Valerie Strauss watched the DeVos hearings and came away with six points that were, as she put it, “head scratching.”

 

In some cases, DeVos suggested she would allow states to decide whether to comply with federal laws to states, so that those who want to ignore federal law may do so.

 

She seemed to be unfamiliar with IDEA, the federal law protecting students with disabilities. Senator Tim Kaine asked her whether it was right for kids to abandon their civil rights protection by enrolling in a voucher program like the one in Florida, and she responded by singing the praises of the Florida voucher program.

 

When asked about contributions by her mother’s foundation to anti-LGBT organizations like Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council, she said that those contributions came from her mother’s foundation, and she was not a member of the board. However, Jennifer Berkshire (EduShyster) posted on Twitter the tax reports of her mother’s foundation, and for many years (until recently), she was vice-president of the board. Was that a truthful answer? Her mother was a founder of both organizations.

 

On subject after subject, DeVos dodged the question, evaded the question, said that it was “worth a discussion,” and found other artful (and not so artful) ways to avoid answering.

 

Clearly, she is ill-prepared for the job of Secretary of Education. Nothing in her testimony suggested that she had even been briefed.