Is the Democratic elite turning against the teachers' unions? Is the Democratic elite turning against the teachers' unions?

Mickey Kaus asks whether: Is the Democratic elite turning against the teachers' unions? He cites Democratic Governor-in-waiting Eliot Spitzer of New York has endorsed opening more independent charter schools.

To some extent, the writing is on the wall. The teachers' unions are some of the major foot soldiers for the Democratic party, but the African-Americans are one of its biggest, most solid, voting blocks, and they have the highest interest in school choice of any demographic in the country - possibly because their kids are some of the worst affected by the current situation with K-12 education today in this country. And charter schools are a much more acceptable answer to school choice for most Democrats than are vouchers. This approach by Spitzer keeps the Blacks in the fold, without alienating the teachers too much.