Supporting Chicago's Progressive Caucus...Flexible Arne.

Two of my favorites

I got to hang out with some of my favorite folks at last night's Progressive Caucus fundraiser at Buddy Guy's. I'm glad we got there early, the room was so packed, they had to stop letting people in. A good sign for upcoming elections. Maybe a mayoral candidate will emerge from this crowd.

MORE DUNCAN DONUTS... It all depends who Arne is talking to. First he tells newspaper editors, Common Core is the "single greatest thing to happen to public education in America since Brown v. Board of Education.” 

Then Stephanie Simon at Politico has him telling the House Appropriations Committee, “I’m just a big proponent of high standards. Whether they’re common or not is sort of secondary.” 

But yesterday, Rupert Murdoch's boys at the Wall Street Journal run a wire story with the headline "US education secretary sticking with Common Core". However, the story itself goes on to say that,

 "During his address to students and invited guests, Duncan avoided specifically saying "Common Core."

The same WSJ story has Duncan defending embattled New York State's education chief John King Jr. after teachers wanted King fired for forging ahead with CCSS over mass teacher protests. Duncan, who never met a union basher he didn't appreciate, called King a "remarkable leader" and then reminded everyone once again that "education is the civil rights issue of our generation."

Flexible Arne.