BARACK OBAMA FOR PRESIDENT-ENDORSEMENT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, the members of the American Federation of Teachers are engaged participants in the political process that defines and strengthens our democracy; and

WHEREAS, the AFT and its members are committed to advancing an agenda focused on providing educational opportunity for all students, lifting the disadvantaged, rebuilding the middle class, strengthening the institutions that serve our communities, improving the economy, and fostering democratic principles that allow all who call America home to have access to the American dream; and

WHEREAS, this 2012 presidential election is not a referendum; it is a choice between a candidate who shares the AFT’s vision for America’s future and candidates who do not; and

WHEREAS, the 2012 campaign has already put in sharp relief the differences among the candidates running for president; and

WHEREAS, not everyone will agree with all the policies advocated or positions taken by a presidential candidate; and

WHEREAS, Barack Obama is the only candidate running for president who understands that economic growth depends upon economic fairness, and who has articulated an agenda focused on rebuilding and expanding the middle class, and reasserting in public policy and public discourse the importance of giving everyone a fair shot at success; and

WHEREAS, in his State of the Union address, Barack Obama reaffirmed the intrinsic relationship between a high-quality public education system and a strong and vibrant economy, making clear that we must educate, not test, our way to a revitalized and expanded middle class; and  

WHEREAS, Barack Obama fought for passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which provided direct aid to states to prevent cuts in K-12 public education, higher education and other vital public services, preventing cuts to services communities depend on and layoffs of hundreds of thousands of educators; pushed for passage of legislation to make healthcare accessible to millions who otherwise would go without it; continues to fight for passage of the American Jobs Act, which will create and save jobs, rebuild our nation’s crumbling infrastructure and modernize our schools; and stood with workers and their unions in Wisconsin, Ohio and other states against efforts to strip them of their voice and their right to collectively bargain; and

WHEREAS, the candidates running for the Republican nomination are focused on securing plenty for the few, but are doing little to close the gaping, growing inequality that undercuts our economic stability and our strong democracy; and 

WHEREAS, the AFT and its members have a long and proud history of pushing against the tides of inequality and unfairness, and toward the shores of opportunity and equality:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers hereby endorses the candidacy of Barack Obama for president of the United States; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT, its local affiliates and members commit themselves to tirelessly working to help ensure that Barack Obama is re-elected president of the United States.