The National Education Policy Center reviews Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s record on education issues.
Based on his past decisions, he can be expected to oppose affirmative action policies, to oppose the wall of separation between church and state, to favor public support for religious schools, to endorse religious prayers in public schools, and to oppose any limits of the sale of assault weapons or any other kinds of guns.
Elections have consequences.
For those who said there was no difference between Clinton and Trump, Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch are examples of the difference.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
“When Justice Neil M. Gorsuch was a sophomore at Georgetown Preparatory School, he had no clue that a young man two grades ahead of him might someday become his colleague — on the highest court in the land.
By nominating U.S. Appeals Court Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, a 1983 graduate of Georgetown Prep, President Trump on Monday gave the elite private school a shot at a distinction that no other high school can claim. If Kavanaugh is confirmed, two of its graduates will sit on the Supreme Court — and will have been nominated to the court less than 18 months apart.”
Seems like in such a big country where 85% of people attend public schools we could find a couple of high-ranking government appointees who attended one.
They all went to the same colleges. Now they’re all coming from the same high school?
Could we possibly make this narrower and less representative of the country as a whole?
It’s silly. We have Ivanka Trump donning a hard hat and promoting vocational schools. They couldn’t find a single person in DC who actually attended one? When they want advice on vocational schools they ask Jamie Dimon, Michael Bloomberg and Bill Gates. They can’t locate a single welder or machinist or CAD operator to ask? Couldn’t they ship some people who actually work in these jobs in for a day at least?
LikeLike
Don’t worry- the ed reform team is on it, lobbying for Kavanaugh:
https://www.the74million.org/there-is-an-open-question-four-religious-school-choice-cases-that-could-face-scotus-and-kavanaugh/
As usual, not a word on what he’ll mean for the 85% of families who attend public schools. Not an area of interest in ed reform.
Between promoting Republican justices and lobbying against labor unions it’s a wonder these “education advocates” find time to swoop into public schools once a year and scoop up the test score results. If it wasn’t for “testing season” we’d never hear from them at all.
LikeLike
AND…Back up Betsy DeVos on this:
According to documents obtained by the Times, DeVos will soon propose rules that provide more support to students accused of rape, harassment, or assault on campuses across the country. Under the proposed rules, schools would only be liable for handling harassment cases if formal complaints are submitted, and higher legal standards would be set to determine whether schools properly handed those complaints.
LikeLike
As with the 2016 presidential primary, in 2018 there are centrist Democrats with whom I have significant disagreements. Some won. Some lost in the primaries. That said, none are as bad as their Republican challengers. None defend or would acquiesce to the extremism of the current administration. Did some enable the rise of Trump and the resentment that led to the ascendancy of the Republicans at the local, state, and federal levels? Absolutely. Do we need Democrats who will fight for ALL working people? Yes! That said, it is beyond irresponsible to sit out elections. There is no viable progressive third party in the near term. And the near term matters– unless you are so privileged that nothing actually touches you. So, VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!
LikeLike
Recent political news here in Ohio features people who will not vote for a Democrat (e,g., Cordray for Governor) or not vote at all because there are not strong trustworthy candidates willing to “fight for ALL working people.”
These hold-outs seem to be Bernie Sanders supporters and activists in the ranks of the new majority who are fed up with the shows put on by DINOs. The distain for Trump may not be enough to overcome the Republican money machine and the perceived weakness of some leading Democratic candidates.
LikeLike
These are the “radical purists” who prefer corrupt Republicans rather than imperfect Democrats. Maybe Bernie will run for Ohio Governor in four years.
LikeLike
I agree, given that the GOP has become unhinged, vote Democratic in the upcoming elections. Trump has appointed a record number of lower court judges at this particular juncture in his presidency, and there’s little doubt that Kavanaugh will be the next supreme court justice. If Hillary had been elected, we might have had another Ginsburg, Breyer, Kagan or Sotomayor on the SCOTUS.
The ideological purists are still hammering away at their point that Hillary would have been the same or worse and that Trump has forced us to vote in more real progressives. Susan Sarandonism. Susan Sarandon is great on so many issues but she was so wrong to not have voted for Hillary; Jill Stein could not even beat out the libertarian nut case. Now that Cynthia Nixon has lost to Cuomo, will she support Cuomo in the general election since she did run as a Democrat?
LikeLike
Andintoday’sNYTimes
LikeLike
Get a load of this…HOLY COW!
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/teacher-pensions-russia-723852/
LikeLike
Elections have consequences. That is right! They sure do. Elections have consequences, especially primary elections in which the least popular politician in the entire country is chosen to lose what would have been an easy win in the general election for any less unpopular candidate. (At least the superdelegates have been taken out of the equation for next time.) Kavanaugh is what we get for the establishment’s duplicity.
Time to pull out the real cynicism: Sure, no pressure on any party elite to stop taking regular vacations to Martha’s Vineyard or stop hanging out on Reed Hastings’ yacht. Just vote for them anyway so they can keep fecklessly running neoliberal campaigns of deceit and the Party into the ground. Now that the primaries are winding down, vote. Vote! Don’t think. Vote.
LikeLike
Too many Democrats snooze through the midterms. Democrats need everyone to show up to vote, and grin and bear individual differences. Vote Blue.
LikeLiked by 1 person
YES. Think “left or right” vs. Democrat or Republican. Vote left and push those who get into office to actually represent the values of the left
LikeLike
LCT,
Yes, every time a Democratic candidate loses, it is always the fault of the corrupt Democratic system that nominated such a corrupt candidate that you just couldn’t vote for.
Look, I was uttering the same nonsense as you when I made sure to spend all my time and effort convincing everyone I knew not to vote for the corrupt Jimmy Carter who had only been the candidate because the nasty corrupt Democrats in power wanted Carter instead of progressive Ted Kennedy who would fight for the working man.
I’m so glad you think I was correct in making sure Jimmy Carter lost even if it did give us Reagan. After all, it is all the Democrats’ fault for letting the corrupt Jimmy Carter be a candidate. He just wasn’t progressive enough. I was absolutely correct to work so hard to make sure Carter lost.
Imagine the Supreme Court with not one but TWO appointments by the same family who gave us the evil Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Instead of Gorsuch and Kavanaugh. But just like I was correct to make sure the evil Jimmy Carter didn’t appoint Supreme Court justices, your battle to make sure the evil Hillary Clinton didn’t appoint Supreme Court justices was so correct.
The election of Reagan showed me how foolish I was to believe the rhetoric that Jimmy Carter was against every progressive ideal and even Reagan was better than having him continue as President. Carter was better than Reagan although no doubt you disagree with me.
I grew up after seeing what Reagan did. If you are watching Trump and still insisting that it’s fine if the Republicans control both houses of Congress and the Supreme Court, you are probably white.
LikeLike
Jimmy Carter was President Jimmy Carter in 1980. Fight for the working class while in office or lose, lose to a Hollywood actor, lose to a reality show host.
LikeLike
In other words, you approve of my vote for John Anderson and hard work getting others to vote for Anderson, too? Because Carter had to go, even if it meant Reagan won.
I guess you were very pleased with the results, yes? Imagine the horrors had Carter won again. My vote against Carter really put America back on the right progressive track. Isn’t that your point? If we make sure Reagan and the Republicans have power and not an evil Democrat like Carter who isn’t working hard enough for the working man, we are helping turn this country more progressive. Just like we did when we voted against Carter!
Maybe you think the outcome of 12 years of Reagan/Reagan/Bush 1 accomplished some great progressive goal that made up for all the harm Reagan did. I shall have to disagree with you about that.
LikeLike
I wouldn’t make such a big deal. “The last progressive to occupy the White House was Richard Nixon.”
LikeLike
I suppose you’re very excited to have another opportunity to vote for Cuomo. He relies on your allegiance.
LikeLike
Cynthia Nixon ran a strong spirited challenge to Cuomo. I voted for her. She lost. Now what? Sit it out and let Mark Molinaro, a conservative Republican win?
Bernie Sanders did the same in the primary against Clinton. I voted for him. He lost (fairly or not.) Clinton won. Some folks who usually vote, did not. Trump won. What was gained and lost?
LikeLike
“I wouldn’t make such a big deal” out of Reagan’s win and Trump’s win. Something commonly said by white people who complain about “those people” using “identity politics” when they should be appealing to the white working class who weren’t bothered at all about Trump’s racism and xenophobia.
By the way, Bernie Sanders made it very clear that it made absolutely no difference to him whether Cuomo or Nixon won. Sanders did care very much that the DFER Democrat won in Virginia against pro-public education Ralph Northam, but when it came to being at all critical of Cuomo, Sanders took a pass because he was perfectly fine with Cuomo.
By your standards, that makes Bernie Sanders a corrupt sell-out and if he runs we should vote for anyone but Bernie even if it means a right wing Republican wins.
Unlike you, I can look at ALL of Bernie Sanders’ positions and not decide he is a sell-out because some of them are not what I would choose. But I am certain you want Sanders defeated and will work hard to make sure anyone but Sanders — including a right wing Republican — wins.
Or are you a hypocrite? After all, you have insisted there is no big difference between Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, so you must believe there is no difference between Bernie Sanders and Andrew Cuomo. Will you be donating to Cuomo yourself?
LikeLike
Let’s not put words in Senator Sanders’ mouth. I believe he only lends his name to people who have proven track records of eschewing large sums of cash. I agree with that idea.
What was lost when Republicans won big elections against Democratic neoliberals over the last half a century? A lot, especially the court appointments. What was gained when Republicans beat Dem neoliberals? Nothing, until Bernie came along and showed everyone there is a better choice than just the lesser of two evils. Now, elections between neoliberals of the two parties are double-edged swords. 2016 slapped some sense into the Democratic Party. That was good. So yeah, I guess I am a purist. I would like the wealthy neoliberal grip on both parties to end, and am willing to endure big short term losses to go after huge long term gains like the greatest long term gain, one liberal party that protects labor and the poor.
LikeLike
Appointment of right wing life-time Supreme Court justices is not a short term loss. For refugees jailed at border and/or deported the policy is not a short term loss. Neither is it for people who are needless shot by police who see color first or by angry people with too easy access to guns. Neither will it be for women and their families when abortion becomes illegal again. Neither will it be for workers trying make demands without union protection. How about the loss of Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid. I could go on.
Sorry, but this seems to be an argument without regard to real suffering.
There is no evidence for the idea that when things get worse, they will get better. It is easier to organize for change in the absence of repression than with it.
LikeLike
And so, as far as Cuomo goes, it’s a shame Nixon lost. I could make myself feel better by telling you to vote for Cuomo and at least he’s officially a Democrat. I won’t. New York is in trouble.
LikeLike
All true. No offense, but it’s rather difficult for teachers nowadays to be unaware of suffering. I was just saying that rebuilding the Democratic Party will take a very long time and a great deal of sacrifice.
LikeLike
What about the other conservative justices? Will they ALL align with Kavanaugh and vote in a block?
Kavanaugh cannot do it by himself.
He cannot change affirmative action policies, erase the wall of separation between church and state, favor public support for religious schools, endorse religious prayers in public schools, and oppose any limits of the sale of assault weapons or any other kinds of guns without support from the other four conservative justices.
Will even one stand up and block Kavanaugh?
Clarence Thomas – George H. W. Bush
Samuel Alito – George W. Bush
John Roberts – George W. Bush
Neil Gorsuch – Donald Trump
LikeLike
My 2 cents worth. Both Gorsich and kavenaugh lack legitimacy. Why? My view; they do not represent the will of the American people. Trump won the presidency because our political system for good or ill has said that the presidency, the ONLY one, is decided not by popular vote but by the system we employ now which has given us both George W and
Trump.
From dog catcher on up the presidency is the only political office which is decided in this manner of which I am aware. Whether or not it is the best system can and is debated but I sure wish that in the case of these two individuals they had been eliminated, that the popular vote had been the deciding factor.
Trump does not represent the will of the American people by some, according to the Associated press, 2,9 million votes. WE are struck with Trump because, at least one reason, too many Bernie Supporters, of which I was one, let their anger supersede their good judgment.
LikeLike