Join Greg Sargent and Jennifer Berkshire in an episode of "Deep State Radio" that traverses the fractious battleground of American education politics. This dialogue delves into the conflicts ignited at the intersection of public schooling and right-wing ideology. Witness an emergent countermovement of liberal parents and activists as they rally against the creeping extremism personified by groups like Moms for Liberty, whose influence is beginning to wane as evidenced by recent school board election outcomes.
Amidst this socio-political tug-of-war, the episode casts a spotlight on the concerted efforts by high profile school choice proponents who seek to dismantle public education's edifices. The narrative unfolds as GOP internal conflicts heat up in Texas over private school vouchers, opening a window into the power struggles within the Republican Party. Additionally, the discussion sheds light on personal scandals shaking the foundation of Moms for Liberty. What does the erosion of extremist education tactics say about the shifting sentiments of key voting demographics, and what could this herald for the future of public education and political discourse?
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In response to the growing presence of extremism in schools, liberal parents and activists, like those within the School Sanity Project in Florida, are increasingly mobilizing against groups such as Moms for Liberty. They argue that these right-wing groups introduce "violent chaos and bigotry" in educational settings. This countermovement is expanding across the nation, from Florida to Pennsylvania, assembling to counteract right-wing cultural incursion into schools.
Electorally, those aligned with Moms for Liberty are facing defeat, outlined by Jennifer Berkshire's observations of their overwhelming loss during school board elections. The trend demonstrates an electorate rejection of extremist views. Furthermore, the public's growing dissatisfaction with school culture wars, often propagated by right-wing activists, is causing these tactics to backfire and lose traction among the populace.
Wealthy GOP donors and the school choice right continue their pursuit to dismantle public education in favor of private alternatives, capitalizing on divisive cultural issues. Affluent figures like Betsy DeVos and Jeff Yass remain at the forefront of this campaign, with Moms for Liberty featuring as an active participant in this agenda. Their stance, while increasingly unpopular, is seen as a strategic ploy driven by school choice advocates to erode public school support.
In Texas, the internal GOP conflict intensifies as Republicans threaten primary challenges against colleagues opposing private school vouchers. The attackers cast voucher dissenters as lackluster participants in the culture wars against public education, seeking to enforce conformity and silence internal opposition.
The GOP strategy to inflame educational debates for political advantage is losing its impact, especially among suburban women voters who distanced themselves from the party due to Trumpism. Jennifer Berkshire and Greg Sargent note that candidates pushing extreme cultural narratives are increasingly experiencing election losses. These strategies fail to recapture the support of suburban women, a critical voting group for the GOP, indicating a shift in the political environment around education debates.
The founders of Moms for Liberty face scrutiny and criticism stemming from personal scandals, as seen with the situation involving Bridget and Christian Ziegler, and their admission to a group sexual encounter amidst an accusation against Christian of sexual assault. Parents demand Bridget Ziegler's removal from the local school board as a result of the event, known as the Zeigler threesome scandal.
Greg Sargent and Jennifer Berkshire highlight the MAGA movement's disconnect from general public sentiment, which is exemplified by the figures embroiled in such personal indiscretions. They point to the insular nature of these hardline activists, whose actions and messaging clash with broader societal values, compelling them to adopt a defensive position.
1-Page Summary
The growing concern about extremism and its infiltration into school environments has sparked a notable countermovement among liberal parents and activists. They are pushing back against groups like Moms for Liberty and right-wing extremists, aiming to restore a sense of safety and inclusion within educational institutions.
The School Sanity Project, an initiative led by concerned Florida parents, is actively campaigning against what they see as the extremism propagated by the founders of Moms for Liberty and their right-leaning associates. Their efforts are encapsulated in an advertisement campaign that accuses these groups of sowing "violent chaos and bigotry" in schools.
This burgeoning resistance isn't isolated to Florida. In states like Pennsylvania, similar counter-mobilization endeavors indicate a growing national movement intent on confronting right-wing activism in the culture wars infiltrating educational settings.
Journalist Jennifer Berkshire has observed that, electorally, candidates associated with Moms for Liberty face significant setbacks. When put to the vote, Berkshire has suggested, they tend to be overwhelmingly rejected by margins as stark as three to one, signaling a broad distaste among the electorate for the brand of extremism the group repre ...
The rising countermovement against extremism and hate in schools
Jennifer Berkshire discusses the actions of affluent GOP donors and activists who are working to subvert public education in favor of private school vouchers and alternatives.
Berkshire points out that influential individuals in the United States, who have historically opposed the concept of equality in public education, are continuing to back candidates and organizations that advocate for private school vouchers and alternatives to the public system. Such individuals include school choice advocates like Betsy DeVos and Jeff Yass, who are known to leverage culture war issues to further their cause.
The group Moms for Liberty is highlighted as being in league with the school choice movement. They are seen as focusing on cultural issues, which is believed to be a tactical decision influenced by school choice proponents to destabilize support for public schools.
The hostility of the school choice right and plutocrats towards public education
The Republican approach of inflaming educational issues for political gain is showing diminishing returns, especially among suburban women voters who have eschewed the party in the wake of Trumpism.
Jennifer Berkshire and Greg Sargent highlight that education strategies employed by GOP candidates such as those used by Youngkin are not universally efficacious, specifically in attempts to re-engage suburban women who distanced themselves from the GOP during the Trump era. They note that Republicans running on extreme culture war platforms have notably been losing elections. The inability to win back suburban women who were turned off by Trumpism is underlying these failures.
Berkshire underlines that the strident edu ...
How extremism in the school debates is losing potency as a GOP tactic
The reputation of Moms for Liberty founders is under scrutiny due to personal scandals and accusations of hypocrisy that conflict with their image as moral crusaders.
Bridget Ziegler, a co-founder of Moms for Liberty, along with her husband, former Florida GOP chair Christian Ziegler, have been involved in a sex scandal. Both acknowledged participating in a group sexual encounter following accusations against Christian Ziegler of sexual assault, from which he was subsequently cleared.
In response to the scandal, Florida parents have launched ads targeting Moms for Liberty, advocating for Bridget Ziegler's removal from the Sarasota school board. Berkshire notes that she's delved into the sordid backstory of what is referred to as the Zeigler threesome scandal, cementing it as a point of contention and public intrigue.
The personal and political scandals plaguing Moms for Liberty founders
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