Florida Governor Faces Common Core Dilemma

Florida governor Rick Scott

When we last visited Florida governor Rick Scott, the Sunshine State's fearless leader was ducking an education conference the gov himself had requested. In recent days, as a Miami Herald story noted, Scott has picked up the education mantle he so unceremoniously dropped. The governor is now considering making a statement about Florida's commitment to Common Core standards in K-12 education.

His position on the subject will be interesting. Scott's GOP base is very restive regarding anything involving the federal government, and downright nasty if Barack Obama has any association with a program. Common Core hits the bull's eye on both counts. Scott's larger issue is that his principal political benefactor is Jeb Bush, who happens to favor Common Core initiatives.

Scott's dilemma mirrors the Republican Party's schizophrenia on many social issues. I suspect the Florida governor will back Common Core standards and related assessment testing, simply because the state is already in immersed in the K-12 world's deep water: Common Core, charter schools, and the tech mafia that offers "solutions" to problems that conveniently suit its commercial needs. Also, in Florida, what Jeb Bush wants, Jeb Bush usually gets.

Heritage Foundation Immigration Study Co-Author Resigns, Accused of "Sloppy Methodology" and Linked to Racist Sentiments

Heritage Foundation president Jim DeMint
(photo: The Washington Post)

The right-wing think tank Heritage Foundation had a plan to hijack the political dialogue over America's most recent, painful iteration of immigration policy. A study was commissioned that essentially was intended to provide a blueprint for restrictive legislation on those without passports, but had a desire to usefully live in the United States. The "experts" who conducted the study would have provided intellectual cover for the foundation's overt political agenda. Adding heat to the Heritage fire was its recent appointment of Tea Party advocate and former US senator Jim DeMint as the think tank's capo.

Jason Richwine
(photo: slate.com)

The report became a disaster for the right-wing. Its co-author, Harvard-trained Jason Richwine, used specious methodology to reach his conclusions. Among them, according to a report in The Washington Post, was the assertion that "the cost of legalizing 11 million undocumented immigrants" would cost the nation over six trillion dollars.

Well, a trillion here or there has never stopped a conservative politician from advancing pointless weapons programs while proposing a tax cut for one percenters. What made the Heritage broadside dead on DC arrival was Richwine's 2009 Harvard doctoral thesis. In it, the Post story noted, the aspiring scholar claimed "there are deep-seated and likely genetic IQ differences between the races and that low-IQ immigrants should be kept out of the country." The Ivy-trained Richwine, according to a Talking Points Memo piece, once contributed an article on Hispanic incarceration rates for a white nationalist website. Oops.

US Senator Marco Rubio.
He recently denounced the
Heritage-Richwine study 

For the conservative establishment, still licking its wounds from its disastrous showing with "ethnic" groups during the 2012 presidential election, Richwine's background put the right-wing under a most unwelcome spotlight. The feeling that significant, vocal elements within the Tea Party and the GOP's more extreme right would openly advocate seemingly racist positions continues to linger after Barack Obama's re-election to the presidency. Many in the GOP, including two Hispanic US Senators from important electoral states, are very uncomfortable with the parties' racist drift. Less extreme conservatives and their allies, such as Jeb Bush, are powerful enough to do something about it. Let's just say the Bush faction got the word out.

Richwine resigned from the Heritage Foundation this past week, according to many sources, including The Atlantic Wire.

Jeb Bush, the 2012 Presidential Race, and 2016

Jeb Bush (right) with George H.W. Bush (left) and Barbara Bush. 

For all the fuss and fire about lightweight GOP presidential candidates, party heavyweight Jeb Bush has notably stayed on the sidelines through the fracas. While it appears Bush 41/Yale has given Mitt Romney/Harvard a Don Corleone-esque nod of approval, Jeb has been circumspect with his opinion. The Bush's son's actions matter. As the heir apparent to the Bush political dynasty, Jeb has profound clout among Republican party regulars and funders. Consequently, his silence on the various candidates panting to run against Barack Obama has impact that ripples through the entire GOP relationship network. A Washington Post article on a slow-news Christmas Day explores this situation. Keep in mind that slow-news days are excellent times for insider topics to quietly reach a wider audience.

The story intriguingly hints at Jeb's ambitions for the 2016 presidential race. That scenario makes a great deal of sense, especially as Romney is made to order as the GOP's 2012 presidential sacrificial lamb. Jeb wants no part of a contest against Obama, and Jeb would like to put a leash around the GOP's extreme right-wingers. The 2012 presidential campaign will accomplish both goals, while clearing the way for Jeb to be both the anti-Obama is 2016 and a GOP candidate suburban voters, Hispanic voters, and conservative-leaning women can comfortably vote for. (I feel the heavyweight presidential campaign will be in 2016, and it will be US politics' version of the Thrilla in Manila: Jeb Bush vs Hillary Rodham Clinton.)

The relationship between the Big O and JB is a curious one. I noted in a March 2011 post that Bush and Obama jointly spoke at a Miami event focusing on K-12 education. Jeb's public stance is that Obama is beatable in 2012. However, Bush does not embrace reactionary positions on selected social issues, such as immigration and education. In fact, some Obama Administration policies are closely aligned to Jeb's notions, and Bush has wisely kept quiet on those fronts. In the end, Obama's directions will be easier for a Bush administration to modify than those of the GOP's ideologically motivated factions.

President Obama and Jeb Bush at March 2011 event in Miami.
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is in the middle.
(Photo from politico.com)

Obama, Jeb Bush, and a Miami High School Visit

President Obama visited Miami Central High School today, and cited its "improvement" as an example of desirable institutional progress. The Miami Herald has some details about the visit, including Jeb Bush's role in it. The Washington Post version of events, however, offers much more political juice.

The story's intrigue involves Obama and the Bush clan. Why would 44 play ball with the GOP's resident family dynasty? Why would the Bushes cooperate with the Big O, when the Hawaiian-born president harshly criticized President 43?

To some extent, la famille Bush and Obama have managed a truce beyond the political practicalities of rhetorical stances. Obama's defense secretary, Robert Gates, comes from the Bush camp. It's not a coincidence that Obama has been relatively safe from right-wing criticism of defense matters. (Let's see what happens once Gates retires.) The Obama administration, which intended to shut down the Guantanamo prison, has kept it open. Desperately needed inquiries into the so-called "war on terror" have been largely avoided. The Bush administration's handling of the American financial crisis never seemed like an issue Obama wanted fully aired. The disturbing usurpation of civil liberties through the aggressive use and manipulation of national intelligence assets, to the shame of the American conservative movement, remains largely unaddressed.

While Obama could be characterized as understandably wary and cautious about the Bushes, it does not explain why Jeb Bush would interject himself into an issue essential to Obama's re-election bid. However, Obama might have one eye on the GOP presidential primaries. To win the party primaries, GOP candidates typically veer hard toward the political right. That tilt, along with the fanaticism of the Tea Party faction, means Obama has an opportunity to convince centrists and moderates that he, again, is The One. The Bush clan represents the GOP establishment that has a perspective that Obama has already demonstrated he can live with, while not necessarily liking it. As represented by 41 and brightest son Jeb, the Bushes offer a world view in which religiously inspired foreign policy and combative domestic agendas don't mix with practical issues of governing, economic strength, and diplomatic-military jiu-jitsu.

Jeb Bush, through his olive branch to Obama, has set the groundwork for continued cooperation. Its vision extends to the 2012 election, and beyond.

The photo, from Life, shows former president George H.W. Bush, Barbara Bush, and to Mrs. Bush's left, Jeb Bush.