Is this ethos, pathos, or logos? When asked about the campaign, one of Cole's spokeswomen insisted the company isn't trying to insult teachers or unions, saying, it’s something in the news and being debated, and we wanted to provide a forum where people could discuss it as well. But with the company using the same loaded language as the conservative political activists trying to undermine public education and teachers unions, the corporate P. R.-speak is, to say the least, unconvincing.

No, Cole's campaign is thinly veiled ideological propaganda, and it comes with myriad problems, not the least of which is the simple fact that almost nobody believes underperforming teachers should be protected. That includes the nations biggest teachers; unions, which have been outspoken in backing accountability reforms for teacher tenure. So right off the bat, Cole is constructing a straw man, one that has served over the years to pretend that public employee unions in general and teachers unions specifically are about nothing more than making sure bad employees get to keep their jobs.