Republicans face an existential threat. Polling shows that young people oppose them, often by overwhelming numbers, on every issue. And, of course, the country is becoming less white. So, if they are to keep from going the way of the Know Nothings, they have to a) suppress voting rights and b) create fundamentalist madrassas to indoctrinate young people in a fascist/nationalist/exceptionalist ideology. A great way to do this is by diverting taxpayer dollars to private religious schools. To that end, “school choice” was a major theme of the last Repugnican Coven. A look back:
Remarks on “School Choice” from the Republican National Convention, 2020:
Kim Klacik: We want higher paying jobs and more business opportunities. We want lower taxes. We want school choice.
Vernon Jones: He’s also supported school choice to assure [sic] that no child, no matter their race or Zip code, is left behind. Every child should have access to a quality education.
Donald Trump, Jr.: I was fortunate enough to grow up in a family that could afford the best schools and the finest universities, but a great education cannot be the exclusive right of the rich and powerful. It must be accessible to all. And that’s why my dad is pro school choice. That’s why he’s called education access the civil rights issue, not just of our time, but of all time. It is unacceptable that too many African American and Hispanic American children are stuck in bad schools, just because of their zip code. Donald Trump will not stand for it. If Democrats really wanted to help minorities in underserved communities, instead of bowing to big money union bosses, they’d let parents choose what school is best for their kids.
Tim Scott: I realized a quality education is the closest thing to magic in America. That’s why I fight to this day for school choice, to make sure every child in every neighborhood has a quality education. I don’t care if it’s a public, private, charter, virtual or a homeschool, when a parent has a choice, their kid has a better chance and the president has fought alongside me on that.
Random parent dialogue:
Speaker x: [Trump brought about] Real-life policy changes that affected real Americans.
Speaker y: An amazing opportunity to get ahead, to have our businesses, to have our children educated, of school choice.
Speaker z: That is something that’s huge for parents right now, especially black moms, whose kids are trapped in failing school districts.
Tiffany Trump: We believe in school choice because a child’s zip code in America should not determine their [sic] future.
Mike Pence: Jack is an eight-year-old from Wisconsin who was struggling academically and socially in school. Jack’s mom, Sarah, who works three jobs to support her son, applied for Wisconsin’s school choice voucher program.
Sarah Hughes: We’re glad that we were able to get the school choice voucher to go to that school. With Jack, he would have slipped through the cracks in public schools and having the option to go to a school that fits him has been a real game changer for us and I know that because of that opportunity that he is going to succeed and he is going to achieve that goal of being an apparatus engineer if that’s what he chooses to stick with.
Jeanette Nunez: We must continue to support out commander in chief who has a bold agenda. . . . It means fighting to provide the best quality education, by empowering parents and preserving school choice.
Eric Trump: Over and over, issue after issue. . . . school choice. . . . Promises made and promises for the first time were kept.
Melania trump: This president also continues to fight for school choice, giving parents more options to help their children flourish.
Tera Myers (speaking about Ohio’s voucher program): When I inquired about functional learning, I was told, “This is all you get, like it or not.” Well, I did not like it. One size did not fit all. So, I helped fight to pass legislation in Ohio for a special needs scholarship, so that all students could choose the right program for their needs. I worked to start a new functional learning program at our local private school. Finally, Samuel had an appropriate place to learn. Last December, Samuel was invited to the White House to meet our President and share his thoughts on education freedom. He said, “School choice helped my dreams come true. My school taught me the way I learn best. I was able to fit in. I made many friends. I became a part of my community. My teachers helped me become the best I can be.”
Lou Holtz: President Trump has demonstrated through his prison reform, advocating for school choice, and welfare reform that he wants Americans from all walks of life to have the opportunity to succeed and live the American dream.
Jack Pruitt: So, because you have an issue with president Trump’s tone, you’re going to allow Biden and Harris to deny our underserved black and brown children school choice?
Narrator introducing Pence: He. . . . expanded school choice.
Mike Pence: Joe Biden wants to end school choice, and president Trump believes that every parent should have the right to choose where their children go to school regardless of their income or area code.
Donald Trump: Biden also vowed to oppose school choice, and close all charter schools, ripping away the ladder of opportunity for Black and Hispanic children. In a second term, I will expand charter schools, and provide school choice to every family in America.
The same liberals want to eliminate school choice while they enroll their children into the finest private schools in the land.
Bob Shepherd | Praxis 