Paradox of the left

FROM THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE:

School fight should open progressives' eyes

In the never-ending debate over education reform, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's push to take over the struggling Los Angeles Unified School District is a wonderful development. The value and importance of Villaraigosa's newly launched crusade lies not just in his bold attempt to bring change to the nation's second-largest school district but in its potential to open the eyes of millions of progressive voters in California and beyond to the biggest obstacles facing schools.

One of the most well-received books on politics in recent years – Thomas Frank's "What's the Matter with Kansas?" – chronicled what Frank saw as the folly of working-class voters backing a Republican Party far more interested in tax cuts for the wealthy than helping the less affluent. The premise is certainly open to debate, but Frank's book inspired considerable introspection on the right over the divergent agendas of the GOP's social conservative, business and libertarian wings.

What the left desperately needs is a book – it might be titled "What's the Matter with Manhattan?" – that would inspire a similar discussion among Democrats. It would chronicle the folly of liberals – at least those who worry deeply about the disadvantaged – voting for a Democratic Party far more interested in securing teachers union support than helping poor, often minority students.