Let’s say up front that no state delegation declared a position opposite to the position taken by its state delegate assembly. Speakers for and against the Principles of Unity alternated at the microphones. From the outset of the debate, the emotional advantage was with the anti-merger side. Gerri Williams of Delaware was the first anti-merger speaker. She spoke of her fears that a small state like Delaware would lose its voice in the larger organization. She choked back tears as she told the assembly, "I urge you to vote against the Principles of Unity, and save my vote."

But if one speaker could be said to have brought the house down, that speaker was Mary ("None Of Your Business") Washington, president of the Louisiana Association of Educators. Speaking on behalf of the Louisiana delegation, Ms. Washington said that "today we are given a set of principles that makes a mockery of our core beliefs." Focusing on the lack of policy-making power of the Leadership Council, the new organization’s replacement for the NEA Board of Directors, Washington declared that reducing that body to an advisory one was "unacceptable, unacceptable, unacceptable!" If the vote had been held that minute, the merger might have been defeated by a two-to-one margin.

The pro-merger side was not helped by Mike Billirakis, president of the Ohio Education Association and a merger supporter, who elicited groans and shouts from the crowd when he likened a vote against the Principles of Unity to a vote against the Declaration of Independence.

Throughout it all, Bob Chase appeared taken aback by the forcefulness of the opposition. The debate was heated, but decorous. It was, however, extremely interesting to see that the vote to close debate passed easily — after only two hours, and 34 speakers (17 from each side). This showed that not only was neither side interested in spending the entire Independence Day arguing about merger, but that both sides felt that further debate was unlikely to sway anyone.