Yesterday, criticizing the Freedom of Choice Act, which would “repeal federal restrictions” on access to abortion, Rep. Bryan Stevenson of Missouri compared it to “The War of Northern Aggression,” which is commonly known among people who wouldn’t have wanted the Confederacy to win as “The Civil War.” Stevenson reportedly apologized, which is great for him, but I think it’s pretty disturbing for a United States representative to openly profess solidarity with the Confederate cause and I think it implies a rather disturbing view of American history, especially with regard to race.
Today, Ohio Rep. Steve Austria said that President Franklin Roosevelt caused the Great Depression, apparently unaware that Roosevelt was elected four years after the stock market crash of 1929. This is something of a leap from the rather factless conservative claim that Roosevelt made the Depression worse, but not really unusual in terms of conservatives inverting history to suit their purposes.
As a former DC public school student, I’m aware that we have serious public education problems in the United States. They will likely get worse with Congress’ continued apprehension to funding public schools adequately during the recession. But I think we should be equally concerned about what appears to be a very serious education deficit among our elected officials.
— A. Serwer
