The dysfunction within the ranks of Washington D.C. Democrats is growing worse.
On the left, there is the president of the United States, trying to secure continued funding for troops in battle and to protect an education reform program. On the far left, House Democrats are attempting to stuff domestic pork into the war spending bill and they want funds from one of the president’s signature programs to pay for it.
It’s set up a stare down of the left versus the far left. And they all blame the Republicans.
It would make for good political theater if it didn’t involve troops in harm’s way or spending even more money we don’t have to benefit Democratic campaign funders like the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association.
President Obama has gone as far as to threaten a veto if the teachers union bailout comes at the expense of “Race to the Top,” the president’s competitive grant program that awards money to states with the boldest education reforms.
But Democrats can only blame themselves for the mess they’ve made. They’ve allowed Big Labor to use its muscle to inject pork into a bill of critical importance. They are using key legislation as vehicles to pass ideas that are less palatable, such as increased spending on an assembly line-like failing public education system.
It’s ironic that Education Secretary Arne Duncan urged Congress to increase funding for the status quo at a forum highlighting “innovation.”
What remains to be seen is whether or not the president will hold the line for reform funds – and issue a monumental veto – or if he will be run over by his fellow Democrats seeking to serve the interests of the teachers unions.