JOHN WALTON: DFER CATALYST?
John Walton: DFER catalyst? So says Whitney Tilson in an interview from his documentary, A Right Denied. Here is a snippet:
[DFER was started] …with a few other friends that are involved with a couple other other charter schools, and they were money managers like me involved with a couple similarly high-performing charter schools, we finally decided to create a little guerilla movement within the Democratic party. Interestingly, it came about as a result – what really catalyzed it – was a conversation with John Walton, who passed away a couple years ago in a plane accident, as you may be aware. But he, through his foundation, the Walton Family Foundation, has been one of the most generous supporters of KIPP and other charter schools and school reform in general. And he was a big backer of a group called the Alliance for School Choice. So we saw him speak at the Harvard Club, a couple of my friends and I, went to talk to him afterwards and he invited us to come join this organization and so we participated in a few calls. And what we discovered was that we were the only Democrats on the call or in the room, and it was largely backed by well-known Republicans like John Walton and Wal-Mart and so forth, and they were quite
DON'T BE FOOLED BY "DEMOCRATS FOR EDUCATION REFORM"
An organization dedicated to promoting and expanding for-profit charter schools is using the good name of the Democratic Party to confuse voters in the 46th Assembly District.
If you live in the 46th AD, you have probably received numerous mailers announcing that "Democrats For Education Reform" has endorsed candidate Brian C. Johnson. These mailers include the photos of beloved Democratic presidents, prominent donkey logos, and other signifiers of Democratic support, and create the impression that Mr. Johnson has Democratic party backing.
DON'T BE FOOLED. Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) is not affiliated in any way with the California Democratic Party, the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, DPSFV, or any other Democratic party organization. This endorsement is part of a $350,000 independent expenditure campaign, funded by charter school interests, to fool Democratic voters into believing the Democratic Party has endorsed in this race.
As LA County Democratic Party Chair Eric Bauman wrote in a "cease and desist" letter to DFER: "Third party groups, such as EdVoice, that deceive voters with independent expenditures to promote and insinuate the purported support of Democratic-sounding groups like Democrats For Education Reform, while being funded by Republicans and conservative organizations, serve only to mislead voters and distort truth."
PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD: Tell your friends in the 46th AD that "Democrats for Education Reform" does not speak for the Democratic Party. DPSFV stands with LACDP in demanding that DFER cease and desist using the Democratic name to confuse voters in California elections.