Randi's Tangled Vine Garden

[Geee]

American Spectator:

There's no better known or infamous teachers union boss -- or leader among America's public sector unions -- than Randi Weingarten, the cunning, charming, and oft-quotable president of the American Federation of Teachers. A frequent guest on shows such as The Colbert Report (on which she declared that teachers in Wisconsin, Ohio, and Indiana skipping work to oppose efforts to abolish collective bargaining rules wanted to "make a difference in the lives of kids"), she is as comfortable on the talk show circuit -- and playing the villainess in popular films such as Al Gore pal Davis Guggenheim's Waiting for 'Superman' -- as she is at protest rallies.

Unlike Dennis Van Roekel, the low-profile (and low-charisma) president of the much larger National Education Association, the quick-quipping Weingarten is more than willing to go toe-to-toe with big-name reformers such as Microsoft mogul Bill Gates and the notoriously combative Michelle Rhee, with whom she tangled for years, especially during the latter's tenure as chancellor of D.C.'s public school system. In a March interview with the Wall Street Journal, Weingarten called Rhee's record running the district "no better than the previous two chancellors."

But while Weingarten plays hardball union leader, she also triangulates in a manner ever Bill Clinton would have to admire. As she took to the airwaves in February to denounce efforts in Wisconsin and Ohio to remove the AFT's and other public sector unions' right to collectively bargain with districts and governments, she broke with the teachers union tradition of opposing speedy firings of lazy teachers. Although Weingarten's plan -- which would allow districts to kick poor performers to the curb if they didn't improve performance in 100 days -- is hardly a major concession, it won some plaudits from reform activists. Kati Haycock, president of the pro-reform group Education Trust, called Weingarten's proposal "a big step forward."