This is a must-see video. Cokie Roberts asks Donald Trump about the effect of his rhetoric on children, who use his language to bully other children.

Categories Education Reform

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Amy Herren says:

March 10, 2016 at 4:21 pm

Dr. Ravitch- This is so important! Here is a link to a blog post I wrote about how Donald Trump is hurting my daughter: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amy-herren/donald-trump-and-his-supporters-are-hurting-my-child_b_9411306.html
Will you read it, please?

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- Laura H. Chapman says:
  
  March 10, 2016 at 5:04 pm
  
  I read it, and know it is applicable to many more parents.
  
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- markstextterminal says:
  
  March 11, 2016 at 8:26 am
  
  Thank you Amy Herren: I work in a New York City school and I am hearing this question quite a bit from my students. I usually tell them, with, alas, a steadily eroding confidence in the statement, that Donald Trump doesn’t stand a snowflake’s chance in hell of becoming president.
  
  And I hope that is true.
  
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GregB says:

March 10, 2016 at 4:22 pm

It’s hard for me to take an over-privileged, condescending, self-righteous, pandering, inside-the-Beltway-entitled elitist like Cokie Roberts too seriously. Even when she’s right. This is more about preening before the camera (Mika Brzezinski-esque) than it is trying to shine a light on an issue.

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- SomeDAM Poet says:
  
  March 10, 2016 at 6:38 pm
  
  Hard for me, too.
  
  Unfortunately, Cokie is pretty much par for the curse at NPR.
  
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Eva Peterson says:

March 10, 2016 at 4:53 pm

Her performance was that of a wimp. She could have and should have clarified her question, and asked it more than the three times that she did. He had his bully shirt on to interupt her. He was given a pass by her. It was a poorly worded, weak attempt to stand up for what makes a bully and how that behavior is replicated.

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Kim Kaufman says:

March 10, 2016 at 5:34 pm

I agree with Greg B about Cokie. But don’t underestimate or simplify what Trump’s message is:

Millions of ordinary Americans support Donald Trump. Here’s why

Thomas Frank

“When he isn’t spewing insults, the Republican frontrunner is hammering home a powerful message about free trade and its victims”

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/mar/07/donald-trump-why-americans-support

If I have to choose between Trump and Hillary, I don’t know what I’ll do. He’s just being very open about his bigotry, whether real or just theatrical, unlike the dog whistling Republicans and Dems, including Hillary “super-predator” Clinton and her husband.

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- Duane Swacker says:
  
  March 10, 2016 at 7:21 pm
  
  “If I have to choose between Trump and Hillary, I don’t know what I’ll do.”
  
  Vote third party, vote Jill Stein. Remember that voting for the lesser of two evils is still evil.
  
  And I wouldn’t bet on Hillary being the Dims candidate.
  
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- JEM says:
  
  March 11, 2016 at 12:09 am
  
  I don’t agree, Duane. Voting for any candidate where you can reasonably discern that your vote will or will not result in another candidate being elected makes you complicit. Look what the good progressives of Maine have to live with by virtue of being a three party state!
  
  I am not a Hillary supporter. But when I think of what is at stake (with the Supreme court, foreign relations, the next war or wars we become involved with, immigration policy, right to choose policies, health care — the list really does go on and on — I don’t think anyone who casts a vote that leads to a predictable result (whatever that result may be) gets a pass.
  
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- SomeDAM Poet says:
  
  March 11, 2016 at 9:16 am
  
  Duane,
  
  Doncha know?
  
  Those of us who vote third party (Stein in the last election and Nader before) are directly responsible for the downward spiral of the country.
  
  Shame on us.
  
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  - Kim Kaufman says:
    
    March 11, 2016 at 3:27 pm
    
    Please do not blame Bush on Nader. Factually incorrect. Jill Stein didn’t get enough votes to matter, unfortunately. Maine is another issue.
    
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- SomeDAM Poet says:
  
  March 11, 2016 at 10:02 pm
  
  That was tongue in cheek.
  
  But Duane knows that.
  
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GE2L2R says:

March 10, 2016 at 5:36 pm

HIs comments, for they weren’t answers to the questions that were asked of him, were perfectly balanced – equal parts ignorance and arrogance.

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- Ms. Cartwheel...Librarian says:
  
  March 10, 2016 at 9:17 pm
  
  GE2L2R – you rock!
  
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Kim Kaufman says:

March 10, 2016 at 5:37 pm

And, yes, Trump’s racist comments are vile. I’m not trying to endorse what he’s said, only trying to point out what the msm will NOT talk about.

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M Stoner says:

March 10, 2016 at 6:18 pm

I don’t necessarily support what Mr. Trump says – or what Hillary Clinton says – or what any of the candidates say. I trust the media even less.

If none of the other attempts to discredit Trump has been successful, why not add drama by bringing children into the mix. Why is it that illegals who give birth to a child in this country have to stay? They are free to take their child with them back to the country from which they came. News flash . . . Donald Trump is not the cause of comments from children about sending illegals home. This has been going on for years! No child should fear deportation if he/she is here legally. It’s up to the parents to educate their child about this issue. If a child knows his family is here illegally, the parents are again responsible for explaining this to him or her. Chances are great that what children repeat is heard in the home by the parents.

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Julie Kramschuster says:

March 10, 2016 at 6:28 pm

Are students allowed to bully other students in support of Clinton ? She has said the brown people will be sent away . . . . at least in the past, she has. Maybe that is not her position now, since now she is pandering to Latinos….but if we are going to hold Trump accountable for kids saying what Ms. Roberts claims, shouldn’t we hold Clinton responsible for it too ? And what about Obama, the deporter-in-chief ?
What I really want to know is — in exchange for the NEA and AFT endorsements she already got, is she ever going to do any pandering whatsoever to us teachers ? All I’m hearing so far are coded references to helping kids through charters for the strivers….

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rbeckley58 says:

March 10, 2016 at 6:52 pm

Trump’s campaign indeed seems to be causing a cultural shift within some circles. Two teacher friends, immigrants, have experienced an upsurge in racist remarks. One was even hit by a racist student and consequently is retiring.

Trump struts like Mussolini, and raves and taunts like Hitler. His scapegoating of minorities and riling people up merely awakens the worst human tendencies of fear, anger and blame. Then that leads acting out in shocking ways – like hitting a teacher.

Whether you are on the right or left, please don’t elect a two-year-old. Elect an adult!

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- Michael Fiorillo says:
  
  March 10, 2016 at 8:26 pm
  
  The dilemma we face, rbeckley58, is that the “adults” (and I assume you’re referring to Hillary here) feel entitled to the presidency, and treat us like dull children.
  
  It’s a very unappetizing choice, made worse by the fact that Hillary and her people clearly do not see, or are unable to adequately respond to, the fact that the ground is collapsing beneath their feet.
  
  People don’t like or trust Hillary, and rightfully so, since she’s got all of her husband Bill’s dishonesty and willingness to throw allies under the bus, but none of his charisma. We thus seem to be given a choice between a 69 year-old toddler with self-control issues, and a neocon (albeit an “adult” one) who’s done a pretty good job of conning people about her purported pwogwessive bona fides, which in fact are minimal.
  
  Maybe if her husband had not signed the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which created the huge media monopolies that now control mainstream information channels, and helped give birth to Fox News, the climate of political discourse would not be so poisonous.
  
  But that’s just who she is, and what she and her family do, and that’s not going to change.
  
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m4potw says:

March 10, 2016 at 8:20 pm

To all LEGAL non-white and religious Americans:

Please watch all documentary films regarding communist and fascist era, particularly in WWII. (in Germany, Italy, Vietnam and China)

It is speechless and heart wrenching to acknowledge the state of being savage from uneducated, selfish and greedy people to other fellow beings because of races, religions and classes.

We all know that Hitler of Germany killed himself (=committed suicide), and that so did Mussolini in Italy, but GOOD/educated/rich people have greatly suffered and endured their ordeals.

It is time to do whatever it takes, like to unite and to open mind about humanity, civility, and mutual-respect for being conscientious human beings in order to put down the INTOXICATED strategy of divisiveness and discrimination of races, religions, and classes in today American society.

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schoolgal says:

March 10, 2016 at 10:13 pm

It’s not hurting the children of his supporters.
They are bullies too.
He is not only a bully and hate monger, he has invited his supporters to hurt protestors and said he would pay the legal bills.

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Involved Mom says:

March 11, 2016 at 8:08 am

I bring this up only because of the many comparisons of Trump to other fascist leaders.

Horace Mann influenced our schools in the antebellum period by largely modeling schools after the Prussian school system.

So. . .is it any wonder that we’ve arrived at this point?? Any correlation? It’s worth looking at.

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