Since 2008, Randi Weingarten has served as president of the American Federation of Teachers, the powerful teachers union that has massive influence over Democratic Party policy and (supposedly) represents almost 2 million teachers, for a paltry annual salary of at least $500,000. That’s more than seven times the average salary for a public school teacher and, as we will soon see, infinitely more wasteful.
Now, for such a high price tag, you would think Weingarten would be working herself ragged on the front lines to support her union members. Well, this week, she managed to find time in what should be a jam-packed schedule to screech outside of a Starbucks in New York City in support of striking baristas. During her weekly report, Weingarten even boasted about standing “in solidarity with the Starbucks baristas.”
There’s something deeper going on here that goes far beyond the increasingly unhinged behavior of the wealthy union boss. Weingarten represents another example of the descent into blind activism of leftists, whose sole pursuit is utterly rudderless outside of being die-hard advocates of the current thing.
Another obvious example of this hollow ideology is Greta Thunberg, who transitioned from being a clueless advocate of climate change policy to being an equally clueless advocate of antisemitism under the guise of “freeing Palestine” from some sort of Israeli colonialism.
While such behavior is ridiculous, it also represents an opportunity for the conservative movement if we respond correctly.
First, we must be ruthlessly effective in our asking of the question: Why is a woman who is paid half a million dollars by teachers to represent them instead spending her time screaming at the clouds in front of a Starbucks? After all, when we can get that sort of thing for free from your average downtown crack addict, surely teachers deserve better? And why should Thunberg, whose entire career was built on climate change, be taken seriously on matters of foreign policy?
RANDI WEINGARTEN EXEMPLIFIES DNC AND UNION CORRUPTION
Second, however, we cannot rely solely on this appeal to authority, or the lack thereof. We must also engage with their arguments and leave them in the dust where they belong. Yes, Weingarten knows nothing about Starbucks, and Thunberg and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) know nothing about foreign policy. But it’s not enough just to point that out. We must deconstruct their arguments and their positions of authority within their movements, exposing them as frauds who will embrace whatever the current trend is to continue their path to fame and fortune.
If conservatives can highlight the foundational fraudulence of left-wing professional activists, people will be far better equipped to engage with conservative ideals in an environment of fact-based debate, rather than being bogged down with the theatrical antics of a bunch of ideologues who have taken hold of the Democratic Party.
Ian Haworth is a syndicated columnist. Follow him on X (@ighaworth) or Substack.
