Subject: RE: For Comms Approval: Talking points for NJ teacher press call
From: "Wei, Shu-Yen" <[email-masked]>
To: "Miranda, Luis" <[email-masked]>, "Paustenbach, Mark" <[email-masked]>, "Walker, Eric" <[email-masked]>, "Walsh, Tom" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 4 May 2016 09:29:20 -0700

Tomorrow, but I'll work on trying to get a member of congress as the third speaker

From: Miranda, Luis
Sent: Wednesday, May 04, 2016 12:28 PM
To: Wei, Shu-Yen; Paustenbach, Mark; Walker, Eric; Walsh, Tom
Subject: RE: For Comms Approval: Talking points for NJ teacher press call

When is this?

[SigDems]<http://www.democrats.org/>Luis Miranda, Communications Director
Democratic National Committee
202-863-8148 - [email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]> - @MiraLuisDC<https://www.twitter.com/MiraLuisDC>

From: Wei, Shu-Yen
Sent: Wednesday, May 04, 2016 11:41 AM
To: Paustenbach, Mark; Miranda, Luis; Walker, Eric; Walsh, Tom
Subject: RE: For Comms Approval: Talking points for NJ teacher press call

Still working on getting a third speaker, updated NJ teachers script, plus a third set below (I'm really trying to get a woman as the third person)

Assemblyman Diegnan

Hi everyone and thank you for joining the call. This is Assemblyman Pat Diegnan, and I serve as the Chair of the Education Committee.

It has certainly been a busy week in Trenton and nationally as well, with Donald Trump spouting another conspiracy theory and all but certain to secure the Republican nomination, Ted Cruz dropping out, and our governor generating buzz as a possible Trump vice presidential pick.

During this Teacher Appreciation Week, we wanted to take this opportunity to highlight the Republican record on education locally and at the national level.

Governor Christie's behavior toward teachers and public employees for the past six years has been disgraceful. Over and over again, he has tried to devalue the teaching profession and squeeze those who work so hard to shape our children's future. He actually suggested last year that teachers should be making minimum wage<http://bizstandardnews.com/2015/08/23/chris-christie-suggests-teachers-get-minimum-wage-plus-bonuses/>, after he vetoed and stood against<http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/02/nj_democrats_are_pushing_a_15_minimum_wage.html> minimum wage increases.

And he is supporting and actively campaigning for Donald Trump, who is similarly destructive. Trump has said that he would reduce union power and has vowed to cut the Department of Education.

How is that for investing in New Jersey's future? And our state has resoundingly rejected these wrong-headed policies, Governor Christie's approval ratings have plummeted to 26 percent since he endorsed Trump.

These issues haven't gotten much attention because of the GOP's numerous, other outrageous comments. The Republican party agenda is so extreme that those backward education proposals are the standard now.

As New Jersey has wrestled with the consequences of Governor Christie's actions and hostility, we cannot allow his policies to spread across the country at the prospect of a Republican president.

Now, I would like to introduce someone who has always been a champion of educators, NJEA President Wendell Steinhauer.

Wendell Steinhauer

Hi everyone, and thank you Assemblyman. As some of you may know, I taught in the Riverside public schools for 27 years. In my time at the NJEA, I've seen first-hand Chris Christie at work.

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week, and Governor Christie has been anything but appreciative of teachers and our work his entire tenure in office. We all remember when he slashed the state education aid by more than $1 billion in his first year in office, leading to thousands of layoffs.

Or when he made reneged on his promise to fund public employee pensions, despite his promise to do so at the negotiation table.

Or when he suggested violence against teachers and teachers unions; he has made multiple references to punching us.

It is certainly no surprise to us that Chris Christie is supporting Donald Trump for President, they are two peas in pod. But when it comes to teachers, we cannot allow what Governor Christie has done to New Jersey to spread to the rest of the country, especially now that Trump is the standard bearer of the Republican party.

Trump is on record for saying that he would cut the Department of Education and that he would reduce the power of the teachers' unions.

We simply can't imagine what would happen under this Republican president, where Governor Christie's dangerous ideas and policies would surely be allowed to spread nationally.

We are calling out these dangerous ideas and gross misconceptions and asking voters to take a stand against them.

Thank you. I would like to now turn it over to [3rd speaker]

Speaker #3

Thank you XXXX, and as mentioned, I am XXXX.

Before Donald Trump was even thinking about running for President, Chris Christie was writing the book on squeezing teachers and hurting working families here in New Jersey.

Just this week, he vetoed an equal pay bill that would have helped women breadwinners in our state. I couldn't believe it he suggested that teachers should be making minimum wage last year.

And let's face it, the teaching profession is a woman-dominated one and issues around equal pay and the minimum wage affect working women and their families. So when Governor Christie says those horrible things about teachers and suggests inflicting violence on teachers' unions, he is targeting a lot of New Jersey women.

At the national level, Trump and the rest of the Republican Party share those values. With Trump as the face of the Republican party, we expect to hear a lot more divisive, wrong-headed rhetoric, and unfortunately, more hostility toward educators.

Trump and Christie are cut from the same cloth. New Jersey is well aware of Christie's bullying tactics, reneging on promises made at the negotiation table, slashing funding for state education. And all indicators suggest that Trump will be worse on the national level.

Thank you.