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Michael R. Bloomberg
2/22/2022
Bloomberg.com
Without changing course, the party is headed for a November wipeout.
The political earthquake that just occurred in San Francisco should be a dire warning to the national Democratic Party, because the same fault line stretches across the country and the tremors are only increasing.
In 2018 and 2020, I strongly supported efforts to win back control of Congress and the White House, because never in my lifetime have protection of the Constitution and the preservation of democracy been so threatened by domestic politics. I continue to believe that a healthy and vibrant Democratic Party remains essential to beating back the Republican Party’s dangerous turn toward authoritarianism and its tolerance for election subversion. But I am deeply concerned that, absent an immediate course correction, the party is headed for a wipeout in November, up and down the ballot.
Three months after Republicans scored major election upsets in Virginia and New Jersey, largely because of the frustration parents felt with Democratic officials who catered to teachers’ unions and culture warriors at the expense of children, voters in San Francisco recalled three school board members by margins of nearly three to one. Coming from America’s most liberal city, those results should translate into a 7 to 8 on the Richter scale, because the three main factors that drove the recall are not unique to the Bay Area.
First, the school board members failed to show any urgency in reopening schools even when it was clear that doing so was safe — and that remote classes were leaving students further and further behind. As private schools opened, public schools remained closed. Tragically, that failure will do lasting damage to many students and their career prospects, especially those from low-income communities. Data show that these students have fallen much further behind their peers — often losing a half year’s worth of schooling. Nothing has widened social achievement gaps more than poorly conceived remote instruction. Parents know this, and Democratic elected officials need to show them that they know it, too.
Second, the school board members seemed more concerned with political correctness than educating children. Instead of reopening schools, they spent their time renaming them, stripping off the names of historic figures like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln before a public outcry forced them to reverse course. Meanwhile, parents struggled to keep their heads above water as they tried to manage having their children at home. The city’s Democratic mayor, London Breed, rightly criticized the board for having its priorities backward.
Third, the school board members voted to eliminate merit-based admissions at one of the nation’s top-performing schools. Students had long been admitted based on their grades and tests, until the board moved to a lottery system. Make no mistake: Lowering standards in the name of fairness only exacerbates injustice and inequality. Closing achievement gaps must be done by creating more high-quality schools, not undermining existing ones. Voters understand this, and they will keep casting their ballots for candidates who do, too.
A recent Democratic Party poll showed that voters perceive it as being too “focused on the culture wars” — from renaming schools to defunding the police. But the advice that party leaders are giving members of Congress — to “correct the record” when Republicans criticize them on schools and culture — isn’t going to cut it.
Voters need to hear from Democrats that schools remained closed for too long, and that improving schools means closing achievement gaps, not eliminating standards.
In New York City, one of the reasons I and so many Democrats and independents — and Republicans — supported Eric Adams for mayor is that he spoke to the fears and frustrations voters had around education and crime. His victory demonstrated that in deep blue cities, not to mention purple suburbs, Democrats want leaders who have the backbone to stand tall and take the political hits that come with being a practical problem-solver.
Swing voters will decide the 2022 midterm elections, and right now, polls show they are swinging away from Democrats. The earthquake that shook San Francisco needs to shake up our party, before voters do it themselves in November.
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/ar...mocratic-party
2/22/2022
Bloomberg.com
Without changing course, the party is headed for a November wipeout.
The political earthquake that just occurred in San Francisco should be a dire warning to the national Democratic Party, because the same fault line stretches across the country and the tremors are only increasing.
In 2018 and 2020, I strongly supported efforts to win back control of Congress and the White House, because never in my lifetime have protection of the Constitution and the preservation of democracy been so threatened by domestic politics. I continue to believe that a healthy and vibrant Democratic Party remains essential to beating back the Republican Party’s dangerous turn toward authoritarianism and its tolerance for election subversion. But I am deeply concerned that, absent an immediate course correction, the party is headed for a wipeout in November, up and down the ballot.
Three months after Republicans scored major election upsets in Virginia and New Jersey, largely because of the frustration parents felt with Democratic officials who catered to teachers’ unions and culture warriors at the expense of children, voters in San Francisco recalled three school board members by margins of nearly three to one. Coming from America’s most liberal city, those results should translate into a 7 to 8 on the Richter scale, because the three main factors that drove the recall are not unique to the Bay Area.
First, the school board members failed to show any urgency in reopening schools even when it was clear that doing so was safe — and that remote classes were leaving students further and further behind. As private schools opened, public schools remained closed. Tragically, that failure will do lasting damage to many students and their career prospects, especially those from low-income communities. Data show that these students have fallen much further behind their peers — often losing a half year’s worth of schooling. Nothing has widened social achievement gaps more than poorly conceived remote instruction. Parents know this, and Democratic elected officials need to show them that they know it, too.
Second, the school board members seemed more concerned with political correctness than educating children. Instead of reopening schools, they spent their time renaming them, stripping off the names of historic figures like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln before a public outcry forced them to reverse course. Meanwhile, parents struggled to keep their heads above water as they tried to manage having their children at home. The city’s Democratic mayor, London Breed, rightly criticized the board for having its priorities backward.
Third, the school board members voted to eliminate merit-based admissions at one of the nation’s top-performing schools. Students had long been admitted based on their grades and tests, until the board moved to a lottery system. Make no mistake: Lowering standards in the name of fairness only exacerbates injustice and inequality. Closing achievement gaps must be done by creating more high-quality schools, not undermining existing ones. Voters understand this, and they will keep casting their ballots for candidates who do, too.
A recent Democratic Party poll showed that voters perceive it as being too “focused on the culture wars” — from renaming schools to defunding the police. But the advice that party leaders are giving members of Congress — to “correct the record” when Republicans criticize them on schools and culture — isn’t going to cut it.
Voters need to hear from Democrats that schools remained closed for too long, and that improving schools means closing achievement gaps, not eliminating standards.
In New York City, one of the reasons I and so many Democrats and independents — and Republicans — supported Eric Adams for mayor is that he spoke to the fears and frustrations voters had around education and crime. His victory demonstrated that in deep blue cities, not to mention purple suburbs, Democrats want leaders who have the backbone to stand tall and take the political hits that come with being a practical problem-solver.
Swing voters will decide the 2022 midterm elections, and right now, polls show they are swinging away from Democrats. The earthquake that shook San Francisco needs to shake up our party, before voters do it themselves in November.
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/ar...mocratic-party