How is Randi Weingarten’s view of the debate in the Democratic Party like her view of union democracy?

A Reuters/Ipsos poll has a possible Hillary Clinton nominee with a double digit lead over the presumptive Republican and fascist, Donald Trump.

Polling has been notoriously predictably unpredictable – unable to predict much in this campaign.

But the polls have posed a problem for Clinton supporters. When the polls show that the race between Clinton and Trump as being close, they argue that Sanders should quit because his continuing campaign will cause Clinton to lose.

And when the polls show Clinton solidly ahead, they argue that Sanders should quit because he has no chance.

I suppose that’s what talking points are for.

American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten is one of those Clinton supporters.

“I don’t believe I ever called on Bernie to not go thru June 7-I think calling it a contested convention is different,” responded Weingarten when I brought this up on Facebook.

How is it different?

“The nominating process ends when all the votes are in-saying it’s a contested convention if Hillary has enough total delegates to clinch the nomination is helping Donald Trump.”

No. The nominating process ends at the convention. I didn’t make up that rule. The Democrats did.

“That process is going on now-if one wants to beat Trump it is time to unify -and bring together the best of both’s ideas and values,” said the AFT President.

Wait. “It is time to unify”?

But I thought you were at least waiting for Tuesday.

Weingarten likes her Democratic Party run the way she runs her union.

You might not have heard, but last week her opposition in the New York City teachers union local swept all the high school positions on the executive board.

Nobody representing that opposition was chosen to attend the AFT convention this summer.

Arthur Goldstein was one of those elected. He wrote on his blog NYC Educator:

Here’s the thing, though. Along with half a dozen others from MORE/ New Action, I’ve just been elected by New York City high schools to represent them. We are, in fact, the only people the high schools elected. They chose us to be their voice, and that we shall, in UFT.

But every single AFT rep was chosen “at large.” That means that elementary, middle school, retirees, functional chapters, nurses, and who knows who else made this choice. So my question is this–who represents the dues-paying high school teachers at the AFT convention our dues support?

And the answer is crystal clear–no one whatsoever. The UFT reps will vote as a bloc, in any damn way they are told to. The concerns that moved high school teachers to choose us shall be ignored utterly.

Is there any reason why our voices shouldn’t be heard at AFT? We high school teachers represent more members than those in many NYSUT-affiliated unions. If fact, my school itself is as large as some. Why are we paying dues to NYSUT and AFT if we have no voice whatsoever?

I may go anyway, because it will be really easy to blog as a UFT Executive Board member shut out of the convention. I can specifically identify all the things that happen in which we have no voice.

And I guess I can see the house that Mary Tyler Moore pretended to live in when she did that great TV show many, many years ago.

That is Randi Weingarten’s vision of process: Make the rules work for you. If it doesn’t work for you, change the rules.