Most of the Democratic presidential candidates for office are about as out of touch with their party as they possibly could be. Despite upwards of 80 percent of Democratic voters supporting expanding choices regarding education in the public and charter school system. This hilariously contrasts with the platform of several top Democratic candidates, who have taken stances against charter schools in favor of restricting school choice and punishing charter schools.
Perhaps this disconnect was caused, in part, by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos championing school choice through vouchers and tax credit scholarships, and the hesitancy of Democratic candidates to appear associated with their Republican counterparts.
Surprisingly, the expansion of charter school accessibility was promoted by the Obama administration. DeVos’ stance is quite bipartisan in this respect, so it’s strange that the leading Democratic candidates are so vocal about opposing it. This makes it clear that candidates are reflexively opposing the position of the Trump Administration in hopes of capitalizing on the tensions surrounding the president, at the expense of good bipartisan policy.
Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Julian Castro have openly voiced their opposition to charter schools and school choice during the presidential debates. When we look at the disconnect between voters and their candidates, it’s clear that the 2020 candidates don’t understand what the people want. In the words of Andrew Yang, voters are “pro good school,” but the leading Democratic candidates are most definitely not.
Photo by Tim Mossholder
