Quote:
Originally Posted by Bobo Fett
That you're glad to see people using culture wars to fire people up over non-existent problems for political gain is rather sad.
Many times, I've seen you lambaste public education. While I agree the US system is quite a mess (and getting worse with this culture war nonsense), from what I've seen you post, I'm inclined to think your ideal education system would be even worse. But I don't think it's fair of me to draw that conclusion without truly understanding what your ideal is. So, if you're in charge of the US public education system for the next 20 years, with complete power to make any changes, what would you do to fix US K-12 education?
What they are seeing now, in these reformed Boards is that the school board agenda's that are being taken over by these more activist right leaning folks, cannot even get on the agenda for discussion any of the real issues plaguing the schools such as lack of supplies, and other core issues. I listened to a podcast that went through the agendas which now almost entirely are culture war facing. School Boards sit and argue over CRT and other such issues and focus on ways to ban and prevent it and no amount of 'that is not even taught here' matters, as the new Board Members just want to be seen by their supporters as 'Protecting the Children', and thus want these new school board guidelines implemented.
It is the same playbook the GOP is using on the National stage. Purge actual agenda items that would help the citizens and country (infrastructure, Healthcare, etc) including GOP voters, because the GOP has zero desire to see any gov't money actually helping citizens and instead distract the voters by focusing them and enraging them over, culture war issues.
It is enormously effective and the GOP is way out front here on this in terms of invigorating their base to go after these type of local seats, that historically got to largely escape these type of partisan fights and where Republicans and Democrats on school boards could easily vote together on issues as they typically were not considered partisan issues.
I think by the time the Dem base can wake up and be invigorated enough to really mobilize and fight back at these lower levels, the damage will already be done. Just as the GOP control of the State and City legislatures is now paying massive dividends as they change across the country, who will control vote counts and declare winners. Just as the GOP took control of the way judges are appointed and sent up the food chain to a point now where they have near total control of that process for GOP judges and regardless of merit, if you do not tick the correct 'culture war' boxes you will not move forward.
The GOP is, IMO, just far more focused on winning this war, and is not going to let falling numbers of support stop them. I think America is going to get so much worse, in every area, (racial rights, LGBTQ+ rights, religious freedoms, Social spending, Infrastructure spending) before it gets better as you see from the School Board, to the city legislature, to the State to the Federal GOv't all taken over and Back stopped by a SC court also taken over, and as minority rule is imposed in draconian fashion on the majority.
I hate to be pessimistic but I think the left side of the country has already largely lost this battle and those results will be coming in over the next decade. The only question remaining is how long will it be before the Dems and left can turn it back?