My response is that anyone who is willing to work for this administration has disqualified herself from being worthy of it.
To wit: if a person is willing to go to work for Trump, he or she doesn't have either
1) the values to use the ed secretary's bully pulpit to push against the inequality endemic in public education or
2) the spine to stand up against the bigotry necessary to do so.
The Secretary of Education has some formal power and a lot of informal influence. If DeVos is willing to compromise herself in to order to have the title, she's kneecapped herself in actually exercising the influence.
That sort of influence comes from moral authority. In saying yes to Trump, you give up your claim to that sort of power.
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Of course, the argument goes, someone's got to be the secretary. It might as well be the best person possible.
In a normal circumstances, sure. A secretary appointed by a Republican will be on one end of a range of views; a Democratic secretary will be on the other end. Ideally, I'd want someone who is willing to push on holding schools accountable, offer flexibility on licensing, and hold for-profit groups in check, to name a few (of many) things I personally care about.
I agree with DeVos on a few issues, disagree with many more, and don't know about a lot of stuff because she's mostly been a philanthropist and behind-the-scenes player.
Elections have consequences and I'm OK with leaders who go in very different directions. I'm OK with DeVos's nontraditional résumé for the role. Such is the reality of our democracy.
In these times, though, values come before before policy. Specifically, who one is willing to work for reveals a lot of about that person's values.
Trump represents a series of values -- bigotry, cruelty, authoritarianism, irrationality, to name a few -- that run counter to the American idea. When history calls us to account for this era, the refrain will be the same as the labor and civil rights song "Which Side are You On?"
We haven't judged kindly those who took nuanced views on integrating schools, buses, and lunch counters in South. Working for George Wallace or Ross Barnett was a stain that has only looked worse with time. John Lewis took a side against them and the system they represented.
Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to......— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2017
mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results. All talk, talk, talk - no action or results. Sad!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2017
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| "All talk, talk, talk - no action or results." |
One cannot truly value the idea of our public schools as the door the American dream for all and also be OK with Trump.
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There is a time for nuance. There's a time for working with those whom you vehemently disagree. That's a necessary part of making this country work.
There's also a time for just taking a side.
Everything we know right now about Trump says opposition is the only moral option.
Betsy DeVos's choice reveled where her values really are. The things Donald Trump said and did over many years -- and especially during his campaign -- did not disqualify him, in her eyes, from the presidency.
Therefore, she is unfit to serve as the figurehead leader of American public education.
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