DNC Ad Assails John Boehner For Suggesting Teachers, Police Are 'Special Interests' (VIDEO)

The Democratic National Committee is out with a new web ad taking aim at House Minority Leader John Boehner for characterizing teachers and police officers as "special interests" earlier this week.

In the critical spot from the DNC, three public school teachers challenge the comparison made by Boehner, which came on Thursday in response to Democrats approving legislation to deliver $26 billion in federal aid to financially troubled states across the country.

"When I heard John Boehner refer to teachers as special interests, I was appalled," says Wendy, a 5th grade teacher. "I didn't know how to react," expresses Jeff, a visibly upset 9th grade history teacher. "I felt degraded," states Leonard, a special education teacher for 30 years.

After the trio of voices underscore that their only special interest is the children that they teach, an unambiguous message is issued to Boehner directly: "Until you understand that, you need to come down off the Hill and visit my classroom and see just what it is that I do on a daily basis before you lump me in with the fat cats on Wall Street and the banks."

WATCH:

Comments

[Janeque]

10:08 AM on 08/09/2010

Is it just me or does John Boehner look exactly like The Grinch in this article's main page photo?

[justoverit333]

09:35 AM on 08/09/2010

Wake up people. The Party of No cares nothing about
the middle class. The middle class has dwindled beyond
recognition. They claim they want their country back,
well I want my middle class back!

[seeksthetruth]

10:05 PM on 08/09/2010

Me too!

[TeaLady005]

09:32 AM on 08/09/2010

The bailout of SEIU members does have the outward appearance of a political Obama payoff.

Meanwhile,,,,9 Democrats have been caught trying to pose as Tea Party candidates! If TPM members were caught trying to infiltrate the Demo ticket,,you can bet it would be reported night and day by the liberal networks.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/08/08/days-decide-activists-claim-tea-party-imposters-infiltrating-elections/

[mikey09]

09:54 AM on 08/09/2010

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/07/your-money/07money.html?_r=2&partner=TOPIXNEWS&ei=5099

Don't know if you missed this article in NY Times this weekend

[seeksthetruth]

10:08 PM on 08/09/2010

You're still drinking the kool-aid? Don't you realize that FAUX lies? And, just who are these liberal networks? They're all run by Corporations whose interests do not align with the middle class; there isn't a "liberal" one among them.

[nypapajoe]

09:02 AM on 08/09/2010

There has been a premeditated effort by the Republicans to exploit the middle class as mandated by the financial sector that continue to siphon the little that remains to function in this capitalist society! To blame the current administration is asinine because every attempt to curtail the greed of the bankers have been defeated by their paid lobbyist politicians who grow richer! Until the voters replace these career politicians in office the middle class will continue to be exploited by the corporations! Remember we are all one illness away from financial catastrophe! Miss one payment on your mortgage, credit card or student loan and you're ruined! Enough of the exploitation and propaganda of the ruling class!!!

[mikey09]

09:08 AM on 08/09/2010

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-scheer/voters-go-postal-over-pub_b_610681.html

When taxpayers are giving a fire chief who salary was 185K a yr a 250K a yr pension, something is wrong.

[mikey09]

08:59 AM on 08/09/2010

Their Unions donate millions to political campaigns, so yes, that qualifies as special interest group.

And looks like they will get rewarded for all the campaign cash with the State Bailout bill.

[Bloggerrogr]

09:29 AM on 08/09/2010

mikey09;
The millions that unions donate to political campaigns pales in comparison to the amount that the corporations spend to put their message across. That number is in the BILLIONS.
Appears that you were home skooled.

“Yes We Will !–Take The Pledge today” *FWIW*

[mikey09]

09:46 AM on 08/09/2010

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-scheer/voters-go-postal-over-pub_b_610681.html

Sure raise our taxes, no one can live on 250k a year in pensions...just impossible...

[KWHOO]

09:42 AM on 08/09/2010

Unions represent average everyday working men and women. Corporate donations to politicians far exceed donations given by unions, and corporations represent only the interests of their shareholders. Go to opensecrets.org if you want to see who is giving money to whom. Unions are responsible for the 40 hour work week, benefits that include health care, and end to child labor. Not sure when unions became the bad guys. And while I do think teachers and first responders are pretty special, I don't think they fall into the category of special interests.

[mikey09]

09:52 AM on 08/09/2010

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-scheer/voters-go-postal-over-pub_b_610681.html


http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/07/your-money/07money.html?_r=2&partner=TOPIXNEWS&ei=5099

This just the tip of the problem, this is going to be a huge battle....

[zx880]

07:38 AM on 08/09/2010

Yes, teachers and police are special interests. One group specializes in educating our young, and the other specializes in enforcing our laws.

I'm okay with that.

[Manhattanite]

08:39 AM on 08/09/2010

Let us not forget the firefighters whose special interest is to keep our houses from burning down to the ground with our families inside.

[AlGionfriddo]

05:31 AM on 08/09/2010

How does this clown keep getting elected?

[Bloggerrogr]

09:30 AM on 08/09/2010

he has his own 'special interests', the tanning bed industry.

“Yes We Will !–Take The Pledge today” *FWIW*

[KWHOO]

09:43 AM on 08/09/2010

With lies and fear mongering

[guggabear]

01:34 AM on 08/09/2010

Cops and Teachers have to deals with the public's mistakes, goof-ups, and shortcoming. Cops and Teachers deal with garbage and criticsms from the far right and the far left. Cops and Teachers are expected to be the most accountable people in our society, and are rewarded with crappy wages, and responsibilities that expand far beyond what they are compensated for, and are expected to perform far beyond what's invested in them. Cops and teachers need someone looking out for their interest.

[okim5150]

08:54 AM on 08/09/2010

#22

[gwensgal]

11:58 PM on 08/08/2010

The more I see Boehner, the more I become convinced that that outrageous tan is a cover for his drinking flush.

[DR2]

11:56 PM on 08/08/2010

Yes, teachers and police officers are special to our society. They certainly are more valuable than people like Boehner. Teachers educate our youth and police officers protect us. What does Boehner give us besides hot air?

[charles847]

11:06 PM on 08/08/2010

I sure hope teachers in Ohio are listening. Hopefully they will rise up against Boehner and kick him out of congress this november.

[calltoaction]

10:41 PM on 08/08/2010

When the GOP was in power, the payoffs went to big oil, military industrial and finance conglomerates. Both parties have special interest groups. The point is which party's special interest groups do you support.

[fromdnorth]

10:23 PM on 08/08/2010

Boehner on holiday: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lW0XvCq31Fw&feature=related

[MissingAmerica]

10:19 PM on 08/08/2010

We need teachers and policemen far more than we need politicians!

[calltoaction]

10:33 PM on 08/08/2010

Republican politicians

[EthosLogosPathos]

10:06 PM on 08/08/2010

All the aforementioned groups have representative unions which make contributions to politicians and engage in political lobbying on their behalf. To call them "special interest" groups is completely accurate. He meant it as a pejorative, but that's not necessarily so, but is certainly accurate.

[keepemhonest]

11:14 PM on 08/08/2010

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA ...yes, Ethos, I am laughing at YOUR ignorance.

Let me educate you

- Unions are paid to "Collectively BARGAIN" for blue collar American workers.

- Lobbyists are paid to "Collectively BARGAIN" for American & Foreign Corporations.

which "collective bargaining" group, Union or Lobbyist, do YOU think write our laws?

[EthosLogosPathos]

11:53 PM on 08/08/2010

How unfortunate that you've committed a major gaffe for all your peers to see on a national website. Unions LOBBY politicians in state legislatures and in Congress as well as the president.

For instance, in my home state (WI), the teachers union was the highest spending lobbying group in the state legislature last session.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/85447087.html

Lobbying is a separate function from collective bargaining of their contract. And unfortunately for you ... you didnt know the difference. Nor did you bother to do any research on the subject. Sloppy indeed.

I will cherish your post. Thank you for making my day by again demonstrating that most liberals on this site don't do their homework before offering an opinion.

Absolutely priceless.

[mikey09]

09:02 AM on 08/09/2010

Even elite groups like Harvard Professors have Unions, so its not all blue color workers, in fact very few blue color workers belong to a union today, I would think the the Government Employee Unions are the largest in the USA, and with the pension plans they have, we taxpayers that are blue color will be taking pay cuts and higher taxes to meet that demand.

[keepemhonest]

11:21 PM on 08/08/2010

Ethos,

I left out a few things.

- Unions collectively bargain so that blue collar American workers can have safe working conditions, reasonable hours worked, reasonable pay check, reasonable health care benefits.

- Lobbyists collectively bargain so that their Foreign and American Corporations get MILLIONS of tax payer money in the form of tax payer paid subsidies.

- Lobbyists collectively bargain so that their Foreign and American Corporate employees make MILLIONS and at the same time get the best tax cuts of any group.

- Lobbyists collectively bargain so that their Foreign and American Corporations pay little Corporate Income Tax and at the same time get the middle income group to pay for their share of the cost of the military, federal roads, bridges, ATF, TSA, port authority, police, firemen etc.

So ... YOU & Boehner are both WRONG - the "special interest" group are those who employ LOBBYISTS to guarantee that Foreign and American Corporations write our laws.