Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial Asks, “Can ‘Parents Matter’ actually improve K-12 education?” The Answer: “Of course not”

The Richmond Times-Dispatch has a ton of faujlts, but you’ve gotta hand it to their editorial page this morning, as they dismantle Glenn Youngkin’s cynical, dishonest slogan “Parents Matter” (which, of course, is NOT what he actually means). Definitely read the entire editorial; also, see below for a few highlights and comments, by yours truly, in green/italics).

• The headline sums it up extremely well. It asks, “Can ‘Parents Matter’ actually improve K-12 education?” And the answer is…”Of course not.”
• “There’s no denying the political gold that was and is ‘Parents Matter’…The campaign slogan that propelled Glenn Youngkin to the Executive Mansion in 2021 crystallized the frustrations of suburban voters during an unprecedented public health crisis.” (Agreed. I also place HEAVY blame on the media for simply parroting, like stenographers, Youngkin’s bullshit, instead of really digging in to whether what he was saying was accurate – which it wasn’t; which parents he was even talking about – because it certainly wasn’t ALL parents, not even close; etc. I also blame Democrats for not responding aggressively, for failing to come up with effective messaging/counter-messaging, and for somehow managing to squander an issue – public education – where Democrats were supposed to have a huge advantage.)
• “Black Lives Matter begot Blue Lives Matter and, yes, Parents Matter…Youngkin shifted focus to the ‘real’ victims: cops just trying to do their jobs, and parents who simply want their kids back in schools, mask-free, with teachers who aren’t preaching Marxism and grooming kindergartners for sex trafficking.” (Brilliant; really can’t say it any better than this; great job, RTD editorial board! What Youngkin did was set up a bunch of false bogeymen/straw men, then proceeded to attack those relentlessly and to somehow manage to blame *Democrats* for them. Crazy shit, but it worked, thanks to a worse-than-worthless media, Democrats failure to countermessage effectively, etc.)
• “The beauty of “Parents Matter,” however, is in its umbrella-like utility…Perhaps you don’t see how wearing a face mask silences free speech and conveys membership in a socialist cabal?” (Again, brilliantly stated by the RTD editorial page; the cynicism and brazenness of what Youngkin did on this, again with the complicity of the media, was Trumpian in its audacity and dishonesty.)
• “Sloganeering works, particularly when you’re behind in the polls, and especially when your opponent gift wraps and hands it to you in a bluish state that just went to Joe Biden by 10 percentage points.” (No question, that was a huge mistake by Terry McAuliffe, but even worse was his campaign’s failure to quickly “walk back” the remarks, and arguably even WORSE was his campaign’s squandering of Democrats’ advantage on public education; McAuliffe literally kicked off his campaign in December 2020 a “Miles Jones Elementary School in Richmond, where he…present[ed] an education plan to ensure every child in the commonwealth gets an equitable, world-class education” and “call[ed] for the largest-ever investment in education in Virginia [to] include bringing teacher salaries above the national average.”)
• “Allowing a small subset of parents to dictate what is or isn’t taught in classrooms, or what books are allowed in school libraries, is a great way to start a political firestorm, but it leads to inherently bad public policy. K-12 education cannot reasonably exist as a constitutional right by handing over decision-making to a vocal minority.” (This is perhaps the most important point in the editorial; what Youngkin’s doing is cynical and calculated, but also VERY dangerous/damaging to the future of public education. Just imagine if the science curriculum in schools ends up being held hostage to that “vocal minority,” whether on science, literature, history, or any other topic? So much for teaching…well, pretty much ANYTHING that “vocal minority” objects to. Which, of course, would be the end of high-quality public education.)
• “Subjecting the vital role of public schools to the whims of market forces — be it private schoolers or pitchforked parents demanding fealty to the Bible — diminishes access for those families without resources or political clout…School choice only works if you have the ability to choose.” (Again, BINGO by the RTD editorial board; this is EXACTLY what Youngkin and his allies want. So if you do NOT want this, make sure you vote DEMOCRATIC up and down the ballot this November, and every November!)
• “If you feel empowered thanks to a sudden rush of ‘parental rights,’ good for you. But don’t think for a second that ‘Parents Matter’ will lead to sound public policy or improved K-12 schools. It hasn’t. And it won’t.” (Actually, it’s really not “good for you” – or for anyone. It’s just destructive. But Youngkin doesn’t care, as long it helps advance his own personal, political ambitions…for governor or even president of the United States.)