Remember when Republicans believed in local control of schools? Those days are over, at least in Florida (and in other states where billionaires and Wall Street titans pour money into school board races to advance privatization).
In Florida, Governor DeSantis has endorsed candidates in more than two dozen local school board elections who are as irresponsible as he is. He can’t bear the possibility that anyone disagrees with him.
He is endorsing candidates who opposed any mask mandates, defying the advice of doctors, scientists, and the CDC.
DORAL, Florida — Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is working to line up a slew of loyalists on school boards across Florida as he seeks a second term in the nation’s third-largest state.
“We need help at the local level,” DeSantis said at a firefighters building before 430 enthusiastic supporters during a campaign event on Sunday. “You guys with your power going out and voting is going to make a huge difference.”
The governor has endorsed 29 conservative candidates ahead of Tuesday’s election for school board races, which typically don’t receive much attention and are technically nonpartisan.
School board members make decisions about spending, schedules, supplies, curriculum, and other matters. But in more than a dozen counties where DeSantis endorsed candidates, school boards defied the governor last fall by obligating students to wear masks.
What we know about DeSantis. He is shrewd. He plays to basic racism, homophobia, and the most extreme rightwing tendencies of voters. He is a bully.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Anti-woke DeSantis is a woeful, intolerant would-be dictator. He manipulates until he has his thumb of all aspects of leadership in the state. He trounces local rule. In addition to weakening school boards by moving charter approval up to the state level, he endorses his toadies in school board elections. DeSantis is also active in “recommending” his toadies for superintendent positions in the state to ensure they are politically aligned with his agenda. He is vindictive and retaliates against anyone that opposes his command, just ask Andrew Warren. There is no room for dissension or disagreement in DeSantis’ woeful Florida.
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article265145451.html
Republicans seem to understand better than Democrats that influencing local elections builds a voting power base. https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/8/8/2115174/-Which-Will-Win-the-Devil-or-Angel-on-America-s-Shoulder
Thanks for this excellent article that explains where we are against the backdrop of history. Our best hope for the future is to move forward together by helping those that cannot help themselves. I agree with your perspective, but I would add that we need to limit money in politics. Wealthy donors undermine fair elections in my opinion. DeSantis is expected to break the record for the amount of PAC money he has accrued. He already has $100 million dollars in his war chest.
a fact really hurting the nation so deeply: Republicans understanding this and using it so effectively while so many Democrats sit back, tentative
Just saw his gloating character assassination of Dr. Fauci. His obvious cynical evil, amorality, lack of ethics, and indifference for others is as scary as it gets.
When questioned, he is arrogant and immediately becomes defensive.
This happened in Coweta County Georgia. The 1776 PAC endorsed and financially supported school board candidates against strong reputable candidates all in an effort to privatize education and begin to defund public education. We’ve seen if for over 12 years now.
If you poll young people across America on the major issues: abortion, Medicare for all, gay rights, immigration and DACA, climate change, Trump–whatever, you find that they OVERWHELMINGLY oppose the standard Republican line. The smarter Republicans (I’m speaking relatively, there) know this. So, they are trying to control schools and to create Christian fundamentalist madrassas (via vouchers) to try to turn that tide, which would effectively eliminate them as a political force within 15-20 years.
So, that’s why “school choice” and a nationalist curriculum were major themes of the last Repugnican Convention and why we are seeing this concerted, organized effort, across the country, to take over school boards. Scary stuff. The freaking Thought Police.
Traditionally conservative Republicans alleged they believed in local control, small government, low taxes, et al.
Todays fascist RINO Republicans believe in theofascist autocracy, total control from the top down. Do as we say or else! We will decide how you live your life, what you learn, how much will let you earn and how many hours a day you have to work, and you will keep your mouths shut and obey! Those that do not comply will be exterminated like the pests we think they are.
I received in my email yesterday yet another transparently biased “survey” from my Flor-uh-duh Congressman, Scott Franklin. It read as follows:
Do you support a Parents’ Bill of Rights to increase transparency on what children are being taught in school and how tax dollars are being spent? (yes/no)
Note that the survey DOES NOT ask,
Do you support allowing a handful of backward, provincial, undemocratic, authoritarian, homophobic, transphobic, sexist, white supremacist, Christian nationalist, fundamentalist wackjobs from among the parents in your community to decide what will be taught in your kids’ schools, what books can be in their library, who can teach, and what teachers can and cannot say? (yes/no)
These two questions are in fact equivalent.
My guess is that in Florida one would get more yes votes for the latter then the former question.
So it’s very surprising that he didnt put it that way.
He sends one of these “surveys” every month; they are all worded in such a way as to make some vile end sound eminently reasonable.
Than
I’ve seen the future, and it looks a whole lot like a swat team, on some real or concocted pretext, knocking down one’s door if one has expressed, somewhere, at some time, some opinion not currently held by whoever is Glorious Leader. Well, Ms. Snowflake who made the Facebook comment about Glorious Leader, did you or did you not fail to report your income from a garage sale you held at your home on October 12th of 2020? That would be tax evasion. You’re looking at perhaps 20 years.
Above, a short story and an essay about the coming surveillance state
We already have the surveillance state.
Virtually everything people now do in the US is tracked and recorded domewhere by someone (much of it by private companies)
All that is lacking is the enforcement.
But stay tuned.
If you were a woman in Texas and tried to get an abortion, the surveillance state would get you, punish you, and let the man go free.
But stay tuned. Exactly.
And meanwhile, Graham is able to put off his testimony, hundreds of Jan 6th peons have been charged, and Guiliani, Perry, Eastman, Trump, and the others continue to slip slide past any accountability here in the land of Just Us not All.
How much confidence do I have that the members of the Trump RICO will be brought to justice? Well, let’s see. Given genetic engineering, it is more likely that we shall see pigs fly first. I think it just about as likely that Trump will take up yoga and write a paper on plasma electrodynamics.
Oh, it’s good to be a king in America.
Exactly, Diane. Or if you had a spontaneous miscarriage.