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New research sheds light on the cultural values that played a key role in shaping peoples attitude toward Donald Trump and their intentions to vote for the Republican candidate in 2016. The findings, published in New Political Science, indicate that beliefs related to hegemonic masculinity, race/ethnicity, and authorities on truth influenced the likelihood of adults developing an affinity for Trump.

As social scientists, we were particularly interested in the social forces that encouraged people to develop affinities for Donald Trump who was such a controversial, divisive, and fascinating figure and who, it turned out, won a pivotal presidential election and has largely shaped history and society since, explained study author Chris Knoester, an associate professor of sociology at Ohio State University.

Based onprevious research, we became aware of unique data that allowed us to consider how social structure (e.g., gender, race/ethnicity, education, age) and cultural values and related social policies (e.g., culture war topics connected to gender, race/ethnicity and nativism, and authorities on truth) predicted the likelihood that U.S. adults would develop trust in Trump and state intentions to vote for him in the month before the 2016 presidential election.

We realized that we could offer evidence that disentangles, to some extent, how and to what degree social structure and culture encouraged people to trust Trump, how and to what degree these factors encouraged people to state intentions to vote for Trump, and how and to what degree a variety of culture war topics connected to gender, race/ethnicity and nativism, and the establishment of truth were associated with intentions to vote for Trump even after accounting for the levels of trust that people developed for him, Knoester explained.

Essentially, these analyses show evidence of how culture war politics were integral to Trumps rise to power and they offer a preview of especially Republicans culture war strategies, and their reliance upon them and realizations of their effectiveness, since 2016.

Data for the study came from the Taking Americas Pulse 2016 Class Survey, which included responses from 1,461 U.S. adults. The survey was conducted online between October 5 and 25, 2016 just prior to the 2016 presidential election, and included the question: If you HAD to choose, which presidential candidate do you find to be more truthful: Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton? The survey also collected data regarding voting intentions, demographic factors, and attitudes related to hegemonic masculinity, race/ethnicity and nativism, and authorities on truth.

Of the entire sample, 48% thought that Trump was more truthful than Hillary Clinton and 34% intended to vote for him. Trust in Trump was higher among men (vs women), Whites (vs other ethnicities), and those with a high school or some college education (vs those with a college education).

But these factors were no longer significant predictors of support for Trump after accounting for political partisanship and beliefs that embody specific cultural values. Instead, people who support Trump tended to share certain beliefs about masculinity, race, immigration, and what is considered true or not. This suggests that social structure played a role in influencing support for Trump by shaping peoples beliefs about these cultural values.

In particular, trust in Trump was higher among those who disagreed that women are disadvantaged in the workplace, those who believed it is okay to use physical violence to address bullying, those who supported increased penalties for undocumented immigrants, those who supported more preparation to offset the threats from international terrorists, those who disagreed that climate change is real, and those who agreed that the news media has increased racial discrimination.

Additionally, intentions to vote for Trump were higher among those who disapproved of participation trophies, those who were skeptical that long-term interracial romantic relationships could be successful, those who felt athlete protests during the National Anthem were unacceptable, and those who believed that presidential candidates should be able to ban the press from campaign events.

We were struck by the apparent relevance of different culture war issues involving gender, race/ethnicity and nativism, and authorities on truth in establishing affinities for Donald Trumpeven beyond social structural and partisanship influences, Knoester told PsyPost.

Some of the prominent and salient culture war issues in 2016 seemed to revolve around disputes about sexism at work, punishments for undocumented immigrants, terrorism threats, protests during the national anthem, trust in the media, and global warming. Many of these cultural war contestations continued to connect to intentions to vote for Trump even after considering the extent to which people trusted Trump relative to Hillary Clinton.

Nonetheless, before people would state an intention to vote for Trump, it seemed that they needed to establish some trust in him, Knoester said. Virtually no one in our study intended to vote for Trump if they trusted Hillary Clinton more than him. And, social structural and cultural forces encouraged some people to establish trust in Trump.

The researchers used a framework developed by Linguist George Lakoff to interpret the relationship between social structure and cultural values. Lakoff outlined two common frames used in political discourse. All humans have both mental frames, but they may prioritize one over the other based on their personal experiences and situation in life.

The strict father morality frame is often embraced by conservative individuals and assumes a hierarchical structure with a focus on personal responsibility and toughness. It is also patriarchal and racialized, with the father figure being a white male who enforces rules and traditional gender expectations and inequalities.

In contrast, more liberal individuals tend to embrace a nurturant parent frame, which assumes that people are generally good but require support and opportunities to thrive. This frame is less hierarchical and more accepting of differences in behavior and beliefs. It also promotes equality among different human characteristics such as gender, race/ethnicity, and place of origin.

Our study suggests that people use different notions of morality, affected by their embrace of what George Lakoff describes as a strict father or nurturing parent metaphorical framing, Knoester told PsyPost. Social forces encourage us to differentially adopt one of these social psychological framings of morality, oftentimes subconsciously. Many of these influential social forces stem from social structure (e.g., gender, race/ethnicity, education, age).

Yet, cultural values and related social policies are also very meaningful and gender, race/ethnicity and nativism, and authorities on truth disputes are traditional fault lines that have emerged as extensions of social structure influences and different moral authority framings. Culture wars seem to especially prompt visceral reactions in people, divide potential coalitions, and enable political agents to co-opt them for inspirational, motivational, distractive, and control purposes. Often, they tap into fears, anxieties, grievances, and pushes for diversity, equity, and inclusionand backlashes to these pushes, amid many changes in the culture at large.

We all need to be more mindful of these social structural and cultural contestation forces, recognize how influential they have been, and wary of how they are activated and used to frequently gain or maintain power and influenceoften, by dividing and polarizing us in ways that commonly stigmatize and harm some groups of people and more generally prevent collaborations that may enable better qualities of life, for all. In fact, they can also offer threats to social order and democracy.

The study provides valuable insights into peoples opinions on cultural and political topics leading up to the 2016 U.S. election, and offers new data on their affinities towards Trump during that period. But like all research, it has some limitations.

Unfortunately, due to data limitations, we were unable to analyze the relevance of religious influences and contestations about LGBTQ issues, Knoester said. It seems clear that religious affiliations profoundly matter in the determination of moral authority framings. Also, culture war contestations have commonly involved LGBTQ issues (e.g., same sex marriage, gender and sexual identities, and transgender rights). These factors should be more fully considered in future research.

Furthermore, the relevance of social structure and cultureand particularly cultural war issuescontinue to be in flux and, to some extent, their influence seems to be continually manufactured. So, for example, we see changes in what issues take hold and there continue to be trial balloons floated about cultural war issues and related social policies in attempts to capture media attention, public reactions, and effective taps into fears, anxieties, hopes, and grievances.

Recently, the issues have emphasized gender identities, sexual identities, race/ethnicity, and discussion and recognition of institutionalized, historic, and systematic inequalities, Knoester continued. The culture war issues have highlighted, as part of this, transgender athletes, critical race theory, and public educationamong many other things. So, continually, the questions that still need to be addressed involve what has changed in terms of the relevance and manipulations of social structural and cultural forces and influences, why, and to what effectand what should and can be done about these dynamics?

The findings from our study suggest that we need to become more vigilantly educated and aware of where social structural and cultural forces are coming from, why they matter, and how they are use, the researcher added. Also, we need to continually try to make better sense of these social forces and collaboratively work to challenge them if they are being used to infringe upon the rights, well-being, and opportunities of fellow Americans. These processes do not begin, nor will they end, with Donald Trumpalthough he has been intimately involved in benefitting from them, co-opting them, and affecting them.

The study, Social Structure, Culture, and the Allure of Donald Trump in 2016, was authored by Chris Knoester and Matthew Knoester.

See the article here:
Study provides insight into how culture war issues contributed to Trump's rise to power - PsyPost

Some Boca Raton residents said they received packets with antisemitic messages in their driveways and front yards Jan. 14, the same daya swastika was projected onto an AT&T building in downtown West Palm Beach.

The Saxons said they launched the Dissident Homeschool channel on Telegram after years of searching for and developing Nazi-approved material for their own home-schooled children material they were eager to share.

The IRS audits Black taxpayers at roughly three to five times the rate of non-Black taxpayers.

Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and former state Republican Party Chair Matt Borges were convicted in a $60 million bribery scheme that federal prosecutors have called the largest corruption case in state history.

An Idaho hospital will stop labor and delivery services, citing doctor shortages and the political climate, the hospital announced.

The violations began piling up just as Republican state legislators, many of them newly in the majority, went on the attack against child labor restrictions, pressing in various ways to expand the number of work hours and work settings available to teenagers aged 14 to 17.

Ive slowly and reluctantly realized that its not that they dont know; its that they dont care.

Nunes small group continues to grow,as once-fringe white nationalist rhetoric and ideas gain traction.

There isnt really an upside to Trump.

I hate him passionately.

I mean, you have to harbor quite a bit of hate for your viewers to willfully continue feeding them vaccine misinformation that isliterally killing them.

Its a shit network.

In other words, Gannett has eliminated more than half of its jobs in the United States in four years.

The bill does not set limits on the extent of which officers can restrain students, or add restrictions to ensure the student is safe.

One of the parents asserts to West Shore school officials that her conservative religious values conflict with the Character Strong lessons which are intended to teach compassion because not every human is deserving of my childs empathy.'

Republican presidential hopefuls are vowing to wage a war on woke, but a majority of Americans are inclined to see the word as a positive attribute, not a negative one.

Those three spirits who visited Drazkowski last Christmas Eve clearly bungled the job.

Continue reading here:
Postcards from the class & culture wars (3.20.23) - Patheos

With help from Marissa Martinez.

Good Thursday morning, Illinois. And Ramadan Mubarak to all our readers who observe.

SCOOP: In an unprecedented move, the Illinois Democratic Party is funding campaigns for nonpartisan school board and library board races across the state out of concern that conservatives are trying to take over those organizations to ban books or impede First Amendment rights.

Theyre running to push a political agenda that is completely and directly antithetical to our values, Ben Hardin, the executive director of the Illinois Democratic Party, told Playbook in an interview. We decided that it was absolutely necessary that we do whatever we can do to prevent these organizations supporting, and these candidates, from taking over school boards.

The party has made a six-figure investment in paid communications for more than 80 campaigns across Illinois. The support is going to candidates who align with the values of the Democratic Party, Hardin said, and to campaigns opposing candidates that have right-wing support.

This isnt about Republicans vs. Democrats, Hardin said, adding the program came about when the party learned of national extremist organizations supporting candidates for school library boards here in Illinois.

He pointed to Darren Bailey, the former GOP governor candidate, billionaire Republican donor Dick Uihlein and dark money from national conservative groups as trying to control school and library boards. Bailey recently told Playbook that his next political move was to get conservatives elected to school boards.

Spreading the word: The Illinois Democratic Party is also launching a new website to provide voters with information about these races. DefendOurSchoolsIL.com allows voters to identify fringe candidates that the state Democratic party considers to be far-right extremists, according to the party.

Round the clock: The effort is part of the partys new effort to work year-round on campaigns and political endeavors.

RELATED

Illinois House OKs measure to allow the state to deny grants to libraries that ban books, by Tribunes Jeremy Gorner

Des Plaines school board member says schools shouldnt celebrate Columbus Day: In District 62, were very mindfully teaching true history, Tina Garrett told Daily Heralds Russell Lissau

NEW MAYORAL POLL: The latest survey by Victory Research shows the race is close with Paul Vallas at 46 percent, Brandon Johnson at 44 percent and nearly 10 percent undecided.

Johnson is focusing on endorsements to help define him as well as Vallas.

Endorsements energize your base and show a positive energy about our campaign, explained Johnson spokesman Bill Neidhardt. A good example was Wednesdays endorsement by Massachusetts Democratic Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, a member of The Squad and someone who can rev up Johnsons progressive base.

Campaign war: Separately, Johnsons campaign has manufactured an endorsement and claimed its Vallas.

Context: Oppo research revealed Vallas on a conservative radio show a few years ago claiming Gov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot act like dictators for their pandemic executive orders.

The oppo prompted Republican Darren Bailey to talk about it on his Facebook live page , which Johnsons team is calling an endorsement for Vallas. Bailey didnt endorse anyone.

Johnsons team isnt giving up on pinning the Republican label on Vallas, who was officially endorsed Wednesday by former Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn. Vallas was Quinns running mate in his failed 2013 race against Bruce Rauner. Though Vallas more recent stumble might be spending too much time on conservative talk shows.

Wednesdays debate was packed: Public safety, education, Kim Foxx, eye rolls, head shakes and dismissing people, writes Sun-Times Mitchell Armentrout.

On their 100-day plans for Chicago: More beat cops vs. treatment not trauma, by Tribunes Alice Yin and Gregory Pratt

Watch the full debate via Fox 32

Johnson gets the New York Times treatment: Stacy Davis Gates, the president of the Chicago Teachers Union, said there was no expectation that Mr. Johnson would be in lock step with the union if elected. But she said the possibility of having a mayor who understood the struggles of classroom educators and would listen to their concerns had motivated teachers to support him.

AD-ING IT UP: In a new, direct-to-camera ad released Wednesday, Johnson calls himself the real Democrat for mayor, highlighting his plan to go after the root causes of crime. Johnson is now airing four ads, including one in Spanish, and Vallas has three spots. Still, Vallas spending is outpacing Johnsons. With less than two weeks before the April 4 runoff, Vallas is committed to spend $2.88 million since March 21 compared to Johnsons $803,000.

Vallas reports new $1.4M in fundraising, via Crains.

If you are Ayanna Pressley, Playbook wants to know when was the last time you were in Chicago. Email [emailprotected]olitico.com.

No official public events.

No official public events.

No official public events.

Have a news tip, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Id like to hear from you: [emailprotected]

Blue wall Democrats urge the White House to give Chicago the 2024 DNC convention, A group of governors, including Gov. JB Pritzker, Congress members and city leaders across the Midwest signed a letter Wednesday, calling on the White House and DNC Chair Jaime Harrison to choose Chicago, writes NBCs Natasha Korecki. Heres the letter.

Chicago and Cook County each call for 1,000 election judges before April 4, by the Chicago Tribunes Jake Sheridan

A quarter of a century after being carjacked, Giannoulias doles out $21M in grants to fight current surge: Chicago carjacking reports hit an apex of 1,849 in 2021. The Illinois secretary of state said its also personal for him, after being carjacked with high school basketball teammates in 1998. It leaves a scar you never forget, he said. I hate the thought of anyone else going through that, by Sun-Times Mitchell Armentrout.

Lawmakers pass bill to designate official state nut, via NBC 5

Defense tries to flip the script in ComEd bribery trial, casting corruption charges as classic, honest, legal lobbying: Four former political power players are charged in a scheme to bribe Michael Madigan when he was Illinois powerful House speaker by arranging for jobs, contracts and money for Madigans allies, by Sun-Times Jon Seidel and Tina Sfondeles.

Tribunes take: Ex-ComEd lawyer testifies request to put Juan Ochoa on utilitys board came from Michael Madigan, by Jason Meisner and Ray Long

11th Ward: Nicole Lee and Anthony Ciaravino face off in Chicagos first Asian-majority ward: Ciaravino, a longtime cop for the Chicago Police Department, said he did not think Asian representation on the City Council is important, but that he has a lot of friendships and fellowships and brothers and sisters in that Chinatown community, by WBEZs Esther Yoon-Ji Kang and Amy Qin. Lee, the current Asian alderwoman, calls Ciaravinos statement dismissive, according to a statement responding to WBEZs story.

First in Playbook: Sen. Dick Durbin is weighing in on the ward race. Hes backing Lee.

Chicago Public Schools and Board of Ed say help needed as $600M deficit looms: Federal pandemic relief funding has papered over long-standing issues, but that money is set to run out in two years, by Sun-Times Nader Issa and WBEZs Sarah Karp.

Independent day: Aldermen wanting to make the Chicago City Council run more independently from the mayors office are calling a vote next week to change how their committees operate. Ald. Michelle Harris, who has endorsed Paul Vallas for mayor, says changing the rules will establish a strong and independent City Council. Heres her message to aldermen.

Citys 2022 overtime bill stands at $441M, With $210M going to police working overtime, by WTTWs Heather Cherone and Jared Rutecki

Chicago is required to have a chief administrative officer; it hasnt for decades, reports Sun-Times Fran Spielman

Blackhawks will not wear Pride jerseys for Sundays Pride Night due to safety concerns for Russian players, Sun-Times Ben Pope reports

Naperville stopped ticketing students at school. But its still pushing a 3-year-old case about AirPods to trial, by ProPublicas Jodi S. Cohen and Jennifer Smith Richards

We asked if you need to live in Illinois to run a good political campaign.

Scott Fawell: No, but it helps to know the state and have the institutional knowledge as to how to build a winning coalition. And be aware, politics in Illinois is a contact sport.

Matthew Beaudet: Yes. Never forget that All politics is local.

Kevin Conlon: No, but hire a person already engaged here so they dont waste valuable time learning the players.

Rosemaria DiBenedetto: No. I manage suburban races all the time in areas I dont live in. You need to understand the issues and have a strong field operation.

Brendan Power: Yes. In 2016, my regional field director was based out of Ohio never set foot in Chicago and insisted we canvas during the Cubs playoff run and World Series. It did not go over well.

Jay Pearce: No. However, you do need to understand the lay of the land and how to apply universally good strategies to Illinois unique characteristics.

Andy Shaw: No. Its easier to build a campaign around made-up claims, charges and promises when youre not familiar with Illinois.

Patricia Ann Watson: No, but the manager better be surrounded by staffers who understand the uniqueness and connections.

Whats the nerdiest thing you do? Email [emailprotected]

Congressman Sean Casten (IL-06) is trying to promote ESG policy making at a time when many of his colleagues are more interested in pushing political agendas. His stated goal of working across the aisle seems almost quixotic at a moment when bipartisanship is in short supply, writes Jordan Wolman in POLITICOs The Long Game.

Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (IL-14) reintroduced the Health Care Affordability Act, her signature legislation to permanently lower the cost of health care premiums, Wednesday with the 13th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act. A short-term version of Underwoods measure was included in the Inflation Reduction Act.

Jeff Zients was the man to make the trains run on time. Its been a bumpy start, by POLITICOs Adam Cancryn, Eugene Daniels and Nicholas Wu

Court rejects Trumps urgent bid to keep lawyers records from special counsel, by POLITICOs Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney

Never Don and Never Ron: The rest of the GOP field looks for a third lane, by POLITICOs Natalie Alison and Adam Wren

Task force challenges length of prison sentences in America, via USA Today

Today at 2 p.m.: Liz Dozier, founder and CEO of Chicago Beyond, will discuss Opportunity and Hope Through Disruption with John Shaw, director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute in this virtual event. Details here

WEDNESDAYs ANSWER: Congrats to Mark McCombs and Ted McClelland for correctly answering Mayor Anton Cermaks son-in-law, Otto Kerner, was governor of Illinois.

And h/t to Helena Kerner Stern, great granddaughter of Mayor Cermak, who was assassinated before Kerner took office.

TODAYs QUESTION: What was a four-legged voter in Chicago election terms? Email [emailprotected]

Former state Comptroller and 1978 governor candidate Michael Bakalis, Mac Strategies Monique Garcia, political consultant Charles Edwards, economist Valerie Michelman, Kivvit principal Evan Keller, Chicagos own Chaka Khan and belated greetings to Illinois Democratic Party spokeswoman Kiera Ellis, who celebrated Wednesday.

-30-

The rest is here:
Illinois Dems join the culture wars - POLITICO - POLITICO

By GARRY RAYNO, InDepthNH.org

A quick look at the House and Senate calendars for this week will convince even those with casual political interests that the culture wars have come to New Hampshire.

Lawmakers will spend hours debating the war on public education, parental rights, abortion rights, voting rights, vaccines and medical care, firearms, drugs and governmental power to name about half the debates to grace Representatives Hall and the Senate Chamber.

Not that long ago, these more global issues were not front and center in every session of the General Court.

Instead it was the states support for institutions like nursing homes and higher education, reducing the uncompensated care for hospitals, tax credits to attract businesses and yes how the state funds education.

It was not about furries and cat litter boxes, drag shows and grooming, or face masks and lockdowns.

How did the state get from dealing with its own issues to making New Hampshire deal with the same issues as Texas or Florida or any of the other states undergoing the same forced rehabilitations.

It is easy to blame social media for the universalization of issues and concerns, but it is just the vehicle. What has caused the manipulation of this countrys consciousness is the information or misinformation that has been spread over the electronic infrastructure.

Very sophisticated networks are doing damage to this country that could not have happened in a war or limited military conflict.

During the Vietnam War the conflict was often described as a war for the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese people.

And now the war for the hearts and minds has come home 50 years later.

The polarization between red and blue and the resulting cultural wars intended to energize the base, has created a country with little use for compromise and that is apparent in the New Hampshire legislature as well.

Much of what has been passed in the last three years is unpopular, some very unpopular with the general public if you read the polls, but lawmakers who push these agendas or proposals that serve a small portion of the state continue to be elected.

In New Hampshire it is easy to see how Republicans gerrymandered the Senate and Executive Council and to some extent the House, to have control of all three although Democratic candidates received more votes than Republican candidates in all three bodies.

The state has an all Democratic Congressional delegation, and until Gov. Chris Sununu won in 2016, controlled the governors office for 16 of the previous 18 years.

New Hampshire is truly a purple state but you would not know that looking at the legislation approved and proposed in the last three years by the House and Senate.

The public has not given the lawmakers a mandate to turn New Hampshire into a Libertarian Shangri-La but that is what is happening.

Money is being drained out of the public school system, taxes are cut and some eliminated like the interest and dividends tax which benefits the wealthy not the poor, regulations are eliminated, and personal freedoms are emphasized to the detriment of a safe society.

The one thing that has really not worked out as planned for the Libertarians is Gov. Chris Sununus power grab of federal money that he used to concentrate power in the executive branch.

And ironically it is the flow of money into politics that has driven what is happening in New Hampshire, and other stateslike Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Texas, Florida and in the Midwest.

Extreme school voucher programs, attacks on reproductive rights and the gay and transgender communities, all similar if not identical in legislation that is intended to reduce the power of government, its reach and return to a time that never was in our lifetimes, but did exist before the Civil War or at least before Franklin Roosevelts New Deal.

The US Supreme Courts Citizens United decision in January 2010 struck down restrictions on corporate contributions saying they violated First Amendment rights.

It not only gave corporations the same rights as citizens it opened the floodgates for corporate money into campaigns and allowed them to influence elections like they never had before.

It also allowed that corporate money to operate in the dark money universe where super PACs do not disclose where the money comes from.

The decision essentially took government out of the hands of voters and put it into the hands of the mega donors.

And it trickled down to New Hampshire as well.

In each of the last two elections about $1 million was spent on House seats alone, while the Senate PACs received about an equal amount with spending on a senate seat often over $100,000 and some over $200,000.

That is a lot of money for a position that pays $100 a year and you know whoever gave big money will expect a return.

That was clear in the House debate last week on five bills from the Science, Technology and Science Committee that split 10-10 down party lines failing to reach recommendations on the bills.

The bills would have encouraged renewable energy, energy efficiency, and reduced carbon emissions goals to bring the state in line with its New England neighbors.

But all five were voted down by between five and 10 votes.

One speaker noted he received a letter from the oil lobby, Americans For Prosperity, alluding to the education arm of the Koch Foundation, one of the big players in major money flowing into the stage legislative races.

The company is one of the largest fossil fuel producers and refiners in the world and like all the others wants tomaintain its livelihood or at least its considerable profits and works to ensure renewable energy, energy efficiency and other things to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels do not impact their profits.

The foundation is but one of a number of industries that have been turned loose to spend freely on buying the New Hampshire legislature and many others all the way up to Congress.

They benefit from the culture wars because it helps to put the people they want into decision-making positions and to achieve their libertarian goals of doing away with public education, regulations, taxes and anything that looks like a functioning and efficient federal government or even state government.

And the culture wars create a distraction so people dont realize what is really happening to end democracy as we know it and replace it with a government more like the one that existed before the New Deal instituted the social safety net, regulations and higher taxes to pay for it.

If you want a front row seat to watch this happen in real time, particularly the House, and to some extent the Senate sessions this week.

The House meets Wednesday and Thursday beginning at 9 a.m., while the Senate meets Thursday beginning at 10 a.m.

Garry Rayno may be reached atgarry.rayno@yahoo.com.

Distant Domeby veteran journalist Garry Rayno explores a broader perspective on the State House and state happenings for InDepthNH.org. Over his three-decade career, Rayno covered the NH State House for the New Hampshire Union Leader and Fosters Daily Democrat. During his career, his coverage spanned the news spectrum, from local planning, school and select boards, to national issues such as electric industry deregulation and Presidential primaries. Raynolives with his wife Carolyn in New London.

Go here to see the original:
Culture Wars Take Over NH House this Week - InDepthNH.org

All new episode of 8@4 has stories on a new baseball card shop, meeting a new artists and some delicious bar food to enjoy during March basketball viewing. 8@4 is presented by Massey Cancer Center from the Virginia Wayside Furniture studio.

Over the past five years, the determination to improve education in Virginia has been bipartisan.

Under Gov. Ralph Northams leadership and with both Republican majorities and then Democratic majorities, the legislature consistently invested in education, raising teacher pay, adding school counselors, coming closer to fulfilling our states obligation to fully fund schools, and more. It also focused on policies that would provide more opportunities for more students, such as expanding pre-K, rethinking how we assess students and making our community colleges more robust and accessible.

This continued under the first year of Gov. Glenn Youngkins administration, when the legislature passed Gov. Northams final budget, which included record investments in K-12 education, and unanimously passed the Literacy Act, a much-needed law to increase literacy rates across the commonwealth.

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All this is to say that, here in Virginia, weve begun to recognize that a world-class education is the ticket to upward mobility, strengthening our middle class and creating safe and prosperous communities. And although it may seem unlikely, Democrats and Republicans do want the same thing: for our children to feel safe and excel in their school environment, for Virginia to have the best public schools in the nation and to ensure that parents have meaningful involvement in their childs schooling. As a high school civics and history teacher and state delegate, I believe that further progress for our students and schools requires big, bipartisan solutions and investments.

Right now, I fear that our bipartisan consensus is being ruptured by political culture wars and unilateral right-wing policy experiments that will damage our public school system.

Last week, Gov. Youngkin participated in a town hall on CNN to address his education agenda. He says it will give parents a voice in education and put school excellence first. The problem here is that these truisms, which all Virginians, regardless of political party, want, require thoughtful policy decisions in consultation with stakeholders across the political and educational spectrums. Reforming testing and accreditation, adopting new history standards, respecting all parents and their students and raising standards in all classrooms require large-scale buy in and group effort.

But instead of seeking consultation and outreach, weve seen the opposite. Gov. Youngkin has instituted a teacher tip line for people to accuse teachers of teaching divisive concepts, crafted ideologically driven history standards in secret, attempted to defund public schools with a voucher program and then continuously accused Democrats and educators of wanting to divide communities and lower standards.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin visits a classroom at Colonial Forge High School in Stafford in September.

So lets talk about what the governor can do, in conjunction with the legislature, educators and Republicans and Democrats, to keep Virginia a national leader in education:

We should fully fund the implementation of the Literacy Act through eighth grade, which the governors budget proposal failed to do.

Adopt large portions of the Senates budget proposal, including uncapping the amount we provide localities for support staff and continuing to give teachers pay raises. Both were not included in the governors budget in order to give corporations a tax cut, and both are necessary to keep our school systems on a positive trajectory.

Work collaboratively, rather than secretively, on assessment and accreditation reform to get the large-scale bipartisan support needed to ensure both can be fully implemented with political, communal and educational buy in.

Adopt the history standards proposed by professional educators who specialize in history that married the initial proposals with Gov. Youngkins proposals. This work, which was done over two years with hundreds of stakeholders all over the commonwealth, can be approved with the governors suggested edits rather than thoughtless wholesale replacement.

Drop attempts to privatize our public schools with voucher programs and think about how we can add career and technical education programs, magnet schools and other forms of curriculum and school diversity within our public schools. Thats a much better way to serve the many different educational needs of our students, rather than private-equity experimentation. The county I represent and teach in, Henrico, does an excellent job of providing students with options while being accountable to taxpayers.

All this would require transparent, public and bipartisan collaboration. After last weeks national town hall, I hope that the governor is more inclined to have these critical conversations with community members and leaders for the betterment of our childrens future and the commonwealth. Its time to stop playing politics with our kids education and get to work theres too much on the line.

Rodeo

04-18-1986 (cutline): A rodeo clown's job is to protect cowboys, but ometimes they get in trouble.

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07-22-1982 (cutline): Wally Terry (right), Clint Corey, and Marty Terry (left), all from California, takes hatts off to music of 'America the Beautiful' at the rodeo.

Rodeo

04-02-1977 (cutline): John Gilstrap is a laugh-maker and a life-saver, all rolled into one. Such is the double life of a rodeo clown.To the unsophisticated viewer, he's just another funny man with a painted face, silly wig and baggy clothes. But to the bull-riding cowboys on the rodeo circuit, Gilstraph is the difference many times between life and death.

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03-25-1973 (cutline): Bobby Rowe, horse man for rodeo and one of this subjects.

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03-23-1973 (cutline): Rodeo veteran takes practice turn around barrel race course. Mrs. Jackie Thompson wears lucky garb as she rides 'King Penn.'

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03-21-1973 (cutline): Some of the 100 riders and 175 animals who'll be competing in the Loretta Lynn Longhorn World Championship Rode that will begin tomorrow at the Richmond Coliseum have already settled into town. The riders will be competing for about $12,000 in prize money and championship points of the International Rodeo Association.

Rodeo

03-23-1973 (cutline): Mother-daughter duo drove from Texas to compete in rodeo here. Mrs. Thompson will Ride 'Penn,' Mrs. Sondra Gill, 'Mighty Barrs.'

Rodeo

05-27-1972 (cutline): Mrs. Helen Panzella waits to perform. Rodeo star is also nursing student.

Rodeo

05-28-1972 (cutline): Bill Keating tried not to comply with the creature's wishes yesterday as he participated in a steer wrestling competition in the Acca Temple Shrine Rodeo at City Stadium. The rodeo winds up its three-day stint today.

Rodeo

03-24-1972 (cutline): The World Championship Rodeo at the Richmond Coliseum.

Rodeo

03-23-1972: World Championship Rodeo at the Richmond Coliseum

Rodeo

03-22-1972 (cutline): Mrs. Nola Freeman is rodeo secretary.

Rodeo

04-18-1986 (cutline): Mini-cowboy at work--Animals part of show too.

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