Americans Don't Like Republican War On Education
Category: News & Politics
Via: john-russell • 2 years ago • 73 commentsBy: Laura Clawson (Crooks and Liars)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Americans don't want book-burning, go figure
People in the United States do not like book-banning, a new poll shows, as Republicans around the country seek to ban huge numbers of books from schools. And people don't like the basic foundations of Republican attacks on teaching about race and racism, either, according to the CBS News poll, which focused on race as part of Black History Month coverage.
It's not the only recent poll to highlight that the Republican education culture wars, as big a megaphone as they're getting from Fox News and prominent politicians, are not what most people want. Can someone tell Republicans this? Better yet, can someone tell Democrats?
The CBS News poll found that more than 80% of people disagreed with banning books for criticizing U.S. history, for political ideas they disagreed with, for depicting slavery, and for discussing race. More than two out of three people said that teaching about race in America makes students understand what others went through. Less than one in four said it makes students feel guilty about past generations. And majorities understood that racism is a problem, with 58% saying it's a major problem now, and 71% saying it was a major problem in the past. Those numbers are lower than they should be, for sure, but they are strong majorities nonetheless.
This is not the only poll to suggest that Republicans are all in on a subject that is not an automatic winner for them. In a CNN poll earlier in the month, more Democrats than Republicans said education was an extremely important issue in their thinking about the midterm elections. Of the people attributing that importance to education, 31% said they were thinking about the broad social benefits of education, not focusing on a particular political controversy. Just 7% mentioned critical race theory, 2% mentioned in-person school, and 1% mentioned masking in schools.
In a January Pew Research Center poll, 39% of people said they agreed with Democrats on education, while 31% said they agreed with Republicans. Notably, by January, Republicans had been hammering the issue for many months and while neither party was doing great, they conspicuously weren't winning it.
Take these numbers with the recent Virginia poll showing Gov. Glenn Youngkin's approval ratings underwater just over a month into his term, along with opposition to his positions on mask mandates and the teaching of race in schools, and there's a really important message for Democrats and for the media: Republicans being loud doesn't mean Republicans are winning on an issue.
Say it with me, Democratic leaders:
Republicans are banning books.
Republicans don't want kids to learn about race in U.S. history.
Republicans are intimidating teachers.
Republicans are threatening school board members.
And media? Sit up and pay attention to both the ugliness of what Republicans are doing and the fact that the public really isn't on board, outside the hardcore Republican base.
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These are strong numbers disputing the narrative that Americans are up in arms about what is being taught in public schools.
I bet lots of people in Virginia thought that, too--before their asses got handed to them last election.
Of course, the issues Virginians had with education aren't being asked about in this poll.
Bazinga!
More fucking BS from the people that specialize in BS.
Parents disagree with leftists trying to turn schools into political indoctrination camps. Parents disagree with what the schools are teaching their children. And parents sure as hell disagree with school systems siding with teachers over parents.
Elections count polls do not. Democrats will find this out during midterms.
I'm sure there are some. The CBS poll indicates they are a minority.
This begs the question I asked months ago. When does what black parents want in schools get listened to? In Virginia all we heard was what the white parents wanted.
No, you heard what you wanted to hear and what media sold you.
your comments are a waste of time
No, they are designed to make the reader THINK and provide PROOF for all the nutjob claims being made.
Sorry if that upsets you, but you can simply not read my comments.
ive read too many of your comments
Like snake farts to a giraffe in a wind storm...
You aren't obligated to always be obnoxious...
If someone is holding you hostage and forcing you, give me a signal and I'll call 911.
I give what I get.
That so lame it would make Peewee cringe...
Then that makes truth lame to you.
Alrighty then.
I notice you seldom get very many votes up.
Judging by that your participation is shitty...
It is so very sad that the inability of people to think for themselves and back up their claims is so often the normal on this site.
No, but you go on thinking people like you...
Thanks for taking notes and following me.
Sorry, but I don't need to feed off anonymous people's "approval".
I'll leave that for those who lack confidence and need reassurance from anonymous people to "feel good" about themselves.
Is it possible for you to respond TO what I actually write, or are you just content to shout random shit out?
I never said one word about people liking me. It isn't any of my business. If they don't like me, tough, why would I care?
Perhaps you shouldn't judge people based on something so stupid then.
That good...
Inanity again.
Lets get back to the seeded topic.
Lets get back to the seeded topic
Lol .... translation .... you disagreed with our propaganda so you are obnoxious.
Hilarious!
Exactly what went through my mind when I read the article. Those who talk the talk may well walk a different walk than they talk when it comes to the elections. So many will follow the advice of the great American philosopher Yogi Berra when he said "When you come to a fork in the road, take it."
There are only one or two polling organizations for which I have a bit of respect, because I've known for years that polls can so easily be manipulated through the creative wording of the questions and the demographics and numbers that are polled.
Definitely not my problem.
Bingo! A hogwash slanted poll designed to give the impression that said poll represents the views of a major section of the American public when it in fact does not. It represents only the views of those actually polled. Results of said poll are are very much dependent on the particular views of the polling organization, the demographics, and those commissioning said poll. This is why I never trust politically oriented polls.
No, Anti-gay laws and censorship of books is extremely unpopular among the voters. If you have any polling showing otherwise now is time to show it. Just saying "Unt Uh" is a BIG FAIL!
Which school board meetings were black parents banned from? Although I don't live in Virginia I do seem to recall school board meetings with black participants. It seemed just as many were speaking against what they were teaching as were speaking for it.
Says the guy who has zero votes up for this bullshit.
Judging by your logic, you must have shitty participation on here.
Lol .... up votes are more important to some folks here .....
disagreed with banning books for criticizing U.S. history, for political ideas they disagreed with, for depicting slavery, and for discussing race.
Good thing for Republicans they don't support any of those things.
Unfortunately that's not completely true. There are some Republicans who do want to ban such ideas... Thankfully they are in the minority but we cannot say there are none.
This is why I hate polls and dislike seeds like this. The questions in the poll are written so as to obtain the desired results and as we can see above it's then picked apart to show what they want.
Case in point, the poll had the following questions :
So out of this we get the seed that states Republicans are banning books. Yet if you look at the pdf that is imbedded in the article you can see that the numbers for banning books broken down by political party is fairly close.
So the article that this seed is based on is just another partisan hit piece to keep people angry and toss meat to their base. All for the upcoming elections because after all the Democrats have to keep those evil Republicans from regaining control.
Are Democrats banning books? Give examples.
Has The Adventures of Tom Sawyer been banned anywhere? You know it has in several schools. Who has lead the ban of this book? And as we've been told numerous times, what political party does this group of people usually vote with.
Come on... there are idiots from all walks of life and all spectrums of politics. What's more saddening to me is that there are 15% of people in this poll that agree that books should be banned simply because the book as a political idea that you disagree with. That to me is a much larger problem.
The current objection to what is taught in schools is overwhelmingly coming from the right and from republican legislators.
Good luck with that.
Step out of your partisan bubble for a second and look at the over-all issue here. There are some people from alll walks of life who want to ban some books based on ideas they have latched on to. To continue to only blame right-leaning or republican leaders is to completely miss the forest and only see trees. If you can only blame one side for the problem then you can never be part of the solution because you will refuse to accept that you hold any part of the blame.
OK [Deleted lol]
That kind of sanity will never prevail amongst people so rooted in their ignorance and belief that ONLY they are fair, educated, smart, and of course, correct in every way about every thing.
wow... all I can do is remind myself that the people who post on this board are really just a small subset of the country and are not the majority of thinkers. I have to think that was because the alternative is to publicly state that this Republic is basically finished as the educational system is being shut down in favor of partisan beliefs. And we might as all well learn Mandarin as China will overtake us as the number one world power.
And that to me is an even sadder thought than the belief that too many who post on this site have very small minds and cannot think objectively or for themselves.
The idea that people who may be some sort of "partisan" do not think for themselves is ridiculous.
Thinking for themselves may have made them partisan. The idea that only the people right down the middle think for themselves is WRONG.
Never said or meant to imply that "partisans" cannot also think for themselves. But when the discussion goes along the path of a claim is made, an objection is then made to the claim and proof is provided to show why the objection may be valid, but then the original claim is merely repeated or doubled down on or the objection is simply ignored does not advance the belief that the original claim came from thought but from a partisan source. And to refuse to acknowledge the big picture only to focus on the partisan piece of it does not indicate someone is thinking for themselves, it only shows them continuing to push their partisan side.
Your continued insistence to blame Republicans for this indicate you are pushing only a partisan side which as the numbers themselves in that poll show is wrong-headed.
To kill a mockingbird is being “banned”
You asked for examples, got them and then attempt to minimize what you asked for as somehow not as bad as the propaganda angle you are pushing.
Very obtuse John, even for you.
There is only one really effective solution to this: Fahrenheit 451.
That's really not necessary, Snuffy. Although I've lived in China for more than 15 years I never had to learn Mandarin. Sure I've picked up a few expressions, and can call a number of things by their names in Chinese, and I can count, but I can't read Chinese nor understand or take part in any conversation. Actually, English is used quite a lot here, so I'm sure that when China surpasses America as the number one world power, which it is bound to do as long as Americans continue to be so stubbornly divided and incapable of comprehending that there is another side to every story, Mandarin will most likely only be taught as a second language for those who seek success in their lives.
John, step out of his partisan bubble LOL Oh sure that's going to happen
Can your wife read, speak, and understand English?
Not able to read English, and pretty basic speaking and understanding, but much communication is by body language, and cellphones here have translating capability, and if there is anything I need to tell my wife that she cannot understand there is Bing Translator on my computer.
An interesting story about translating, and not knowing traditions. Back when I, after 6 years teaching there, was leaving the school, my wife without my knowing had taken a beautiful flowering plant that a student had given me and placed it among the flora outside. The next day, seeing it was missing, I asked my wife where it was, and was really upset when I saw she had placed out among the wild stuff. I didn't want it to get bugs or disease so I really flipped out. She couldn't explain why to me so we went to the school office where there was bilingual staff, to whom I told why I was upset. My wife explained something in Chinese and the staff told me that it is a cultural tradition that when a couple are leaving a happy home, to take that happiness to their next home, a house plant is placed among the flora outside the home to soak up the happiness, in order to transport it to the new home. I felt like such a fool, I was angry at her for doing something so beautiful and so meaningful about our relationship. Over all these years we have had very few misunderstandings, and when we did, I was usually the one who was wrong.
Sounds as though you and your wife have pretty much conquered the communication problem. I was wondering when you're hungry if you banged your plate on the table, pointed to the kitchen hollering FOOD FOOD lol.
Nice story about the plant, I bet you felt like a heel.
You ain't just whistling Dixie there, MM.
Which begs the question: WHY are Republican elected officials ordering the banning of books, compiling lists of books to be removed from libraries AND running campaigns on banning books?
As you point out and the poll illustrates, it seems clear that Republican elected officials and candidates are out of touch with their electorate/constituents.
OH the irony.
You admit that Republicans ARE at least trying to ban books Snuffy. This conclusion is supported by a plethora of news stories from multiple states. It's the Republicans who are using this 'issue' as read meat for their base, continuing their MO to play to their lowest common denominator.
Americans are getting sick of the gop's hateful shit!
Keep believing that until the midterms!
Nope, Trump won't be on the ballot to bring out his lovers boys and Biden won't to bring out his haters. The voters will only be choosing who will represent their district in Congress and the gop is only nominating unelectable throwbacks...
So you claim without a shred of proof as usual.
Lol...
"The survey also found Republicans making gains among minority groups. By 9 percentage points, Hispanic voters in the new poll said they would back a Republican candidate for Congress over a Democrat. The two parties had been tied among Hispanic voters in the Journal’s survey in November.
Democratic margins also eroded among Black voters, who favored a Democrat for Congress by 35 percentage points in the new survey, down from 56 points in November. Support for a Republican candidate rose to 27% among Black voters, up from 12% in November."
Joe Biden has been fantastic for Republicans.
Well.... he is kind of correct in there. Neither Trump or Biden will be on the ballot in November. They may be influential behind the scenes (one more than the other in a positive manner I suspect) but they will not be on the ballot themselves. Now maybe someone can post another stupid jpeg to explain it all....
He completely ignores polls proving him wrong.
And said polls are heavily misleading to begin with.
Juvenile and ineffective lies.
That shows a total lack of understanding of what the bill actually says. The media should be ashamed for promoting this false narrative.
Let's see:
"Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards."
That looks pretty clear that they made the bill as vague as possible.
So please, what are these 'state standards' they speak of? There is no footnote to a regulation reference so are they just in DeSantis' head? BTW, there isn't a 'state standards' cited to review in the Florida DOE or DOJ reports on the bill either.
Where does it say you can't say gay? Are you suggesting if someone complains about someone else saying gay they will be arrested because of some vague wording?
I asked you a question. Do you have an answer?
Where did I say it does?
Oh and BTFW, what do you think that 'sexual orientation' means?
Actually, NO. Reading is fundamental.
It's interesting that you characterize the content of the law as 'some vague wording'. I wonder if you realize that a lot ruling by the SCOTUS document that they don't much like 'vague wording'?
American are getting tired of Dems disinformation campaign and failed leadership.
This will be proven out in spades this November.