayhorn, a former McCallum teacher.

"It comes down to electability," Haschke said. "We know that Comptroller Strayhorn has the best opportunity to prevail in the election next November. . . . And on top of that, she is right on our issues. On every single one of them, we couldn't find a stronger advocate."

And here's the Democratic response from Bell and Gammage:

The group's decision to back Strayhorn could hurt Democratic candidates Chris Bell of Houston and Bob Gammage of Llano, who have already seen a few deep-pocketed trial lawyers, traditional Democratic donors, write checks to Strayhorn.

Gammage spokesman Jeremy Warren expressed disappointment but said Gammage expects to work with the group once he's governor.

Bell spokesman Jason Stanford charged the teacher group with "putting political calculations over the children of Texas, plain and simple."

Does that mean that without the trial lawyers and the teacher's union supporting the Democratic candidate that the Democrats are the party of the people now!? And yes it is said to see the teacher's union abandon principle for electability.

The reason I bring this up is because she sure changes her positions quite a bit and she's also been very tight lipped about her stance on intelligent design. If Carole ETC is an independent why can't she answer where she stands on the right-wing issue of intelligent design? Hopeful (Carole ETC) mum on intelligent design:

Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn declined Tuesday to discuss Gov. Rick Perry's belief that intelligent design should be taught with evolution in Texas classrooms.

Strayhorn, an independent hoping to face Perry in November, was asked her position after fielding an endorsement from the Texas State Teachers Association.

"I'm not going to talk about that today," Strayhorn said. "I'd be delighted to talk about that to you later."

Perry spokeswoman Kathy Walt said Thursday that he supports the teaching of intelligent design, which holds that life is so complex that it must have been guided by outside intelligence. Critics chide the idea's lack of a testable thesis and have called it veiled creationism: adherence to the biblical account of creation.

Strayhorn was mum last week, too, when gubernatorial candidates Chris Bell, Bob Gammage, Felix Alvarado and Kinky Friedman disagreed with Perry, saying intelligent design lacks scientific merit. Houston candidate Rashad Jafer sided with Perry.

I also can't find anything on where the TSTA or the TFT for that matter stand on intelligent design - if anyone knows different please let me know. The other thing is I can't find is what Carole ETC stance is on the "65% Ruse", which both groups are against. She's always been a shifty politician and that's one of the reasons she's hung around so long. I would have recommended for the TSTA to hold off on their recommendation for a while.