Randi Weingarten Defends Cuomo's "Public Schools Are A Monopoly" Comments

You knew she would do this, didn't you?

ALBANY—American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten attributed Governor Andrew Cuomo’s characterization of public education as a “monopoly” to last-minute campaign rhetoric and called on teachers angered by the governor’s comments not to vote for G.O.P. candidate Rob Astorino as an alternative.

“We’re in the political season. At the end of the day, … I’ll chalk it up to politics,” Weingarten told Capital on Friday when asked about the governor’s comments earlier in the week to the Daily News' editorial board.

Campaign rhetoric?

He repeated the statement a day after the Daily News first reported he had told their editorial board that public schools are a "monopoly" which he intends to "break" in his next term.

That doesn't sound like campaign rhetoric to me - that sounds like something Cuomo intends to do in his next term.

Otherwise, why repeat the sentiments about public schools being a monopoly that need to be broken the next day?

Weingarten says she decided to write Cuomo a letter to tell him how off base he was in his comments:

"I decided I would actually write him a letter explaining why public education isn’t a monopoly but a public good, a moral imperative and a constitutional mandate in New York,” she said. “I really decided to spell that out, not in the high-pitched moment of the last few days of a gubernatorial election, but privately, in a letter. Because the values of public education are so important that we really have to have a real conversation about it.”

If Weingarten knows Cuomo statements are just campaign rhetoric, why bother writing him a letter telling him he's off base?

Wouldn't he already know that these comments are off base and wouldn't Weingarten already know he knows that, since she's assuring us his comments were just "campaign rhetoric"?

Ah, but later on, Weingarten tells us this:

Weingarten also said Cuomo's comments to the Daily News come at a time when there are heated battles for State Senate seats. Critics have argued that Cuomo’s “monopoly” comments reveal his commitment to a Republican-led State Senate, even though he has pledged to help Democrats win the chamber.

When asked whether she thought the governor would prefer Democrats or Republicans to be in charge of the Senate, she said: “I don’t actually talk to the governor much, so you’re going to have to ask him that question.”

Wait - Weingarten has assured us earlier that the comments Cuomo made about public schools being a "monopoly" that he intended to "break" - statements that he made twice - are just rhetoric, but later she tells reporter Jessica Bakeman she doesn't know the governor that well so she has no idea what his thoughts on the State Senate are.

How does Weingarten know Cuomo well enough to know the "monopoly" comments are "rhetoric" but not know him well enough to know what his thoughts are about the State Senate?

Sounds like more Weingarten jive to me - campaign rhetoric, if you will, to muddy the waters around Cuomo and defend his offensive and disturbing comments about schools and teachers.

In short, business as usual for the ever shifty, every dishonest Randi Weingarten.