Obama Campaign Official Gave Schoolkids Class Credit for Volunteering for Obama; UPDATE: And Plans to Do It Again!
At the blog for the Nevada Policy Research Institute, it is revealed today that a woman named Loretta Harper was recently chosen to be a national co-chair of Obama’s re-election campaign. Why is this important? Because in 2008, Harper used her position at a Nevada high school to award extra credit to students who volunteered for Obama.
The NVPR blog archly wonders if 2012 will bring similar efforts nationwide:
No word on [whether] Harper, who makes $74,000 a year plus benefits, plans to expand outreach “efforts” like this nationwide now that she’s a co-chair of Obama’s re-election campaign, but if you’ve got “free labor” available, why not take advantage?
Never mind that Nevada’s high school graduation rate currently sits under 45 percent, liberals have a president to elect. We all have to get our priorities straight now, people.
Your tax dollars hard at work, re-electing the Democrat.
P.S. This news came originally from the Las Vegas Review-Journal. But that paper buried the lede, and also has a habit of facilitating lawsuits against bloggers for fair use quotes. So they get no quote and no link. Thanks to Victor Joecks of the Nevada Policy Research Institute for the hat tip.
UPDATE: Victor has now spoken with Loretta Harper and has updated his post to reflect the following:
- The students actually got class credit in 2008, and not merely “extra credit” as the Las Vegas Review-Journal had claimed. The headline of this post has been changed accordingly.
- Harper admits she approached children (as well as vice versa) about volunteering for Obama. She claims she would also give credit to students for volunteering for Republicans but “no students have asked her about that.” (Gee, I wonder why not? Could it have anything to do with her very public pro-Obama activism? Nah, that couldn’t be it.)
- She is indeed planning to have students volunteer for Obama for class credit again this year.
This is a big story, folks. Expect to see much more on this. Nice job by Victor Joecks.
Link fixed.
Patterico (17e5f6) — 2/22/2012 @ 11:49 amWhat do you find unusual about this?
MD in Philly (3d3f72) — 2/22/2012 @ 11:54 amWhen we lose the capacity to be outraged at indecency just because it is commonplace, indecency will occur without challenge.
Patterico (17e5f6) — 2/22/2012 @ 11:59 amAlready happening Patterico. The president makes appointments without Senate approval because he pretends they are in recess and nobody says anything. DOJ covers for voter intimidation and nothing is done.
Franken wins in MN., etc.
Major newspapers routinely distort the truth.
Presidential candidate makes obscene gestures from the podium.
Lots of indecency occuring without challenge.
I’m not complaining about the post and I was being a bit sarcastic, but if that happened in a Philly school I could not imagine anything being said except “That’s a great idea”.
That is part of what “the battle for Wisconsin” is about. Who is supposed to run the country, anyway, elected officials or partisan thugs where ever they can flex their muscle?
Pardon my mood, i think I need to take the Jaguar for a walk.
MD in Philly (3d3f72) — 2/22/2012 @ 12:14 pmLock in future Democrat voters now.
Great idea!
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 2/22/2012 @ 12:17 pmUPDATE: Victor has now spoken with Loretta Harper and has updated his post to reflect the following:
This is a big story, folks. Expect to see much more on this. Nice job by Victor Joecks.
Patterico (17e5f6) — 2/22/2012 @ 12:28 pmunion teachers are scum
happyfeet (a55ba0) — 2/22/2012 @ 12:37 pmDidn’t Breitbart have video showing some private school taking its students to observe OWS folks protest a conservative conference last Fall for credit?
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 2/22/2012 @ 12:39 pmI think that was in Colorado Mr. daley
happyfeet (a55ba0) — 2/22/2012 @ 12:43 pmHow much credit? Is this all the class does or is this equal to a problem set in a civics class? Is this for a free elective or a required class. Is this a troubled school.or one of the nice ones in a good district. My senior year I needed to take 4 classes to graduate but the state required six. So one of my extra classes was a Chen prep were I was self paced.
Bottom line I need more info to get outraged
time123 (ea1e39) — 2/22/2012 @ 12:48 pmThe real scandal is all the other things some people have grown accustomed to giving college or high school credit for. If that didn’t happen you wouldn’t have this either.
She is indeed planning to have students volunteer for Obama for class credit again this year.
You would think this would violate the minimum wage law, but I guess she found a loophole.
She also maybe should consider paying them in monopoly money or online game currency.
Sammy Finkelman (bbe5c1) — 2/22/2012 @ 12:48 pmThat gives me another question. How much time is required? Also what are the doing? I can see ways for this to be good bad or much ado about nothing depending on the details.
time123 (ea1e39) — 2/22/2012 @ 12:51 pmwhat kind of dorkchild wants to volunteer for a rapey socialist food stamp pimp anyway
happyfeet (a55ba0) — 2/22/2012 @ 12:53 pmI think teachers should have kids make goods and then the teacher can sell those goods and award the students credit. Win win.
Dustin (401f3a) — 2/22/2012 @ 12:55 pmYes, time123, I can clearly see why it matters whether this is “a troubled school” or “one of the nice ones in a good district.” We certainly do need to know that information before we can conclude that this is inappropriate.
*rolls eyes*
Patterico (17e5f6) — 2/22/2012 @ 12:59 pmShould have checked the link. I think a better headline would be ” Teacher encourages students to fulfill community service requirement by volenteering for political campaign she supports..” Since all students are required to get seven hours on extracurricular credits Tue only thing wrong with this in ky mind is that she’s not also pushing other candidates. Honestly spending time working on a campaign is a good way to learn how elections actually actually work. But it should be message neutral on the schools part.
time123 (56e537) — 2/22/2012 @ 1:03 pm“When we lose the capacity to be outraged at indecency just because it is commonplace, indecency will occur without challenge.”
I agree with that statement but man has it been hard under this administration.
Noodles (3681c4) — 2/22/2012 @ 1:07 pmYes, the Obama co chair should be message neutral when pushing for kids to work for political campaigns… ya know… whatever one they happen to wind up working for.
Alternatively, the kids should be learning math, English, science.
why should there be a “community service requirement” for a school that has trouble graduating students? I guess the same reason unions that make flammable cars tend to get into politics.
Dustin (401f3a) — 2/22/2012 @ 1:08 pmMaybe you should apply for Anthony Federico’s headline writing spot. Looks like you really have a knack!
But didn’t you read the update? It is! Why, any student can walk right up to this Obama campaign official and tell her they want class credit to volunteer for a Republican!
Patterico (17e5f6) — 2/22/2012 @ 1:08 pm“Tue only thing wrong with this in ky mind is that she’s not also pushing other candidates.”
time123 – Why would the teacher create opportunities for students to volunteer on other campaigns? Seriously, what are you smoking today?
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 2/22/2012 @ 1:09 pmOdds on whether Harper has a picture of Che in her office?
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 2/22/2012 @ 1:13 pmPeople intentionally missing the point by about a mile always amuse me.
JD (516dcc) — 2/22/2012 @ 1:18 pmPatterico, since the extracurricular credit is a graduation requirment I assume there are a variety of activities that qualify. Also, is this person the only one that can approve an activity? The story really needs more reporting.
If she pushing students for a requirement she’s in charge of that’s bad.
If she if she’s cheerleading for her cause when there are a wide variety and shes not the program administrator that’s less bad.
Or do you disagree?
time123 (979d58) — 2/22/2012 @ 1:22 pmLet’s end our discussion on this note of agreement.
Patterico (17e5f6) — 2/22/2012 @ 1:28 pmI think it is entirely appropriate for Loretta Harper, co-chairperson of Obama for America, to give her students credit for “volunteering” for OfA. And I think that the host is being irrespesponsible with his incomplete reporting to this clearly harmless exercise in civics. They are only sticking in the tip. Just a little. They promise.
JD (516dcc) — 2/22/2012 @ 1:32 pmI assume there are a variety of activities that qualify.
it’s outrageous that these kids would be put to work on a political campaign while global warming rages unabated
profoundly outrageous
happyfeet (a55ba0) — 2/22/2012 @ 1:32 pmThis administration has beaten me down. I am all out of angst. Every day there is a new legitimate outrage. It really is depressing.
Noodles (3681c4) — 2/22/2012 @ 1:33 pmJD – Does backdoor count?
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 2/22/2012 @ 1:39 pmRespected Bloghost – surely this violates that most important constitutional position – that of the Separation of Church and State ?
Has this teacher not crossed the line by encouraging Acts of Worship of Teh One ? Especially at a public school ? Where is the ACLU on this one ?
Alasdair (e7cb73) — 2/22/2012 @ 1:43 pmOdds on whether Harper has a picture of Che in her office?
Comment by daleyrocks
Right next to the autographed portrait of The One…
Colonel Haiku (b74f69) — 2/22/2012 @ 4:10 pmHow is this not a first amendment violation?
Not to mention, if the school receives federal funds, possibly a violation of the hatch act or other similar state level acts.
CenterRightMargin (c6e4ba) — 2/22/2012 @ 5:15 pmI think it would be virtually impossible for the national co-chair of President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign to be neutral about anything regarding politics.
Dana (4eca6e) — 2/22/2012 @ 6:31 pmI realize it’s in the title of the post, but it bears repeating again and again that this woman is an Obama campaign official. This is just so unbelievable. Or should be. To me, this is the most significant part of the story – the absolute shameless usury of minors to help secure a specific candidate wins – and political agenda. Would President Obama approve of that?
I have to wonder if this same campaign official gave class credit during the last election by suggesting students work in Bush’s re-election campaign….that would be fair, and aren’t we all about fairness now?
Dana (4eca6e) — 2/22/2012 @ 7:15 pm” Dear children we’ve outlawed the national anthem, our evil country murders natives all over the world and enslaves everyone in the labor movement.
SiliconDoc (67b24d) — 2/23/2012 @ 1:58 amNow all together we will sing the I Love Obama song.”
How is this not a first amendment violation?
Huh?
Icy (9d05aa) — 2/23/2012 @ 2:52 amThink about the scarequotes JD uses around the word “volunteering”.
I would take a step further. I don’t want to fund, with my tax dollars to public school, children being compensated to support Obama. Obama, like Romney, has policies that rip off future generations for the benefit of boomers who roll their eyes at a balanced budget. The school wants to teach about government? Good. Start with a discussion of how much Obama’s policies are costing each student, with interest calculated in. Any who agree to volunteer for Obama after they understand this should also get an F in math.
Children are easily shaped by adults placed in positions of trust. The propaganda for children to become liberals can be quite powerful in some schools. The idea they should all become micro-community-organizers, for example. This would never pass muster as a first amendment violation in a courtroom, I suppose, but I value the freedom to not associate with such things.
I think children should start their political education with parents teaching them to recognize what it means to those kids every time there is a deficit. I don’t think it should have much to do with public school teachers replacing actual education with credit for Obama worship.
Dustin (401f3a) — 2/23/2012 @ 4:37 amYes it is. The democrats know well that they need to get into these minds as early as possible, when they are softer.
Dustin (401f3a) — 2/23/2012 @ 4:38 am“2. What do you find unusual about this?
Comment by MD in Philly”
I agree with the sarcastic point, as well as Patterico’s correct response.
I fondly recall two childhood private school fields trips, science related, nature examinations. One focused on fields and growth and rocks, the other on animals at a local small nature preserve that liberal outcry has long since shut down (PETA related whining – that also had us lose our local city park chimpanzees).
The dumbest field trip, later and in public school was a bus run south to a smaller city – we got out, jay walked once around the 5 street crosspatch with our anti-nuclear signs, jumped back in the bus and drove back. I recall not really knowing what we were doing nor why – so it seems some guilt on the teacher’s part was present then, shortening or omitting any real explanation.
It was so stupid and bewildering – as an adult I found out what our leftard idiots were up to.
Thanks for the ongoing energy crisis, NOT.
PS- The science field trips resulted in a 1st place in the science fair with a good grade school friend.
SiliconDoc (67b24d) — 2/23/2012 @ 5:21 amThe lib protest field trip with my ongoing anger at being “used”.
Just to be clear, this counselor, Loretta Harper, is one of the top figures in Obama’s campaign. She was named one of 35 national co-chairs — and among the other co-chairs are Mayor Rahm Emanuel of Chicago, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles, Sen. Michael Bennet (CO), Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (NH), Sen. Dick Durbin (IL), former Sen. Russ Feingold (WI), Gov. Deval Patrick (MA), Caroline Kennedy, Eva Longoria, and Kal Penn (“Kumar” from the Harold and Kumar movies). In other words, she’s one of the top Obama supporters in the country.
See here for the full list.
Joshua (9ede0e) — 2/23/2012 @ 5:48 pm