’Like an abusive relationship:’ GOP now sorry for calling Ky teachers groomers and pedophiles. | Opinion
Five thousand votes aren’t a lot, but they were enough to push Gov. Andy Beshear to the front in the 2019 governor’s race. His slim lead is largely credited to teachers, who were angry that then-Gov. Matt Bevin tried to end their pensions, and amidst their protests, accused them of abetting child molestation.
That recent history has obviously got Attorney General Daniel Cameron worried that unceasing GOP attacks on Kentucky public education system, its teachers and its many other employees may be going too far and could affect the second governor’s race in a row.
For now, let’s take him at his word that he offers his new education proposals “out of a spirit of humility.” That’s not a word we hear out of politicians’ mouths very often.
According to the Courier Journal, the confession continued: “I know that you might have some apprehensions about me, or for that matter, any Republican nominee for governor,” Cameron said. “So, let me just simply say, I’m sorry — sorry for any comments that have made you feel less than valued or have led you to have serious misgivings about the Republican Party on the topic of education.”
So the putative head of the party that has basically called every public school teacher a woke pedophile or groomer for the past few years is now sorry and hopes you’ll vote for him. This is a little harder to take at face value.
Cameron has some decent ideas — such as more money for teachers, more money for tutoring students and lowering administrative bloat.
But look at the bigger picture. Cameron has joined the chorus of attacks on public education, particularly in Fayette and Jefferson counties which are convenient punching bags for all the hot but nonsense topics of wokeness, CRT and transgender politics. He supports charter schools, and more perniciously, the voucher program that was unanimously rejected by the state Supreme Court as unconstitutional. His running mate, Rep. Robby Mills, was a supporter of Bevin’s pension debacle, and running hard on these fake notions of wokeness with this advocacy of SB 150.
Like Saul, Cameron has had a vision on the road to Damascus, one that showed him a big L if he doesn’t stop attacking teachers.
No one is fooled.
Nema Brewer, a former public education employee and a co-founder of the 120 Strong group that led the fight against Bevin’s pension plan, said GOP attacks on public education have hurt communities in which public schools are the biggest employers.
“You have been calling all of them groomers and pedophiles and crazy liberals for the last several years,” Brewer said. “That does real harm not only to the profession but you are chipping away at what makes the community a community in most places in rural Kentucky. You can’t say you support teachers and not public education. That does not exist. You can’t say you support staff but not the actual work they’re doing.”
Brewer did praise Cameron’s bold crocodile tears over past GOP attacks on public education.
“I want to applaud the audacity of the gaslighting that’s going on,” she said. “Trust me when this election is over, the supermajority in Frankfort will do whatever they can to punish educators for standing up for themselves.”
Jefferson County did make itself an easy target in its absolute travesty of a new busing system, which will have delayed school starting by up to two weeks. Cameron joined in a deafening tide of GOP lawmakers who are now calling on Beshear to have a special session to punish Kentucky’s biggest district.
Instead, Beshear has also released his education plan, which calls for bigger, more holistic fixes, like full state funding for school transportation needs, teacher pensions universal pre-K.
Because when it comes to education, there is no middle ground. Republicans want to turn it over to free markets and churches because they see public schools as godless, labor-loving brainwashing institutions that indoctrinate children with concepts like the real horrors of slavery and evolution.
“It’s an abusive relationship,” Brewer said. “They’ve done nothing but punch us in the face and then say ‘I’m sorry.’”
Last year, I wrote that “public education was a radical and revolutionary innovation that has been the mainstay of our democracy for at least two centuries. Could it use some fixing, such as better pay and better outcomes? Sure, but right now it’s also being asked to fix all the societal problems we face. What will not help it? Less money and less support.”
Does this mean Cameron won’t continue to lament “wokeness” in our public schools on the campaign trail? Maybe. But for now, when it comes to Cameron and public education, consider his deeds, not his words.
This story was originally published August 16, 2023 at 12:25 PM.
