UPDATE: Welcome Carolina Plott Hound Readers!

Over the last few weeks since the North Carolina Common Core legislative study committee (LRC) released their findings, which included a bill to replace the Common Core, we’ve heard sound bite after sound bite from supporters that all contain a theme: Politicizing. 

I took one egregious and hypocritical offender to task, but wanted to revisit it after I found more video of her comments. I’m talking about Rep. Cotham. At the final meeting of the LRC, Rep. Tricia Cotham (who is a member of Common Core LRC) decided to grandstand and fluff her political feathers while simultaneously degrading the parents and citizens who spoke out against Common Core to the LRC.

It was nice of her to attend that last LRC meeting since she blew off the public comment meeting. She chose to ‘listen online’ instead. I guess she missed the fact 2/3 of the 60 people who showed up spoke in opposition. Perhaps she can better hear the ‘politicizing’ from national voices like Peggy Noonan eviscerating Common Core and from George Will trouncing it?

Back to that N&O clip

It’s a quick clip, taken right after the last LRC meeting. She does her best in 25 seconds to demonize anyone thinking NC taking control of their own academics is a good thing:

1. It’s not a curriculum, Rep. Cotham. It’s standards.  The proposal on the table is also about fixing the horribly written and experimental Common Core standards.

2. Rep. Cotham, if it’s inappropriate to politicize education, perhaps you shouldn’t be doing it yourself.

3. It’s dangerous? All due respect, allowing outside entities accountable to no one to dictate what our children learn is dangerous.

Core Consequences

Opposition to Common Core knows they are outmatched in funds and that some legislators are either tuning them out or hustling them. Who can keep up with the Gates Foundation and the US Chamber? Very few. So what are they doing to counter? Continuing to speak out, protesting, forming PACS and running for office. There’s your politicizing, Rep. Cotham. Let’s take a look around the nation a bit and see for ourselves.

Two incumbent Common Core pushers backed by the US Chamber of Commerce and Governor Pence go down in Indiana. Who won? Two candidates specifically running on Common Core opposition promises.

Tuesday’s Republican primary elections in the Hoosier state resulted in the landslide defeat of two establishment incumbents running for statewide re-election. Pence had endorsed GOP State Rep. Kathy Heuer over challenger Christopher Judy. Pence’s Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann had endorsed GOP State Rep. Rebecca Kubacki over challenger Curt Nisly. The incumbents enjoyed the support of the Common Core-promoting U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

These same Big Business elites backed Pence’s ploy to stave off grassroots parental opposition by “withdrawing” from Common Core — and then immediately adopting “new” standards that recycle the same old rotten ones. (See my April 30 column, “Big Government GOP’s Common Core Rebrand Hustle.”) As Hoosier mom Erin Tuttle put it, Pence’s stunt “gave the appearance of voiding the Common Core, while the Indiana Department of Education and the Center for Education and Career Innovation walked it through the backdoor.”

In defeat, Rep. Stautberg defends his stance on Common Core. Gee, what happened here? Oh, he sided with big business and experimental standards over the voices of the parents.

It was hard to imagine what Stautberg, a third-term lawmaker and chairman of the Public Utilities Committee who is generally considered thoughtful and respected among his GOP colleagues, could have done over the past two years to draw the ire of GOP voters – particularly to the degree that he would go from a 22-point win in 2012 to a 7-point loss in 2014.

Turns out, it’s more what he didn’t do. He didn’t oppose Common Core.

And from the Common Core Shutuppery Files:

ND schools spokesman attacks anti-Common Core advocate via anonymous email