King was a disaster as Education Commissioner of New York State with his promotion of Common Core, charter schools, rating teachers and principals based on student test scores on flawed exams and all around deafness to parent concerns. Stronger Together leader Beth Dimino accused King of child abuse in her famous 2013 attack on the Commissioner. However, in the sometimes sick world of politics and the culture of Washington DC, King is the latest example of the phrase, "Screw up, move up." (I know there is a harsher word but this is a family blog.)
Certain advocates for public education such as retired award winning principal Carol Burris were urging us to tell senators to vote no on King's appointment and all but one Democrat ignored us. A big jeer goes to all of the Democrats who voted to confirm King including New York's own Chuck Schumer and a few Republicans too who voted yea. We include in this jeer the so called progressive saint Elizabeth Warren from Massachusetts.
A cheer goes out to the Republicans who voted against King's nomination for whatever reason. Diane Ravitch has called education politics "strange." This word certainly fits.
We save the biggest cheer for New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand who was the only Democrat in the Senate to vote against the King nomination. We in New York who know King best are truly aware of how unqualified he is for the position and thank Senator Gillibrand for standing up to her party and President Obama to vote nay. We should all send her a message of support.
As for the other saint of the progressive wing of the Democratic party Bernie Sanders, who isn't really a Democrat but is running for the nomination to be President of the United States as one, he passed on the King issue by not voting. I guess he can be forgiven for campaigning for president when there are important primaries today. Has anyone in the press pressured him on how he would have voted on the King appointment? I believe he voted to send the nomination to the full Senate from Committee.
The roll call vote on King:
U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 114th Congress - 2nd Session
as compiled through Senate LIS by the Senate Bill Clerk under the direction of the Secretary of the Senate
Vote Summary
| Question: | |||
| Vote Number: | 36 | Vote Date: | March 14, 2016, 05:34 PM |
| Required For Majority: | 1/2 | Vote Result: | Nomination Confirmed |
| Nomination Number: | PN1152 | ||
| Nomination Description: | John B. King, of New York, to be Secretary of Education | ||
| Vote Counts: | YEAs | 49 |
| NAYs | 40 | |
| Not Voting | 11 |
| Vote Summary | By Senator Name | By Vote Position | By Home State |
Alphabetical by Senator Name
| Alexander (R-TN), Yea Ayotte (R-NH), Nay Baldwin (D-WI), Yea Barrasso (R-WY), Nay Bennet (D-CO), Yea Blumenthal (D-CT), Yea Blunt (R-MO), Nay Booker (D-NJ), Yea Boozman (R-AR), Nay Boxer (D-CA), Yea Brown (D-OH), Not Voting Burr (R-NC), Nay Cantwell (D-WA), Yea Capito (R-WV), Nay Cardin (D-MD), Yea Carper (D-DE), Yea Casey (D-PA), Yea Cassidy (R-LA), Yea Coats (R-IN), Nay Cochran (R-MS), Yea Collins (R-ME), Yea Coons (D-DE), Yea Corker (R-TN), Nay Cornyn (R-TX), Yea Cotton (R-AR), Nay Crapo (R-ID), Nay Cruz (R-TX), Not Voting Daines (R-MT), Nay Donnelly (D-IN), Yea Durbin (D-IL), Yea Enzi (R-WY), Nay Ernst (R-IA), Nay Feinstein (D-CA), Yea Fischer (R-NE), Nay | Flake (R-AZ), Not Voting Franken (D-MN), Yea Gardner (R-CO), Nay Gillibrand (D-NY), Nay Graham (R-SC), Nay Grassley (R-IA), Nay Hatch (R-UT), Yea Heinrich (D-NM), Yea Heitkamp (D-ND), Yea Heller (R-NV), Nay Hirono (D-HI), Yea Hoeven (R-ND), Nay Inhofe (R-OK), Nay Isakson (R-GA), Nay Johnson (R-WI), Nay Kaine (D-VA), Yea King (I-ME), Yea Kirk (R-IL), Not Voting Klobuchar (D-MN), Yea Lankford (R-OK), Nay Leahy (D-VT), Yea Lee (R-UT), Nay Manchin (D-WV), Yea Markey (D-MA), Yea McCain (R-AZ), Not Voting McCaskill (D-MO), Yea McConnell (R-KY), Yea Menendez (D-NJ), Yea Merkley (D-OR), Yea Mikulski (D-MD), Yea Moran (R-KS), Nay Murkowski (R-AK), Nay Murphy (D-CT), Yea Murray (D-WA), Yea | Nelson (D-FL), Yea Paul (R-KY), Nay Perdue (R-GA), Nay Peters (D-MI), Yea Portman (R-OH), Not Voting Reed (D-RI), Yea Reid (D-NV), Yea Risch (R-ID), Nay Roberts (R-KS), Nay Rounds (R-SD), Nay Rubio (R-FL), Not Voting Sanders (I-VT), Not Voting Sasse (R-NE), Nay Schatz (D-HI), Yea Schumer (D-NY), Yea Scott (R-SC), Nay Sessions (R-AL), Not Voting Shaheen (D-NH), Yea Shelby (R-AL), Nay Stabenow (D-MI), Yea Sullivan (R-AK), Nay Tester (D-MT), Yea Thune (R-SD), Nay Tillis (R-NC), Nay Toomey (R-PA), Not Voting Udall (D-NM), Yea Vitter (R-LA), Nay Warner (D-VA), Not Voting Warren (D-MA), Yea Whitehouse (D-RI), Yea Wicker (R-MS), Nay Wyden (D-OR), Yea |
| Vote Summary | By Senator Name | By Vote Position | By Home State |
Grouped By Vote Position
| YEAs ---49 | ||
| Alexander (R-TN) Baldwin (D-WI) Bennet (D-CO) Blumenthal (D-CT) Booker (D-NJ) Boxer (D-CA) Cantwell (D-WA) Cardin (D-MD) Carper (D-DE) Casey (D-PA) Cassidy (R-LA) Cochran (R-MS) Collins (R-ME) Coons (D-DE) Cornyn (R-TX) Donnelly (D-IN) Durbin (D-IL) | Feinstein (D-CA) Franken (D-MN) Hatch (R-UT) Heinrich (D-NM) Heitkamp (D-ND) Hirono (D-HI) Kaine (D-VA) King (I-ME) Klobuchar (D-MN) Leahy (D-VT) Manchin (D-WV) Markey (D-MA) McCaskill (D-MO) McConnell (R-KY) Menendez (D-NJ) Merkley (D-OR) Mikulski (D-MD) | Murphy (D-CT) Murray (D-WA) Nelson (D-FL) Peters (D-MI) Reed (D-RI) Reid (D-NV) Schatz (D-HI) Schumer (D-NY) Shaheen (D-NH) Stabenow (D-MI) Tester (D-MT) Udall (D-NM) Warren (D-MA) Whitehouse (D-RI) Wyden (D-OR) |
| NAYs ---40 | ||
| Ayotte (R-NH) Barrasso (R-WY) Blunt (R-MO) Boozman (R-AR) Burr (R-NC) Capito (R-WV) Coats (R-IN) Corker (R-TN) Cotton (R-AR) Crapo (R-ID) Daines (R-MT) Enzi (R-WY) Ernst (R-IA) Fischer (R-NE) | Gardner (R-CO) Gillibrand (D-NY) Graham (R-SC) Grassley (R-IA) Heller (R-NV) Hoeven (R-ND) Inhofe (R-OK) Isakson (R-GA) Johnson (R-WI) Lankford (R-OK) Lee (R-UT) Moran (R-KS) Murkowski (R-AK) Paul (R-KY) | Perdue (R-GA) Risch (R-ID) Roberts (R-KS) Rounds (R-SD) Sasse (R-NE) Scott (R-SC) Shelby (R-AL) Sullivan (R-AK) Thune (R-SD) Tillis (R-NC) Vitter (R-LA) Wicker (R-MS) |
| Not Voting - 11 | ||
| Brown (D-OH) Cruz (R-TX) Flake (R-AZ) Kirk (R-IL) | McCain (R-AZ) Portman (R-OH) Rubio (R-FL) Sanders (I-VT) | Sessions (R-AL) Toomey (R-PA) Warner (D-VA) |
| Vote Summary | By Senator Name | By Vote Position | By Home State |
Grouped by Home State
| Alabama: | Sessions (R-AL), Not Voting | Shelby (R-AL), Nay |
| Alaska: | Murkowski (R-AK), Nay | Sullivan (R-AK), Nay |
| Arizona: | Flake (R-AZ), Not Voting | McCain (R-AZ), Not Voting |
| Arkansas: | Boozman (R-AR), Nay | Cotton (R-AR), Nay |
| California: | Boxer (D-CA), Yea | Feinstein (D-CA), Yea |
| Colorado: | Bennet (D-CO), Yea | Gardner (R-CO), Nay |
| Connecticut: | Blumenthal (D-CT), Yea | Murphy (D-CT), Yea |
| Delaware: | Carper (D-DE), Yea | Coons (D-DE), Yea |
| Florida: | Nelson (D-FL), Yea | Rubio (R-FL), Not Voting |
| Georgia: | Isakson (R-GA), Nay | Perdue (R-GA), Nay |
| Hawaii: | Hirono (D-HI), Yea | Schatz (D-HI), Yea |
| Idaho: | Crapo (R-ID), Nay | Risch (R-ID), Nay |
| Illinois: | Durbin (D-IL), Yea | Kirk (R-IL), Not Voting |
| Indiana: | Coats (R-IN), Nay | Donnelly (D-IN), Yea |
| Iowa: | Ernst (R-IA), Nay | Grassley (R-IA), Nay |
| Kansas: | Moran (R-KS), Nay | Roberts (R-KS), Nay |
| Kentucky: | McConnell (R-KY), Yea | Paul (R-KY), Nay |
| Louisiana: | Cassidy (R-LA), Yea | Vitter (R-LA), Nay |
| Maine: | Collins (R-ME), Yea | King (I-ME), Yea |
| Maryland: | Cardin (D-MD), Yea | Mikulski (D-MD), Yea |
| Massachusetts: | Markey (D-MA), Yea | Warren (D-MA), Yea |
| Michigan: | Peters (D-MI), Yea | Stabenow (D-MI), Yea |
| Minnesota: | Franken (D-MN), Yea | Klobuchar (D-MN), Yea |
| Mississippi: | Cochran (R-MS), Yea | Wicker (R-MS), Nay |
| Missouri: | Blunt (R-MO), Nay | McCaskill (D-MO), Yea |
| Montana: | Daines (R-MT), Nay | Tester (D-MT), Yea |
| Nebraska: | Fischer (R-NE), Nay | Sasse (R-NE), Nay |
| Nevada: | Heller (R-NV), Nay | Reid (D-NV), Yea |
| New Hampshire: | Ayotte (R-NH), Nay | Shaheen (D-NH), Yea |
| New Jersey: | Booker (D-NJ), Yea | Menendez (D-NJ), Yea |
| New Mexico: | Heinrich (D-NM), Yea | Udall (D-NM), Yea |
| New York: | Gillibrand (D-NY), Nay | Schumer (D-NY), Yea |
| North Carolina: | Burr (R-NC), Nay | Tillis (R-NC), Nay |
| North Dakota: | Heitkamp (D-ND), Yea | Hoeven (R-ND), Nay |
| Ohio: | Brown (D-OH), Not Voting | Portman (R-OH), Not Voting |
| Oklahoma: | Inhofe (R-OK), Nay | Lankford (R-OK), Nay |
| Oregon: | Merkley (D-OR), Yea | Wyden (D-OR), Yea |
| Pennsylvania: | Casey (D-PA), Yea | Toomey (R-PA), Not Voting |
| Rhode Island: | Reed (D-RI), Yea | Whitehouse (D-RI), Yea |
| South Carolina: | Graham (R-SC), Nay | Scott (R-SC), Nay |
| South Dakota: | Rounds (R-SD), Nay | Thune (R-SD), Nay |
| Tennessee: | Alexander (R-TN), Yea | Corker (R-TN), Nay |
| Texas: | Cornyn (R-TX), Yea | Cruz (R-TX), Not Voting |
| Utah: | Hatch (R-UT), Yea | Lee (R-UT), Nay |
| Vermont: | Leahy (D-VT), Yea | Sanders (I-VT), Not Voting |
| Virginia: | Kaine (D-VA), Yea | Warner (D-VA), Not Voting |
| Washington: | Cantwell (D-WA), Yea | Murray (D-WA), Yea |
| West Virginia: | Capito (R-WV), Nay | Manchin (D-WV), Yea |
| Wisconsin: | Baldwin (D-WI), Yea | Johnson (R-WI), Nay |
| Wyoming: | Barrasso (R-WY), Nay | Enzi (R-WY), Nay |
| Vote Summary | By Senator Name | By Vote Position | By Home State |
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