Joy Pullman, Robert Novak journalism fellow at the Heartland Institute, did a superb article for the Federalist Society, on the politics of Common Core called, "Common Core, The Biggest Election Issue Washington Prefers to Ignore" In it, she discusses the sneering derision heaped on concerned parents, grandparents, and taxpayers all over the country, as well as what appear to be meaningless gestures by state officials to appease Common Core opponents. Here is the excerpt about Florida where Pullman links to and quotes two of our articles:
Then, there's Florida. Former Gov. Jeb Bush has
said those who object rely on "conspiracy theories." At a recent conference by Bush's education nonprofit,
education blog RedefinED reported, "political strategist Mike Murphy said polling shows most of the public still isn't familiar with Common Core. The heaviest opposition, he said, comes from Republican primary voters, who, when they're first asked about the standards, are opposed 2-to-1. 'They think it's a secret plot controlled by red Chinese robots in the basement of the White House,' he said."
Florida's state board of education received 19,000 public comments on Common Core in October. Officials still have not formally reviewed those, and lawmakers including Gov. Rick Scott (R) told constituents the comments were part of lawmakers reconsidering Common Core after dropping its national tests. The day before the comment period closed, however, Florida Deputy K-12 Chancellor
Mary Jane Tappen said on a webinar, "We are moving forward with the new more rigorous [Common Core] standards. So, if anyone is hesitating or worried about next year, the timeline has not changed."
In November, Florida Senate President
Don Gaetz said of Common Core: "You can't dip [the mandates] in milk and hold them over a candle and see the United Nations flag or Barack Obama's face. They're not some federal conspiracy." (The Republican hails from Niceville. Really.) When opponents met with Utah Gov. Gary Herbert (R) to discuss their substantive concerns, he asked them, "Is Common Core going to teach gay sex or communism?" according to three people who attended the meeting.
Pullman concludes with the warning to arrogant politicians:
But the biggest thing Washington politicos may be overlooking about Common Core is the simple fact that wedge issues matter. Most of the populace does not show up to vote for most elections. People who have strong reasons to vote do, and turnout often determines elections. Getting passionate people to vote is half the point of a campaign. The Common Core moms have a reason to vote, and boy, do they have a lot of friends.
They fail to heed that warnng at their own political peril.
