OAN Commentary by Mike Allers Jr.
4:00 PM – Monday, August 19, 2024
The Democrat Party finds itself in a strange place in recent times- a place they have led themselves by kowtowing to one blue check mark at a time. Democrats have historically prided themselves as the party of Education-always claiming to have the backs of teachers, parents, and children.
But now, in recent years, the Democrats have proudly welcomed the label as the Party of Indoctrination over actually educating and emphasizing in our classrooms the importance of pronouns over teaching what a pronoun is.
Concerned parents are labeled domestic terrorists. Instead of valuing teachers, they are the party of the Central Offices in school districts, where Liberal ideology runs rampant. The 1619 Project is pushed as real history. Segregation is now encouraged. Genders are optional, while tampons in the Boy’s room are not. The Democrats have become more and more radical and voters know this.
Since 2022, American People in polling are now trusting Republicans on average 47% to 43% now on the issue of education. This is incredibly significant and unprecedented. The GOP’s advocacy on behalf of parents and children to hold school districts accountable is what drove Republicans to victory in Virginia and Florida. Education is in the top five issues to suburban women voters. As we head into November, the GOP as an institution actually has to deliver on education reform-beyond the words or policy of School Choice. Or shutting down the Department of Education.
As a former Teacher, I can tell you neither policy will entirely work, nor entirely address the problems that face our education system-especially when the problem is rooted in local bureaucracy or activist School Boards. Demonizing Teachers Unions is counter productive. Most unions are not aligned with the NEA, and more than half of teachers do not belong to the NEA despite the recurring and regurgitated talking points. Plus, unions are open to embracing President Trump and the GOP, so why try to punch down on working Americans? The GOP and Conservatives have given ground in the past to the Democrats, especially in the field of education.
Since voters in the past trusted the Democrats more on the issue, the GOP nationwide seemingly took their ball and went home to a private school. This led the Democrats to radicalize curriculums and turn the necessary Jeffersonian idea and institution of Public School into leftist playgrounds. The GOP was not there at the gates. This crisis in our classrooms is a problem of their own making. And our children paid the price-be it in the form of exposure to CRT, Gender radicalism, and simply failing schools.
The GOP needs to make sure that the American People continue to put their faith in them on Education-and this starts with fixing our public schools. It is more fiscally prudent to fix and invest in our Public Schools than it is to spend money on vouchers or set up an adjacent Department of Ed. The majority of hardworking, middle class Americans send their children to Public School with pride. I live in West Virginia. People are proud of their local schools.
They are at the heart of our communities, and directly impact our property values. Close schools, you close futures. You close jobs. You close access. You close communities. We can allow parents choice in their child’s education, while also taking back our Public Schools. It is not hard. It should not be an “either-or” scenario.
Due to President Trump’s America First Agenda, the GOP finally and duly became a working class, America First party. It only makes sense to wrestle the issue firmly of education out of the hand of untrustworthy leftists and take charge. Putting trust in private schools does not necessarily mean your child is going to receive a better education.
In those schools, most of the teachers make below $30,000 a year- which is not motivating or sustainable for any teacher. Public school is a Jeffersonian ideal- everyone in America should have access to a public education. Turning our back on it turns our back on our founders.
The GOP has shown parents they have their back by listening to them on accountability. Now is the time that they show teachers that they have their backs too. Not every teacher is a leftist indoctrinator. Every profession has bad apples as we know. But just like TikTok is not reflective of the real America, we must cut through the viral stories. The average, everyday teacher teaches because they want to help children. They want to serve their community- damn the pay.
These are the people that not only the GOP needs to appeal to come election day, but the people that must be a part of the Republican coalition. The time has come to secure the trust of voters, not just because November is on the horizon. Conservatives must make sure this trust is earned, and kept. Our children cannot wait.
(Views expressed by guest commentators may not reflect the views of OAN or its affiliates.)
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