Politico reports that Hanna Skandera, Commissioner of Education in New Mexico, is being considered for the second most important job in the Education Department.
Mercedes Schneider explains that Skandera is a major advocate for the Common Core. She is currently in charge of PARCC, the testing consortium. Schneider reviews her history working for Jeb Bush, Margaret Spellings, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Jeb Bush, a strong supporter of Common Core, is Skandera’s mentor.
Schneider asks:
If Trump is supposedly against Common Core, one wonders why he would choose a woman who is currently the chair for one of the two federal-fund-established Common Core testing consortia, PARCC.
During the campaign, Trump ridiculed Common Core. Was he serious?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
It’s impossible to know if Trump is serious. He lies all the time, sometimes in the same sentence.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/emilywillingham/2016/09/27/why-does-donald-trump-lie-so-much/#45a33f5c6d24
Bait and switch… now, when will enough Trump voters start feeling some buyer’s remorse?
Do not count on it . You are making some assumptions about Trump supporters that may have no bearing on the facts. Although they boo when Common Core is mentioned most would not know the difference between the Common Core and an apple core. Common Core to them is the “Dear Hillary letter” . Most have never seen the inside of a factory, never had health care that was not subsidized by Uncle Sam (that’s a trap. ) Have little contact with minorities… …
Every single acquaintance (I no longer call them friends) I have that has voted for Trump was a deplorable . I was able to ignore it, till this election. The primary driving force behind their decision was racism. They were tired of paying for the “other ” . Reagan’s Welfare Queen or Trumps rapists . Fact based arguments were useless. Even when Union leaders turned to that White Working class and pointed out how much they had to lose from a right wing victory . A long American history of Oligarchs deflecting economic pain on immigrant and minority communities .
Are there some who made this decision on economic grounds,workers voting on economic insecurity, in the Midwest and elsewhere of course. Did some of them even vote for Obama in the past ? Yes they overcame baggage to do that. The failure of Democrats to reach this group is profound but that does not alter the underlying facts.
When and if the economy crashes they will experience buyers remorse . The sooner the better before the cocaine high of economic stimulus disguises the long term pain to come.
Basically along the same line, Republicans boo Common Core because to them it’s ObamaCore. Like Obamacare, a couple insignificant tweaks, rebranding as TrumpCore and TrumpCare, and they’re gonna love it. Trust me, it’s gonna be fantastic. Bigly.
Reblogged this on DelawareFirstState and commented:
Is President Elect Trump for or against Common Core?
Bill Gates probably just sold him on the idea. He will just change the name and somehow blame the government teachers.
American oligarchs and U.S. Presidents, a distinction without a difference.
Usually the President is “THE HELP” not this time
Was that ever in doubt?
They are probably dreaming up a scheme to try to box public schools into a corner so they will fail, similar to what Obama did, using “failing” scores to justify a takeover. Trump and his people stand for nothing, and that is why they can stand for everything. The echo chamber from the billionaire bubble has his ear so we can expect almost anything from him in order to promote privatization.
Good point: Because Trump stands for nothing, he can stand for everything — and thus bend everything to his own personal benefit. If the name Trump stands for anything, it stands for undettered opportunism.
Skandera is a joke. The worse joke that was played on New Mexico when she was appointed Secretary of Education (NOT Commissioner) by Martinez (aka Governor). It took five years before Skandera was confirmed by the State Senators. She is NOT qualified to be the NM Secretary of Education based on the requirements listed in the NM Constitution yet the Senate caved in and confirmed her. Yes, Skandera worked for Jeb Bush when he was Governor of Florida. A low grade deputy in the education department and nothing more. She was a political payback to the Republican Party for helping get Martinez elected as the Governor. Jeb Bush probably put Donnie Boy Trump up to this idea. Yes, she is currently in charge of the PARCC; buddy buddies with Pearson out of London, the worldwide owner of the PARCC, GED, and other educational testing and educational books of all kinds; is associated with Jeb Bush’s Foundation for Excellence in Education (FEE); has pushed the Common Core and PARCC down the throats of Students, Teachers, Administrators, and Parents in NM to the tune of millions of dollars in Pearson’s bank accounts. She is a very strong believer in using the results of standardized testing (i.e., PARCC) as the major evaluation tool for Teachers. If Teachers take the sick days and personal days granted to them in their contracts then their evaluations are downgrades.
Skandera is a disaster. Accident looking for a place to happen. Putting DeVos and Skandera in the same room and we can kiss public education goodbye.
New Mexico citizens can’t wait for Skandera go get out of this state and stay out.
We’ll be glad to see her gone from New Mexico…
Trump’s game is very obvious. He simply tells his audience the exact information or opinion that he wants them to hear. He doesn’t care about conflicting statements. They don’t matter.
Everyone must like him. If someone doesn’t he lashes out. Think about the meetings he’s had with people who openly opposed him. They all walk out thinking, “Maybe this won’t be so bad.” It’s because he tells them what they want to hear.
He can claim success on anything because he’s made so many contradictory statements and promises. It will be a while before anyone will call him on this. And he is very good at claiming credit for successes. Even when he had nothing to do with the result.
So get used to the actions that conflict with statements. It’s going to be happening for a while. If you’re a person that has an inherent need to make sense of things, this administration will drive you into therapy.
Steve K: It’s like, if you know there’s a snake in the room, it’s better to know where it is? Does this have anything to do with the normalization of insanity?
I am hoping somebody doesn’t go for the needed therapy or neglects to take his meds.
Pastor Jim Bakker is saying that Trump may be the Messiah because the president-elect is a kingly and warrior-like leader committed to protecting Israel and rebuilding the Temple of Jerusalem. He says that the “rabbis” who “do think he is the messiah are looking for proof that Trump’s “bloodline goes back to the Davidic dynasty.” He also believes that the Antichrist is also about to materialize, but is definitely not Trump.
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/end-times-pastor-donald-trump-could-be-the-messiah-or-his-forerunner/
So anyone who criticises Trump will be demonized and the led critic will be cast as the Antichrist. Any volunteers?
Drphil, count me in.
Count me in. Let’s party. But seriously, folks; there is a chill in the air.
FYI: An author interview with Steve Coll who wrote: Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power
Sat. 10:30 am, Sun. 3:30 pm ET. On http://www.bookTV.org.
“From 2012, author Steve Coll reports on ExxonMobil as a worldwide company and its influence in foreign affairs. We are re-airing this program in light of the nomination of ExxonMobil Chairman/CEO Rex Tillerson for secretary of state. Coll, formerly managing editor of The Washington Post, is currently dean of the graduate school of journalism at Columbia University.”
I forgot to mention that the Coll interview will air on C-SPAN 2., again: Sat. 10:30 am, Sun. 3:30 pm ET. But if you miss it, you can find it any time on http://www.bookTV.org.
Seems like Trump’s appointments are a meandering smattering of political patronage.
MINORITY president-elect trump is not fit to be president. I will now use these words: “MINORITY president-elect trump.” Later I will use “MINORITY presidnt trump.”
https://www.c-span.org/video/?190817-1/dont-think-elephant-know-values
He may be a minority being a billionaire that is, but his cabinet will be filled with these billionaire minorities. He’ll at least have comfort in that, surrounded by his own type.
May be time to buy Pearson stock? It’s been in the toilet. Buy low, sell high.
Let’s not forget that Trump is the Liar-in-Chief, a serial liar, a known life-long conman, and with that in mind, does he ever mean what he says? Show me someone that trusts what he says, and I’ll show you an ignorant fool.
The Washington Post gives out Pinocchio ratings for false truths. Trump seems to constantly make up his own facts. Here is a partial quote:
Headline: “The biggest Pinocchios of 2016 from The Washington Post”
“…There has never been a serial exaggerator in recent American politics like the president-elect. He not only consistently makes false claims but also repeats them, even though they have been proven wrong. He always insists he is right, no matter how little evidence he has for his claim or how easily his statement is debunked.
During the campaign, Trump earned 59 Four-Pinocchio ratings, compared with seven for Hillary Clinton. Since winning the presidency, Trump has earned four more Four-Pinocchio ratings, and his staff has earned one, as well. Unfortunately, we see little indication that this pattern will change during his presidency….”
http://wapo.st/2gOSglW?tid=ss_mail
All of trump’s appointments are mind numbing. My head is spinning: Rick Perry will replace Ernest Moniz (an American nuclear physicist and the United States Secretary of Energy, serving under U.S. President Barack Obama since May 2013). Perry is a nuclear imbecile. What could possibly go wrong. A vast army of regressives, nihilists, oligarchs, reptiles and cockroaches.
Joe, all of our worst fears about Trump are coming true. Actually, worse than I imagined. I thought he was a pragmatist. He is not. He is a rightwing ideologue who is giving the federal government over to the evangelicals and know-nothings.
Very sad but true. Some days I am out of words to describe this mess.
Was he serious? He was only serious wanting to win. He was never serious about anything. We all need to stop thinking as though he were ever or is now rational and makes sense. This guy is nuts. Thanks FBI and Putin! Rome survived Nero but did the Romans enjoy Nero’s reign? And Pence could be worse since he, though a dangerously misinformed bigot, is sane.
Trump ran because he wanted to show he could win. Then he became obsessed with the adulation of the crowds. He will hold rallies frequently so he can hear crowds cheering him. He will leave the government to Pence. How else to explain the ascendancy of the religious right in his cabinet?
Why do you think he met with Bill Gates?
Why did Gates come to Trump Towers? Probably so Trump could “show him off” to the press. Is there anyone who DIDN’T show up after they were invited?
Trump is allegedly asking for tribute, a quiet transfer of a few billion in secretive offshore accounts. In the mafia its called the protection racket. If the other billionaires cough up what he demands, he’ll let them stay in business without any FBI or IRS investigations that could lead to a prison sentence. He meets with them in private so there is no record of what they talked about.
Dictators, kings, and emperors did this all the time back before the 20th century.