by David Safier
These days, being a Republican politician makes you act like an idiot. You have to pander to the basest of your base if you hope to have a future.
Today’s illustration: Tom Horne. Never my favorite person in the world, but now he’s become a knee jerk panderer to the crazies.
In the post below this, I wrote about the conservative hue and cry over a TUSD document they say is advocating treating African American and Hispanic students differently from others when it comes to discipline — that is, more leniently.
Tom Horne says that’s a terrible idea, and he came down to Tucson to express his disgust at a news conference. KOLD TV News caught up with him.
One problem. He hasn’t read it.
“I haven’t read the plan itself, but I’ve read descriptions of the plan,” Horne told the Tucson news conference.
I asked Horne, “So you have not read the plan. And you have not talked to TUSD administrators about the plan?
Horne replied, “That is correct.”
Horne says he read a newspaper article about the plan, and the opinion piece that claims it calls for two-tiered, race-based discipline.
“Well, TUSD itself has said they’re seeking to reduce minority discipline,” Horne said.
When pressed, Horne admitted he didn’t know who had said that.
As one of my students would have said: Oh! My! God!
Horne held a press conference about a document he hadn’t read. He wants to pass legislation that has “a provision prohibiting the use of racial categories in disciplining kids,” based on a document he hasn’t read that says nothing of the kind.
The reporter talked with TUSD Superintendent Fagen, who explained why the document talked so much about race, specifically about African American and Hispanic students.
Dr. Fagen says there’s a simple explanation: The plan comes out of the lawsuit against the district three decades ago.
“I think it’s also important to remember that the plan was written for the plaintiffs, and the plaintiffs are African-American and Hispanic and so it specifically talks to those students. But that doesn’t, in any way, mean the plan doesn’t apply to all students,” Celania-Fagen said.
It’s a terrific piece. Watch the whole thing. It’s worth it.
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Well, he’s not the sharpest crayon in the box. He’s spamming me and apparently many others to vote for him in some Arizona Guardian poll. I’m a registered Colorado voter and have never lived in Arizona!
Thank god he’s term limited out as Supt. of Instruction. He has a personal vendetta against TUSD, and he’s a disaster as schools’ chief.
Here’s a REAL educator running for State Supt. of Instruction in 2010.
http://pennykotterman.com/background.html
I’ve always thought Tom Horne was an idiot, but that really doesn’t have anything to do with this issue. He’s a race baiter, in a state where race matters in primary elections. He knows it, and thinks that his “coded speech” will carry him through the primary.
This time, his lack of preparation exposed his sinister agenda to the local media. They were’nt buying his BS and called him on it.
I realize that there are some number of modern day liberals who think that anybody who disagrees with them are consumed by racial hate but I have a hard time believing that in this fine 21st century where the elected President of the United States is half black that the motivation is as pervasive as some might suggest.
This flowchart makes me wonder:
http://smallestminority.blogspot.com/2009/09/medias-opposition-flowchart.html
Where is the tolerance of differing opinions I was told would result from liberal political victory? It is certainly not overflowing in the comments section of B for Az.
Tom Horne is reported to be guilty of not reading that which he declaims. Why accuse him of hating the entire population of Arizona. To me that sounds not very tolerant at all.
It is even worse that Horne is not an idiot. That means he is purposely acting like a jerk. He really hates the people of Arizona to be so patronizing toward us.