Mar 21, 2010

Rhee's Extreme Makeover: Only A Dream !

In an article written this weekend in the Washington Post, Bill Turque reports that Chancellor Michelle Rhee turns to Anita Dunn, a media consultant and former White House Communication Director to help re-build her despicable image. Anita Dunn is the wife of Bob Bauer, White House legal counsel and also is the owner of media firm- Squier, Knapp and Dunn. Rhee's contract with Dunn's firm is still being negotiated and will be paid for with private funds, which have yet to be disclosed. Among the objectives for Dunn's firm will be how to effectively handle the local and national media. Turque also reports that Dunn's firm is expected to assist with the upcoming announcement of the Washington Teachers Union tentative agreement which has been three years in the making.
An email from E-favorite suggests that the first meeting between Rhee and Dunn may go something like this:
"I had the strangest dream last night. I was in a media training session with Michelle Rhee and her new hotshot, privately-funded media consultant, Anita Dunn.
I looked around nervously and thought, “No. This is all wrong. I don’t belong here!” But then I realized that no one seemed to notice I was there, so I decided to sit back and observe the session.
First Dunn said, “OK, Michelle, repeat after me: “I apologize for calling teachers child molesters.”
Rhee: Arrrhhhgg
Dunn: Uh --- Good start. Don’t worry, we have lots of time, lots of money and this is very important work we’re doing.
Rhee: For the children! For the children!
Dunn: Oops, sorry. I didn’t mean to lead you down that well-worn path. No one pays any attention to that old line anymore. We’re starting fresh. We want people to see the new, reinvented, sensitive Michelle Rhee. So again, please, repeat after me: “I apologize for calling teachers child molesters.
Rhee: I--I--I--I WILL NOT KOWTOW.
Dunn: Great progress! You’ve got the first word right. Good girl. We’re getting there. Let’s keep practicing. Here we go again: “I apologize for calling teachers child molesters.”
Rhee: I apol – I apol – ARRHGG - (gulp) I APOLOGIZE FOR CALLING TEACHERS CHILD MOLESTERS!
That’s when I knew I was dreaming."
Posted by The Washington Teacher, featuring Candi Peterson- blogger in residence, post
courtesy of Efavorite

18 comments:

classic said...

Efavorite is on the money with this one. The sad thing is how bad is this contract that Michelle Rhee had to hire someone to help her roll the new contract out ...WOW

Old School DCPS said...

efavorite, this was so funny plus Candi's cool graphic.

Anonymous said...

Candi and Efavorite:

What a great duo the two of you all make together! Keep up the great work.

Anonymous said...

I am loving this piece. efavorite you are my favorite.

Candi--without you, I think most teachers in the system will truly feel defeated. This blog give us hope that this nightmare will soon be over.

We know this is no laughing matter but every once in a while, humor helps.

Thanks

Anonymous said...

Hey, don't insult Margaret Hamilton! The woman was a real pro!

Seriously, the fact that a PR flak is being hired says so much. It's truly sad that this chancellor doesn't believe in genuine collabortion with teachers and parents.

Anonymous said...

12:05pm

harry thomas is jumping in rhee's butt about hardy and other schools,
rhee is playing the council except for puppet bowser

barry got on her and told her in so many words that she is not trusted in anything she says
I like harry and barry together so don't be to quick to boot him out!

I know how rhee is going to pay anita, with the money that she was paying the teachers she fired and the mass amount she is getting ready to fire!!!

harry and everyone laughing at the loud thunder just now, was God trying to tell the people something?

(I know black kids are the Most gifted kids on planet earth!!)
Get her harry!!!

(I wonder why hardy is more important than mckinley especially after kids were beaten and tortured mentaly and physically, Pinder said he asked rhee to let the kids out early but rhee said no, is that true anyone out there?)

(Why has rhee said that poor kids are not high graders when in fact our fam. is poor and my baby entered mckinley with a 4.00, food for thought!)

Anonymous said...

12:17pm
Don't trust grahams bipolar twisted thinking, his staff are flukes!!!

He is questioning rhee but it's fake, trust me!!

(I know ALL kids matter no matter their financial status!)

I'm tired of graham so I'll move on

Anonymous said...

Humor won't help those who were great teachers/people who can not get a job and are being black listed by rhee and to those that will be getting fired in a mass amount to come.

Anonymous said...

People in this city are going to have to take their schools back!!!!!! This system does not belong to Michelle Rhee, Adrian Fenty and Nichols.
I live in DC I did not vote for Fenty the first time nor will I vote for him this time. Hiring this PR flack is an attempt to put lipstick on a pig before the city elections and before the union elections... but it will not work.

Anonymous said...

Harry and Barry are great together in hearings. They go for the throat and bite down, I love it.

Barry told Rhee today that what she did concerning money was a criminal act and that Peter Nickles has no authority over money only the CFO and Rhee said that was not true.

Barry jumped on her ass about ruining peoples lives and in so many words called her a liar.

Good going Harry and Barry. The two of you should stick together.
Don't ever back down Barry!

Anonymous said...

Yeah the hearing was another eye-opener for awhile; I hate it when Rhee never really answers the exact questions asked. I hope the council knows her gimmacks (she plays confused. I also know that the 266 and other support staff will be back to work soon.

Anonymous said...

I am sorry people... but I can't take Barry seriously for anything he says or does! He stole money many times from this city and has done many ILLEGAL things! I can't believe you are cheering him on! As much as I don't like what is happening here I can't and won't cheer on another Idi*t in the bunch!

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know if the new contract will be retro active? Have heard rumors that it will not be, any insight?

Anonymous said...

How long can we allow this woman continue to destroy lives in the District of Columbia. She appeared confused but she knows what she is doing is not right but she will continue to do it as long as the people allow her to destroy lives in our city we love. She is a big liar, crook, and the capital city should not be a place for her to destroy and disrespect our leaders and community. Be warned Michelle Rhee that ENOUGH is ENOUGH. You and your team are destroying the city and it could take another 10-20 years to put it back together after you are gone.

Anonymous said...

The last blogger was right, Rhee and Fenty try to play confused. They both sometimes have hearing problems. Ms. Rhee has to have the longest teeth that I have ever seen on a dinosaur. Yeah, that's what I said. As we all know there are no more dinosaurs, so this Wicked Witch needs to follow the dinosaurs, and get the heck out of My City!

Anonymous said...

THE BLACK ALIENATION
The New Republic
January 30, 1995
Peter Skerry

http://www.cs.ucdavis.edu/~matloff/pub/Immigration/EffOnMinorities/Skerry.html

But this conclusion doesn't carry with it any clear prescription for immigration policy. Blacks continue to have a strong claim on America's conscience. Yet this doesn't necessarily point to restrictionist policies. The advantages of high levels of immigration to the general welfare may outweigh any specific negative impacts on blacks. Or perhaps such impacts can be addressed by compensatory policies and programs, though our record here is spotty at best. But one day, the same black leaders who are today so silent on this issue may stake yet another claim of injustice against American society. Such claims will be hypocritcal and opportunistic. If the rest of us persist in evading the issue, such charges will also have the ring of truth.


Peter Skerry is a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC.

Anonymous said...

Why must some well intentioned, if angry, commenters (e.g., 4:31am, March 24) resort to comments on the length of Michelle Rhee's teeth, name-calling, and claims that this is "My City," an unmistakeable racial slur. The commenter even presumes Ms. Rhee, who must be exposed to a lot of shouting, has a fake hearing problem. Not nice, especially if one claims to be sensitive to the disabled and special needs people among us. All this does is lower the content of any reasonable debate about our schools, and it gives Rhee critics a bad name. And it embarrasses teachers who are trying to teach others, including kids, to be civil.

Anonymous said...

This is to address the blogger that had a problem with my statement, "MY City". I would like to explain something to some people, that might not understand, that DC is a historically transient city. People from all over the country come to my hometown, DC every four years. When a new president arrives, so arrives new workers for his administration. I referred to "My City" as a term of pride. Our school system has been infested with a sense of hatred, blame (teachers), and out right name calling (Rhee). Ms. Rhee's lack of experience, common sense, exclusion, and divisiveness, has cause teachers, students, and lastly, parents a great harm. The current mayor, Fenty has let this incompetent, inexperienced, and failed teacher run this school system further down the tubes. If you don't live and vote in Washington, DC, then stay out of our business, and comment on your own state/city issues.